WEEK 5 — DAY 3
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 6:14 "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness."
Rev. 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soullife even unto death."
For us to gird our loins is to strengthen our entire being. Our whole being needs to be strengthened with truth. This strengthening is not for sitting,but for standing. According to the way the word reality, or truth, is used in Ephesians 4 (vv. 15, 21, 24, 25), truth in 6:14 refers to God in Christ as reality in our living, that is, God realized and experienced by us as our living.This is actually Christ Himself lived out by us (John 14:6). Such truth, such reality, is the girdle that strengthens our whole being for spiritual warfare. Our living must have a principle and a standard. This is nothing less than God Himself expressed in our living in a practical way. When such a truth girds our loins, we are made strong for the purpose of standing. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 537-538)
Today's Reading
If God is not expressed in our daily life and walk, we shall not have a girdle about our loins, and we shall have no strength to stand against the enemy. We shall not have the power to face opposition or controversy. The truth with which we are girded for spiritual warfare is actually the very Christ we experience. In Philippians 1:21 Paul says, “To me, to live is Christ.” This Christ whom Paul lived was his girdle of truth. This Christ was God expressed and revealed in Paul's daily walk. Because Paul's daily living was conformed to the pattern of Christ, he had the strength to face all opposition and adverse circumstances. Because Paul had been girded about with truth,he had the strength to stand.
The breastplate of righteousness [in Ephesians 6:14] covers our conscience, signified by the breast. Satan is our accuser. In fighting against him we need a conscience void of offense. But no matter how good we may feel our conscience is, we need to have it covered with the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness is to be right with both God and man. If we have just a little problem with either God or man, Satan will accuse us, and there will be holes in our conscience through which all of our faith and boldness will leak out. Hence, we need the covering of righteousness to protect us from the enemy's accusation.
To be covered by the blood of the Lamb is mainly to have upon us the breastplate of righteousness [cf. Rev. 12:11]. Righteousness is in the blood, and the covering of the blood is the breastplate. Although this may be difficult to explain doctrinally, we can understand it experientially. Whenever we intend to fight against the powers of darkness, Satan, through his accusations, causes our conscience to become very sensitive. These feelings actually are not the sensitivity of the conscience, but the result of Satan's accusations. Immediately our response should be, “I overcome Satan, the accuser, not by my perfection and not even by a conscience void of offense, but by the blood of the Lamb. I am defended against his accusations by the breastplate of righteousness.”
The righteousness that covers our conscience and that guards us from Satan's accusations is Christ Himself [1 Cor. 1:30]. He is our righteousness. Thus, Christ is the truth that girds our loins and also the breastplate of righteousness that covers our conscience. We are covered not by our own righteousness, but by Christ as our righteousness. Some may wonder how the breastplate of righteousness can be related both to Christ and to the blood. In experience we cannot separate the blood from Christ. Apart from His blood, Christ could not cover us. Under the cleansing of His blood, He becomes our righteousness. Whenever we are about to take part in the spiritual warfare,we need to pray, “Lord, cover me with Yourself as my righteousness. Lord,I hide under Your blood.” Furthermore, we must tell the accuser, “Satan, I overcome you, not by my merit, but by the prevailing blood of the Lamb.”(Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 538-540)
Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 64; Perfecting Training,chs. 14-15
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 6:14 "Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness."
Rev. 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soullife even unto death."
For us to gird our loins is to strengthen our entire being. Our whole being needs to be strengthened with truth. This strengthening is not for sitting,but for standing. According to the way the word reality, or truth, is used in Ephesians 4 (vv. 15, 21, 24, 25), truth in 6:14 refers to God in Christ as reality in our living, that is, God realized and experienced by us as our living.This is actually Christ Himself lived out by us (John 14:6). Such truth, such reality, is the girdle that strengthens our whole being for spiritual warfare. Our living must have a principle and a standard. This is nothing less than God Himself expressed in our living in a practical way. When such a truth girds our loins, we are made strong for the purpose of standing. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 537-538)
Today's Reading
If God is not expressed in our daily life and walk, we shall not have a girdle about our loins, and we shall have no strength to stand against the enemy. We shall not have the power to face opposition or controversy. The truth with which we are girded for spiritual warfare is actually the very Christ we experience. In Philippians 1:21 Paul says, “To me, to live is Christ.” This Christ whom Paul lived was his girdle of truth. This Christ was God expressed and revealed in Paul's daily walk. Because Paul's daily living was conformed to the pattern of Christ, he had the strength to face all opposition and adverse circumstances. Because Paul had been girded about with truth,he had the strength to stand.
The breastplate of righteousness [in Ephesians 6:14] covers our conscience, signified by the breast. Satan is our accuser. In fighting against him we need a conscience void of offense. But no matter how good we may feel our conscience is, we need to have it covered with the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness is to be right with both God and man. If we have just a little problem with either God or man, Satan will accuse us, and there will be holes in our conscience through which all of our faith and boldness will leak out. Hence, we need the covering of righteousness to protect us from the enemy's accusation.
To be covered by the blood of the Lamb is mainly to have upon us the breastplate of righteousness [cf. Rev. 12:11]. Righteousness is in the blood, and the covering of the blood is the breastplate. Although this may be difficult to explain doctrinally, we can understand it experientially. Whenever we intend to fight against the powers of darkness, Satan, through his accusations, causes our conscience to become very sensitive. These feelings actually are not the sensitivity of the conscience, but the result of Satan's accusations. Immediately our response should be, “I overcome Satan, the accuser, not by my perfection and not even by a conscience void of offense, but by the blood of the Lamb. I am defended against his accusations by the breastplate of righteousness.”
The righteousness that covers our conscience and that guards us from Satan's accusations is Christ Himself [1 Cor. 1:30]. He is our righteousness. Thus, Christ is the truth that girds our loins and also the breastplate of righteousness that covers our conscience. We are covered not by our own righteousness, but by Christ as our righteousness. Some may wonder how the breastplate of righteousness can be related both to Christ and to the blood. In experience we cannot separate the blood from Christ. Apart from His blood, Christ could not cover us. Under the cleansing of His blood, He becomes our righteousness. Whenever we are about to take part in the spiritual warfare,we need to pray, “Lord, cover me with Yourself as my righteousness. Lord,I hide under Your blood.” Furthermore, we must tell the accuser, “Satan, I overcome you, not by my merit, but by the prevailing blood of the Lamb.”(Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 538-540)
Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 64; Perfecting Training,chs. 14-15
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