The Most Essential Weapon In Your Spiritual Arsenal

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth....
— Ephesians 6:14

Roman soldiers were dressed in beautiful armor! From head to toe, they were covered with various pieces of weaponry that were designed to protect them and equip them for fighting. But of all these pieces, one piece was more important than all the others. That vital and most important piece of weaponry was the Roman soldier’s loinbelt.

A loinbelt didn’t look important. Certainly no soldier would have written home and told his parents, “Wow, I’ve got the most incredible loinbelt!” He might have told them about his shield, his sword, or his breastplate, but no one got excited about the loinbelt. Nevertheless, it was the Roman soldier’s most important piece of weaponry. Why was this so? Because the loinbelt held many of the other pieces of weaponry together. If a soldier’s loinbelt wasn’t in place, he was in big trouble.

This is even true with modern clothing. For example, the belt I wear around my waist is not something people notice. They might mention my tie, my suit, my shirt, my sweater, and even my shoes. But to date, I’ve never had anyone walk up to me and say with excitement, “Wow, what a belt!” However, my belt is very important! If I removed it, I’d find out how important it is, because my pants would fall off! That makes my belt quite a vital part of my attire!

In the same way, the Roman soldier’s loinbelt was the piece of armor that held all the other pieces together. His sword hung in a scabbard that was clipped to the side of his loinbelt. When not in use, his shield was hung on a special clip on the other side of his loinbelt. The pouch that carried his arrows rested on a small ledge attached to his loinbelt on his backside. Even his breastplate was attached in some places to his loinbelt.

Accordingly, the soldier’s ability to use his other pieces of weaponry depended on his loinbelt. If he had no loinbelt, he had no place to attach his massive shield or to hang his sword. Without a loinbelt, there was nothing to rest his lance upon and nothing to keep his breastplate from flapping in the wind. The armor of a Roman soldier would literally come apart, piece by piece, if he didn’t have the loinbelt around his waist.

You can see why the loinbelt was absolutely essential to the Roman soldier in order for him to be confident in battle. With that belt securely fastened, he could be assured that all the other pieces of his equipment would stay in place, enabling him to move quickly and fight with great fury.

Thus, the loinbelt was the most vital part of all the weaponry the Roman soldier wore. Now consider all this in light of Ephesians 6:14, where Paul says, “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth....” For the child of God, the loinbelt of his spiritual armor is the written Word of God — the truth.

When God’s Word has a central place in your life, you will have a sense of righteousness that covers you like a mighty breastplate. When God’s Word is operating in your life, it gives you the sword you need — that rhema word quickened to your heart by the Holy Spirit (see February 22).

When God’s Word dominates your thinking, it gives you peace that protects you from the attacks of the adversary and shields your mind like a powerful helmet.

As long as the loinbelt of truth — the Word of God — is central in your life, the rest of your spiritual armor will be effective. But the moment you begin to ignore God’s Word and cease to apply it to your life on a daily basis, you’ll start to lose your sense of righteousness and peace. You’ll find that the devil will start attacking your mind more and more, trying to fill it with lies and vain imaginations. You see, when you remove God’s Word from its rightful place at the very core of your life, it won’t be long until you will begin to spiritually come apart at the seams!

If you want to stay clothed in your spiritual armor, you must begin by taking up God’s Word and permanently affixing it to your life. You have to give the Word a central place and dominant role in your life, allowing it to be the “loinbelt” that holds the rest of your weaponry together.

So as you go about your daily routine today and every day, keep your “loinbelt of truth” fully attached and operative in every situation you face. Let the Bible be the governor, the law, the ruler, the “final say-so” in your life!

Lord, I know that Your Word is the most important weapon You have given to me. Forgive me for the times I have not made it a priority in my life. Today I make the decision to never ignore Your Word again. Holy Spirit, help me stay true to this decision. Please remind me every day to open my Bible and take the time needed to wrap that Word around my life!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

Because God’s Word has a central place in my life, I have a sense of righteousness that covers me like a mighty breastplate. God’s Word is operating in my life, giving me a powerful sword to wield against the enemy — that rhema word quickened by the Spirit of God to my heart in my time of need. And because God’s Word also dominates my thinking, I have peace that protects me from the attacks of the adversary and shields my mind like a powerful helmet.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

1. Does the Word of God really have a central role in your life, or is reading your Bible something you do once in a while when it’s convenient to you?
2. Was there a time in your life when you devoured the Word of God? What kind of fruit did that period of time produce in your life? Take the time to write down your answers and really think about them.
3. What changes do you need to make in your schedule now to give God’s Word the central place it ought to have in your life?

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. . . Source: Sparkling Gems From The Greek Vol. 1: 365 Greek Word Studies For Every Day Of The Year To Sharpen Your Understanding Of God's Word | Rick Renner