Week 4 - Shoe Your Feet with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace
Women of Unity Bible Study
Week 4
Shoe Your Feet with the Preparation of
the Gospel of Peace
Each week I want to begin by asking how is your
journey going? Have you been successful
in carving out time each day to spend with God in His Word? Remember this is an
ongoing process. If you missed a few
times last week let’s try to do better this week. It’s about relationship and God wants you to
spend time with Him.
This week we are going to talk about the third piece
of the armor – our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. This is the piece of the armor growing up I never
quite understood and wasn’t satisfied with most explanations. In my study one thing I have learned is that
every soldier learns to protect his feet.
Initially some may think that this part of the body is not important but
with time and experience in battle they soon learn the importance of protecting
their feet. Roman soldiers have strong military shoes studded on the bottom of
the soles in a way similar to cleats. Because
I have a daughter who has played soccer I understand the purpose of cleats. It is to keep the athlete from slipping. Do you already see the importance of this
piece of armor?
As we walk along in this Christian journey how easy
is it for us to slip? One minute we are
going along standing strong in our faith and the next minute the enemy has
stolen our peace, keeping us anxious, fearful, upset and waiting for the ball
to drop. The devil wants nothing more than to keep up focused on the problems
of the past instead of the victories that God provided for us. So what
does it mean to be prepared? It means
that we are ready to do and suffer all that God wills. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to lay aside every
weight and the sin that so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance
the race set before us. I know that we dislike putting forth any kind of effort
or extra energy. We prefer agility. When
we encounter a rough road it impedes our progress and we become easily
discouraged. But if we make sure to have
our feet shod than we are ready for the journey and the war. Fear does not
overtake us.
So what is this Gospel of Peace? Before we look at
the word, peace, we must ask why it was paired with the Gospel. Paul states several times that it is the
Gospel that reconciles us to God. 2
Corinthians 5:18-19 says, ‘All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled
us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ
God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against
them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation’. (ESV) There is nothing else that gives us this
peace. Paul goes on to say that we are now ambassadors for Christ. As Christians we now represent Him.
And what is this peace that Paul is referring
to? It is a total well-being and
security that comes from being in God’s presence. It’s about more than having a good night’s
sleep. (A sleeping pill can give you that.)
But it is calm in every part of your being ALL the time. It is a place that you reside because of the
One that lives in you. Philippians 4:7
says, ‘and the peace of God which transcends all your human comprehension will
guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus’. Of course we know that this verse
is predicated on prayer. This is the
peace you have when you learn to live your life standing on the promises of Jesus.
It is about more than an intellectual knowledge but it resonates in your soul
and brings about action. When the storms
of life rage, you have no doubt that you are safe in the arms of Jesus. You know
(exhibit confidence) that ALL things are going to work out for the good.
Robert Cole says, ‘It seems that the feet are not here protected by any armor,
but they are shod with military form of footwear that enables them to stand
firmly in the battle without being moved by the enemy! If we think of ourselves
as Christ’s soldiers in a military formation, we hold the lines and the enemy
cannot break through! In this particular piece of armor we find “the gospel of
peace” as the protection afforded us, enabling us to hold and not retreat when
the battle gets too heated. There is also a readiness associated with it, found
in the word “preparation”. Therefore, we are prepared to enter hot long and grueling
fights because we are ready for what comes.
Readiness for the battle is a learning process. We are intellectual beings who often time
have a hard time comprehending what the Word of God says. That is why we must study the Word of God and
then put it into practice. We are, after
all, His ambassadors. In everything we do,
we represent Him. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace and because of this we
have the peace with God through Jesus Christ.
We have peace from fear (I John 4:18); peace from persecution (I Peter
3:14), and peace from final judgment (Romans 8:1). That’s good news.
Thank you Lord that I have peace beyond what I can
comprehend because of what You did on the cross just for me. Help me to stand secure not running away or
becoming easily discouraged while on this Christian journey. Let me stand firm in the promises that have
been prepared for me. Thank you for your
peace that allows me to stand strong and move forward against the enemy, not backing
down when troubles come my way. Help me
to remember that I represent You and that I can walk in victory and not
fear. In Jesus’ name I pray Amen.
Points to Ponder:
1. What are some of the things that cause fear for
you on a regular basis?
2. What does it mean to you to be reconciled to God?
How does knowing this help you to walk in peace daily?
Personal Growth:
1. Fear plagues Christians often. Search the Scripture for verses on overcoming
fear. I will start you off with
one. For
God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a
sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) Write them down. Commit to memorizing a verse each day over
the next seven days.
2. Prayer changes things. As you commit the verses to memory from Question
1 above begin to include them in your daily prayers. If you have a prayer journal write these
prayers down and then write down the change you begin to recognize as God answers
your prayer.
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