First Piece of Armour of God (Eph. 6:14)

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The first piec of the armour of God is the "girdle of truth" in Ephesians 6:14.  
What are some practical thoughts on how this can impact my life today in the culture that I live in?
This is an excerpt from an address given at the Detroit Bible Conference in 1965 by Gordon Hayhoe. 

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Episode Transcript

Mark (00:00):
This is an excerpt from an address given by Gordon Hayhoe
in 1965 at the Detroit BibleConference on the first item
listed in the Armour of Godfound in Ephesians 6:14 called
the girdle of truth.

Cedric (00:13):
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth.” Now you will notice thatthere are different parts to the
armor here.
It’s quite striking that thefirst ones given are ones that
concern our personal life andwalk.
The last ones are more connectedwith the testimony and the
conflict outwardly which is theresult.
But I want to call attention tohow it says:“Stand therefore,

(00:34):
having your loins girt aboutwith truth.” Why is it that
Satan succeeds in getting hisfiery darts into some of us?
The loins are a figure of ouremotions or desires.
Is it because our loins are notgirt about with truth?
When you hear that a youngperson has married an unsaved
girl or an unsaved boy you knowthat that didn’t happen all of a

(00:55):
sudden.
What were they talking aboutwhen they went out?
Were they talking about theLord?
Oh no.
They didn’t have their loinsgirt about or the devil never
would have been able toaccomplish that defeat in their
lives.
So let us get right back to thestarting place;“Loins girt about
with truth.” In those ancientcountries they had loose

(01:18):
clothing, but when they weregoing to go on the move or run
they gathered up this clothing.
They pulled it in tight aroundthemselves so it didn’t hinder
their free movement in whateverthey were seeking to do.
You can never relax when you arewith the world.
You can never relax.
You can’t just let your clothinghang loose, as it were.

(01:39):
We have to pull it about us.
We all like to relax and thereis a place to relax.
You can relax in the enjoymentof the fellowship of those who
love and seek to follow theLord, but you can’t relax when
you go out with the world.
You just can’t relax.
So, the loins are to be girtabout.
Are you and I keeping ouraffections and our emotions and
all those impulses that arewithin us under the control of

(02:01):
the Word of God?
Oh dear young people we areliving in an evil day.
The market is flooded with allkinds of things to make appeals
to the fallen nature of man.
I don’t need to tell you this.
The world is just full of it.
It’s horrible.
You can hardly go to school,work in an office, or pick up a
newspaper or magazine that isn’tfilled with all kinds of things,

(02:25):
that if you don’t have yourloins girt about, you find
yourself caught in the snare ofall this modern trend toward
freeness.
“Freeness” they call it.
But what is it?
It’s setting aside the restraintof God’s word.
You are told to form your ownideas of what sin is.
You are not to be governed bythe old ideas.
You have to think for yourself.

(02:46):
So the loins are not girt about.
The mind is not controlled bythe word of God if we don’t gird
up the loins of our mind and besober.
Oh I beseech you dear youngpeople.
Have you done this the veryfirst thing?
“Loins girt about with truth.”Don’t allow your emotions, don’t
allow your feelings, don’t allowthose evil impulses within your

(03:07):
heart to have their free reignin your life.
Be sure that you allow the truthof God to place that restraint
upon your walk and ways thatwill keep you from sin; that
will keep you from temptation;that will keep you from being
thrown right into the very placewhere you are liable to ruin
your life and testimony.

(03:27):
Oh I beseech of you, rememberthe very first thing:“Holiness
in thoughts, holiness in walk.”If you and I don’t do this there
is no use talking about liftingthe sword of the Spirit.
There’s no use talking aboutlifting the shield of faith.
People get carried away withthings because they don’t pay
attention to the first part ofthe armor.
I speak to you dear youngpeople; I plead with you, watch,

(03:50):
in this day that you live.
The days of Noah, the days ofLot, the days when evil and sin
are so on the increase, havingyour loins girt about with truth
and having on the breastplate ofrighteousness.
Be careful, it’s a crooked anddishonest world.
Don’t have any part in its evilcourse.
Be honest.
Be upright.
May your word be known as truth.

(04:11):
The Bible says:“But let yourcommunication be yea, yea; nay,

nay (04:14):
for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”(Matthew
5:37) The Bible also says:“Thewicked go astray from their
mother’s womb speaking lies.”(Psalm 58:3) I ask you, dear
young people, are you careful totell the truth?
You may be deceiving your fatherand your mother but you can’t
deceive God.

(04:36):
I’ve seen the beginning of adownfall in a young person’s
life when he starts deceiving.
You can’t deceive Godhis parentsand his brethren.
He doesn’t have on thebreastplate of righteousness.
He’s out doing things and hisparents don’t know anything
about it.
He’s loving this and loving thatin the world and he hasn’t got
his affections kept under thecontrol of divine righteousness.

(04:59):
He’s succeeded in hiding it fromhis parents.
He’s succeeded in hiding it fromothers.
Oh dear young people, no wonderthere’s a lack of power in your
life.
“Is there any secret thing withthee?”(Job 15:11) Have you
girded up your loins?