3. The Belt of Truth

What is the belt of truth?

The belt of truth reminds us of the importance of knowing truth and having a factual knowledge of the world around us.

Why is the belt of truth important?

It's important because the world is full of lies, and if you do not know what is true, then you will make a decision based on something that is a lie. If you make a decision based on something that's a lie, then you could end up hurting yourself or you might end up with a result that you were not expecting to have.  [Matthew 7:15,Romans 16:18,1 Timothy 4:1-3,John 8:44] 

Truth supports everything that you do, because it is the basis on what you think and believe. It impacts what you do, how you speak and the decisions you make.

 How do you put on the belt of truth?

1. By being able to identify what is true. [1 John 4:1,Matthew 10:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:21]

2. By learning the truth of the spiritual and physical world 

3. By learning how to study the word of God so you are able to understand it for yourself, even without having someone there to explain it to you. [2 Timothy 2:15] 

How Do We Know That Something is True?

1. Trustworthy people (around us) testify of it being true

2. Experience and seeing it happen (This can be seen through prayer and God’s work in our lives)

3. Historical evidence (Of things which occurred in the bible)

4. Reliable witnesses who experienced the events (May not be directly connected) [The disciples of Jesus]

5. Historical writing theory

   1. Other books written in the times of the bible 

   2. Number of Copies

6. Doesn’t contain lies (Bible: Prophecy and the fulfillment of the prophecies)

7. It makes sense (It is not contradicting itself or other known facts)

The bible has been tested against these standards and more. Verdict: The Bible IS TRUE.

The Truth of the Spiritual World Based on the Bible

1. God loves us  [John 3:16, Ephesians 2:4-5]  and has a plan for our lives  [Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 3:5-6] . When he made the world, he made the world good [Genesis 1:1,31]. 

2. The once perfect world was corrupted because people chose to disobey God[Genesis 3:17,Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12], this also caused us to be separated from God[Isaiah 59:2]. People living in this damaged world often see the problems in the world, things such as natural disasters,floods and death. They see the evil in people who steal, kill, wage wars and the like and many people want to either stop the bad in the world or find a way to stop these negative things from impacting them. So they try different things in order to achieve this.

Some people try to make a lot of money to avoid the bad in the world, but this does not work [Luke 12:16-21]. Some people try to make a lot of friends, but even this does not save them from the corruption that has befallen the world. Some people simply do drugs or some other narcotic, or take part in activities that may make them feel so good that they can’t even think about the bad in the world or in their lives, but most of these activities aren’t good for them and inevitably this path doesn’t work either[Luke 15:11-16]. Some even try to follow the rules based on a religion or their own society, but this doesn’t work either[John 3:1-8].

 There are, unfortunately, many testimonies from people who’ve tried these things and it has not worked out for them. Yet, the biggest problem with sin, aside from messing up the life that we live while on earth, is that the punishment or the wages of sin is death and this is an eternal death[Romans 6:23].

3. God sent Jesus Christ into the world, as a sacrifice for our sin, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life. God sent his son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that the world through him might be saved[John 3:16-17]. 

4. This salvation that God has offered is not something that you can work for, but it is something that you need to make a decision that you want to have. It's not enough to know, but you need to decide to believe[Acts 16:31], and to follow or obey Jesus's commands [John 8:31,Luke 6:46-49] with all your heart, and that means --not looking back and thinking, “I don't want to do this”, but in your heart saying, “this is truly what I want”. [Luke 9:62].

5. When you believe in Jesus, he will live in your heart [Revelation 3:20]and he will walk with you and help you to become more and more the person God wants you to be [Ephesians 2:10]. As you grow to become more like Him, He will give you a mission that all believers have, which is to go out there and share the truth of Jesus Christ with the world [Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-18].

This is the spiritual and physical truth of the world. If you are able to learn and accept this truth, you would be putting on the belt of truth. This is, however, a summarized version of this truth. The entire Bible testifies of this truth from the beginning to the end, about who God is, how man has tried to overcome the corruption of the world, how God stepped in and sent Jesus to finally save us, and how to live for Him. 

How can you put on the belt of truth

1. By reading or listening to the scripture  [Psalm 1:1-6]

2. By listening to other people who have read the Bible and have a personal relationship with God. [Proverbs 19:20,Proverbs 13:20]

3. By memorizing and committing it to your heart[Psalm 37:31]

4. By seeking to understand and believe what you have read and what it means for you and for others. [ Proverbs 4:5, Proverbs 4:7]

How to read and understand the Bible for yourself?

This is not an exhaustive nor the only way of studying the Bible. This is simply a starter method.

1. Pray and ask God for understanding while studying His Word  [James 1:5-8]

2. Read the passage of scripture that you're dealing with.

3. Ask yourself what is happening in the passage?

4. Ask yourself, what can I learn from the passage? (About God? About Myself or People?)

5. Ask yourself if there's any way that this might apply to my life and what I should do or should not do based on this passage.

Tips:

• It’s not about quantity, it’s about if you understand what you have read.

• Scripture does not go against itself, it might put things in a different perspective but if your interpretation goes against another truth in the bible then your interpretation is wrong. If you find a contradiction or are confused, don’t be afraid to ask a question to someone older and more knowledgeable.  [1 Timothy 6:3-5,Galatians 1:6-9,2 Corinthians 11:3-4,13]

• Make notes about what you’ve read and learnt [Deuteronomy 6:8-9,Proverbs 7:3]

• Scripture is living and breathing therefore one passage of scripture might mean one thing to you one day, and as you experience other things, you might read the same passage and get a different meaning. Therefore, you should be willing to read the same scripture more than once.[2 Timothy 3:16,Hebrews 4:12]

• You should listen to God ‘s voice as you study the scripture[Isaiah 30:21, John 16:12-15]

• You should be willing to listen to other believers' interpretations of a passage, because sometimes God may have given them a special insight you need to hear.  Also, when you're young and you’re now learning to study the scripture it’s useful to rely on other christians who are using their spiritual swords to help other people to apply scripture to their lives. [Hebrews 10:25]

• No biblically sound teaching should contradict with what is written in the Bible, REGARDLESS of who is the teacher.[1 Timothy 6:3-5,Galatians 1:6-9]

• If you reach a part in the scripture that you don't understand, you can pray again and ask God for the wisdom to understand what you were reading and to give you clarity on that passage. [James 1:5-8]

Take Home Tasks

1. Set aside a time daily to read the bible (here are some options).

   1. First Foundations

   2. 21 Studies for Disciples 

   3. The book of John

   4. Try the Bible App - You Version!

2. Set aside time in the week to think about and analyze the scripture (This can be in a small group or alone).

3. Create a group with others in your age group to read and study scripture together.

4. The following week, ask yourself, have I done what I said I should be or shouldn’t be doing based on this passage.

5. Memorize at least one scripture verse a week.

6. Make notes from your bible studies.

7. Join and regularly attend (Minimum: 3 weeks in month) a bible believing church and make notes on the sermon.

MENTOR’S NOTES/EVALUATION

1. Did they read  the bible during the week? (How many days? More than 3 days is good)

2. Did they study the bible alone or in a small group last week?

3. Did they memorize a scripture verse this week? Can they speak about its meaning?Do they believe it or do they doubt its truth?

4. Do they attend church regularly (More than 2 times a month)

5. Have they been praying and asking for understanding, wisdom and discernment in scripture?

NB: Scripture references are by no means exhaustive but can be used as a basis to start memorizing scripture.