And turn to Ephesians chapter 6. If you were here last week, I'm going to take a new series just on Christian armor, looking at the subject of spiritual warfare. I've been reading, as I said last week, William Gurnall.
These kind of three great volumes, this English Puritan on Christian warfare. And nothing I'm going to say over these weeks is going to be original. All the best insights will be William Gurnall's. So don't read those books until I'm finished.
I'm going to come back to the series. Chris Roberts is going to preach in the next little bit. And then we'll come back to the series in the summer. But do listen to last week.
So I want us to begin to look in the armor. There's lots of different ways I think of preaching the Bible. Normally we go through a passage, working through a book.
But I think it is helpful sometimes to take an in-depth look at a passage and to kind of dig down and see the sweep of Scripture behind it. And that's what we're going to try and do in this series.
So we're looking at the resources that God has provided for us. And so the first handpiece of armor is in chapter 6 and verse 14.
He says, stand, therefore. I'd remember the three stands from 13 and 14. Keep standing. I'm having fastened on the belt of truth.
That's just what I want to look at tonight. Having fastened on the belt of truth.
I don't know if you have a routine in the morning. When you get up in the morning to get dressed.
And I'm not going to tell you my routine. But I always get dressed in the same way. And so do you. I'm sure you do.
Whatever routine you use when you get dressed. I'm pretty certain you don't put your belt on first. Do you?
That would be particularly odd if you wear a belt.
And a belt is normally something you put on last, isn't it?
Something that holds the rest of our clothing together.
And yet here, when the apostle describes the Christian's dress.
The Christian's protective clothing, his armor.
He mentions first of all, can you see it?
The belt of truth.
Now as a matter of fact, that's how Roman soldiers dressed in South of Battle.
They would put their belt on first for the simple reason.
And then it was in a way a kind of foundation.
Garment.
Everything else was fastened to it.
The breastplate of righteousness.
The breastplate was fastened to the belt.
You couldn't wear the breastplate.
Unless you had your belt of truth on.
The sword was probably stabbed to the belt.
And for that reason, you'd have to put the belt on first.
And another reason is, apparently in those days,
they were loose tunics.
Kind of like an old-fashioned nightgown.
A loose, flowing garment.
So before you're going to fight,
and before you're going to run and charge at the enemy,
the first thing you'd have to do is fasten in
this loose, flowing garment.
You fasten in your tunic.
And that's what the belt is for.
It was to pick up the loose, flowing garment
and fasten it
so they were ready for action.
Now again, you see the picture again through Scripture.
You go to Exodus.
Do you remember the Passover?
And do you remember how they were to eat the Passover?
In the Old Testament,
the people, they were told to eat it
with their belt on.
They were to gird up their loins.
They were to gird up their garments.
And they were to eat the Passover
with their belts on
and with their sword in their hand.
Their staff in their hand.
They're told to eat that meal,
ready to move at a moment's notice.
And Jesus picks up the same idea in the Gospels
in Luke 12, 35.
He uses the same picture.
Tells his disciples that
to be ready for action at a moment's notice.
And again, he's picking up on Exodus 12,
on the Passover.
And he says there,
kind of gird up your loins.
They're to be ready at a moment's notice.
Apostle Peter,
in his first epistle,
he calls on them to kind of gird up,
to fasten,
to gird up the loins of their minds.
The ESV misses it.
It's exactly the same picture
that Paul is bringing before us now.
And it's a picture of preparing,
of preparation.
There is a sense, isn't there,
where the belt of truth
isn't actually a part of the armour.
in the way that the other pieces are.
It's preparatory for the fight.
And the first thing we've got to do
before anything else,
is we've got to make sure,
can you see verse 14?
We have a belt of truth on.
Our lives are girded by the truth.
Now, a few recent commentators
on what does this mean?
What does this belt of truth mean?
They're a little bit puzzled.
There are some who suggest,
well, it's just the gospel.
It's just the gospel
that he must be talking about.
Because he's describing for us
the armour of God.
And he must be, therefore,
speaking about something
that God himself provides.
And most people
take it as a reference
to the gospel itself.
But the problem is,
in verse 14,
is there's no definite article.
Did you spot that?
Paul doesn't think,
put on the belt of the truth.
And he uses the indefinite article.
He says, no,
just put on the belt of truth.
There are others
who notice that,
and they go to the other extreme,
and they say,
well, he's only talking about truth
in a general way.
Now, he's talking about being true,
about being honest,
and about being sincere,
and about being open.
