Real Hope: Armour of GodÀpẹrẹ

Readiness Of Peace

When I was much younger, I dreaded the start of school. But not for the reasons you might think. My mother insisted on buying me new school shoes. ‘No,’ she’d say against my objections. ‘You need new shoes.’ And off we would go to the shoe shop, and I would have to endure the torture of fitting and selecting the shoes that didn’t hurt as much as all the others. Why? Because my feet were and still are wide and flat and I had to compromise on fit.

I spent weeks with blisters until the shoes broke in. After that, I could put up with them. I did a lot of walking in ill-fitting shoes. I came to know what it was like to live through the battles of life with poor footwear.

In Ephesians 6:15, Paul tells us, ‘For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.’ Our feet are fitted with the readiness of the Gospel of peace. We can fight any spiritual battle knowing that we are standing firm in the truth of God’s Word. If we aren’t wearing the proper shoes, if our footwear isn’t right, then we aren’t fully prepared to go into battle. A soldier with poor or broken shoes, doesn’t last long, for they cannot hold their ground.

Wherever we go, the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, goes with us. Why? Because it is part of our preparedness. And in knowing Jesus, knowing the Good News, being firm in God’s Word, that peace goes with us wherever we go, and we can walk where God leads knowing that in wearing proper shoes, shoes that are the perfect fit, we can and will stand firm against everything thrown at us.

Written by CHRIS PARFOOT