Shoes and A Shield

“—and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Eph. 6:15-16 NKJ

Have you ever taken a long hike up a steep mountain trail? How about with a heavy pack on your back? I have. Trails that go up and up for eternity, so it seems, with rocks and roots to step on and around, and sometimes big boulders to climb. I’ve done it for several days with 60 lbs. on my back, traversing steep side hills and trails diving off ridges. Without my sturdy hiking boots to grip the rocks and support my ankles I would never have been able to do it day after day. Without the heavy treaded souls the rocks would have ripped the bottom of my feet and I would not have gone anywhere. No walking, no hiking, no climbing.

This is what the preparation of the gospel does for my walk with God. The gospel of peace is making peace with God, that comes first and foremost, but knowing the gospel inside and out is what protects my foundation. I must be prepared.

You would be silly to run off into the wilderness, many miles from a store or civilization for a 5 day pack trip without being totally prepared. Meals carefully planned, food and essentials packed, boots checked, well oiled and water proofed.

If I am not prepared for what comes my way in life, for the steep mountain trails, the treacherous rock slides, the cold rushing creeks, the huge boulders that I must climb, I will not make it far.

How do I get prepared for life? I saturate myself in the Word of God. I learn the teachings of Jesus. I soak up the encouragements and promises of the Psalms. Then when my feet hit that trail and the climb gets mighty steep, I have my solid shoes on to protect my foundation. I can march; I can walk where God sends me and if I slip and slide in the loose rocks, my sturdy boots will dig in and help me climb the slippery slope.

 “Above all” it says, so whatever you do, most importantly, hold up that shield of faith so you can quench the fiery darts of the evil one. Not just stop those sneaky little things from darting into to the cracks in your body armor, but stop them cold. Put out the fire so they can’t smolder and smoke and cause all kinds of troubles. Very important, maybe most important piece of the armor is my faith.

Faith in my God. No matter how dark life gets, no matter how bad things look, no matter what I face, I must trust my God. He has all things in control. He is working for my good, He knows what is best. I must rely on Him for all things. Nothing can shake that. I must have my shield of faith in front of me at all times. Without it the fiery darts of my enemy will pierce my body armor.

Satan’s darts are on fire! They sizzle with wrath and smoke with bitterness and smolder with depression. They flare with despair and singe with worry, and burn with discontentment.  Satan knows exactly where the cracks in my body armor are, he is an expert and throwing those tiny darts where they will do the most damage.

In our marriages, I see it all the time, Satan is attacking Christian marriages. Going after our love and respect, destroying our tenderness and caring, convincing us we don’t need to forgive or have grace for each other. If Satan can tear down the marriages of God’s children how can the marriages of the world stand?

Satan is using darts of fear and worry to attack our security and contentment. I have to admit I look into the future and I see things that scare me to bits. What if I lose John? What happens when I grow old and no one is there to take care of me? What if we lose all our money? Or this place to live? And so on, the worries slide in past my armor and burn my peace.

I forget that my Father, who loves me and promises to care for me EVEN when I have gray hairs, is the Creator of the universe. The One who knows how many hairs are on my head and holds my tears in a bottle, is Almighty God. I take my eyes off the face of the Most High and I focus on my weaknesses. I forget that He is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Shelter. I have dropped my shield of trust.

Above all, take up your shield of faith.