The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18 

I had a wee little “disagreement” with my dear husband of 33 years the other day, which threatened to blow up our family vacation and my reunion with the tiny people that hold my heart in their sticky little fingers. Pudgy-cheeked, Chiclet-teethed, golden-haired imps I don’t often see due to them living literally on the other side of the world.  I had been anticipating this trip for half a year; the stakes were high.  My husband made a decision I did not agree with regarding the visit.

Unfortunately, I have a history of standing firm in the conviction of my own righteousness and not bending to my husband’s counsel.  Shocking, I know. This time, however (perhaps it was the innocent influence of the little ones or God’s Holy Spirit), I paused before entering full metal witch mode, prayed, and humbly asked for prayer, that my heart would not be bitter, that I would see “the truth” of my heart. The truth about why my husband’s request incited such an angry response. 

I had read, “Satan deals with confusion and lies. Put the truth in front of him and he is gone.”  

Would that work?  Could I sincerely call on God and actually be willing to see His truth? Could I clothe myself in the truth? 

The Belt of Truth

I am reminded of the belt of truth in Ephesians.  Paul’s soldier puts on the belt of truth before he does anything else. He uses the belt to hold his sword of the Spirit as well as his shield of Faith. The soldier’s robe would be tucked into his belt of truth so that he would not trip, but carry on in battle.  

Was I willing to give up my desire to be right and instead fasten the belt of God’s Truth so that I wouldn’t get tripped up? 

In all honesty, I wavered.  I mentally began to list the reasons I was right and my husband was wrong and started justifying my position. I momentarily indulged in righteous indignation and thankfully saw where that would lead. 

Instead, I shifted my thinking and chose to be “strong in the Lord and His mighty power” and seek the truth—His truth, not my own Satan-deluded truth. Instead of leaning into my own self righteousness understanding, I chose to turn on the light of the Holy Spirit so I could see His truth.  Yay, me! Could I actually be “growing up in all aspects into Him? Maturing? No longer tossed by waves and winds of the crafty deceitfulness of Satan’s scheming? But speaking the TRUTH in love?” Eph 4:13-15

Well, at least last week I did! Ruined vacation averted and lesson learned that my anger was triggered by a lack of faith in God’s provision. It’s not just the grandbabies that are taking baby steps.