By Pastor Jack Marbida
What do you think is the most important armor? And why do you need to wear one? Caligae is what they called the shoes of the Roman soldiers. They are embedded with nails which protects their feet when they go into battle. Ephesians 6:15 says, “and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” In the worldly definition, peace is the absence of conflict. But in the Bible, peace is simply having God in your life. It is unity and closeness with God. When you wear the shoes of the gospel of peace, you have to make sure that you have that closeness with God, that you understand His good news. The gospel of peace offers protection, hope for Christians and a focus on the goal.
In the military, when you are not wearing the proper combat shoes, you will not be allowed to enter the premises of your workplace. This is done for your own protection. As a Christian, you should also wear your full battle gear the minute you wake up in the morning. The gospel of peace, aside from offering protection from your enemies, also offers salvation. When you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you are saved, and therefore have peace because you are assured of your eternity in heaven. In a battle, you have to know your enemy. You might be hitting the wrong target. The enemies of the soul are the world, the flesh and the devil. Most of the time, you blame the devil for all the bad things happening around you. But you do not read your Bible, you do not trust in God’s word and you are not walking in the faith. So you forget that you are also to blame. When sin came into the world, it became broken. And it came with a price, with fear and with everything else that man did not need. Romans 12:2 says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” It is very difficult for Christians to walk with the Lord when you cannot hear Him. That is why you should wear the armor of God.
The flesh is also our enemy. You forget that it is the temple of the Holy Spirit and you fail to take care of it. You eat so much because it feels good but you forget how unhealthy you have become. Then you try to exercise in the hopes of regaining the strength that you need. God gave you the gift of free will, of choice. Use it wisely. The enemy puts fear in your hearts and minds that makes you choose otherwise. Zig Ziglar said fear is “False Expectations Appearing Real.” These are things the enemy whispers in your ear, telling you that these things will help. But no. They only make things worse. So wear your armor the moment you wake up. Make it a ritual.
Matthew 4:23 says, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” Focus on your goal. Share good news of God’s word. Do the things that you need to do to be able to be closer to God. Read His word and fellowship with other believers. Fix your family first. Look at your priorities. And when you feel like you are not worthy, you are. You can pray for someone as well as your pastor prays for them too. God gave everybody equal power from the heavens if only you believe. Speak blessings to everyone who has lost hope and for everybody to have the desire to experience God’s fullness.
Decide. Commit. Share. It is very important for a person to make a decision. Accept Jesus in your life. Walk with Him. He will give you the authority to perform miracles. When you decide, you have to make a commitment. If you commit by faith, God will also be committed to you. And when you see the goodness of God in your life, share it with everyone around you. That is how the good news will go around until it reaches the ends of the earth
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