A Sure Foundation - Leighann Peoples
At the beginning of this year the Lord kept impressing upon my heart to really study Ephesians chapter 6 concerning the armor of God. Constantly I find myself begging God for protection spiritually in this Christless world we live in. I beg him to help me to lead my children and to put a hedge of protection about them and our home each day. So as I began studying the first piece mentioned to take: Ephesians 6:14 says to “STAND therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…”. I found while studying this piece often called the ‘belt of truth’, this is the first thing the soldiers would do as they prepared to put on their armor. This was the foundation of their protection. Without girdling up the long garments they wore, they were not able to effectively fight. This thought brought out so much truth about making sure we are standing on the right foundation so that we can effectively fight this spiritual warfare we are in. We must make the Word of God our sure foundation if we are going to be strong and stand against the tactics of Satan.The Christians armor can not be their own sincerity and truthfulness but wholly governed by truth through the words of Jesus. The truth is a settled conviction that we know who we believe and what we believe. Jesus and His Word must be our sure foundation.Satan has created so much uncertainty and confusion, making it so hard to distinguish truths and untruths. John 8:44 identifies Satan as a liar and even more, the father of it. The world is hurling so many “untruths” at us each day that it often clouds our judgment. We must study, meditate, and memorize God’s Word. We have to know what we believe and why we believe it.
Lies and error only lead to bondage and failures. I think of the wise and foolish man in Matthew 7:24-29. When the test comes and they will, if we are not surely built upon the foundation of truth we are sure to fall. I am a rule follower, it's easy for me to just follow a list of rules because rules make me feel safe, and I never want to disappoint anyone by breaking their rule.Rules are a good thing and a necessary thing. But in recent months I have realized my foundation for Christian living can not be based upon a bunch of rules. I’m safe while following these “rules” but what about when change comes. My children need me to be standing upon a foundation of absolute truth which only comes from the Word of God. Truths that have never changed and never will. These truths are given to me by the Truth himself, a God that doesn’t change. Man changes, man will disappoint us but when my foundation is based upon unchanging truths, when those uncertain times come, I can stand firm because my foundation is truth not what man says. We are faced with lies EVERY single day, from marketing companies, staged facebook posts, our friends and family and even our very own flesh. We must be in the habit of comparing what we read and hear with Scripture. Psalms 119:160 says, “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgements endureth for ever”. Doesn’t that sound like a foundation you want to build upon? One that is from beginning and endureth FOREVER! God’s Word must be the truth in which we base all that we believe, making it our sure foundation, not just for salvation but righteous holy living as well.