Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18
Breastplate of Righteousness - We must be very careful to guard our hearts. God wants us to do what is right and good. Satan won't be able to take hold of us and sneak us into his ways if we take hold of righteousness. We are properly dressed when the Righteousness of Jesus Christ resides within us.
No Roman soldier would go into battle without his breastplate--a tough sleeveless piece of armor that covered everything apart from his head and limbs. It was often made of leather or heavy linen, onto which were sewn overlapping pieces of metal molded or hammered to conform to the body. The purpose of that piece of armor is obvious--to protect one's heart, lungs, intestines, and other vital organs.
The mind and the emotions are the two areas where Satan most fiercely attacks believers. He wants to cloud our minds with false doctrine, false principles, and false information to mislead and confuse us. He also wants to confuse our emotions and thereby pervert our affection, morals, loyalties, goals, and commitments. He desires to snatch the Word of God from our minds and replace it with his own wicked ideas. He seeks to undermine pure living and replace it with immorality, greed, envy, hate, and every other deception. He wants us to laugh at sin rather than mourn over it, and to rationalize it rather than confess it and bring it to the Lord for forgiveness. He seduces us to become so accustomed to sin in us and around us that it no longer disturbs us. Our protection against such attacks is the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness is to be taken and wrapped around our whole being.
Read vs. 15 – “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”
The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace – We should be ready to go wherever God sends us to tell the Good News of God's amazing love for us. This gives us inner peace and happiness. It will help us to be sure footed for going forward into battle and supported with the message of the scriptures. We can stand firm while having inner peace with the knowledge of God's Word.
Since the average ancient soldier marched on rough, hot roads, climbed over jagged rocks, trampled over thorns, and waded through streambeds of jagged stones, his feet needed much protection. A soldier whose feet were blistered, cut, or swollen could not fight well and often was not able to stand up--a perilous situation in battle. The shoes of Roman soldiers were usually impregnated with bits of metal or nails to give him greater traction as he climbed a slippery hill, and greater stability as he fought.
A Christian's spiritual footwear is equally important in his warfare against the schemes of the devil. If we have carefully girded his loins with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness, but do not properly shod our feet with the "preparation of the gospel of peace", we are destined to stumble, fall, and suffer many defeats. If you are not saved today you are helpless, ungodly, sinful, and an enemy of God according to Romans 5:6-10. The saved person, on the other hand, is reconciled to God through faith in His Son according to Romans 5:10-11; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21.
The gospel of peace is the marvelous truth that in Christ we are now at peace with God and are one with Him. Therefore, when our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we stand in the confidence of God's love for us, His union with us, and His commitment to fight for us. The believer who stands in the Lord's power need not fear any enemy--even Satan himself. When he comes to attack us, our feet are rooted firmly on the solid ground of the gospel of peace, through which God changed from our enemy to our defender.
Until tomorrow......
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