BOOTS OF PEACE?
Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted
with the readiness of the gospel of peaceG1515.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,
with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition.
To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:13-18
The Roman soldier wore sandals that usually had spikes on the soles and were laced with leather high up the leg to be able to stand firmly and be more sure-footed. Men and women preparing to do their military jobs have different types of boots—some with cleats to grab terrain, some with steel toes to protect from heavy equipment, and all with ankle support to help them stand firm. The boots in the armor of God are made of peace. Wait. What? How can boots of peace help me to stand firm against the enemy? Charles Swindoll describes it well:
The boots of peace (6:15). I’m sure Paul had spent many long hours looking at his jailer’s boots, called caligae. . . Our “footing” against Satan is our peace with God. Christ has secured this peace for us (Eph. 2)—peace not only with God but also with one another and within ourselves. As a result of this peace, our Lord will never condemn us (Rom. 8:1). Satan may pressure us all he wants, trying to convince us that God will reject and judge us when we falter. But if we know that our peace with God is secure, then we won’t slip and fall. We’ll stand stable and firm against the devil’s taunts. Moreover, we’ll gain ground against his opposition so that we can spread the good news of peace with God through Christ to the troubled world around us. (84)
Boots of peace protect us and enable us to stand against Satan by appropriating what Jesus bought for us by His sacrifice on the cross to satisfy the wrath of God against our sin. We can stand firm on the truth that the penalty for our sin, the death sentence, has already been placed on Jesus. Therefore, the enemy—Satan—can no longer accuse us of sin. The accusation is null and void, of no consequence, because the soap of Jesus’s love—His own blood—washed away anything that could be used to condemn us. We can stand strongly because Jesus is our peace.
When Satan tries to make you feel condemnation, strap on your boots of peace! Then walk in those boots to share His peace with others!
Father, help us to put on Your armor to face each day. Help us to lace up those shoes of peace tightly and walk in confidence that we are at peace with You through Christ and can experience personal peace and peace with others as well.
Sing along with Don Moen’s “No Condemnation”. Yes, the song is repeated numerous times, but if you keep singing it, you will internalize and possibly memorize Romans 8:1-2
Romans 8:1-2 (NASB 1995) Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.