And lots of lots of commentators
interpret it in that way.
In terms of sincerity,
and openness,
and honesty.
But it seems to me
that we shouldn't really take
either of those ways
solely looking at the passage.
And we must take it
at face value.
And we must take it
as it reads.
And I think we need
to understand truth
in its widest possible sense.
Now, that includes
gospel truth, doesn't it?
But it includes the truth
that is in Jesus Christ,
but it's much, much wider than that.
And I think it's important
for us to see it in that way.
And Paul is saying,
if you're going to stand
in the evil day,
if you will stand
in the warfare
against the devil,
that if you are in Christ,
you are involved in,
you need an accurate perception
of the way things are.
Well, I think that's
where we need to begin.
That if we're going to stand
against the evil one,
then the first thing we need
is an accurate perception
of the way things really are.
We need to know the truth,
firstly.
You see, that is where
the devil attacks us,
isn't it?
That is his favourite
and most successful
line of attack.
Children, do you remember,
that is how he ruined
the human race.
That's how he ruined
Adam and Eve
in the Garden of Eden.
And so we find ourselves
in the state that we're in,
this fall in the state
we've been talking about
with the children
for the last few weeks.
That was his line of attack,
was it?
Eve in the garden.
He says, do you remember,
has God really said?
What Eve should have done,
of course,
was to say,
yes, God did really say.
And that's good enough for me.
She should have put on
the belt of truth,
shouldn't she?
But instead of that,
she began to listen
to the devil.
And the devil is a master
at distorting truth
and distorting reality.
Is that how it really is?
Says the devil to Eve.
Surely it's not like that,
is it?
It's not that extreme.
You know, Genesis 3.
And if you and I
have to stand against the devil,
then the first thing
we have to do
is to put on the belt of truth.
And I want to try
and help you to do that tonight
in the most practical way I can.
And to give you a few examples
of what does it mean
to face the devil
in this way.
The first thing you have to do
in any situation,
and it seems to me
in any situation at all,
is to ask,
what is true?
What is true?
That's the first thing
I want to ask this week.
Whether it's in the church,
or in the world,
or in our families,
whether it's in work,
whatever context you're in,
you and I are not
to lose touch with reality.
You need to ask the question,
what is true?
In every situation.
We're first to ask ourselves,
what is true?
Because the devil is a master
at distorting reality.
Do you remember
what the Apostle Paul says here?
In verse 14,
he says,
this is the first thing
you've got to do.
Once you've done that,
you can put on
the breastplate of righteousness.
And a Roman soldier,
as I said before,
couldn't put on
his breastplate of righteousness
and didn't put his belt on.
It was impossible.
And you and I
cannot,
and we will not
ever be able to do
what is right,
unless we know
what is true.
So let me give you
a simple illustration.
Let me imagine
you've got a teenage son
or a teenage daughter.
And you've laid down the law
and you say,
well yes,
you can go up with your friends,
but you have to be in by
eleven.
Half time.
And she comes in
at two in the morning.
What's your immediate reaction?
Well,
your immediate reaction,
if you've said,
come in at half ten
and she comes in at two,
is to hit the roof.
To fly into a rage.
And before you know it,
there's a blazing row,
isn't it?
And you've got real problems.
Well,
what's the first thing
you've got to do
in that situation?
Are you going to
establish the truth?
Why has he or she
come in at two o'clock
in the morning?
Well,
the facts,
it may not be
what it looks like.
So the first question,
if I'm going to avoid
damaging a relationship,
if I'm going to avoid
doing the wrong thing,
the first thing
I've got to ask is,
what is true?
I could have called
the belt of truth.
What are the facts?
And there may be
a simple and innocent
explanation of what is true.
Because the devil
always wants you and I
to act
without considering
what is true.
But if you're going to
do the right thing
in any situation,
first of all,
don't discover the truth.
let me give you
another example.
One of the most
damaging things in
church life in the UK
in the life of the church
are problems in
relationships between
Christians.
And you know,
don't you,
how easily these things
can arise in church life.
Someone says something
quite innocently,
they don't mean anything
by it at all,
but it is
misconstrued.
Someone says something
quite innocently,
they don't mean anything
about it,
but it's misconstrued.
Or you overhear
something,
or someone passes
on something
that somebody else
said,
and you begin
to brood on it.
Suppose you're day,
suppose you're week,
suppose you're sleep.
And before you know it,
you're living with it,
it's day and night,
you're dreaming about it,
and the devil has got in.
And you know,
if you know church life
at all,
you will know how
these things can blow up
out of all proportion.
