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Most weeks, I begin my study for Sunday’s sermon on Tuesday. Something that hasn’t changed for me over the years is that when I initially read the scripture passage for the week, I have a mildly nervous thought, something along the lines of, “How am I going to fill the time together this week?”

 

Then inevitably, when I am finalising things early Sunday morning, I find myself removing things from my notes to make the sermon fit into a reasonable amount of time.

 

I want to do my best to give people something that will challenge them and help them grow as Christians, but I am also realistic in realising that attention spans are only so long.

 

One of my study's most challenging and enjoyable aspects is finding practical applications in sermons, giving people something they can take home and do from the message.

 

In the case of the whole armour of God that has been figuring out how to do what Paul says and put on the whole armour of God, he describes in Ephesians 6:10-18.

 

This week, we are focusing on verse 15, which talks about having your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. One of my first thoughts was, “How do we metaphorically put on metaphorical footwear?” We’ll get to that in a moment, but first, let’s take another look at spiritual warfare.

 

3 Essentials in understanding spiritual Warfare.

 

As I have studied the Whole Armour of God, so far, I have seen three essential understandings develop in regard to spiritual warfare.

 

The first one is that it is not a battle against flesh and blood but against spiritual darkness and evil.  We may very likely feel as if a person is our enemy, but in spiritual warfare, that’s not the case. The forces of evil and spiritual darkness attempt to lead Christians into disobedience through temptation and distraction, like Adam and Eve in the Garden.

 

Evil forces also attempt to get people to curse God like Satan attempted to do with Job. Ultimately the spiritual forces of evil are defeated and bound for the lake of fire. All they can attempt to do between now and then is to build strongholds against the knowledge of God and drag as many people with them as possible. 

Secondly, we must discipline ourselves to fight the battle by standing firm in the Lord and the power of His might and putting on the whole armour of God.

 

Personal discipline is imperative to winning the daily battles of spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare is a topic that is often over-sensationalised. The battle is won or lost in simple daily decisions made in obedience to Christ.

 

We must discipline ourselves to pray, read our Bible, and live in submissive obedience to Jesus daily. The frontline of the battle is in our own hearts and mind.

 

Third, we must sort ourselves out first and win the battle for our own hearts before we can win battles for the hearts and minds of others. It's vitally important to remember that battles are not just happening somewhere out there in the world. We need to be winning the battle of simple everyday obedience before we can even consider what’s going on elsewhere.

 

Scripture knowledge is essential because we need to know the commands of Jesus to live by them. Still, it’s not the determining factor in Christian maturity or victory in Spiritual warfare. Victory is found in daily obedience to Christ. We must first win the battles in our own life before concerning ourselves with influencing the culture around us.

 

Fitting our feet with Gospel footwear

 

As we delve into the different pieces of armour, it becomes clear that they all work together as a single set. One piece supports the others.

 

Today, let's focus on the footwear of the Gospel of Peace from verse 15, which talks about having our feet fitted with the readiness of the Gospel of Peace. While the footwear metaphor implies mobility in taking the Gospel to the world, there are also other layers in this metaphor to be discovered.

 

Footwear provides protection

 

In the Marine Corps, we were taught to care for our feet and always bring extra socks. We changed our socks once or twice a day to keep our feet dry and in the best condition possible. Life becomes complicated very quickly if your feet aren’t in good condition.

 

We also wore combat footwear that was designed to protect our feet. Our Jungle boots had a metal shank that ran the length of the sole. This was intended to protect your foot if you happened to step on something intended to penetrate it, like a sharpened stick hidden in a pit.

 

Footwear provides protection; that’s one of its essential functions. There is a degree of protection in the Gospel footwear as part of the whole armour of God.

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THERE IS A DEGREE OF PROTECTION IN THE GOSPEL FOOTWEAR AS PART OF THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.

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Footwear provides stability and traction

 

Protection is essential, but even more critical is stability and traction. The right footwear provides a stable platform and a firm foundation from which to do battle. Athletes wear the right shoes for their sport to provide the stability and traction needed to be competitive.

 

The Gospel of Peace provides us with a stable foundation as we prepare for spiritual warfare. Whereas the Belt of Truth is the foundation that keeps the rest of the armour in place, the Gospel footwear is the foundation for the person wearing the armour. Both are metaphors for the Gospel but are seen from two different perspectives. The Belt of Truth is the Truth of the Gospel that supports the rest of the armour.

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THE GOSPEL OF PEACE PROVIDES US WITH A STABLE FOUNDATION AS WE PREPARE FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

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It is the Gospel that Christ died for the sins of all. It is the solid foundation of Christian ministry. The Gospel footwear is the foundation for the believer wearing the armour.

 

Putting on the Gospel footwear

 

Paul says, “Having your feet fitted with the readiness of the Gospel of Peace”. We fit our feet with the Gospel by establishing ourselves in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We do that by remembering that the Gospel is personal for each of us.

 

Yes, l God loves the world, He also absolutely loves you. He loves me. He knows us each as an individual, Christ died for you. Someone once illustrated this concept: "If you were the only person on earth, Christ would have still gone to the cross and shed His blood for you”.

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'IF YOU WERE THE ONLY PERSON ON EARTH, CHRIST WOULD HAVE STILL GONE TO THE CROSS AND SHED HIS BLOOD FOR YOU.'

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We find firm footing in the Gospel to live obedient to Christ and achieve victory in spiritual warfare. Mobility is essential, but stability comes first. No one is going to do well running a race in high heels.

 

We prepare ourselves by having our feet fitted with the Gospel of Peace. Lacing up our footwear and being ready for whatever comes our way.

 

TAKE ACTION

1. Reflect on your spiritual discipline: Reflect on your daily habits and consider ways to improve your spiritual discipline by praying, reading your Bible, and living in submissive obedience to Jesus.

2. Gain a deeper understanding of spiritual warfare: Re-read the three essential understandings regarding spiritual warfare. Take time to journal and find areas where you can make applications in your own life for each of the three essentials.

3. Apply the metaphor of Gospel footwear: Consider ways you can apply this metaphor in your life. Think about how the Gospel provides protection, stability, and traction.

 

If you have any questions, message me on social media or email them to me @pastorchrismiller@hinterlandbaptist.com, and I will answer them in a blog post or future podcast.