Truth vs. Belt Holes

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… (Ephesians 6:14 NIV).

I have been trying hard to lose weight since January. I gained 10+ pounds over the holiday season in 2018. I threw off all restraint and ate some really good tasting bad stuff I had no business eating. My blood work from my January 3, 2019 annual physical was a disaster. Blood sugar was in the diabetic range, cholesterol was high as well as my liver functions. I had to do something.

I fasted for a few days and then began a vegan diet. I lost about 12 pounds the first three weeks. Then I plateaued. I remained at that weight for the next five months. I stayed on the vegan diet for three and a half months and was stuck at the same weight. Then I decided I needed to do something different. I took the polar opposite route and started a keto diet. I stayed on it for 7 weeks and didn’t lose a single pound.

Now, I am eating a healthy balanced diet abstaining from sugar and flour. No sweets. No bread. I’ve been on this third leg of my nutrition journey for about 10 days. My weight has stayed the same until this morning when the Lord gave me a ray of hope. I lost a pound. Hallelujah!

I weighed on very precise (to a tenth of a pound) digital scales. It does not lie although I wish it did sometimes. I was excited as I dressed this morning.

I grabbed a belt off the back of the closet door and buckled it around my waist. And as my habit, I felt to see how many belt holes were left pass my buckle. To my dismay, there were two holes left. My heart sank. Yesterday there was only one hole left. This morning, there were two.

I was so disappointed. How could the scales say that I had lost a pound while my remaining belt holes increased? My soul was in a funk. A cloud of despair hung over me. Then I sensed the Lord saying to me,

“Are you going to trust the scales which tell you the absolute truth, or are you going to trust a leather belt? Take a look at your belt.”

I looked down and realized that I was wearing my old belt. I had bought a new belt because the old one was about worn out. The new belt had only one hole left after the buckle. The old one had two even though they were the same measurement.

Then the Lord reminded me of Hebrews 10:14…

By one sacrifice HE HAS MADE PERFECT FOREVER those who are being made holy.

From a spiritual perspective, I was made perfect when Christ became my life. When I become ONE with Jesus, He became my life. I no longer live as Galatians 2:20 says, but Christ lives in me, through me, for me, and as me.

If Jesus is my life, and Jesus is perfect, then I am perfect as well. Complete. Whole. Holy. Lacking nothing. My spirit is one with His Spirit, and what is true about Jesus is also true about me.

However, my soul is still a work in progress. What is true in my spirit in Christ may not be felt by my soul (mind, will, and emotions). But because I don’t feel holy, righteous, loving, and kind like Jesus, it does not alter that fact that I am because He is. And what He is, I am.

The truth about my weight this morning is that I lost one pound. The belt holes lied to me and led me to believe that I had not lost weight. Now, which am I going to believe? The truth of the scales, or the number of remaining belt holes on my belt?

In Bible times, the bowels were considered to be the seat of our emotions. To arm up for spiritual battle, we put on the whole armor of God so that we can withstand the lies and deceptions of the devil.

We all know that our emotions are determined by what we think. If we think truth, our emotions will line up with the truth. If we believe lies, our emotions will lie to us as well. We put on the belt of truth around our bowels so that our emotions are based on the truth contained in the Bible, not lies.

I lost a pound this morning. The scales told me so. My belt lied to me and told me I had not lost a pound but gained weight. And I felt disappointed and sad.

God’s Word tell us that we are perfect in every way in Christ right now. Right this minute. Not when we die and go to Heaven, but right now, because Christ is our life. That is the truth no matter how many holes are left on your belt.

The devil will speak to your soul so that he can deceive you. God will speak to your spirit to affirm the truth so you can live carefree in the care of God.

He loves you beyond your wildest dreams, Beloved. And you are perfect in His sight. And that is the HOLE truth, and nothing but the truth.

Blessings,

Kenny