Most of us eat every day, some of us too much, because yesterday's
food is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do
some of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change
all that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to
live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker L. David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good morning.
It is Monday, September eighteen, twenty twenty three. Hello, Madame
Isselle David Harris. I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's word every single day, and today is no exception.
We are continuing in our lesson study series through the Book of Ephesians,
and our caption for today is belt and Breastplate. We'll get into that in
just a moment, but first I'd like to say welcome, welcome, welcome
to you, and ask you to go over to your Daily Portion dot com.
Please go ahead and click the join link so you can join our online
community. Also pick up the Your Daily Portion book again at your Daily Portion
dot com and if you would just let me know where you are in the
world. There there's a little form on the page as you scroll. Okay,
let's go ahead and pray, and then we will get underway. Father
in Heaven, thank you for giving us this new day and for the privilege
you have entrusted to us. Please teach us the way to prepare, prepare
for battle, and yield our will to you in Jesus name. I pray,
Amen and amen again, belt and breastplate. We're going to begin here
in verse fourteen of Ephesians chapter six Ephesians chapter six, and the Bible reads,
stand there for having your loins girt about with truth, your loins girta
out with truth. So it's like having a protective belt that keeps all of
the armor together, and that protection is truth. What is truth? I
remember the disciples, Actually, no, it wasn't a disciple. It was
it was I think it was pilot that acts Jesus. What is truth?
What is truth is? Disciples were not very clear. The pharisees and haters
were not very clear. Are you clear? Are you clear on this Monday
morning? Like do you know what truth is? Because there is our faith
community that always says we have the truth, we have the truth. And
I just want to give a shout out to Pastor John Nixon. I'm talking
about senior. It was many years ago, near the time I had gotten
baptized, and I remember he used to sit on this point sometimes when he
was the pastor at the Capitol Hill Church in Washington, DC, and he
said, you have the truth, you have the truth. What is truth?
And you realize, brothers and sisters, and Pastor Will Smith used to
used to teach us the same thing. The truth is Jesus. The Bible
says in John chapter fourteen and verse six. I am the Way, the
Truth and the life. And some of you say, amen, yes it's
true, But do you realize that there is more? Yep, The Bible
says Jesus speaking when he was having his his prayer. I think it was
in John chapter seventeen, what we call the high priestly prayer or mediatorial prayer.
He said, he said, please please sanctify them by thy truth.
Thy word is true. So we have Jesus Christ as the epitome of truth.
We have the Word of God in it's entire to as truth and David
taught us in the Psalms and multiple places that his commandments are truth. So
if we are saying that we have the truth, we're saying that we have
right relationship with God through Christ. If we are saying that we have the
truth, we are saying that we have the word of God, those sixty
six blessed books. If we are saying that we have the truth, we
are saying that the Ten Commandments are not something that we throw away. We
don't say it was done away with, We don't say we're under a new
covenant, and therefore it is no longer relevant, when in fact, the
new covenant is to establish and to write God's laws in our hearts and in
our minds, so that no one will have to teach any man or woman
is neighbor to say no the Lord, because God is going to introduce himself
to all of us and instill his power in people who are willing. And
so the belt of truth like having our loins girt about with truth, having
the entire armor sort of caught together and bound by the truth. It makes
sense now. And so the takeaway today is, just as soldiers prepare themselves
physic Kalif for battle believers, and the question really is am I a believer?
Are you a believer? Must prepare themselves spiritually right. The first step
is to be anchored in the truth. And we could really toy around with
the argument here, but you get the point. Truth is essential. Truth
is key. It's not just cerebral. It's not just that I know what
words are true in the Bible, or that I understand intellectually that Jesus Christ
is who he said he was. No, this truth becomes a part of
our fiber, a part of our being through the Holy Spirit. And of
course, the essentiality what makes truth essential. The essentiality of truth and the
Bible reads here in Second Corinthians, chapter thirteen, in verse eight. For
we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth. Let me say
it with a different accent, for we can do nothing against the truth but
for the truth. You hear their emphasis there, And so our takeaway is
that truth isn't just a weapon, it's a defense. Believers must ground ourselves
in the absolute truth of God's word. Of course, in Jesus Christ and
his ten commandment law to successfully combat deceit and falsehood, I think I made
allusion to this the other day when Jesus was speaking to his disciples, and
they said, when shall these things be? What shall be the sign of
thy coming and of the end of the world. And Jesus said, don't
be deceived. There will be false prophets, there will be false christs,
but don't be troubled. There will be all kinds of wars, rumors of
wars, earthquakes and diverse places. People are going to take you to law
thinking that they're doing God's service, and all of these wicked things. And
so God is saying that if you will, if you will bind yourself together
with God through his truth, then you have what you need by the power
of the Holy Spirit. Let me continue divine armor for the battles. In
verse fourteen, it also says, having on the breastplate of righteousness, takeaway
battles. Believe the battles believers face are not merely human, but they are
divine. Can I say that again? We say that we don't wrestle against
flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and against the darkness of
this world and spiritual wickedness and high places. That is true. So we're
clear about who our enemy is. Ah but are we clear about who our
God is? Are we clear about who our God is? So so the
battle is not yours, brothers and sisters, but the lords. The battle
is not yours. It's the lords. To face them, we must be
armored with God's righteousness. Can I say it in another way? Maybe I'll
say it in a way that we can catch it, Like when you want
to say a bad word to someone who seems to be an annoyance to you.
Yeah, the battle is not yours, it's the Lord's. Right.
When you're scrolling on Instagram or tick talk or in some platform that I'm not
familiar with as yet, but it'll come up. Right, You're a scrolling,
scrolling, scrolling, and then there is something provocative, something enticing,
that you want to pause on. But you know because the word of God
is clear. You know, because the Holy Spirit has been convicting you.
You know, because you just simply know right from wrong that you should not
pause there. In Gander, you should not be looking over at Bathsheba while
she's taking a bath. Brothers, you should not be having an emotional experience
with the man who is not your husband's sisters, you understand. So when
that happens, you can say, wait a minute, now, this battle
is not mine, It's the Lord's, and I, in the power of
the Holy Spirit, can be victorious in this moment. Let me just get
to another one, the protective nature of righteousness. I'm hoping this may be
the last one for today. The Bible reads here in Romans chapter one,
in verse seventeen. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. God's
righteousness serves as a shield. Do you understand that it is God's righteousness.
It is the only covering that is protective against sin. It is the only
covering that is protective against condemnation right when we are in Christ Jesus no condemnation.
It is safeguarding us from the attacks of the devil. Just as a
physical armor protects the vital organs, righteousness protects how we're being, our very
soul. We are protected in the armor, the breastplate, and the belt
if we continue to yield to God. Peace. Thanks for joining us listening.
Friends, Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by every
word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been your daily portion
with L David Harris, make it a great day.