In 1 John 4, the apostle John writes Christians about grounding themselves in truth. He writes in 1 John 4:1-6, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize theContinue reading “Two important ways to embrace truth – Belt of Truth, Part 4”
Tag Archives: Discipleship
Knowing Jesus is to know the truth – Belt of Truth, Part 3
We gird our loins in the truth, or with the truth, by grounding our lives in Jesus. This is a major reason why we recently studied the Gospel of John from start to finish, so that we could get to know Jesus. What did you learn about Jesus in John? How is that changing howContinue reading “Knowing Jesus is to know the truth – Belt of Truth, Part 3”
What it means to gird up your loins – Belt of Truth, Part 2
Have you ever heard the phrase, “gird up your loins”? It’s not a phrase we say much anymore, but it relates to the first piece of the Armor of God, the Belt of Truth. But when you hear “gird up your loins,” it doesn’t sound like it is referring to armor. Obviously the translators ofContinue reading “What it means to gird up your loins – Belt of Truth, Part 2”
Our culture’s messy relationship with the truth – The Belt of Truth, Part 1
We live in a society and culture that has increasingly struggled with truth. We ourselves can sometimes struggle with the truth. Do you remember the last time you lied? Hid a truth? What about the last time you were lied to or felt deceived? I remember one of the first times I told a lie. Continue reading “Our culture’s messy relationship with the truth – The Belt of Truth, Part 1”
When Batman was foiled by his mom – The Belt of Truth, Preview
When my son was just a little guy, he was convinced that he was Batman. And he had a point. You never saw Batman and my son in the same place, did you? Nope. At the time, we lived in the city of Lancaster, and our home had only street-side parking. Some evenings when mostContinue reading “When Batman was foiled by his mom – The Belt of Truth, Preview”
It is God’s armor, not ours – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 5
I love Star Wars, and their recent show The Mandalorian is a favorite. The Mandalorian people in Star Wars are known for their impenetrable armor. They are able to defeat evil because of their armor. But what about us? How should we interact with evil? In our study of Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 6:10-13, heContinue reading “It is God’s armor, not ours – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 5”
Real spiritual warfare in the world – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 4
A few years ago, my Amish neighbor years ago was going to have a new bore hole dug for a well. So they brought in a “water man.” This guy came to their property, pulled out a pliers, and started walking around their meadow. At one point, he said he felt the pliers start vibrating,Continue reading “Real spiritual warfare in the world – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 4”
Evil spirits are not to be trifled with – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 3
In our previous posts this week, here and here, we read in Ephesians 6:10-13 where Paul writes that our battle is not against flesh and blood, not against what we can see and touch, but against a spiritual enemy. That spiritual is the devil and his demonic forces. That immediately sounds ominous and scary. ShouldContinue reading “Evil spirits are not to be trifled with – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 3”
Is spiritual warfare real? – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 2
Is spiritual warfare real? Perhaps the most famous biblical passage about spiritual warfare is Ephesians 6, verses 10-20, about the Armor of God. For the next couple months, we will be studying the Armor of God. This week we are looking at verses 10-13, the introduction to the passage. The writer of this passage isContinue reading “Is spiritual warfare real? – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 2”
Are ghosts real? – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 1
Are ghosts real? If ghosts are real, aren’t they just manifestations of demons? Are demons real? And what about spiritual warfare? In our scientifically-minded culture we can lean heavily toward believing that ghosts, the spirit world and therefore spiritual warfare is not real. Some people go so far as to say that the descriptions ofContinue reading “Are ghosts real? – Ephesians 6:10-13, Part 1”
Engaging Scripture 