And before you know it,
people are beginning
to take sides,
and there's a split
in the church,
and the work of the
gospel is ruined
in the lives of the
neighbourhood,
and in the lives
of the children
of that church.
And the credibility
of the church's witness
and message is gone.
And all because
you and I have not
put on the belt of truth.
All because we go
about our daily lives
or our church lives
without wearing
the belt of truth.
If we were wearing
the belt of truth
and we heard something,
we wouldn't brood over it,
would we?
Because we would know
the truth of God's word,
it tells us,
that love
thinks no evil.
And so we don't
misconstrue
what people say.
We don't put the
worst possible
construction on what
people say.
If we're Christians,
if we have the belt
of truth around us,
do you remember,
love thinks no evil.
Love is patient,
love is kind.
David Watson,
not my father-in-law,
the kind of church
of Angelus
who died in the
Sonties.
He's got a book
on Christian warfare,
it's not really very good,
but he's got a good
little story in it.
And he tells the story
of a missionary,
a young missionary
who went out
to the mission field
and she was put
with an older missionary
who had been on the
mission field
for about 30 years.
And this older
missionary had become
kind of
spiritually fossilised.
This older missionary,
she had become
hard
and cynical
and very difficult
to live with.
And she made
that poor
new missionary,
that poor girl's
life of misery
to the point
where the girl
was really questioning
whether she should
stay on the mission field.
Do you know
how the situation
changed?
Every day
that young girl,
she got out
1 Corinthians 13
and she prayed
through it.
She said,
it's impossible
Lord to live
with this woman.
But she read
through 1 Corinthians 13
and she prayed
through it
and for a whole year
every day
she put on
the belt of truth.
she tried
to live
with that woman
according to
God's word.
1 Corinthians 13
and by the end
of the year
the situation
had been
wonderfully transformed.
And they were
actually quite
a useful partnership.
They're trouble
with us
very often
and the reason
why the devil
gets into
church situations
very often
is because
we're not
wearing the belt of truth.
We can quote
scripture
but we don't wear it.
And if I'm
thinking wrongly
of a fellow
brother or sister
in our church
I'm not wearing
the belt of truth
because love
thinks no evil.
Let me give you
another kind of example.
Romans chapter 8.
You know that great
chapter we read it?
And in Romans chapter 8
it's a great chapter
on assurance
and Paul there
is dealing
with this
whole question
in his own
personal life.
It's one of
the great chapters
isn't it?
Dealing with assurance.
How we know
that we're saved.
God wants you
and I to enjoy
our salvation.
He wants us
to be sure.
He doesn't want you
to go through life
looking over your shoulder.
He wants you
to be sure
that you are
in Christ
and he wants you
to enjoy it.
And Romans chapter 8
is a great chapter
in the Bible
dealing with this
whole question
of how do I know
that I'm in Christ?
And that is
one of the places
isn't it?
Where the devil
is always attacking
you and I.
At that level.
The devil wants
to spoil it for us.
The devil wants
to rob you
of your assurance.
The devil is described
as the accuser
of the brethren.
He's always coming
with accusations
if you're a Christian
tonight.
You'll know that.
The devil is always
accusing you.
He comes to you
and he says
you'll never last.
That's what he says
to newcomers.
That's what he says
to young people.
He says you'll never
last in school.
You'll never make it.
You'll never send.
It's a flash in the pan.
What if this happens?
Or what if that happens?
You'll never cope.
The apostle Paul knew that.
And the devil
had come to him
in that way
and so he buckles
on the truth
and he says to me
we know that in all things
God works together
for the good
of those who love him.
Who are called
according to his purpose.
The devil is saying
you'll never cope
if this happens
or that happens.
It will destroy you.
No says the apostle.
He says no
we know
that whatever happens
to us
it is for the good
of those who love God.
And so the devil
comes back to him
and says
you're not a real Christian
but for your life.
Look at the kind of person
you are.
How can you possibly
say you're a Christian?
What does Paul say?
Well in Romans
chapter 18
verse 31
he says
what should we say
to these things
if God be for us
who can be against us?
And then verse 33
who will bring any charge
any accusation
against God's elect
it's God who justifies.
It's not if Paul is saying
I'm not going to justify
myself to you
it is God who justifies.
Who is going to bring
any charge
against those
whom God has chosen to save?
It is God who justifies
and so the devil
comes back to him.
And the devil
accuses him
and says
you've been a total failure
and Paul's answer
is in verse 34
he says
who is it to condemn?
