248. GIRD YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH

(The Information & Edification Series – Batch 6)

I have observed that we are in a day and time when standing for truth and declaring the Word of God, gets even people who have ‘professed’ that they are Christians, upset. Contending for the faith and what is TRUE is therefore no longer just with those on the outside and in the world but sadly, with some who occupy the pews and are within the very folds of the Church membership.

Alas, we are in those times when standing for right and the Word of God, may make you unpopular, even among Church folk. This treatment from those who are supposed to be your own, may make you feel intimidated, discouraged, dismayed and cause you to wonder whether you should just be silent as a Christian, just live carefree or nonchalantly as they are living and whether you should just stop declaring what the Word of God says, since they don’t want to hear what you have to say.

Alas, standards of Christianity as given in God’s Word the Bible have slipped and continue the downward spiral and many who have professed themselves to be Christians, seem fine with this.

It is heartbreaking to see, that many who call themselves believers today, appear to be okay with compromise, okay with a watering down of God’s Word, okay with the infiltration of error and joining with those who promote lies instead of sound doctrine, okay in just mentioning with their lips that they belong to the Lord, attending services, staying away from the so-called ‘big’ sins but that is it.

In short, may people today within the Church walls are fine with merely naming the name of Christ but taking a stand for nothing significant really. They are fine with being an ‘anything-goes’ Christian, them regarding those who insist on sticking to what the Word says, as people to be avoided because they are too fussy, too miserable and even crazy. They ostracize those standing for right, block their ears, refuse to listen, even fighting against those who declare the truth, by badmouthing them, insulting them, accusing them and saying all manner of evil of them. They do this because inwardly, due to their rebellion, they resent the truth and of being told of how they have turned from the right path and need to return.

The Word of God tells us though, that nothing is new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9) and this is true. For, in the days of the Prophet Ezekiel, he faced something similar. The Bible tells us that the Lord, appearing to him in a vision, told him, in relation to his brothers and sisters, the Israelites:

  • “…Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are IMPUDENT CHILDREN and STIFFHEARTED.
  • I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (FOR THEY ARE A REBELLIOUS HOUSE,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, BE NOT AFRAID OF THEM, NEITHER BE AFRAID OF THEIR WORDS, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: BE NOT AFRAID OF THEIR WORDS, NOR BE DISMAYED AT THEIR LOOKS, THOUGH THEY BE A REBELLIOUS HOUSE. AND THOU SHALT SPEAK MY WORDS unto them, WHETHER THEY WILL HEAR, OR WHETHER THEY WILL FORBEAR: FOR THEY ARE MOST REBELLIOUS.” (Ezekiel 2:3-7 KJV)

To my mind, this reminds us that as God’s servants, whether it is popular or not, if we seek to truly live for the Lord and to abide by his Word, then we are to declare the truth of it to others, even to persons that have ‘professed’ to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour but have turned away from God’s truth. Even if such persons stand in opposition to us, frowning at us because they have given in to the devil’s deception, embraced lies and therefore think that we are strange, we are still to tell them what God’s Word says, without changing any of the message so as to find favour with them. Whatever the fallout is to be as a result, then so be it!

We are to speak the Word in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2), even when people in the Church membership, who ought to know better, get upset at us, find that we are being too nit picky and difficult, simply because we take the Word of God seriously and have zero tolerance for compromise.

We are to HOLD FAST to SOUND DOCTRINE (2 Timothy 1:13) and never let it go. We are to gird up our loins with truth (Ephesians 6:14), one of the parts of the armour of God that he has provided for us to wear, so that we can be victorious in life’s battles.

In Jeremiah 1, the Lord also called Jeremiah, the Prophet, to speak his words of truth to the children of Israel, his brothers and sisters, who were living in disobedience and delighting in it. Jeremiah would go on to face much opposition, even being cast into prison for the words of his mouth, which the people, determined to continue on in their folly, found to be offensive. Yet, from the onset, when the Lord, knowing all that he would endure for the sake of his Word was preparing him to send him forth, the scripture states:

  • “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
  • See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant… And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. 
  • Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall NOT prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.” (Jeremiah 1:4-10;16-19).

In closing, for those who are saved, genuinely still believe in the authority of God’s Word and are sincerely trying to live their lives in wholehearted submission to whatever it says, you may not be a prophet like Ezekiel and Jeremiah but God has a work for you to do.

Ephesians 2:10 states, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

All of God’s children (including you) have been given a spiritual gift by the Lord and whatever yours may be, according to Ephesians 4:12-16, such gifts were given:

  • “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

God therefore wants and expects you to use what he has given to you (whatever that may be), to promote the truth of his Word, not just to those outside the Church who don’t know God but even those who claim to be your brothers and sisters within.

Of course, as women, we are not allowed to usurp authority over men or to teach an entire congregation where men have assembled (as is clear in God’s Word) but we can find ways with God’s help, to use what he has given us to promote his truth, while operating within the boundaries that he has set for us to operate. For example, we can write about God’s Word, we can engage in one-on-one conversations and discussions with other professers of Christianity and make use of opportunities to let people know, outside of the congregational setting, what the Word of God says on any issue, whenever such opportunities present themselves. We can use our fingers to be a voice on social media, such as Facebook, whatsApp or even on a blog or Website. We can write Articles, we can teach Sunday School classes and organize Women forums.

If we have the truth and the truth has us, then we must not keep it to ourselves, especially when we see fellow professers of Christianity going astray, as is prevalent in these times. We must lovingly remind them of what God’s Word says and leave the convicting for the Holy Spirit to do.

If when we declare God’s Word, which is true, some professers of Christianity refuse to hear and turn away from it, then this reveals their true nature. For we do not speak of ourselves but of what God’s Word says.

As stated in a previous Article, when truth is presented by one of God’s servants, as HE has authorized, those that have his truth in him, will accept it because it is true but those that do not, will not. In 1 John 4:6, it declares, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of TRUTH, and the spirit of error.

If a person claims to love God therefore, to believe on Jesus and to be a Christian but refuses truth when it is presented, disbelieves it, blocks his ears, turns a blind eye and runs away from it, never to return or to repent, then his actions reveal that he does not belong to the Lord. Even if he is in the pews or occupies the pulpit, he is NOT of Christ. “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and TRUTH.” (Ephesians 5:9).

(Written on 29th May, 2022)

Dear Reader, if you found the above Article to be interesting, informative, edifying or beneficial, you may also be interested in reading the following:

  • Note 201 – ‘Holding Fast To Your Beliefs, Standards And Boundaries’
  • Note 203 – ‘How Important Is Truth To Christianity?’

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