SHOES OF PEACE
TEXT: Ephesians 6:15; Philippians 4:7
The Roman soldier’s shoes were not an ordinary kind of shoes. They were made out of bronze or brass—usually brass—and the shoes were primarily composed of two parts: (1) the greave, and (2) the shoe itself. These shoes were exceptionally dangerous to any foe.
The greave was a piece of beautifully tooled metal that began at the top of the knee and extended down past the lower leg, finally resting on the upper portion of the foot. This tube like piece of metal caused the Roman soldier’s shoes to look like boots that were made of brass!
The shoe itself was made of two pieces of metal. On the top and bottom, the foot was covered with fine pieces of brass. The sides of the shoe were held together by multiple pieces of durable leather. On the bottom, these shoes were affixed with extremely dangerous spikes—spikes that were one to three inches long. If you were involved in active combat, your spikes could be close to three inches long. These were killer shoes!
According to Paul, “peace” is an awesome weapon; it is a defensive and offensive weapon. Peace will not only protect you; peace is also a brutal weapon, which when used correctly, keeps spiritual foes where they belong—under your feet!
The word “shod” conveys the idea of “binding something very tightly on the bottom of one’s feet.” This is not the picture of a loosely fitting shoe; this is the picture of a shoe that has been tied onto the bottom of the foot extremely tightly.
Paul uses this same word to tell us we must firmly tie “peace” onto our lives. If we only give “peace” a loosely fitting position in our lives, then the affairs of life will knock our peace out of place. We must “bind” peace upon our minds, and upon our emotions, in the same way that the Roman soldiers made sure to “bind” their shoes very tightly onto their feet.
When peace has this firm grip in our lives, then we are ready for action! The word “preparation” portrayed men of war who had their shoes tied on very tightly, and hence, they had a “firm footing.” With the assurance that their shoes were going to stay in place, now they were ready to march out into the battlefield and confront the enemy.
Therefore, the word “preparation” conveys the idea of “solidity, firmness, or a solid foundation.” Paul is clearly telling us that when “peace” is foundational in our lives, we have a “firm footing.”
This “peace” gives us a foundation so secure that we can move out in confident faith, without being moved by what we see or what we hear. This aggressive peace puts us in a position to look directly into the face of the adversary, or directly into the face of a challenge, without being moved by what we see, feel, or what we hear.
The word “peace” conveys the idea of a “peace that prevails or a conquering peace.” It means “blessings & prosperity in every area of your life.”
God’s perfect plan is that this prevailing and conquering peace will dominate your life! When this kind of peace is firmly fixed in your mind, emotions and soul, there is little the devil can do to move you! This peace gives you a firm footing. Regardless of how hard the enemy or the daily affairs of life hits you, this prevailing and conquering peace will hold you in place!
Two Kinds of Peace
First, there is peace with God. Peace with God is what a person experiences when he or she first comes to the Lord for salvation. Paul said in Colossians 1:20 (KJV) – “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross…you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciles.”
Peace with God is a spiritual condition that belongs to all believers.
Second, in addition to this peace with God that is the birthright of all believers, there is also the peace of God. It is possible to have peace with God without experientially knowing the peace of God. The peace of God is very different from peace with God.
Many people are at peace with God by virtue of their conversion experience, but they are not walking in the peace of God. Instead of being dominated by this prevailing, conquering peace that passes understanding, they walk in constant fretfulness, anxiety, worry, and all kinds of other turmoil.
This is the reason that “peace” has been given to us as a weapon. The peace of God is a protective “peace.” It protects you from fretfulness, anxiety, worry, and everything else that the devil might try to use to disturb your enjoyment of abundant life.
Dominating Peace
Colossians 3:15 – “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
The word “rule” is a key to understanding this overcoming, conquering and dominating supernatural peace of God. The word “rule” was used to portray the umpire or referee who judged the athletic games in the ancient world.
By choosing to use this illustration, Paul tells us that there is a place whereby this peace of God can begin to call the shots and make all the decisions in your life, instead of fretfulness, anxiety and worry. You could translate the verse, “Let the peace of God call the shots in your life…” “Let the peace of God umpire your life and your actions…” “Let the peace of God referee your emotions and your decisions…”
The devil will do all he can to destroy your mind. And even if there wasn’t a personal devil to attack you, the ever-changing affairs of life alone would be enough to keep one continually tossed to and fro. Especially in these difficult days in which we live, we must learn to let the peace of God “rule” in our hearts!