You can almost hear
the devil talking to him
between the lines
of Romans 8
The devil comes back
and whispers to him
you're a total failure Paul
and Paul says
who is he that condemns?
Christ Jesus
is the one who died
more than that
who was raised
and who was at the right hand
of God
and who was interceding
for us
Who is he that condemns?
I've got a saviour
who died for me
who took the punishment
for me
who is raised
from the dead
and is alive
forevermore
and he speaks
my name to the Father
Now at this very moment
in heaven
who is there
to condemn me?
The devil comes back
he says
God doesn't really love you
How can God
possibly love you
you worthless
little creature?
And Paul says
there is nothing
that can separate me
from the love
of God in Christ
What can separate me
from God's love?
Nothing at all
and he ransacks
the universe
to try and find
things that could
possibly separate him
from the love of God
and there is absolutely
nothing at all
that I can think of
nothing in all
the universe
that can separate
the believer
from the loving
of God in Christ
Do you see this book?
That's all I'm trying
to get you to see tonight
I'm not trying to
expire
this book
in Romans 8
but do you see
what Paul is doing?
Paul is putting on
the belt of truth
isn't he?
And when the devil
is attacking him
when the devil
is trying to undermine
his confidence
in the Lord
and spoil his
enjoyment of the Lord
what does Paul do
he puts on
the belt of truth?
And he keeps asking
himself
what is true?
Is it true
what the devil
is saying to me?
No it's not
Christ has died
Christ has risen
from the dead
Christ intercedes
for me
nothing can separate
me from the love
of God
which is in Christ
and that's why
he said the devil
couldn't get anywhere
with Jesus
from a Matthew 4
he comes and he
tries to deflect
the Lord
from his purpose
that's why the devil
couldn't get anywhere
with him
not because Jesus
didn't quote the
Bible
there's nothing
powerful about
being able to
quote scripture
there's nothing
magical about
verses from the
Bible
that wasn't the
point
all the point
was
here was a man
whose life was
girded by the
truth
he put on the
armour of God
and the devil
couldn't penetrate
that
couldn't get
through it
and no matter
at what direction
the devil came
at Jesus
whether it's
at the temptation
whether it's
through Peter
whether it's
in the garden
of Gethsemane
he found a man
whose life was
girded
by the truth
of God's word
it is written
Satan you tell
me this
but this is
reality
and this is
where I'll stand
my life is
fastened together
by his word
reality is the
way that God
sees things
and if you and
I have to face
the enemy
the first thing
we have to do
is to put on
the belt of
truth
and not just
gospel truth
but all kinds
of truth
in every situation
we have to ask
ourselves
what is the
truth here
because God
is the God
of truth
and the devil
is a liar
from the beginning
that's the first
thing
we have to have
the word of God
dwelling in it
where to hide
his word
within our hearts
so that we will
not sin against
him
if we're to be
ready to fight
your life
and my life
is to be held
together by truth
and not by
feelings
and not by
consensus
and secondly
we must know
the truth
but we must
show the truth
that brings in
the second idea
doesn't it
that of sincerity
not only must
you know the
truth
but you must
show the truth
David in
Psalm 51
verse 6
that great
prayer of
confession
he speaks about
having truth
in inward
parts
it's a great
line
it's particularly
powerful when you
know the background
to that song
because
David had become
a casualty
hadn't he
in the war
he'd fallen
to the enemy
in the evil
day
Jonathan
and the
Puritan
who died
in Ealing
he describes
the evil
day
as that
day
when opportunity
and desire
and temptation
coincide
it's very
helpful
the evil
day
is when
opportunity
and desire
and temptation
coincide
in warfare
some days are
worse than
other days
aren't they
and there are
days that the
apostle speaks of
here in Ephesians 6
as the evil
day
and he wants you
to be able to
stand in the evil
day
in those days
when the devil
is really attacking
you
when opportunity
and desire
and temptation
coincide
in your life
there was a day
like that
for David
he's on a
rooftop
it was an evil
day
and instead of
standing
David fell
and he became
a casualty
he fell
