Every Roman soldier would wear a tunic, a large square outer garment with holes cut out for the head and arms. It was meant to be worn loose, as it covered most of the body. As a good soldier prepared for battle, mostly hand-to-hand combat, it was critical that the soldier tuck in tightly any loose article of clothing so nothing would get caught up or be able to be grasped or clung to by the enemy. The belt was an essential part of the armor to have fastened around every soldier’s waist to hold all clothing tightly together. This is the image Paul wants us to picture as we consider the first component of the armor of God. 

In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul declares that every believer is in war--not a war of flesh and blood but a spiritual war. So Paul instructs believers to take up the whole armor of God so that we may resist the enemy and stand firm. His first command to us believers is to stand. We must not be caught sitting! We are in a battle. There is no neutral territory on this battlefield on earth, and there is no peace treaty that will ever be made with God’s enemy. So we must stand--not in our might, but in the strength of His might--and fasten on the belt of truth. We must gird our minds and our hearts with the truth of the Gospel and have no façade or hypocrisy but an open and truthful attitude before the Lord. 

Are we fully prepared for battle as we face the attacks of the enemy? In 2 Timothy 2:4, Paul says, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” I too often allow the daily demands and cares of the world to hinder my ability to fight. This is a daily battle that we must fight. God’s priorities must be my prioritites and I must be prepared to stand firm. Preparation takes effort; fighting is not easy. We prepare by saturating our minds with the truth of the Word, confessing sin before the Lord and asking for his strength and wisdom. We must take a healthy, grace-centered spiritual inventory of our everyday lives so that we may be prepared and girded with the truth. Thanks be to God, for we do not have to fight this battle in our own strength! But we can be confident that He will supply every­thing necessary to have victory over the schemes of the enemy.