Pattern of Seven: The Armor of God ~ Belt of Truth

PROPHET

Wisdom Principle – Design, Purpose, and Truth │ Piece of God’s Armor – Belt of Truth

“PUT ON CHRIST” – THE TRUTH ¹

Only Christ – who named His identity as The Truth in human flesh – can honestly make such declaration.

For the rest of us, to put on Christ with the Belt of Truth fastened about our loins, is an exercise of the Prophet portion of our human spirit. King David’s Prophet portion, in his confession of a repentant heart, directed to himself what Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth – continues to inspire and apply to us today –

“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” ²

David had violated God’s law over which he was anointed to preside, not transgress against. Even before Bathsheba, the iniquity of his family line went deep, but his Lord went deeper still. David grew to know this full well as the Spirit of God searched him in the inner parts of who he was. He repented, not resisted.

Up to this time, David had amassed an impressive resume. He was a shepherd boy who tried on and rejected King Saul’s armor in favor of what, in his practiced hand, was sufficient to slay a lion, bear, and uncircumcised Philistine giant. But this one who was declared “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22) had to undergo the circumcision of his own heart as king and priest unto the Lord, above unto the people.

The Truth vs Legitimacy Lies

Legitimacy lies, whether prophetically dis-graceful or arrogant, cannot stand their ground when The Truth makes inroads into the inmost place of who we are. Satan’s fault lines must give way for us to stand firm. Our fault, others’ fault, God’s fault … all are met and dealt with in Christ, whose Love covers a multitude of sins. The fig-leaf loincloths, long worn, are systematically replaced with The Truth as lies are displaced.

When the Spirit of Truth fastened the Belt of Truth around David’s loins, a necessary humbling took root in David’s Prophet portion. The eyes of his heart were opened to see and his understanding enlightened to recognize the lie for what it was: he could not solve his own problems or fix things better than God. (II Samuel 11–12:25)

He had taken the legitimacy lie to bed and conceived heartache. Mercifully, he found the Lord willing and able to bring redemption to bear. Redemption’s grace and mercy also carries with it truth and righteous judgment. David may have been king, but he was ever mindful into Whose service he was commissioned.

David was a Mercy, ushered out of the sheep pen of obscurity to the throne of the lineage of Christ. The Mercy’s prayer is powerful for the truth with which one’s Prophet portion must come to grips. This had to take place in David’s life for the Lord had already declared that there would never fail to be one in the line of David that would sit on the throne.³ Are we not Christ’s offspring? Children of God, reborn to grow in grace, being filled with wisdom as was Jesus, our Pattern of the New Man? How then should we contend?

Design, Purpose, and Truth

While design and purpose command the press these days, truth is often regarded as the bastard child. While Jesus sheltered in the truth of who He was then, is, and is to come, it did not prevent the battle.

In the Armor of God, the Belt of Truth as the first piece of protection and defense against the devil’s schemes, reinforces Prophet’s significance and influence in the community of the human spirit.

In Prophet & the Principle of Design – Friendship with God, I penned the following:

“Without a firm foundation based on God’s truth (biblical principles in God’s Word and the Spirit of Truth), Prophet will flounder or fall. The result is hindrance or shutdown of the subsequent six portions of the human spirit, rendering them unable to fully develop their redemptive gift and wisdom principle in which they were designed to function. Prophet stands at the head for a reason.”

The Belt of Truth will chafe and remain uncomfortable to the degree that our Prophet portion holds on to its major areas of weakness: judgmental, unforgiving, bitterness that defiles many, and non-relational.

“Foolish Prophet”

Early on in engaging the redemptive gifts material on this re-worked website, I had a dream. Someone I knew stood directly in front of me, heatedly listing the portions in order with very specific identifiers. I awoke feeling the strength of angst-like emotion the dream evoked. The first three portions were locked in, while the remaining four faded like a wisp of smoke. I wrote the three on a slip of paper, and like many other bits of captured thoughts, their description had to wait until the Lord’s time for them. Turns out their fitting timing was connected to the ‘not yet unveiled to me’ Pattern of Seven – The Armor of God.

The first identifier barked out like a drill sergeant was “Foolish Prophet!” It arrested my attention and lingered in my waking. Over time, Holy Spirit began to knit together an individual and corporate picture. It spans from the ancient past, way past, recent past, current past, and future before it becomes the past.

False Prophets

Three of the Old Covenant’s godly prophets of the Most High – Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel – described, exposed, and warned against the false prophets who were and would yet be found among God’s people.

Then came Jesus, the New Covenant who came bearing in Himself the Kingdom of God. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke record Jesus’ word of truth about false prophets. And Peter, the “rock” upon whom Christ would build His Church, and John the beloved apostle, uttered similar words of warning.

The False vs The Foolish

A false prophet does not speak as one who has the Belt of Truth secured over their loins (place of life). Nor does a foolish prophet. And when these two are in proximity or actual spiritual combat, righteous victory is nowhere to be found. We may be zealous believers in Christ Jesus bearing within some of Prophet’s strengths, yet so intent on ‘discerning’ or criticizing the enemy, that we fail to guard our heart, beginning with the Belt of Truth. A critical, bitter spirit is destructive for one graced to detect the false.

The Prophet portion of our human spirit runs the risk of remaining foolish – with inconsistent judgment, rather than being taught wisdom in the inmost place, as King David learned. Wisdom’s rebuke brings life, health, and peace in Christ Jesus. You will never find the Lord strengthening the lie. Rather, He brings His light to bear, exposes it for what it is, and stands ready to remove it as we are willing to relinquish it.

For the yielded heart, we will find our strength is in Him and in His mighty power. The process of putting on the full armor of God is full of purpose so that we might 1) take our stand against the devil’s schemes, 2) stand our hard-won ground, and 3) having done all to make ourselves ready by “putting on Christ”, to stand. Wisdom is molded into every piece of the Armor of God – for overcoming, not becoming casualties.

Our Stand Against the Devil’s Schemes

Our stand against the devil’s schemes requires the first essential piece of the Armor of God – the Belt of Truth. Jesus described His and our opponent as, “a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” ⁴ Satan’s tactics haven’t changed since Jesus’ baptism and subsequent temptations in the desert.⁵

Now we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Armor that is not tested is armor that has not been proven. David underwent the test. We who are Christ’s undergo the test. Therefore, I bless you, Prophet portion, to embrace the testing in His strength. I bless you with understanding that your Someone stronger is the proven Armor of God, who has already defeated the Adversary.  

Wisdom has built her house. You, Prophet, are the first of her seven hewn-out pillars, strong and eternal.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, …”

~ Nancy

¹ John 14:6           ² Psalm 51:6         ³ Isaiah 9:1-7        ⁴ John 8:44           ⁵ Matthew 4:1-11

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