morally
and for a
year and a
half
or around that
time
he lived a
lie
he lost
his inner
integrity
before God
and before the
people
no one took
him seriously
he lost his
authority
his more
integrity
as a leader
of the people
and so Nathan
the prophet
God's messenger
comes to him
Nathan tells a
story
if you know your
Bible you'll know it
he tells a story
rich man
who had a
neighbour
who was very
poor
who had a
little lamb
that's all he
owned
it was a
lovely little
lamb
and the rich
one took it
he stole the
poor man's
lamb
the story
about David
that David
couldn't recognise
it
so much that
he'd fallen
prey to Satan's
attack
that he'd lost
any sense of
reality
any in a
reality
so God
comes then
through his
spokesman
Nathan
the prophet
and God
who Nathan
paints a
picture
that describes
into the
smallest detail
it's a
brilliant
sermon
but David
doesn't see
himself
and David
doesn't recognise
himself
and it can be
that like that
under the
preaching of the
Bible
can't it
but when the
preacher is
preaching we
don't see
ourselves
that we look
over our
shoulders at
someone else
and we say
well that is a
good word for
so and so
isn't it
I wish he
could have been
here to hear
that or I
wish he was
here
and we
lose our
inner integrity
and inner
reality
and David
had lost
in his
life
that
and so
he prays
and he is
finally
restored
so that God
would make him
to know the
truth in
inward parts
and I think
we don't
understand the
belt of truth
in that way
too
and don't
excuse what
I've said
already
I don't
see why
we have
to pit
the truth
of the
gospel
with the
truth
being wider
I don't
think we
have to
do that
there's no
reason to
pit them
against each
other
the two
fit together
perfectly
in the fight
against the
enemy we
must know
the truth
but we
must also
show the
truth
if we're
going to
stand
and we
need to
not only
know the
truth of
doctrine
but the
truth of
life as
well
integrity
there ought
to be
an inner
reality
about us
and the
emphasis
comes out
again and
again in
the New
Testament
the
Apostle
Paul when
he describes
the armour
in Romans
13 he
calls it
the armour
of light
and the
armour we
are to
wear is
to be
clothed
with light
to be
transparent
we're not
to play
the devil
at his
own
game
1 Corinthians
4 tells
us 2
Corinthians
4 not
to be
devious
we're to
be open
the
Apostle
Paul can
commends
Timothy
doesn't he
find sincere
and unfeigned
faith
James tells
us that
a double
minded
man
is unstable
in all
he does
and he
will not
stand on
the evil
day
he's
unstable
and if
you and
I are
insincere
in our
profession
if we
are living
some kind
of double
life
we're not
going to
be able to
stand on
the evil
day
and to
buckle on
the
balance of
truth
is to
be honest
with
ourselves
and to
be honest
before
God
and before
one another
maybe
it's time
to do
that
sort
and that
goes much
deeper
I think
than many
of us
are conscious
of
let me
illustrate
it
often
we imagine
don't we
that we
are doing
something
out of a
true
spiritual
motivation
but when
we really
stop
or somebody
points out
it to us
or
we think
about it
we're not
doing it
for spiritual
reasons at
all
but what
lies behind
so much
of what
we do
isn't
driven by
a desire
to glorify
God
but some
kind of
inner
psychological
desire
that we
have
we've all
got these
things
we want
to be
recognised
we want
to feel
that our
life adds
up to
something
there are
people that
go into
Christian
ministry
like that
there are
people that
go onto
the mission
field
like that
they don't
see it
and no one
has the guts
to point it
out to them
and the devil
gets in
and the devil
gets in
because we're
not being
sincere
and we're
not being
honest
with ourselves
or with one
another
to buckle
on the
belt of truth
is to be
open and
transparent and
honest and
to be real
before God
we'll be with
others and
with ourselves
and if we're
ever going to
stand on
the evil
day
this is how
it must be
we must
seek that
in the
whole of
our life
so I
take on this
word truth
in the
widest
possible
sense
not just
in the
truth
of God's
word
or in
terms of
gospel
truth
but in
terms of
truth
in its
widest
sense
God
is the
God
of
truth
as
Christians
we believe
don't we
in the
sanctity
of truth
it
matters
because
God
is
true
and the
devil
is a
liar
so
let me
just
bring this
all
together
to buckle
on the
belt
of
truth
what is
it
what does
