Christian Living

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“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth...” Ephesians 10:14, KJV

Why does truth have to be a belt? I often wondered about this, as well as the other pieces, whenever I think about the armor of God. I mean, why can’t truth be the breastplate, or even the shoes? Now, I am convinced there is a simple explanation, an underlying reason, for the assignment of each “piece” to their specific Roman armor counterparts - especially in the context of fighting temptation when it comes.

I daresay that we can interpret the words of Paul a bit more literally than what some might suppose. In this case, I believe the usage of “loins” (as defined by the lower abdomen, waist and crotch), was meant to represent man’s physical desires. This seems to implicate the very common temptation to abuse our desire for food and our desire for sex, which both affect the loins. (To illustrate, when we see a very physically attractive person and are tempted into sexual sins, our loins are definitely affected!)

To gird our loins with the truth, therefore, may mean that we should approach such temptations by exposing the lies associated with them - in effect, countering it with God’s truth. Actually, there is only one basic lie, and it’s the belief that having/doing them would satisfy us, when in fact they really don’t. It’s just that when the devil phrases the lie, it sounds so much more convincing: “It’s only this one time” or “It’s a God-given need, so why should I deny myself?”

But we only need to look around for proof that it’s a lie: A man is addicted to pornography because he “feels” satisfied, but ends up having less respect for women, and comparing them to a porn star. Another man constantly overeats because he “feels” more sated, but ends up being diabetic or morbidly obese. The satisfaction initially promised only brought more misery in the end. This I could attest from my own unfortunate experiences.

What compounds the problem is the immediate “satisfaction” we get from succumbing to physical temptations. And once we’re hooked, it can be very addicting. There is gratification to be had NOW, so we don’t care if we feel empty and dissatisfied in the future, because it seems so far away. Or so we think. But that’s another lie. We should remember that we don’t own our lives in this planet, and at any time we may be taken by God. What would you say to Him if He took your life while you’re committing adultery?

The real truth is, only God can give us the actual SENSE of satisfaction. We just take it too much for granted. If God really wants to, He can take away that sense of satisfaction from us in an instant, and plunge us into an abyss of addiction. Just look at cases of nymphomania and bulimia – they never seem to have enough. Indeed, God can make us suffer from our mistakes. But on the other hand, if we would only ask Him, He can make us completely satisfied with just one sexual partner; and He can make us feel full with just simple meals. That’s the truth, and surely we don’t think that it’s too hard for God - nothing is impossible for Him.

So, just like a good Roman soldier, let us try our best not to be satisfied with the lies anymore. Instead, let us learn to put on the belt of truth firmly around our loins every day, to guard it on the day of evil.

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