Armor of God - Fitted feet

Ephesians 6:10-18 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take a stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for the Saints." NIV



    Shoes! What woman doesn't love a good pair of shoes? Or three or four or twenty-five...fifty...maybe more... In our house there are what seem to be an endless amount of shoes. One lovely Monday morning I was wandering around the house picking up all the kids shoes that they had worn just that weekend alone and guess how many pairs I gathered?! 17 pairs people! That is 34 individual shoes!!! That four children wore in 2 days! It's madness. My girls love shoes...almost as much as I do!

  I never quite realized the importance of a good shoe, I am more likely to wear a stylish shoe before I wear a good shoe. Beauty before pain ladies! But, this year my feet started hurting even when I wasn't wearing stylish shoes. I scheduled an appointment with my lovely Dr. and was hoping that she would just refer me to a foot specialist so I could get new inserts or something, but as she walked into the waiting room she immediately gasped, pointed at my adorable sparkly TOMS and said, "Get those off your feet as soon as you get home and NEVER ever ever wear them again. You need to be wearing shoes that are the shape of your foot, like these..." she then pointed to her crocs...and I looked at her and smiled, but in my head was thinking "Not ever gonna happen lady!" I would rather never leave the house, or walk around town barefoot then only ever wear crocs and Birkenstocks the rest of my life. I am a stubborn thing and I may live to regret it, but I still wear shoes that are NOT the natural shape of my foot and I have no intention of ever stopping. I may just buy some Birkenstocks to wear to and from the Dr. from now on! :)

    I was doing a little research on Ephesians 6:15 and the shoes that soldiers wore to battle were actually made of brass. Enemies would often put sharp sticks pointed upward in the ground or set traps for the oncoming army and their brass shoes protected their feet from injury and enabled them to fight in the battle.  Just like it was completely appropriate and best for the military to have shoes made of brass, we too need to suit up with shoes that enable us to walk through life without being ensnared by the traps and trials set before us.

    We are to fit our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. The gospel of peace is the good news that Jesus - the son of God, came into this earth, lived a perfect life and sacrificed His life for us. He paid the penalty for all our sins so that we can have peace with God, peace with others, peace in our hearts, peace in our minds...the gospel absolutely  and completely fills our lives with peace.  The NKJ translation says "and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace". Matthew Henry's Commentary says " The preparation of the gospel of peace signifies a resolved frame of heart which will enable us to walk with a steady pace in the way of religion". I love that! Being equip with the good news, gives us confidence in our hearts to walk through life in consistency with our faith and beliefs! 

  These are some of the truths that become the shoes we need for our daily battles:
- Jesus died for me and brought me peace with God
- He alone brings me a peace that can permeates every aspect of my life
- I have good news that can bring peace to others today. How I walk through life, what they see in me and hear from me can change their lives forever.
- I can walk in complete confidence today because when I am walking in obedience to Him and the truth of His Word it protects me and guides me.

   When we live our lives with these truths in the forefront of our minds we can stand firm. When we filter each decision and interaction with others through these things, there is no need for regret, doubt or fear. When we take each step with our eyes on the cross and our lives reflecting His peace through every up and down, we can be sure that it is making a difference. Not only in our hearts and lives but it overflows and trickles down into the lives of others. And they too get a taste of our sweet Jesus - and once you get a taste of His peace and love you never want to live a day with out Him.