“And, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace” – Ephesians 6:15
In this portion of Ephesians 6, Paul famously tells us to put on the spiritual armor God provides to fight the spiritual battles lurking behind our daily struggles and setbacks. Because Jesus has already won the final victory over Satan on the cross, our assigned task isn’t to defeat the devil, it’s to stand firm in our faith, no matter what happens (see verses 13 and 14). That’s your job, to stand firm today and every day. And God provides all the armor you need to do it.
An essential, but underemphasized, part of that spiritual armor is what’s described here in verse 15: our shoes. Proper footwear is essential for standing firm in close-quarters combat. That was certainly true for the Roman armor Paul uses in these verses to illustrate our spiritual resources in Christ Jesus. The Roman soldier’s sandals enabled them to stand firm in battle on any terrain. And Jesus has given us spiritual shoes like that, if we’re willing to put them on.
What are our spiritual shoes, the foundation of your ability to hold firm against the devil? The assurance of your salvation and reconciliation to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Think about it… once you TRULY understand that you’ve been saved exclusively, totally, completely, 100% as a gift of God’s grace and not a result of your efforts, then you can (and should) have total peace about your relationship with God. Jesus saved you, you didn’t save yourself. He has saved you to the uttermost and will never let go of you. You didn’t earn your salvation, so you can’t un-earn it. You didn’t deserve His love and peace and you can’t un-deserve it.
You have peace with God through Jesus. Your status in Him is completely, totally rock-solid. You don’t have to stress about your standing before the Lord. That gives you peace and strength to boldly, confidently, and joyfully live out your faith. To share your hope in Christ. To serve the Lord boldly and courageously. To do the good works God has prepared for you to do from an unshakable foundation of peace about who you are in Christ and how He loves you! #FollowJesus