Fighting Fire

Ephesians 6:13-17  CSB

“For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God.”

The first piece of PPE that Paul tells us to don is “Truth like a belt around your waist.”

Firefighters wear several iterations of belts. The good bunker gear has both a heavy belt and a pair of comfortable suspenders. Ladder or aerial company firefighters will often wear a “truck belt,” a heavy belt with a large D ring that can attack to a safety ring while performing elevated ladder operations.

Advantages of the Gear:

First, the belt holds everything together and keeps the tools within reach. Every firefighter is loaded with tools to get the job done in a jiff. In my gear, I carry a lot of stuff. Some of the stuff includes webbing that can be used to create a harness or a carry sling. I carry several wrenches for breaking down hoses and operating hydrants. Heavy cable cutters are useful for deenergizing cars during extrications and vehicle fires. I carry sprinkler and door wedges. I also carry a spare flashlight. Others carry other tools. So you can imagine how a good belt and suspenders are useful for keeping the tools from dragging down my drawers.

The belt and suspenders also provide a tactical fit. They make sure that the whole ensemble if fitted and tight. It’s tactical. I’ve heard firefighters described as “tactical athletes,” and so gear that promotes agility is important.

Illustrative of Truth:

The verse says to wear truth around our waist like a belt. The “Belt of Truth” is representative of the commitment that we make to learning and knowing the Word of God and the truth it holds. I cannot state this enough – if you want to be prepared to face life and the spiritual firefight with boldness, you must know God’s Word.

The truth is the core of the nature of God – It’s who He is. If you don’t know the Word, you won’t know the Savior.   Jesus says “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)  To know the truth is to know Jesus.  To be ignorant of the Word of God is to be ignorant of the character, nature, and movement of God.

Why we need the Truth:

Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true. The other is to refuse to believe what is true.”  What we believe absolutely guides every decision and direction of our lives, but I fear that our greatest liability and weakness is a sloppy or negligent understanding of Scripture.

 Just like a Belt – the Truth of the Word of God holds everything else in place, starting with our understanding of who Jesus is.  The Word holds God’s truth to our situations. It reveals what’s real about us.  It directs us.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 CSB puts it this way:

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The tools that God has given us for this firefight show us our way forward, stop us from going where we shouldn’t, and redirect us to a new path.  The Word of God is everything we need to not only survive the firefight but to accomplish the Mission.

A strong dedication to reading, learning, and memorizing God’s Word keeps us tactical. It keeps those tools right there so we can respond to temptation and deception with agility. We don’t need to be deceived; we can immediately see the way forward.  Knowing the Word of God in your heart keeps it ready so you can respond with agility.

The truth of God’s Word is like webbing – you can use it to pull others to safety. It’s like cable cutters, the Word deenergizes the Enemy’s power in our life. It’s like the wedges to hold the door open for God to work. It’s like a light that we can use to expose the darkness of the Enemy. All tools that the Belt of Truth holds.

Knowing God’s Word in your heart is tactical.  Are you tactical with God’s Word or are you sloppy, tripping over your own gear and lacking what you need to be the rescuer you should be?

Debrief:

1. In regards to responding to life’s situations, how “tactical” with the truth do you feel? Does God’s word quickly come to mind?
2. What tools do you wish you would have had as you think about your past experiences? How might they have turned out differently if you had wielded Biblical truth more effectively?

Report to the Chief:

In your prayer today, commit to God to being more diligent to listen and learn from His Word and deploy it more effectively.

Feedback

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