Standing in Confidence

Standing in Confidence.  Soul Armor, Piece Three.

A wise general looks after his soldiers' boots. If they give out, nothing else is of much use.  Coach John Wooden thought the same thing. The first day of basketball practice, the winsome, winning basketball legend made all his players take off their shoes and socks; then he instructed them in the proper way to put them on—making sure there were no creases in the socks, (would cause blisters).  Then he taught them to pull the laces evenly through the eyelets, and finally, to tie a double knot, so shoes would not come untied in a game, creating a disadvantage for his player.  

When the Roman soldier put on his armor, he did it in a precise order - first the belt, then the breastplate, next the shoes.  The Roman’s footwear would allow him to march across thousands of kilometers of the Empire in some degree of comfort.  Twas a heavy duty-sandal called the Caliga, which had extra layers of leather attached to the uppers with hobnails (studs) to create a stable, thick, hardwearing sole. The multiple layers of leather made a sole that was half an inch thick, good for protecting the foot when walking on rough ground. The heads of the iron hobnails would have improved traction and also provided a hard surface, further reducing wear.¹

Shoes … so important.  Foundational.  Important part of the Roman soldier’s armor, and of the Christian’s defense against evil.  Paul ties them to the gospel of peace.  Look:

“Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist,
righteousness like armor on your chest,
and your feet sandaled with readiness
for the gospel of peace.
In every situation take the shield of faith,
and with it you will be able to extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is God’s word.”

I was in the midst of writing this, when I looked down and took note of my hot pink running shoes, having just gotten home from the gym.  You know, we wear different kinds of shoes for different activities … and well, I happen to like shoes a lot.  I suppose my favorite shoes are always pretty ones, but especially with a three-inch tapered skinny heel—feminine.  For the Roman soldier, it was all about function, so that nothing would pierce the sole of his shoes, and hinder his ability to fight; and so that the bottoms provided a sturdy base upon which he could hold his position.

Whatever could Paul have meant by ‘feet sandaled with readiness
for the gospel of peace’?  We remember that in this passage, Paul was not talking about taking the gospel message out, sharing Christ with others—rather he was preparing believers to stand when assailed by evil.  Therefore, he is talking about the strength of knowing and experiencing the power in the gospel of peace … the peace of God that we can only know through Jesus.  How I would have loved to have been there with his disciples, when Jesus looked into their faces and eyes, ‘Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives, give I to you; do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid.’² 

Honestly, the peace of God is not really something that can be adequately described to another person.  The settling, purpose-filled peace that comes into the life of a follower of Jesus can only be experienced … simply, there is nothing like it in all ‘the world.  It is a defense against evil because God’s peace gives us strength; it provides stability and confidence, and it cannot be taken away.  And from this divine peace, we are called to maintain peace with others as well.  ‘So far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.’³

The peace of God guards our hearts and minds, Friend.  Paul wrote, ‘Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard you heart and mind, and keep you quiet and at rest, as you trust in him.’⁴  What a concept! 

Indeed, we can stand firm and strong when temptation or doubt, when fiery darts of condemnation or anxiety-producing fears, attempt to get the better of us.  We stand firm in the confidence of who we are in Jesus Christ, who will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on him.⁵

Christin^e

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