You Better Be Ready!

Ephesians 6:10-15

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 

In the kjv version of the bible it would read“and your feet shod”

To bind under one’s feet to put on shoes or sandals with readiness.

Again, the action that is required of us is to put on our sandals with readiness. 

So, what does that mean?

As a reminder we are referring to a spiritual war against a real enemy that lives in the spirit world.  So, the apostle Paul is not merely telling us to put on our physical shoes before we leave the house.  He is telling us to get ready spiritually. 

Be Ready to Fight. 

If you anticipate a fight every day, you will not get caught off guard.  When you stop anticipating that is when the enemy advances over you.

I came across an article by a soldier who had served in Bagdad.  He shared his experience so that others would get an idea of what everyday life was like as a soldier.  He described the living quarters and how he often had to sleep in these giant tents that accompanied several other guys.  He also shared some of his struggles he faced such as not being able to sleep or shower often, being chafe from his gear and even losing comrades. 

But one thing he mentioned stood out to me as I was preparing for this message.

 “On QRF (Quick Reaction Force)days, we were required to remain on a 5-minute alert -- that is, we had to be ready to go, staged, briefed, and in vehicles, engines running and ready to hit the gas within 5 minutes of any alert that called us out. Functionally this meant things like you won't ever take your boots off or shower on QRF day".

Did you catch that?  They had to be ready to go in their vehicle with the engine running, remaining on high alert, just in case they were called out.  He also said, “you won’t ever take your boots off.”  Meaning you had to be ready always.

They did not know the hour in which they would be called to act, but they had to be ready.

I believe this clearly depicts the readiness we are to have as we “shod our feet.”

You do not know when your enemy of your soul will strike you in an attempt to destroy your life.  However, you must be ready for him when he does attack. 

You must have a readiness just like that army soldier, you must anticipate a fight.

Looking back at vs 15

¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 

From the cradle to the grave, life is war. Your soul, your mind, your body, your marriage, your family, your career are fields of conflict.

As soon as you became a Christian, you have enlisted into the army of God whether you wanted to or not.  Before you were saved you lived as you wanted, did what you wanted, you were a slave to your sinful desires, meaning they controlled you, therefore the enemy did not have to try as hard to destroy your life as you were doing a good job on your own.

Now that you are saved, that means you no longer a slave of sin but a child of God.  As a child of God, that would also imply that you are in a thriving relationship with God, also meaning you are at peacewith God.  God’s anger no longer burns toward your sin because of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. 

However, the enemy of your soul does not want you to be at peace with God nor does he want you to have peace. Instead he wants you to suffer the same wrath of God that he is destined for. He is out to destroy your peace

Yet we learn that this readiness is given by the gospel of peace.  It is an interesting thought.  We have been talking about spiritual war, armor, fighting and standing, readiness…now we learn this readiness comes from gospel of peace (or the gospel that brings peace).  We see this idea of peace juxtaposing this idea of war.

That same article I mentioned earlier also describes a long-distance military flight with a mix of personnel on-board.  Included were two Delta operators.  Once the aircraft reached altitude, the two D-boys got out of their canvas seats, spread out sleeping bags with heating elements, put in earbuds attached to iPods and captured some serious Z's. Everyone else arrived in Baghdad tired and jet-lagged from sitting in the canvas rigging and the noise of the aircraft, the two D-boys looked refreshed and ready to seize the day.

Here is what that means for us.  Because these two “D-Boys had rested, they were refreshed and ready to seize the day.”  We too need find ourselves resting in His presence, spending time with the “Prince of Peace” so that we too will be refreshed and ready to engage in warfare.

The peace that we find in God will bring a readiness to fight our spiritual battles.

The more that we are at peace with the truth of God’s Word in our lives, meaning we have accepted it as truth, we have applied it, then the readier we will be to engage. 

Be Ready to Rest

Another observation about this scripture:

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

There is no other piece of armor that better enables you to stand firm as does putting on the shoes.  As you know different shoes have different purposes. (shoe illustration) having the right shoe for the job can make a big difference in your performance. Shoes give support for the feet.

The Roman Soldiers used an open leather shoe called a caligae.  The openness allowed air to go through while also preventing blisters.  Besides that, hobnails were attached to the soul of the caligae for additional traction.  This shoe was an important piece of armor which aided the soldier while marching. Without it, a soldier’s movement would be impaired.

Shoes or feet in the bible usually indicated movement of some sort.

When God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, He told him to take off his shoes for where he was standing for it was Holy Ground. God was about to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt, but it would not be by Moses’ ability but by God’s power. Moses would eventually put his shoes back on as he led the Israelites through the desert to the promise land.

We can connect the sandals of Moses to the movement of God’s people.

The same is true today.  When I lace up my tennis shoes, my kids will ask me “dad where are you going” then it is sometimes accompanied with “Can I go too?”

Be Ready to Go

As soldiers in the army of God we are called to move.  We have been giving our marching orders through the great commission of Jesus Christ, so therefore we ought to move.

Matthew 28:19-20

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

What would be the point of having QRF (Quick reaction force) that is able to be dispatched at any given notice, but when called upon to do so, they are either preoccupied with other activities or disinterested in acting upon the alert.

How tragic it would be if the church was not interested in, or just too busy to fulfil the great commission.  If that were the case that church’s movement would be just impaired as a soldier without his caligae.

Shoes indicate movement.

Going back to the QRF analogy, you never know when you will be called upon to carry out your marching orders just as that army soldier does not know the hour that he would be called upon.  Meaning you do not know when an opportunity will arise to share the gospel or pray with someone whether it is a co-worker, or a fellow student, a neighbor, a friend or a family member.  But when you are called upon it is important that you be found ready. Because someone else is depending on it.

1 Peter 3:15-16

¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, alwaysbeing prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 

People will question your faith, you need to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you.

People that have seen you go through some things, will wonder why you have a smile on your face, and peace in your heart when you should have given up by now. 

You can tell them that the joy of the lord has been your strength and that in him there is a peace that surpasses all understanding.

People will ask you “why do you still believe in God after all the bad things that have happened either to you or to those around you?”

You can tell them that God is working all together for good for those who are called according to His purpose and that He is a very present help in time of trouble.

As you begin to share what God has done in your life with other people then you begin to experience an even greater victory in your life.

Revelations 12:11

¹¹ And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 

As you share your testimony you are defeating your enemy.  How is that?

Remember his goal is to rob you of your peace and especially your peace with God.  But as you begin to share your testimony with others, you are confirming with your actions that your heart is at peace with God because of your obedience to His word. 

Therefore, you render the enemy powerless over your life. When you testify of God’s goodness then you have proven that the fear of man cannot stop you, your past failures cannot not stop you and your inadequacies cannot stop you.

As a result, you will have brought the hope of peace into someone else’s live.  That is how sharing your testimony helps you overcome the enemy.

But it all begins with having a readiness which comes by the gospel of peace.  

Part of being ready involves having a plan or preparing for what might come your way. (QRF)

• You may or may not get tempted today to do something in rebellion towards God.
• You may or may not experience overwhelming thoughts that drain the life out of you
• You may or may not be given a chance to share your testimony or pray with someone.
• You may or may not get interrogated for your faith.

But if you do, then you better be ready.         Be ready to Fight, Rest, Go

• What do you need to do to get yourself ready today?
• Are you ready to Fight? Do you feel equipped enough?
• Are you ready to Rest? Are you willing to set some time aside and rest in His presence?
• Are you ready to go? Do you feel like you can share what God has done in your life to someone else? Do you feel like you could defend your faith if called upon to do so?