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Stand








Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (Ephesians 6:13-14) 


     I've heard it said that if God says anything once, we should listen, if He says it twice, we should really sit up and pay attention. What should we do when He says it three times? My suggestion? STAND. The full armor of God makes it possible for us to stand our ground, and to keep standing when we've done everything else. For that reason, we need to stand with that full armor in place. The answer may seem obvious, but what is the function of armor? It protects the body so that one isn't killed, of course. Why? So that you can fight. Standing in battle is not having two feet on the ground and your hands at your sides. Standing is holding your own in battle, to maintain control of the plot of land assigned to you, to refuse to back down or give up.
      More often than not, when I have heard people talk about the armor of God, they have focused on the function of the various pieces of armor. That's useful information and I'll share that, but I think it's as important to consider the substance of that armor. The belt being discussed was not a thin thing designed to hold up your pants. When this was written, they wore robes instead of pants, and the belt allowed them to tuck the robes in so that their legs would be free. As much of a fashion statement as the saggy pants are today, they are entirely impractical for fighting. The belt being buckled around the waist also provided some protection to the belly.
      There's something else the belt may do. It may actually help a person stand in battle. The folks that unload the trucks where I  used to work are supposed to wear back braces - wide belts. I never quite understood how they were supposed to protect the back. Recently, I've started taking an yoga-type exercise class, and one of the things our instructor tells us over and over is "Belly in, hips tucked." Getting the body into proper alignment makes it easier to stand and easier to move. It also makes it easier to stand and not be moved. Perhaps the belts provide some of the alignment support that Sandra teaches us.
      So, what is this belt that is allows us to move? What acts as a place to anchor our weapons and tools? Truth. Jesus said that his disciples would know the truth, and the truth would set them free. Freedom seems to be a result of being bound up with truth. Truth also protects our bellies or bowels. In antiquity, the bowels were the seat of the emotions. When our emotions are attacked or injured (our feelings are hurt), isn't it often because of lies and distortions of the truth?  Being firmly belted with truth, with what is really real, holds our emotions in place and protects them from attack.
      This is why we need to study the truth, learn the truth and never, ever back down from the truth. This is why the truth is a target in the war. This is why our ideological enemies appeal to our emotions and attacks our sense of self-worth. The knife to the gut may not kill immediately, but it is (I'm told) an agonizing way to die.




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