 Ephesians 6:14 (NKJV): “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.”
When Paul tells us to gird our waist with truth, he is not just talking about the truth of God’s word. That is already in his lineup of God’s armor. He is talking about operating in truth in our lives—all truth in all things.  As I was sitting outside under the covering of a Gazebo in prayer and meditation with the Lord in Hawaii, I was amazed at how God created Oahu‘s watering system. On a normal day in Oahu, it rains about 2 billion gallons of water. 1/3 of this water runs off into the ocean. 1/3 of this water is soaked up by the trees and vegetation, and 1/3 of this water sinks into the aquifer, deep below the island.
 This morning, I was walking through thanksgiving to the Lord for specific blessings He has poured out throughout my life. He brought to my attention many times when He was having mercy on me in various seasons of my life when I was trying to get it right and obey, and yet sometimes failing and falling (especially in my early adult years). God was merciful with me.
 This morning in prayer, a spirit of repentance came over me and sorrow for my own sin and others’ sin. I wasn’t aware of a particular sin that I had committed; but a great awareness came over me of sin which I was not aware or could not see. As I was looking over the land and the nation in the Spirit, I saw that there are actions of obedience that each person could have made, that were like strategic dominos, effecting far greater results over a period of time, than anyone on earth could imagine.
 “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17)
Abide forever means live forever, but it means more. It means those who do the will of God will stand forever, will remain forever, will live in God forever, will endure forever, will be strong forever. Those who do the will of God are sustained by His absolute eternal staying power to remain alive and active on the scenes of eternity and all that’s on the horizon of forever.  When you build, first you must build the foundation.
When you plant, first you must prepare the soil. When you travel, first you must secure a vehicle of travel. There have been many in the kingdom who plant and water seed, but do little to prepare the soil. Therefore, they suffer loss of a harvest or significant diminishment of a harvest.  John 8:47 (NKJV): “He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
It is fascinating to study Jesus’ words here. He gives a condition for those who are of God. If we are of God, it is demonstrated in our lives by our hearing of His words. One would expect Him to follow that with “therefore you are not of God because you do not hear His words.” Instead, He says it the other way around, “therefore you do not hear because you are not of God.”  In this life, all of our actions are recorded. Like witnesses in the courtroom, our lives, our works, and our motives are being examined and cross-examined by life’s circumstances, which are governed and permitted by Heaven’s wisdom and divine government. Our actions in all of these circumstances emit precise testimonies of our deeds, which testify to our heart condition and our allegiance or the lack thereof, toward God and His monarchy. Like a court stenographer, everything is being recorded. In the days of judgement after this age, the stenographers’ books will be opened so that a verdict can be issued for all people, small and great, believing and unbelieving. (Rev. 20:11-15, 2 Cor. 5:9-11, Rev. 22:12-15, I Thes. 2:19-20)
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