truth | The Spirit and the Word

Preparation for Holiness

We’re now going through the New Testament book of 1 Peter. In the last few posts we were talking about the salvation we share in Christ. The apostle now gets to the heart of the matter.

Peter begins the next section with the word, therefore. That means that everything he has said so far was the groundwork for this. He is about to start talking about holiness. That’s an important message for church leaders to understand.

Let me review some of the things I’ve already taught about holiness. Holiness is one of those concepts that we have trouble grasping. A little while ago we looked at 1 Corinthians.

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – their Lord and ours…

1 Corinthians 1:2 NIV

The word sanctified in this verse literally means made holy. It’s something that’s already been accomplished. However, Paul also says that we’re called to be holy. That’s looking toward the future.

The fact is that there are two parts of holiness. Part 1 is something only God can do. He makes you holy. When you put your trust in Him for your salvation, He sets you apart for His use. That’s Him making you holy.

But part 2 is something only you can do. You must make yourself holy. This means that you set yourself apart for God’s use. The truth is that you cannot do part 2 unless God has done part 1.

If you’re saved, then He has set you apart. But He cannot use you until you set yourself apart. In today’s post, we’ll start to look at how to do that.

Please note that Peter doesn’t use the word holy until verse 19, but we’re starting in verse 13.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1:13 NIV

The literal translation of the first part of this verse is to gird up the loins of your mind. That’s an interesting statement. But it goes right along with what Paul said in regard to our spiritual armor.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…

Ephesians 6:14 NIV

This verse literally tells us to stand firm with our loins girded all around with truth. The two apostles are obviously talking about the same thing. But the big question is; how do we gird our minds with the belt of truth?

Jesus answered that question in His prayer for us right after the Last Supper.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

John 17:17 NIV

Jesus prayed for us in this verse. He asked God the Father to make us holy by the truth. What is that truth? It’s the truth of God’s Word. It all has to start with the Word.

That’s why God’s Word is so important. It changes my attitudes of how I see myself. I’m not my own. I have been bought with a very great price.

Make sure you start your faith journey with the Word of God. It’s the foundation for everything.

Question: How have you seen the Word of God change the way you think?

Leave a comment

Posted by Revzacc on February 26, 2025 in Leadership, Power of God, Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Gospel, Word of God

Tags: faith, God's word, holiness, sanctified, truth, word of God

Bright Stars

20 Sep

We’re going through Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. The apostle has been showing the example that Christ laid down for us to follow. We need to show His life to the world.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…

Philippians 2:14-16a NIV

The first thing he tells us is to live without quiet complaining and open debating. We should be living according to the Word of God, and not by feelings or human reasoning.

In that way, we will be without blame and without being mixed with the world’s thinking. That will set us apart from the world around us. Their walk is a winding path and distorted thinking.

At that point our light will be seen. It may be spiritually dark, but stars are very visible in the night sky.

We need to show the light of Christ to the world around us. The enemy would try to blind their spiritual eyes to the truth. But he can’t stop the power of God.

That’s because the light takes many forms. The prophet Malachi foresaw this day.

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

Malachi 4:2 NIV

He saw righteousness rising like the sun. Have you ever seen sunbeams breaking through the clouds? In the ancient Hebrew culture, they called them the “wings” of the sun. So, Malachi saw healing beaming out from righteousness.

That’s a part of the light that we shine. That’s why we pray for the sick, especially for an unsaved person. When God brings healing, that’s the light of Christ breaking through to them.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV

But we always have to remember, it’s not our light but His. Peter talked about having the Word in you and allowing it to grow and produce fruit in your life. In speaking about this fruitfulness…

But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

2 Peter 1:9 NIV

Peter calls unfruitful Christians, blind and nearsighted. He says that you’ve forgotten about your past being cleansed by the blood of Christ.

That’s because this person is blind to what God is doing. They’re also nearsighted; they can only see what’s right in front of them. They major on the temporary things of this world.

We need 20/20 vision in the spirit.

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Romans 13:12 NIV

It’s interesting to see the contrast here between deeds of darkness vs. armor of light. That’s because the armor is all about action.

The truth, righteousness, the Gospel, and faith – all of these things must be visible. It’s up to us to make the light accessible to the world.

We’re the ones looking into the light. We should be walking in it, letting it change us.

The question is, how do we shine like stars? The last part of the passage in Philippians tells us. It’s as we hold out the Word of life. The Word is the light. We hold it out. Not everybody wants it; but some people are touched and changed by it. We need to live in such a way that the light is seen in us.

Question: How have people seen the light of Christ in your life lately?

