A New Wardrobe Part 3 - Ready Feet
So far, we've looked at the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. (Please catch up on these two pieces of equipment in the posts below.)
Next for our battle gear: proper footwear.
I don't need to explain the need for having the right shoes for what you're doing. Few girls have gotten to their high-school years without having a wrong-shoe testimony. My most painful experience just happened to be my wedding day. I wanted the absolute highest heels I could find so I could look as tall as possible for those few memorable hours. (Hey...when you're barely 5 feet tall, you take all you can get!) I found a pair of strappy white shoes that enabled me to practically stand tip-toe for only $4. Perfect, right? Of course...for about 5 minutes. For the entire photo session, I found myself looking for an opportunity--any opportunity--to take them off and walk around barefoot. I was tempted to ditch them right before I walked down the aisle. They went to Goodwill immediately after my wedding.
But I can only imagine how much more important it would be for someone in a battle to have the proper gear on their feet. But for the spiritual battle we're in, our shoes are going to do much more than protect us from thorns and keep blisters at bay. Our shoes make us ready.
Check out the wording from the different translations of Ephesians 6:15:
"put shoes on your feet so you are ready to spread the good news of peace," (CEB)
"your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet," (CEV)
"on your feet wear the good news of peace to help you stand strong," (ERV)
"Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God," (TLB)
"and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace," (NIV)
The Gospel, which means Good News, is basically the story of the life, death, burial, resurrection, and on-earth witness of Jesus. Paul refers to it as the "Gospel of Peace" in Ephesians 6 because it is Jesus alone who allows us to have peace with God. We cannot have a relationship with the Father unless we go through the Son (John 14:6).
There's a similar passage in the Old Testament:
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"" (Isaiah 52:7).
Isaiah describes a herald, or messenger, who is using his feet to carry him to difficult places ("the mountains") to spread "news of good things" and "salvation." We are called to do the same. When Jesus Christ has saved us from sin, when we know Him not only as a Bible Character but really know Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, we too have good news to share. And it's our duty--our privilege--to tell others about it.
On top of that, our testimony also becomes part of our battle gear. Somehow, in spiritual ways only God can arrange, we become better prepared to face our Enemy when we are speaking the Good News. According to the translations above, our testimony makes us ready and able to stand strong.
It's no surprise that the same concept is confirmed in Revelation 12:11, when speaking of Satan's ultimate, eternal demise: "They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony..." Ultimately, it's the blood of Jesus and the word of His followers' testimony that will defeat Satan. And it's the key to defeating Satan daily in our own lives.
So our job, as warriors, is to be in the habit of sharing the Good News. Nothing fancy; you don't need to have dozens of scriptures memorized or know a 5-point paragraph describing your salvation. Just talk about Jesus, who He is, how He changed you, and what He's doing in your life.
That testimony will be the most amazing pair of shoes you'll ever wear. Put them on today!
Please subscribe by putting your email address in the top right corner.
Also, I'd love to hear from you! Notebook with me at myleslienotebook@gmail.com
Next for our battle gear: proper footwear.
I don't need to explain the need for having the right shoes for what you're doing. Few girls have gotten to their high-school years without having a wrong-shoe testimony. My most painful experience just happened to be my wedding day. I wanted the absolute highest heels I could find so I could look as tall as possible for those few memorable hours. (Hey...when you're barely 5 feet tall, you take all you can get!) I found a pair of strappy white shoes that enabled me to practically stand tip-toe for only $4. Perfect, right? Of course...for about 5 minutes. For the entire photo session, I found myself looking for an opportunity--any opportunity--to take them off and walk around barefoot. I was tempted to ditch them right before I walked down the aisle. They went to Goodwill immediately after my wedding.
But I can only imagine how much more important it would be for someone in a battle to have the proper gear on their feet. But for the spiritual battle we're in, our shoes are going to do much more than protect us from thorns and keep blisters at bay. Our shoes make us ready.
Check out the wording from the different translations of Ephesians 6:15:
"put shoes on your feet so you are ready to spread the good news of peace," (CEB)
"your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet," (CEV)
"on your feet wear the good news of peace to help you stand strong," (ERV)
"Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God," (TLB)
"and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace," (NIV)
The Gospel, which means Good News, is basically the story of the life, death, burial, resurrection, and on-earth witness of Jesus. Paul refers to it as the "Gospel of Peace" in Ephesians 6 because it is Jesus alone who allows us to have peace with God. We cannot have a relationship with the Father unless we go through the Son (John 14:6).
There's a similar passage in the Old Testament:
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"" (Isaiah 52:7).
Isaiah describes a herald, or messenger, who is using his feet to carry him to difficult places ("the mountains") to spread "news of good things" and "salvation." We are called to do the same. When Jesus Christ has saved us from sin, when we know Him not only as a Bible Character but really know Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, we too have good news to share. And it's our duty--our privilege--to tell others about it.
On top of that, our testimony also becomes part of our battle gear. Somehow, in spiritual ways only God can arrange, we become better prepared to face our Enemy when we are speaking the Good News. According to the translations above, our testimony makes us ready and able to stand strong.
It's no surprise that the same concept is confirmed in Revelation 12:11, when speaking of Satan's ultimate, eternal demise: "They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony..." Ultimately, it's the blood of Jesus and the word of His followers' testimony that will defeat Satan. And it's the key to defeating Satan daily in our own lives.
So our job, as warriors, is to be in the habit of sharing the Good News. Nothing fancy; you don't need to have dozens of scriptures memorized or know a 5-point paragraph describing your salvation. Just talk about Jesus, who He is, how He changed you, and what He's doing in your life.
That testimony will be the most amazing pair of shoes you'll ever wear. Put them on today!
Please subscribe by putting your email address in the top right corner.
Also, I'd love to hear from you! Notebook with me at myleslienotebook@gmail.com
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