Proper Footwear

Timber country — a land of dust, mud, and torrential rains — was not a place for lovely, flat, satin ballerina slippers. But oh! how this young girl's heart longed for a pair. As I read Anna Pavlova's biography, I pirouetted alongside her in my imagination, and satin ballerina slippers danced through my head. My mother knew best and wouldn't be persuaded to buy me a pair of shoes inappropriate for school. So, I worked for 16 hours at 50 cents an hour and ordered a pair from the Montgomery Ward catalog. As I walked through the rain, my feet squished inside my beautiful, impractical shoes, and they lasted only two days. Finally, the leather soles flopped off, and I placed my precious shoes in the trash.

Nowadays, we have shoes for every occasion lined up under our dressers, but God gives us spiritual shoes that are a very special covering for our walk with Him.

Ephesians 6:11,14a,15 – Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Stand therefore, having … your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. (KJV)

When we progress as Christians, we accept that the devil is the god of this world and that we will have spiritual battles to fight. He fights the spread of Christianity, and veers our behaviour off track from God's instructions. God's protection gives us a complete set of armour to fight these battles. One piece of that armour is the covering for our feet.

We are taught to be ambassadors of Christ, to spread the gospel to those who will receive it, but sometimes there are traps set in the way. God's Word prepares us to live our lives in Jesus Christ, in ways that defeat the enemy. Sharing the gospel with others, standing against the schemes of Satan, and fighting spiritual battles require Christians to be equipped in a special way. We know that in a battle, we would not wear ballerina flats that dissolve in the rain.

Incrementally, we grow and mature in God's wisdom and knowledge, with the help of the Holy Spirit. In time, our entire body, mind, and spirit, are filled with the gospel of peace. Our feet hold us steady and take us forward according to God's plan. The Lord prepares our feet with His spiritual knowledge, wisdom, and strength, to be prepared to go into a battle with the devil to share or defend the gospel.

We all need shoes to protect our feet as we walk down the streets of life. When we are on a mission for the Lord, as ambassadors for Christ, let us put on the proper footwear: the preparation of the gospel of peace. These boots are sturdy, dig in for traction, and serve as an anchor to our Saviour. Then, when we are called to duty, our feet are shod, and with the rest of our spiritual armour, we are ready to stand fast against the wiles of the devil.

Prayer: Dear Father, we delight in sharing the light of salvation through Christ with the world. Amen.

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