The Shoes of Peace
The Shoes of Peace
Ephesians 6:14-15 (NKJV)
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
To defeat Satan, we must lace-up the shoes of peace.
Love your neighbor as yourself; but don't take down the fence. Carl Sandburg, American poet, novelist, and historian (1878–1967)
Today we have specialized shoes for every conceivable activity. The shoes of a Roman soldier were specialized, too. They were boots/sandals, called caliga. Josephus said that they were "thickly studded with sharp nails" like cleats. These war boots enabled infantryman to dig in and make a stand in hand to hand combat.
I. "Preparation" means readiness.
· A good pair of boots makes a soldier ready to march, attack, and fight. The NIV says we are to have our "feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."
· When Paul speaks of the gospel here, he is not talking about taking the good news to the world but standing firm. He is not talking about witnessing, but about a spiritual battle.
· You don’t have to look for a fight; the fight will find you. Problems just happen; Peace doesn’t.
II. Because we have received the gospel, we have peace with God.
· Romans 5:1 says: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." We were once at war with God, but through Christ's death on the cross we are now reconciled. We are at peace with him.
· 1515 εἰρήνη [eirene /i·ray·nay/] Probably from a primary verb eiro (to join); 2 peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord; 3 security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous).
· Like imputed righteousness, we receive peace with God the moment we are born again. Paul is talking about something we are to "put on" every day – the peace of God
· We have the peace of God because we stand in his strength, not our own.
III. God’s command to believers is to stand and fight the devil, not one another.
· We actually resist the devil and his schemes when we keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
· While Satan is aggressively making war, we must be aggressively making peace.
· The key to making peace is forgiveness. Forgiveness and reconciliation bring peace.
· When the devil turns up the heat of hatred, making peace is like aiming a fire hose at a match.
Romans 12:17-18 (NKJV) 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Jesus is the truth. He is our righteousness. He is our peace. To put on spiritual armor is to put on Christ every day. It is to breathe each breath and seize each moment in service to him. When we do so, we are invincible before our enemy!
Prayer:
Loving Father, thank you that I am at peace with you, and that I can come to you confidently because of what Jesus has done. I pray now for peace in my soul, for your peace, not the false and temporary peace of the world. I pray for the peace that passes all understanding. I also pray for strength and grace to be a peace maker. I will prepare myself now for the unexpected today, tonight and tomorrow. I forgive, in advance, those who will sin against me. I want to respond in love, not react in anger. I will make every effort, as far as it is in my ability to do so, to live at peace with everyone. I resist the prince of darkness and his snare of strife. I recognize how destructive strife can be, and I stand against it. I place myself under the Lordship of the Prince of Peace. In Jesus’ mighty Name, Amen.