Leave a comment

Posted by Revzacc on September 20, 2023 in Ministry, Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Gospel, Word of God

Tags: armor of light, example of Christ, light of Christ, righteousness, truth, word of God

Applying the Belt of Truth

28 Jun

In my last post, I wrote about the Belt of Truth, found in Ephesians, chapter 6. We’re in the section where Paul talks about the Armor of God. Today, I want to deal with the application of this truth.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…
Ephesians 6:14a

In my last post, I showed that the Belt of Truth was the piece of armor that protects the seed of God’s Word in our minds. When we memorize Scripture, that seed is stored in our mind. We want it protected so that it can be planted to produce a good crop for the Lord.

How do I use this piece of armor? Paul talked about our spiritual weaponry in his second letter to the Corinthian church.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5

In this battle to protect the seed, I need to make my thoughts obedient to Christ. That’s the goal. I don’t want weeds affecting my harvest.

Jesus warned His disciples about the same things.

“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:6

We need to watch what we let into our minds – the things that we dwell on and rehearse. We can’t just swallow everything. There’s a lot of religious talk out there that sounds good. The real question is; does it line up with God’s Word?

The fact is, the more of God’s Word that we desire, the more the enemy will try to water it down. Guarding this is the most important thing you can do if you want a fruitful life.

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.
1 Timothy 6:20-21

Paul warned his spiritual son, Timothy, that he needed to guard the Word that had been deposited in him. Paul literally tells him to avoid those who have crossed the line with their empty words and conflicting theories of how they think God should do things.

The Greek people had a word that they used for this kind of person. It meant someone who just babbled on and on. The idiom they used literally translates as a seed-picker.

Are you letting the “seed-pickers” into your life? You need to be buckling the Belt of Truth around the loins of your mind. Let God’s Word be a filter to stop the wrong things from getting in.

When we hear something that could affect how we serve God; it should cause a question to rise up. Is this truth, or is it someone’s opinion? I don’t want to be found trying to please God based on an opinion.

Please understand that I’m not talking about stray thoughts. We all have them and there’s not much we can do about them. But those are thoughts that are not stored yet. I’m talking about the ones that we continue to dwell on. They need to be passed through the filter of the Word.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32

I’ve heard people quote this verse many times…usually out of context. Jesus was speaking to believers here. He explains to them that if they dwell, live in, His Word, they are truly His disciples.

As Christ’s followers, it’s only as we remain in His Word that we will know the truth. And it’s that truth that will set us free.

The more we immerse ourselves in God’s Word, the more freedom we can walk in. We will also have a great supply of spiritual seed to plant for the increase of God’s kingdom.

Question: How do you guard what’s stored in your mind?

1 Comment

Posted by Revzacc on June 28, 2023 in Revival, Spiritual Warfare, Word of God

Tags: armor of God, belt of truth, God's word, spiritual seed, thought life, truth

Truth – Protecting Your Seed

26 Jun

We’re continuing our walk through the book of Ephesians. We’re currently in the section we refer to as the Armor of God.

Now that I’ve talked about the spiritual battle that we face, we need to know how to prepare. To do this, the Lord has given us access to His personal set of armor. It will take me a number of posts to cover them in detail.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…
Ephesians 6:14a

The first piece of armor that we’re given is the Belt of Truth. We’re told that it needs to be buckled around our waist. Literally, the belt is buckled around our loins.

In Scripture, our loins speak about our seed. Not to be too graphic, but that’s where our reproductive organs reside. Our seed needs to be protected.

We’re told throughout the Bible that we need to be bearing fruit. That’s not going to happen without a good supply of seed.

First, I want to deal with some misconceptions concerning our seed. Some think that a few bad seeds mixed in don’t matter. That’s not true. Weeds grow and spread without any help at all.

Another wrong thought is that anything that we plant will grow. That’s not true either. Galatians 6:7-9 explains that you reap what you sow IF you don’t give up. It also matters where you sow your seed. They need to be planted in good soil.

With that understanding, we can talk about the seed that we want to see grow in our lives. How do we protect our precious, spiritual seed?

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 1:13

Peter understood this concept. In this verse, the phrase, prepare your minds for action literally reads, gird the loins of your mind. Spiritually speaking, your loins, the storehouse of your seed, is your mind.

The reason for this is because your mind should be where you’re placing the truth. Every time you memorize Scripture, you’re placing good seeds in your storehouse.

The real question then becomes; how well do you protect your seed? It’s really easy to complain when nothing seems to be growing. We need to keep our seed from being nullified.

Jesus communicated this in His prayer to the Father. He wanted the disciples, and us, to bear much fruit.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17

We’re talking about the truth of God’s Word, not man’s word. The only way to protect your seed is to walk in the truth of God.

