DAY 4 – Shoes of Peace

Now, onto the ‘Shoes of Peace.’ Sometimes these guys are overlooked as we move onto the more obvious pieces of armour. However, lean-in because we don’t want to miss out on the powerful point Paul is highlighting to us here! The truth is, battles throughout the ages have been greatly influenced by the soldiers' footwear and whether or not it was adequate for the terrain. It either enabled them to stand their ground in the midst of the battle or disabled them from doing so effectively. Not just swords, spears and strategy…but shoes!

The Romans had developed footwear for their soldiers called ‘Caligae,’ which were hardened leather sandals bound to the feet with nails through the soles to act as spikes. These allowed the feet to breath, while providing traction into the ground and another weapon over their enemies. What a powerful picture for Paul to reference for our spiritual battles.

The shoes, or ‘Caligae,’ that we are told to put on, is the “readiness given by the gospel of peace.” Peace is powerful! Peace is a weapon against the enemy. Sometimes we think of peace as being some sleepy state where nothing gets done. But this verse shows us that our peace with God actually prepares us, mobilises us, and readies us for battle. What enables us to climb through the trenches of a war zone with agility? Peace. What enables us to stand our ground against the enemy? Peace. What weapon do we have to crush the head of our opposition as we stand over it? (Re-read Romans 16:20 & Luke 10:19) Peace!

The gospel has made us sons of God. It has given us peace with God and now we stand in that! (read Romans 5:1-2) We are not striving or earning anything from God and we’re not struggling like orphans. That was our old life and it was tiring. Now we have peace with God, which leads to rest. As Ps Leif Hetland said last week, “My rest wears out the enemy!” This is ‘Chair One’ energy and we’re not moving! It’s time to take the territory of abundance walking in peace.