Standing Strong Against Warfare - Part 3

Moving right along in the Armor of God, the next two pieces we will talk about today is the sandals of the gospel of peace and the shield of faith.

Ephesians 6:15 and having shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace

We are to shod our feet. The Greek word for shod is "hupodeo" meaning to bind under one's feet, put on or bind on shoes or sandals. So we are to bind, strap on tight shoes so we have a good footing. We are not to just strap on any shoes but the ones that are completely prepared with the gospel of peace.

Chip Ingram describes the Roman Sandals in his book "The Invisible War" like this:

Roman sandals were strapped up to the knee and tightly fastened to the soldier's leg. The soles had knobs and sometimes nails protruding from them - an ancient version of athletic cleats. Alexander the Great is said to have invented these or at least championed them. He gave credit for many of the Greek army's impressive victories to the firm footing of its forces. When soldiers have a solid foundation, they can stand unmoved against their opposition. They don't slip or lose their balance very often if their feet are gripping the ground.

What Paul is trying to convey to us is this, we are to be firmly footed in the gospel. We must know what we believe and why. We are to be established in the faith by knowing and studying the truth of the gospel that the word of God gives us. Our roots must be planted deep, knowing what we believe so we can do what we are called to do, share the gospel with others.

Just like the soldier, when we plant ourselves firmly in the gospel, we won't slip or lose our balance. Our firm foundation will keep us standing when the winds of adversity come against us. If you have not already; begin a quest to know deep inside what the gospel of Jesus Christ is and what it means to you. There is great power and strength to be able to weather the storms of life when you have a clear understanding and trust in the gospel.

Ephesians 6:16 says above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Chip Ingram writes this about the shield of faith.

The Roman shield Paul is referring to in this scripture was about four feet high and two and a half feet wide. It had hooks on the sides to link it to other shields in a line so that in an entire row of soldiers could advance without exposing themselves to incoming arrows. It was common for enemies to dip their arrow in pitch, light them, and then pelt the opposing soldiers with thousands of destructive, flaming missiles. So the Romans made their shields with iron and two layers of wood, wrapped them in linen, and covered it all with leather. But they would leave a gap between layers so flaming arrows could penetrate far enough into the shield to be quickly extinguished. One soldier is said to have come in from the battle line with two hundred once-fiery arrow still stuck in his shield.

Paul refers to our faith as a shield to able to quench the fiery darts of the evil one. Sometimes the enemy sends fiery darts our way and we need to be prepared, shielded by our faith to keep the darts from penetrating or starting a devastating fire.

Sometimes those darts are just a thought or a circumstance that comes along. Other times they may come in the form of trials or tragedy. Any way they come, we must be prepared with our shield up and ready.

So how do we build our faith? By trusting in Gods character, His promises and His timing. We must learn who God is, what He promises and believe His timing is better than ours. As we learn Gods character, begin to see that He really is good and has our best interest at heart, we can trust in Him. As we trust, we must step out in faith believing in who His is and that His way is best even when we do not understand. Every time we step out in faith and God shows up our faith is made stronger.

If your shield of faith is lacking and needs to be built up, go to God and ask for it. He is faithful to give us what we need.

Lastly, I would add that just like the Roman soldiers, there is strength in numbers. When we as brothers and sisters in Christ hook our shields together we stand stronger against the enemy. It is together that we can make the greatest advance forward in the battle against the evil that is in and through our world. This is one of the reasons we are called to a community of believers. When there are two or more together in prayer, God says He is in our midst. We must band together in times of trial, hook our shields together and send our joint prayer up to God.

Our battle is not flesh and blood. The battle we must fight is better fought with other soldiers by your side.