“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand, Stand therefore… having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:13-15
Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, wrote a book called Leadership in which he cited twelve principles he incorporated into his system of leadership. Thankfully that system was in operation when New York City was attacked on 9/11/2001. The entire city united and his leadership was applauded by the entire world. The principles he established developed a working system that was designed to not only support all the diverse government agencies and departments, but to unite them. Everything was in place for New York to recover from its darkest day in its history. On this list of principles in his book, number 8, was Prepare Relentlessly. Jesus’ life was a picture of preparation. It was evident in His life and teachings. He prepared for 30 years before He entered His ministry. He prepared Himself in the wilderness. He prepared Himself in prayer every morning during His ministry. He taught the principle of preparation in His Parables; one such parable being that of the ten virgins (Mt. 25:1-12). Preparation is a huge principle for every believer – actually it’s being Christ-like to be prepared!
When we study the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:13-17, we read about the shoes of the Gospel of Peace (v.15), but too often we exclude the word, preparation. Verse 13 tells us to “Take Up” the WHOLE ARMOR of God…” That means we are to put on the Armor in preparation for the opposition we will face every day in this world of sin, temptation, and snares. Part of Taking Up that armor is having our feet shod with the PREPARATION of the Gospel of Peace. The word shod refers to the sandals that would be bound under one’s feet and tied securely, which gives us a picture of taking the time to consider our direction. The Bible talks a lot about feet, especially in the Psalms and Proverbs. Pr. 4:26 says, “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” We have all been invited to learn at the feet of Jesus, to receive His instruction and counsel and allow Him to prepare us for what lies ahead and establish our path. It means spending time with Him in prayer and fellowship, sitting at His feet and learning how to hear His voice. Being prepared with the Gospel of peace will empower us to establish peace in a chaotic world filled turbulence and cultural tensions. It would be to our advantage in every way to take the time to bind our feet with the PREPARATION of the GOSPEL OF PEACE, and be PREPARED for Opposition, and overcome it with PEACE!
With Love,
Pastor Tom
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