War and Marriage: A series for wives Part 3

This week we're diving into the first part of the armor of God which is the belt of truth. For those who haven't been with us so far, we're talking about the spiritual battle taking place over our marriages and I highly suggest checking out Parts 1 (Here) and 2 (Here).

We'll start off by looking at the belt that this scripture is referring to. Roman soldiers wore a belt as sort of the 'anchor' for their armor. The belt was used to hold up their long robes so they could run and fight and was most likely the first piece of armor they would have put on. Also, they wore the belt even when not in battle. The belt had a spot for them to keep their sword and metal strips in the front to protect their... uh... manhood. (Hence the phrase "gird your loins with the belt of truth".) So the belt was a really important piece and like I mentioned, kind of a staple for them.

In marriage, truth is vital. We know it's important to be honest with our spouse but we're going to be talking about more than that. We're going to be looking at GOD'S truth for our marriages. It's simple but without it, we don't stand a chance. I know it can be really hard to filter the lies of the enemy in marriage so let's break down some of the ways we can put on the truth as wives.

The first thing is to realize that truth and facts are different. Facts are subject to change. Truth is not. For example, I can be sick today but tomorrow I can be well. The fact is that I'm sick today. That fact might not be the same tomorrow. The TRUTH is that God is healer. That will be the same tomorrow. I can't change that. It's constant and unchanging and unaffected by the facts. The fact might be that you have been a nagging or rude wife. The TRUTH is that God created you for good works which he set out before you. Here's the tricky part though... the enemy will use those facts to tell lies. The facts are neutral and the enemy will always use them to bend your mind HIS way. If the fact is that you've been a nagging, rude wife, the enemy will tell you that you're worthless, that you can't change, that it's your husband's fault you act that way, that it's the kids fault, that you're justified in it, that you're undesirable because of it, that your husband won't want you because of it, that your marriage won't be better because of it... You get the picture. It's all doom and gloom. It's all hopeless. It's all negative.

When you have that SAME fact that you've been nagging and rude and look at it through the TRUTH of God, it starts to look a whole lot different. God says, I have cast your sins as far as the east is from the west, go and sin no more, I have made you new, I make beauty from ashes, I can speak life into dry bones, marriage is from me, I am your healer, you can hope in me, trust in me, you are clothed in my righteousness, you are forgiven. It's all hopeful. It's all loving. It's all good.

When you don't know if you're believing the truth or a lie, just start looking at the fingerprints. The fingerprints of the enemy are doom, gloom, and destruction. The fingerprints of God are love, forgiveness, and hope. The enemy will lie about you and your value and also about your husband and his value. It's a messy thing when we start listening to him. When we do, we start believing his lies and speaking them out. The Bible talks a lot about the power of the tongue (the tongue has the POWER of life and death). When we start speaking the death stuff with our powerful tongue, it's not such a great situation. But when we start speaking out the TRUTH with that powerful tongue, it's amazing what can happen. The truth empowers both us and our husbands. It gives us hope and helps us remember we were created for more than what the enemy has been telling us. It reminds us that our value is based on God, not on what we do, and that allows us to live in freedom, not in bondage.

I want to encourage you to explore the lies you have been believing about your marriage. Have you been believing that your husband's pornography addiction means you are unattractive and worthless? LIE. Have you been believing that your sharp tongue or lazy tendencies can't be helped? LIE. Do you believe that you married the wrong person? LIE. Do you believe that your problems are too big for God to help? LIES! Take some quiet time in your prayer time and ask God to search your heart and reveal to you what lies you have been believing. I want you to write them down and counter them with the truth of what GOD says about each of those things. Not facts, just truth. Incorporate that into your prayer time every day and see what starts to happen as those mental strongholds start to crumble. "Take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5.

So belt up, ladies! Put on the first piece of your armor every morning and wear it all day long. You got this.

We're so in love.

In Love

Have you ever read the verse Ephesians 4:15? It’s a beautiful verse. It’s a beautiful verse that’s surrounded by a beautiful chapter. Have you read the whole chapter? It’s good. Like, you should probably grab your Bible (or Bible app) and read it right now before you finish reading this blog.

Okay so did you read it?

“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” Ephesians 4:15

I’ve heard that phrase, “speak the truth in love”, SO many times and usually by well intentioned Christians who are sweetly calling someone out for screwing up. I mean, I’m pretty sure I’ve done it too. The interesting thing, though, is that there doesn’t seem to be any mention of someone sinning in that entire passage (Ephesians 4:1-16.) Wait. What? No, seriously. The whole section is about unity in the church. The whole thing is talking about building each other up, maturing together, and growing as one in God’s love. In fact, the next verse says, “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special wok, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

I can’t help but wonder… What if we looked at that as a command to speak the GREATEST truth in love? What if we spoke the ultimate truth of Christ crucified for the salvation of our sins with so much love that people couldn’t help but notice that something big was happening. What if we spoke the ultimate truth, about the ultimate love, while reflecting that love? Can you imagine how we’d see our world change? What if we stopped using that verse as license to kindly condemn and used it as a reason to lovingly proclaim the perfect love of Christ? What if…

What if the body of Christ rose up and actively SPOKE the TRUTH in LOVE. I just can’t help but think that we’d be completely shocked at what would happen. What if we stopped speaking the facts of what someone has done wrong and instead declared boldly that Christ died, was buried, and rose again to free them from every sin they’ve ever committed and that he loves them right where they are. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

I’m not suggesting that there isn’t a time and place where we need to speak wisdom or correction to someone. Not at all. I’ve had to do so myself sometimes. But you know what? I don’t think that’s what we should be known for as the church of Christ. I think our reputation as the church needs to be that we passionately announce the freely available grace and mercy of Jesus with all the love we can contain. Could that possibly be what this broken, hurting, aching world needs?