When this supernatural peace rules in your heart, and when this supernatural peace umpires your life and serves as a referee to your emotions and your decisions, the devil cannot gain the foothold in your life that he desires to have.
When you are walking in the peace of God, the enemy’s assaults can’t affect you.
Peace: A Defensive Weapon
This upper portion of his footwear was very important! This piece of armor protected the soldier’s legs from being bruised, lacerated or broken in battle.
Commanding officers gave orders that required Roman soldiers to carry out difficult missions. At times, these dangerous missions required the soldiers to walk through rocky places and to scale difficult barriers.
Without protective guards on their lower legs, their legs would have been severely wounded and bruised as they dragged their legs past rough and sharp rocks.
God may give you an assignment in life that leads you through some challenging places. If you do not have this protective peace of God at work in your life, it is highly probable that you will be bruised by rocky relationships and rough situations.
On the other hand, when the peace of God is ruling in your heart, mind and emotions, you can forge your way through the rockiest of situations and never get one scrape or one bruise!
When you are walking in the peace of God, that peace protects you from cuts, scrapes, bruises and hurts. With the peace of God operative in your life, you can walk through the rockiest, most terrible, difficult times and never get bruised, cut or seriously injured.
At such times—those extremely difficult times—you will realize that you have the peace of God and that you weren’t bothered by all that trouble. You have total peace.
Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The word “guard” (keep, KJV) means “to keep, to guard, to protect, or to garrison.” It is the picture of a band of Roman soldiers who are standing “watch” over something that needs protection.
Paul tells us that the peace of God will keep and guard your heart and mind! “Peace” will surround your heart and mind, just as a band of Roman soldiers surrounded important dignitaries and places of special importance.
Peace keeps fretfulness, anxiety, worry, and all the other wiles of the devil from breaking into your life. When this peace is active in your life, it passes all understanding and it protects, guards, keeps and defends you.
Spikes for Standing Firmly
Have you ever felt the devil trying to drive your back from the will of God for your life?
Has God ever spoken to you and told you to stand on a certain Bible promise, only to hear the devil telling you that it will never come to pass, and that you will fail? Have you ever been mentally assaulted by the enemy in this way?
Maybe you are believing that God will work a miracle in your life, and the devil is trying to put your faith down, and keep you from moving into your land of blessing. *When you have peace on the bottom of your feet, a herd of elephants couldn’t move you or knock you down!
On the bottom of Roman soldier’s shoes were extremely dangerous spikes that were one to three inches in length. These spikes helped to hold the soldier’s footing in place. When those spikes are firmly planted into the earth, you become rather hard to knock over or to move!
God gives us supernatural peace to firmly plant our feet in the ground. This enables us to say, “Regardless of what I see or what I hear, I’m not moving! I don’t care how hard it becomes; the peace of God keeps me here, and I’m not moving until the work of God in this area of my life is finished.”
The peace of God gives you a firm footing!
A person who has the peace of God actively functioning in his or her life, is like a tall palm tree that is blown viciously by the winds of a hurricane. The fierce winds may bend the tree over, but when the storm passes, that palm tree pops right back up to its former position. Though the storm was severe, the roots of that tree held it in place.
In Ephesians 6:14, the Holy Spirit, through Paul, said, “Stand therefore…” In 1 Corinthians 16:13, Paul urges us, “Watch, stand fast in the faith…” Then, in 2 Corinthians 1:24, Paul says, “…for by faith you stand.”
What is going to keep you in place as you seek to stand in faith? What is going to enable you to maintain your ground when vicious winds of opposition come your way?
The peace of God will hold you in place, just as the roots of a tree hold it in place when strong winds come against it. When you have peace on the bottom of your feet, it holds you in place.
There are going to be dark moments in your live—when you are deciding to stand in faith or not to stand in faith—every opportunity in the world will come to move you from that place of faith. You must plant your feet firmly into the soil of God’s Word and declare you are not going to be moved. You must be grounded in the peace of God. For only His peace will keep you in that place of confidence. The devil will try to persuade you to not believe God and let fear arise but don’t listen to Him, be grounded in the peace of God.
Maybe the devil is accusing you and telling you that the worse is going to happen to you. Don’t believe him, stay grounded in the peace of God. The peace of God will keep you when Satan tries to shove doubt into your mind. The peace of God will guard your heart and mind, even when Satan is trying to make you lose your mind.
