Stand Firm Wearing The Right Shoes

We can fully trust and rely on God to provide us with everything that we need to STAND FIRM. Our shoes of peace are firmly planted in the knowledge that we are deeply loved and nothing can separate us from the love of God. Armed with this knowledge we are able to stand firm on His Word to disarm all of the devil’s tactics.

We Are to Stand Firm

Ephesians 6:11, 14-15 – Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to STAND FIRM against all strategies of the devil. ¹⁴STAND YOUR GROUND, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵For SHOES, put on the PEACE that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

Christ Secured This Peace For Us

Colossians 1:19-23 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, ²⁰and through him God reconciled everything to himself. HE MADE PEACE with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. ²¹This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. ²²Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. ²³BUT YOU MUST CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THIS TRUTH AND STAND FIRM IN IT. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

3 Things to Remember

.1. This peace has nothing to do with what we do or don’t do. It is based on what Jesus did and we are the beneficiaries. The war that stood in the way of our fellowship with God is over.

.2. This peace (Christ’s victory in us) is what we work from NOT what we work towards out of our own efforts (self-righteousness.)

.3. Christ’s peace will guard us. “And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7 AMP.)

Christ's victory on the cross makes it possible for us to STAND FIRM in battle. Click To Tweet

Shoes!

Not Just Any Shoes – Stand Firm Shoes

Why Do Soldiers Need Shoes?

They:

. were required to march long distances
. were to fight battles in all types of environments.
. marched on rough, hot roads
. climbed over jagged rocks.
. trampled over thorns.
. waded through stream beds of jagged stones.
. needed to keep their feet from becoming:
- Swollen
- Tender
- Cut
- Blistered
- (All these things make it harder to STAND firm and MARCH boldly)

They needed to wear the right shoes

The Roman Soldier’s wore Caligae
- Nail studded sandals
- Designed to meet the countermeasures of the enemy
- Produced to provide greater traction for climbing
- Constructed for greater stability as he fought.

A Result of Wearing the Wrong Shoes

Lameness is the result of wearing the wrong shoes.
Think of the phrase “lame duck.” No Soldier wants to be that.
(We all know what happens to lame animals. They are the first to be eaten.)

Why Do Christians Need Shoes?

. To Keep us from stumbling, falling and suffering many defeats if we do not understand the power of Peace Christ has given us.

. To have what it takes to STAND firm in times of trials.

. To have what it takes to March forward in presenting “what Christ has done for us” to others.

The Shoes of Peace Provide Us The Confidence to STAND and March

. We know and believe that we are loved by the Lord.

. We know and believe that we are saved by His grace.

. We know that we are His children. We have been adopted by God

. We know that we are in His tender care. That He is our refuge and always has our back.

. We know that God has promised to stand with us, to protect us, to keep up, and to defend us.

Our Promised Assurance

. 1 John 5:11-12 – ¹¹And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

. John 10:29 – ²⁹for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.

. Titus 3:3-7 – ³Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. ⁴But When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, ⁵he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit ⁶He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. ⁷Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

. Romans 8:28 – ²⁸And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

. Romans 8:35- ³⁵Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. ³⁸And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Example of The Peace of God – Gideon + 300 (Judges 6) *

The children of Israel, under the leadership of Gideon, witnessed the Lord reduce the size of their army from 32,000 to 300.

Those 300 men placed their confidence in the Lord and followed Him into battle.

They saw the Lord defeat an immense Midianite army without the use of a single weapon.

All those men did was break clay jars, allowing a lamp inside to shine, blow a trumpet, and cry “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.”

Their faith in the Lord’s promise gave them the confidence to stand.

Conclusions **

A victorious soldier had to be prepared for battle. He had to have studied his enemy’s strategy, be confident in his own strategy, and have his feet firmly planted so that he could hold his ground when the attacks came. A soldier’s battle shoes were studded with nails or spikes, like cleats, to help him keep his balance in combat. He knew that, if he lost his footing and went down, it wouldn’t matter how great the rest of his armor was; the enemy had him.

The “peace shoes” that God supplies His soldiers have two purposes: defensive and offensive. In order to defend ourselves against the “flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16), we must have confidence of our position in Christ. We must stand firm in the truth of God’s Word, regardless of how terrifying the circumstances may be (1 John 5:14). We must understand grace without abusing it (Romans 6:1–6), remember that our position in Christ is not based on our own abilities or worthiness (Titus 3:5), and keep our belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness securely fastened (2 Timothy 1:12).

When Satan attacks with a flaming missile of doubt, such as “If God really loved you, He wouldn’t have let this happen,” we dig our peace shoes into the turf of God’s Word and reply, “It is written: All things work together for the good to them who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). When Satan stabs from behind with “Remember what you did?” we dig in more deeply and reply, “It is written: If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

In addition to standing our ground, shoes are also for moving. God expects us to go on the offensive and take the gospel of peace to others. First Peter 3:14 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Sharing our faith is one of the best ways to maintain our own sure footing. God knows that, when we are active in speaking of Him to others, we not only charge into Satan’s territory, but we dig our shoes more deeply into truth and will be much harder to dislodge. When we have “studied to show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15), we are ready to stand firm in the gospel of peace no matter what the enemy brings against us (2 Thessalonians 2:15).