Hi! Welcome to part four of this series. When I started writing about all of the tools we have access to, I had no idea there was so much revelation waiting for me. Writing about this has truly helped me get a better grasp on just how important the sixth chapter of Ephesians is, and how to apply it to my life. My prayer is that something I have written has had an impact on you as well. I’m so grateful to God that He saw fit to give us instructions on how to fight our battles. When we are seemingly unprepared and weak, He shows up to arm us and give us strength. 

SHOES!!

I know you already know this, but shoes, or more likely sandals in this case, are important. Shoes today still have a basic function as protection, but in Paul’s day, shoes were a necessity for soldiers who had to march everywhere, over rough terrain and through all elements. Roman soldiers of the time wore sandals with treads on the bottom (like cleats) to help them gain footing in the various grounds they walked over. 

The Amplified version of verse 15 in Ephesians 6 reads: “and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].” Let’s talk about what this means and how it looks for us. Most importantly, we have to understand the gospel of peace. Isaiah prophesied the Savior of the world would come as the Prince of Peace. Jesus declared to His disciples that He would leave and give them peace. And through His death on the cross, ascension to Heaven, and position at the right hand of the Father, we have peace with God. I guess I should say “we should have peace with God” because I don’t think we accept it as readily and deeply as we should. Now, this type of peace is not to be confused with having or being at peace in the sense of how our lives are going. Peace with God is the central, spiritual peace that comes from knowing our sins are forgiven and we will have eternal life. In other words, we can be at peace with God, and have chaotic, distressing seasons of our lives, or we can have peace-filled lives, but have discord with God (I don’t think an explanation is necessary, but just in case, the former is exponentially and eternally better than the latter).

The great news is that peace is fluid; peace that flows vertically down to us from God can spread horizontally into all areas of our lives (picture a waterfall with a river at its base, flowing down and out). After we have accepted the Lord as our Savior and allowed the peace of God to build and rule in our hearts, peace can start to penetrate other areas of our lives. And that’s our footings, our sandals, what we need to strap onto our feet. This is the peace that allows us to dig our heels in and fight whatever is in front of us. It’s the “I know who I am in Christ, I know who God is, and what I’m facing isn’t bigger or stronger than Him. It won’t defeat me.” It’s our responsibility to continue gaining knowledge and building our faith so that we can stay prepared for anything that the enemy may throw our way. The more we embrace and live out the Gospel of peace, the stronger and deeper our footings will be.

The Shield

A Roman shield in the 1st Century AD had a very practical, yet genius, design. Made of wood, with a leather-covered front, the shield was made large enough and with a curve to wrap around a soldier’s entire crouched body. The leather on the front allowed soldiers to soak the shields in water, which repelled any fire-tipped arrows shot at them. The design allowed soldiers to take forceful hits, while also using it to push forward into opposition. 

I find it both interesting and realistic that Paul used the shield for faith - it can be picked up and put down and is not fixed to a soldier. And isn’t that true of us humans? In our faultiness, we often grasp or drop our faith at the wrong times. During the toughest times, it takes all of us not to let go and call it quits. And too many of us have made the mistake of using our faith to push away and hurt those that were not our enemies but our brothers and sisters. One aspect of the love God gives us is the freedom to hold our shield or drop it.

Still, what a great gift it is! While the enemy is attacking our bodies, minds, families, ministries, and lives, our faith gives us the confidence to say “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). When we are in dire situations that look appear to have no way out, our faith allows us to confess that with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). Faith allows us to boldly command the biggest mountains into the sea (Mark 11:23). Our shield gives us the boldness to resist and make the devil flee (James 4:7). In literally anything that the enemy tries to throw at us, our faith gives us the power to say “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). So powerful and amazing!

There’s really no legitimate reason for us not to use these pieces of armor - they are FREELY given to us! And what I like in particular about the sandals prepared with the peace of the Gospel and the shield of faith is that they are personalized - both in the natural and spiritual meanings. They have the same purposes, but different implications for each person who implements them. And that’s the beauty of the Gospel and faith, that we all have our own testimonies, stories, and journeys with each. And I believe that it’s that personalization that makes these pieces of armor stronger, as long as we use them how they are intended to be used, and we continue to glorify God.