Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace… (Eph. 6:13-15)
As we move on to the third piece of armor, we must remember this vital point: we are not in a battle with other people. If we continuously fight people, we will not solve the problem the church is called to remedy: a lack of love. We are to fight in the spirit the forces of the devil because God wants us to enforce the victory Jesus won on the cross. We are not here to destroy people’s lives. He wants to work through us to save and love all who will accept Him. Our part is to use the tools and graces Jesus gave us. We are to wear the clothes Jesus wore. This includes the shoes or sandals of peace.
Paul based this piece of armor on the Roman soldier’s sandals. Their sandals were powerful weapons of warfare. They were constructed of tight leather bands, and the bottom of the shoe was full of iron spikes. This allowed a soldier to dig his foot into the ground and plant himself firmly in place so he could have balance during the fight. This was key because in hand to hand combat, they were the most vulnerable when they fell down. Falling down during the battle was the fastest way to die. The sandals gave them the capacity to stand when everything around them was trying to knock them down.
Paul gives us a beautiful image of the power of peace in our lives. The peace we gain from Christ provides us with the ability to stand when life and storms and battles try to destroy us. It allows us to stand when the devil hits us with all he has in his arsenal. Peace keeps up upright, on our spiritual feet
The second part of the shoe that we need to look at it revolves around the toe. In the toe of the sandal were two metal spikes that stuck straight out. This allowed the Romans soldiers to drive their foot into the thigh or any part of the enemy’s body he could reach during battle. Peace is not passive. Peace is a weapon we can use to overcome our enemy and conquer our storms. Peace is not the absence of storms, but the key to overcoming the storms. Peace is something we already have if we are in Christ Jesus. We don’t have to wait for peace—He gave it to us.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27)