When we walk in doubt, fear, presumption, hearsay, or our own habits, we nullify God’s Word in us. We need to operate in the truth – “Thus sayeth the Lord.” Our goal should be, “I’m doing this because God said…”

We get into trouble because many times we plant a lot of unprotected seed. We need to learn the lesson from airport security. “Has your suitcase been away from your control?”

Please understand that this is not just a prayer you make in the morning. You can’t just confess the Belt of Truth when you get up, and then feed the spiritual pigeons the rest of the day.

We have to protect our seed if we want to see it grow. That means allowing the truth of God’s Word to saturate all that we do.

In my next post, I’ll talk about how to actually use the Belt of Truth in our daily lives.

Question: How much of God’s Word have you stored in your mind?

Leave a comment

Posted by Revzacc on June 26, 2023 in Revival, Spiritual Warfare, Word of God

Tags: armor of God, belt of truth, God's word, spiritual seed, truth, word of God

Growing in Love

01 May

We’re continuing through Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church. He’s been teaching about our growth from infancy to maturity. This is where the Lord wants to bring us to.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 4:15-16 NIV

This passage is key to our growth as God’s people. It shows some things that we really need to concentrate on in our generation.

The first thing I see is pretty obvious. We need to be speaking the truth. But, the word Paul uses here is important. This word for truth also contains the thought of it being unconcealed truth. If we only tell half the truth, is it really the truth?

In our generation, we have a problem with many of the Scriptural teachings. We stay silent because we don’t want to “rock the boat” of society around us.

We miss the key. This verse literally says that we speak the unconcealed truth, BUT, IN LOVE. That’s the important part. So often we either stay silent or we speak the truth as if it were a baseball bat to knock people around.

Once we know the truth, we need to seek the wisdom of God for how to present it. The Lord loves all people. His goal is always relationship and restoration. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who portray hatred and judgment.

We need to walk the narrow path that Jesus exemplified so wonderfully in His life in earth. He was able to tell someone, “I’m not condemning you, but you need to leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11)

It’s obvious from these two verses that the important part is our love. We need to be speaking in love. But the body of Christ also has to be growing in love.

The language here is important for us to understand. It literally speaks of the body parts being joined and forced together. That’s an important concept for us to lay hold of. Especially after COVID, there are so many people who have left church and never returned.

We all need to be active members of the body of Christ. What do I mean by that? I’ve talked to many people, especially those who are of younger generations than me. (I’m 66 years old)

Many younger believers have left organized churches because of their frustration with “big box” religion. They don’t like seeing all of the money being poured into salaries and building maintenance. I get that.

However, the commands of Scripture still stand that we need to be meeting together, in-person, as the body of Christ. I don’t know what the church of Jesus Christ (not the denomination) is going to look like in ten years. We’re going through a time of transition right now.

But, there needs to be a meeting together. Whether that turns out to be in homes, like the first century church, or coffee shops, libraries, etc. Somehow we must come back together, face to face. That’s what we’re being called to do.

The passage above give us the result that each part is doing its work. We’re all called to some work for the Lord. The fact is that you’ll only find it when you know where you’re attached to the body. That’s the progression. Speaking the truth in love – joined and forced together – finding the work you’re called to do.

My prayer is that you’ll seek God for His wisdom. That’s what we need in the times we find ourselves in. Knowing the Scripture and applying it properly are two parts of the whole. It takes time spent with the Holy Spirit to live above the problems of the world around us.

Question: Where do you find yourself in the above passage?

Leave a comment

Posted by Revzacc on May 1, 2023 in Encouragement, Fellowship, Ministry, Relationships, The Church

Tags: calling, church, growing in love, Holy Spirit, love of God, meeting together, ministry, speaking truth, spiritual calling, truth

Truth Hurts

31 Jan

In this post, we’re continuing to look at the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Luke’s Gospel. It contains some important principles on righteousness.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh…Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.”

Luke 6:21, 25

This is one of those truths that doesn’t sound good, but is actually very important. Remember that Jesus is addressing these statements to His disciples – the future leaders of the church.

He tells them that in the “now”, there should be weeping. What could the Lord possibly mean by saying that?

What we need to realize is that spiritual truth, sometimes, goes completely opposite what we’ve learned in the world. The disciples were hearing from Jesus the principles of the kingdom of God. This means that in many cases they had to make an 180 degree turnaround from what they thought was right.

The fact is that truth brings change. And, more than that, change is uncomfortable. The disciples were being taught that it was better to accept the spiritual principles of Christ and deal with the sorrow of change. Later on, as they experience the results, they’ll walk in the joy of the Lord.