it mean
to buckle
on the
belt
of
truth
is a
willingness
to apply
the
whole
of
God's
word
to the
whole
of
our
lives
that's
what it
means
to put
on
the
belt
of
truth
and
that
takes
on
not
only
the
truth
but
sincerity
as
well
to
buckle
on
the
belt
of
truth
is
a
willingness
to
apply
the
whole
of
God's
word
to
the
whole
of
our
lives
so
do you
remember
this
church
in
Ephesus
was
a
priest
there
for
three
years
and
when
he
came to
leave
of
that
church
he
spoke
to
the
elders
in
Acts
20
and
this
is
what
he
said
he
said
pay
careful
attention
to
yourselves
you
leaders
and to
all
the
flock
in
which
the
Holy
Spirit
has
made
you
overseers
to
care
for
the
church
you
fierce
wolves
will
come
in
among
you
not
sparing
the
flock
and
from
among
your
own
selves
will
arise
men
speaking
twisted
things
to
draw
away
the
disciples
after
them
he's
warning
the
elders
isn't
he
what
are you
saying
the
church
leaders
you
are
in
a
battle
he
says
I
preached
the
word
of
God
to
you
for
three
years
I'm
leaving
now
and
I'm
warning
you
after
I
go
and
in
every
church
people
will
come
in
and
they
will
try
and
spoil
the
work
and
actually
many
of
those
people
will
rise up
from
amongst
you
from
your
own
numbers
and
people
will
speak
all
sorts
of
things
that
spoil
the
work
and
the
devil
is
going
to
get
into
the
situation
and
there
he
says
to
them
therefore
watch
be
alert
remembering
that
for
three
years
I
did
not
night
or day
to
admonish
everyone
with
tears
you
see
the
devil
wants
to
get
into
every
church
and
the
only
way
to
prevent
him
is
to
put
on
the
belt
of
truth
he
says
remember
what I
have
been
saying
to
you
for
these
past
three
years
I
did
not
shrink
from
declaring
to
you
the
whole
counsel
of
God
the
only
way
that
we
will
withstand
the
enemy
is
by
putting
on
the
whole
counsel
of
God
to
put
on
the
whole
truth
and
nothing
but
the
truth
you
are
to
hide
into
nothing
unless
you
do
that
you
can't
stand
and
when
the
devil
comes
you
won't
be able
to
stand
against
him
unless
you
put
on
the
whole
counsel
of
God
the
whole
word
of
God
is
to
be
applied
!
to
the
whole
of
your
life
I
am
where
wish
they
said
it
differently
we
were
unwise
in
some
of
the
things
that
they
said
most
of
all
they
were
just
a
little
bit
embarrassed
they
quoted
the
Bible
in
public
and
the
responses
of
Christians
have
been
remarkably
useless
because
they
haven't
put
on
the
belt
of
truth
and
you
and
I
if
we
think
as
a
church
that
we
!
be
!
able
to
stand
in
the
next
5,
10,
15
years
in
this
culture
by
downplaying
the truth
of
God's
word
we've
got no
chance
let me
just point
out
finally
let me
point out
the context
it's one of
the most
important
things that
people forget
about
Ephesians
6
on this
battle
where is
the battle
we fought
in
Ephesians
6
remember
we saw
it
last week
it's
so helpful
where's
the battle
to be
fought
it's
in
the
home
and
it's
in
work
and
it's
in
relationships
between
husbands
and
wives
and
parents
and
children
let me
tell you
about a
man
he's a
great
champion
for the
truth
in
church
but
actually
his
love
for his
wife
needs
much
to be
desired
Spurgeon
said
he's
an
angel
in
public
but
a
devil
in
private
here's
a
woman
and
she's
really
active
in
church
life
she's
involved
in
so
much
but
she
will
not
and
does
not
submit
to her
husband
in a
biblical
way
she
doesn't
respect
him
in the
way
the
Bible
demands
here's
a
young
person
or
child
even
in
church
people
think
you're
a
little
angel
maybe
you
pray
for
your
friends
to
become
Christians
but
at
home
you
don't
obey
dad
and
mom
you
adamantly
refuse
here's
a man
who's
really
a
Christian
at
work
speaks
about
the
Lord
Jesus
but
he's
actually
a
very
poor
worker
he's
a
bad
time
keeper
!
he's
always
late
for
work
and if
we
have
to
stand
against
the
devil
you've
got
to
apply
the
whole
of
God's
word
to
the
whole
of
our
lives
it's
a
belt
it's
meant
to
encompass
and circle
let the
truth
encircle
your life
Paul is
saying
let it
gather
up and
fasten
all the
loose
ends
all the
untidy
corners
belt
the
truth
on
he's
saying
let
the
whole
of
God's
word
control
the
whole
of
your
life
your
family
life
your
prayer
life
your
sex
life
let
there
be
no
unreality
no
insincerity
no
double
standards
therefore
take up
the
whole
armour
of
God
that
you
may
be
able
to
stand
in
the
evil
day
and
having
done
all
to
stand
therefore
having
fastened
on
the
belt
of
truth
let's
pray