Put on the Full Armor of God

Feet Fitted With Readiness



"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your 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 on praying for all the saints."

The shoes or boots of a Roman soldier where no ordinary shoes, and they were not made for running. They were designed to help the soldier keep his footing during battle. They were made of leather-no surprise there-but they had soles that consisted of several layers of leather, into which several 'hob nails' were incorporated. These metal spikes extended at least 1/2 " if not up to more than an inch. The purpose was to help the soldier keep his feet planted firmly into the ground, and not be moved. These were not 'flight' shoes, these were 'fight' shoes!

The gospel of peace, the Truth that Christ left us in His Word, is our readiness-and how we fight our enemy. This is what keeps our feet firmly planted-ready for battle with the already-defeated enemy. Our faith is rooted in the gospel message, that Christ was born, lived, died & was resurrected for the forgiveness of our sins. If we accept this Truth and surrender our lives to him, we have already won against the enemy-don't let him fool you into thinking otherwise!

Take the gospel of peace with you wherever you go. Bitterness brings trouble, but peace brings forgiveness and grace.

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Heb 12:14-15

"Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." James 3:18

"And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:15

Peace will protect you by guarding your emotions, especially the emotion of anger. Sow peace instead of trouble and Satan will struggle in finding a way to attack you.

Pray this week that God would reveal His peace in you. Ask Him to help you stay grounded in your faith, so you can stand against any attack-and not be moved. Pray that He will use you to spread His gospel of peace, through the thoughts, words & actions in your life.

Please continue to lift up our church family in prayer for protection, for spiritual growth & for continued strength, wisdom & guidance as we seek to obey His will & spread His message to our community and our world.