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Mar 16, 2026 06:00am

What Are You Really Fighting For?

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In an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, two men were at war with one another, and the disputes had been going on for years between their families. When Andy wanted to put a stop to it, he asked them what they were fighting for and what it was about.

Now that stumped them. They couldn’t figure it out. They just knew they were supposed to fight each other. One was a Carter and one was a Wakefield.

The bottom line was that they had no truth to stand on. There was no actual basis for their fight. That makes a pretty poor soldier.

When we look at Ephesians 6, we see the command for believers to put on the whole armor of God. Why? Because we have an enemy who is cunning and full of schemes and deceit, seeking to destroy us. Why? Because we are followers of Christ—His enemy.

We are soldiers preparing for battle, and the Scriptures tell us what we must put on to be protected and ready.

And it starts with a belt.

Ephesians 6:14
“Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth…”

A belt. Why would Paul begin with what seems like an insignificant piece of armor? Because there’s more to that belt than meets the eye.

What was the belt used for in a soldier’s armor?

It went around the waist for three main purposes:

It provided support for the whole structure.
It held the breastplate in place to keep it from shifting.
It was a place to carry weapons.

So what was this belt made of? What is so important to have first? What could support the armor, keep important pieces from shifting, and hold our weapons?

Truth.

Without truth, we wouldn’t know what we were fighting for. We wouldn’t have anything to stand on, and we would crumble and fall easily to the enemy.

What is this truth?

It’s the gospel.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” — Romans 10:9–10

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” — Ephesians 2:8–9

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” — John 14:6

This is the truth. It’s the first piece of our armor because without it, we will fall. We would be no better than the Carters and Wakefields. We must know the truth about Christ before we can be His soldiers.

Truth is what supports the rest of our armor. It holds the breastplate of righteousness in place and keeps our faith from shifting, especially during battle. It’s what holds our weapons firmly—like the Sword of the Spirit, the very Word of God. Without the belt of truth, everything would fall.

This world wants us to believe that truth is subjective—that “my truth” is based on my emotions and experiences and can be different from “your truth.” The world pushes the idea that truth is relative, but that means there is no absolute truth. The Bible teaches us there is an objective spiritual reality, just as there is an objective physical reality.

God is the Creator. Jesus is His Son. He was perfect and the only sacrifice that could fulfill the payment required for sin—not just for one person, but for all of mankind.

Through Christ’s death on the cross, that payment was settled. Jesus died, was buried, and after three days, He rose from the grave. Death has been defeated!

We are all sinners, and we will all die because of that sin. But there is hope. God offers salvation to anyone who will believe in Him and what He has done for them. At the moment of death, we will join Him in heaven. Without Him, we remain in our sin and will face eternal punishment in hell.

This is the truth. And today, you have read it.

God doesn’t force you to believe it or love Him—He offers you a choice.

You can choose to believe it, accept His love, and learn about the God who loves you and gave everything so that you could be saved from your sins. You can choose to follow Jesus.

Or you can choose to deny it, walk away from His love and His gift of salvation, and go your own way.

But that won’t make the truth go away. That won’t make it untrue.

Maybe you’ve always wondered who Jesus really is and what being His follower is really all about.

Go to follow.lifeword.org and begin learning the truth about Jesus.

Need it in Spanish? Go to follow.lifeword.org/Spanish.
Need it in Ukrainian? Visit follow.lifeword.org/Ukrainian.