Stand Firm With Your Feet Shod

“And having done all, to stand firm.”

With the “belt of truth” securely fasten and the “breastplate of righteousness” fitting snugly and contentedly in place with the factual understanding that it is Christ’s righteousness and not our own; we are now ready to put on our shoes. We all have different size feet, so firstly we must understand what shoes it is we need on our feet and secondly they must be the right size so that we are not hindered in our movements.

Our feet are to be shod with the preparation of the gospel. What goes through our minds when we put on our shoes? Do we not silently speak to them telling them that we are about to mission somewhere? I know that most of my day around the house I am normal barefoot, but when I get onto my bike, regardless of the temperature, I look for my bulky riding boots and on they go. It is a simple precaution and a wise one at that, so that I have some fortification against potential injury. In like manner we must not put on sandals when boots are needed. I recall some twenty three years ago as a young man I found myself in the South African Navy, in their Marine division. I was sent with a handful of others from Saldana to Infantry School which was inland and there we trained to become instructors or officers. About half way through our training we all had to face the dreaded “Vas-beit” (teeth gritting encounter) and if we did not complete it we were off course. The most important article of clothing was our boots. They needed to be well worn and moulded to the shape of our feet. It was not good for the soldiers that had recently exchanged old for new, for they soon would pay the price for their choice. Fortunately as I was one of the few that came from the navy and had black boots instead of brown ones, so the flat soles I had fitted to them a while back where overlooked. We marched for 5 days on tar roads through heavy mountainous terrain resting only at night. At night-time the same protocol happened as the Lieutenant bellowing over the loud hailer, “All with blisters on their feet see the medic tent.” Because of the intensity of the heavy equipment we were required to carry and the pounding our feet took, all the boots that had not already been shape to the foot resulted in blisters. It was really tough for those who got blisters on day one.

Their choice had not been a wise one! We all herd their screams! The medic tent was filled with instructors waiting for their entertainment and daily stress release therapy. What would happen was if you had a blister the medic would take a syringe and inject methylate into your blister to dry it out. The noise that came from that tent eventually even kept those with blisters from it. It was important to have good worn boots to tread the rough ways, surmount through difficulties, and hold out to the end.

We are clearly told to have our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” What does that mean? We must choose the correct footwear and we must get them shaped to our feet. They must wear comfortably. Let us now consider what it actually means, “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” We must be ready always to tell others of what our Saviour accomplished on Calvary. When we step out boldly and tell others, it strengthens us as believers and we now no longer use our footwear as a fashion statement but proclaim a message of hope to a dying generation. Let us not look for reasons why we cannot proclaim the gospel of peace to others, but rather let us look for opportunity to minister potential hope into the lives of others. Shoes protect whose feet? Do they not care for the one who wears them? They certainly do! Remember the point of the armour of God; it is to help us to STAND. If we do not address all items with care we are vulnerable to the wiles of the devil. We must step out in faith; it is for our own benefit when we declare to others the gospel of peace. Look how our Apostle Paul puts it in Romans, “As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" It is a beautiful sight to look upon feet that have been shod with the preparation of the gospel. How welcome the gospel ought to be to those to whom it is preached, because it showed the way to salvation, do you not remember the efforts that someone at his own expense of time preached the gospel to you, I do! It is God the Holy Ghost that will work and to do according to His good pleasure, He will save who needs to be saved, He will convict of sin and of righteousness and of judgement. He will always do it right and far better than any of us. However we must preach Christ and Him crucified nothing more nothing less. There will be times when we are tempted to venture down a road of distraction on issues that may skirt around the gospel. Avoid them at all costs as they will lead to more ungodliness, CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED is all sufficient. Always ask someone what he has done with the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice on his behalf. Ask him does he believe that Christ alone is the only way a man can be saved. Speak of sin and what it cost the Lord to die for his sin. Speak about the upcoming judgement and how Christ is able to save him from it. Do not however compromise and water down His sacrifice for it cost our Saviour his life, praise His name. All hail King Jesus our Lord! It is a message of hope, bringing good news and peace into the hearts of all those that believe. So next time you are in two minds whether or not to share with someone, remember by sharing you will have “your feet shod with the gospel of peace” and you will be using the amour God has given you for your own benefit as it will help you to stand, “and having done all to stand.” There will also be the potential of the hearer benefitting and finding life as his eyes are opened and he finds true repentance. The devil will endeavour to silence us, but we must declare the gospel of peace to all and sundry. If you find yourself in an awkward situation and the people you are with do not know your stand when it comes to Christianity, then I implore you do not remain silent, if you do you will be lured into sin and then regret it. Some dirty joke or the like will put you on the spot and often you may roll with the crowd and laugh with them, not that you want to but you feel compelled to, it shouldn’t be that way. So when you are given an opportunity to declare Christ and Him crucified, do just that. Do not lose heart if it seems that our words fall on deaf ears, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Tomorrow Lord willing we will look at the aspect of the shield of faith, this aspect of our armour really excites me.

May the God of peace give us a concord to quieten our minds and to find boldness to declare to others our hope that resonates deep within our hearts!

Signing off

Tyrone