This has always been how embracing God’s truth works. Initially sorrow – then the joy His blessings bring (Psalm 30:5).

This is a real problem for those who only want to see blessings and never want to change. Eventually they’ll experience loss, with the grief and mourning that accompanies it. I find it better to submit to the Lord’s process of change right from the start.

“Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.”

Luke 6:22-23

Not only is there pain in receiving the truth, sometimes it hurts when you speak the truth. Not everyone wants to hear the message of Christ.

Here the Lord lists a number of things that will happen when people reject the Gospel of Christ. Many will hate you. That’s a choice to treat you in an abusive way.

Jesus also says that they may not invite you to participate in their events. You’ll be excluded because just seeing you causes them to feel guilty.

The word, insult, in the above verse means to defame you. It’s not just an insult to your face, but they’ll even talk about you when you’re not around. This could even include spreading lies about you.

Jesus doesn’t want to see His disciples hindered by these things. That’s why He’s warning them, and us, in advance. That’s how it’s always been with those who stand their ground for the Lord.

There is, however, another warning that we’re given.

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.”

Luke 6:26

Jesus tells them that they need to take stock if everyone speaks well of them. The message of Christ will always make somebody upset. As a matter of fact, in this society, I sometimes receive a look of disgust simply by sharing with someone that I’m a minister.

We need to realize that the truth hurts. Sometimes it hurts us, when we need to be changed by it. Sometimes it upsets others who hear it. But the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation must continue to be preached to all who will listen.

Question: How have you dealt with the discomfort of change from hearing God’s Word?

Leave a comment

Posted by Revzacc on January 31, 2022 in Encouragement, Ministry, The Gospel, Word of God

Tags: change, change hurts, God's word, gospel, joy, message of Christ, sorrow, truth, truth brings change

Sincere Love

01 Sep

As we continue to study through the book of Romans, we’ll begin to see a shift in Paul’s focus. Up until this section, the apostle was writing about our personal growth. Now he begins to show how the church grows as a body.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:9-10

As he begins to talk about life in the body of Christ, it’s no wonder that Paul starts with love. It’s the Greek word, agape. This is the choice to show love to others. It has nothing to do with any emotions.

He tells us that this agape-love must be sincere. It literally means to be given without falsehood or hypocrisy.

This brings up a very important point that needs to be discussed when reading this section of Scripture. Peter does a good job of explaining it.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.

1 Peter 1:22

Notice how Peter begins talking about this subject. He makes it clear that he’s writing to mature believers who have purified themselves in the truth. When we’re cleaned up by the Word, brotherly love is born.

Brotherly love is the first word for love that Peter uses in this verse. It involves the emotions of friendship and camaraderie.

Then he goes on to the second word for love, which is agape – just like Paul did. Peter also uses the same word for sincerity. Why is all of this important?

We must understand this because, according to Peter, this type of love is only possible after the purifying process has begun in your life. This is written to those who are pursuing a mature walk in Christ.

What we have to realize is that from Romans, chapter 12 on, Paul is writing to the mature believers. It’s those Christians who can understand and follow these guidelines.

Both Peter and Paul make it clear that our agape-love must be mature and sincere – not faked (like baby agape). That’s because your heart has been changed by your submission to the Holy Spirit’s work in you.

Getting back to the passage in Romans, we’re told to utterly abhor, hate, be disgusted by evil. How do you do this if you haven’t gone through God’s maturing process?

Some people look at the second half of Romans as a rule book to be enforced. That’s not the case. The only way you can fulfill the message from Romans 12 on is to go through the work described in chapters 8-10. Otherwise, you’ll only end up feeling frustrated and guilty.

Paul tells us that you’re not only to hate evil, but to glue yourself to the good. Please remember that this is good by God’s standards, not ours. We have a very low opinion of good compared to God. That’s why we must be transformed to think like God thinks.

Then, Paul talks about the emotional brotherly love. The word, devoted, is interesting. It means to have an emotional affection like that of a natural, immediate family. That’s how we should feel about each other in God’s kingdom.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household…

Ephesians 2:19

Of course, if you see others as part of your immediate family, then you’ll honor one another before yourself. In other words, don’t wait to be honored before you give honor.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Galatians 6:10

Question: What areas of growth have you seen in your personal walk with God?

Leave a comment

Posted by Revzacc on September 1, 2021 in Fellowship, The Church

Tags: agape, brotherly love, Holy Spirit, love, maturity, purified, sincere love, truth

God’s Armor – Using the Belt of Truth

20 Nov

In my last post, I showed that the Belt of Truth was the piece of armor that protects our minds. When we memorize Scripture, that seed is stored in our mind. We want it protected so that it can be planted to produce a good crop for the Lord.