Key Verse: “Stand, therefore, with […] your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:15 CSB)
Depending on the situation you find yourself, your choice of footwear matters a fair bit. Think about it. You wouldn’t want to try to run a marathon in a pair of sandals, or walk along a sandy beach in a set of high-heels. It wouldn’t be wise to try to ballroom dance while wearing football cleats. What you choose to put on your feet can make a difference.
In the first century, one of the things that set apart Roman soldiers from other armies was their footwear. Typically made out of leather and strapped to their legs, the Romans soldiers wore boots lined with metal studs on the soles. It gave them a significant advantage against opposing armies in terms of their stability, agility and speed.
Using this imagery, the Apostle Paul calls each of us to prepare for the spiritual battles we will face by standing with our “feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace” (v.15). Like putting on the right footwear, it is the gospel of peace that helps make us ready to engage in spiritual warfare.
What is Paul trying to communicate to us? The gospel of peace is the good news of what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us through faith in Him. Paul wrote, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5a). This is the foundation of our new life in Him. When we receive God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ and stand firm in the gospel, we stand secure as we engage in spiritual battle.
The gospel of peace isn’t just a defensive weapon for us though. It is also one of the ways we engage in pushing back the evil and darkness around us. Paul wrote that, “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Our mission from Jesus Christ then is to go into all the world and make the gospel of peace known to everyone who will hear. As God begins to open the eyes of unbelievers to the truth of the gospel of peace, the enemy loses ground and the kingdom of God continues to advance.
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation” (Isaiah 52:7). Our job as followers of Jesus Christ is to be that bold witness of the gospel of peace. This is how we engage in spiritual warfare – through a bold and unashamed testimony to the world around us.
So today, stand with your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. Plant your feet firmly on all that Jesus Christ has done for you. Pray for an opportunity today to be a herald of the good news of salvation to someone who needs to hear it. Go and be bold for Him!
Prayer: Jesus, I thank you for the gospel of peace that I have received through faith in you. Fill me today, Holy Spirit, with a greater burden to share this good news with those around me. Grant me an opportunity today to be bold and unashamed in my witness for you. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
