By Pastor Dan West
"And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" Eph. 6:15 (KJV)
"Shod" is the past tense of an Old English word, "to shoe". I grew up on a farm, and the first thing that comes to mind is a horse shod with iron horseshoes. These would protect their hooves so they could walk over rocks and rough terrain. Each horseshoe had a custom fit.
Sometimes in the winter, over a hundred years ago, they would shoe the horse with studded shoes to have traction in ice and snow, especially while pulling a wagon or sleigh.
When I was in high school, I ran races with a track and field team, and all of us had track shoes. The shoes had small spikes for running on a cinder track and longer spikes for running on a dirt track. My feet were correctly shod and equipped to run in competitions.
How would I have competed if I would have worn my house slippers? You see, it is important to have proper footwear, and even more importantly, when we are talking about spiritual warfare.
What should we have on our feet if we are going to battle against our enemy, Satan? When the Christian takes the Gospel of Peace to those who need to be reconciled with God, they need preparation. We must be shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace.
Another present-day term we use is "slipshod". Slipshod is defined as someone characterized by a lack of care, thought, or organization. An example of the use of the word is: "he caused many problems with his slipshod management"
The term meant using loose shoes or slippers, and today we would define it as sloppy or shabby.
Many are NOT shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. They are considered slipshod.
They are not wearing proper footwear to stand against the enemy.
They are not careful about their preparation on how to share their faith.
Paul says in Ephesians 6 that we are to STAND. How can we stand for battle when we are wearing loose shoes, or worse yet, barefoot?
Friends, we need to be prepared to share the Gospel of Peace. You see, if we stand prepared, we can withstand the attack of our adversary, the devil. If we have our studded footwear on and are on firm ground, we will not slip, fall, or be wounded when attacked.
The Roman soldiers' shoes were well-fitting, with studs on the bottom to give stability and traction. Christian, I must ask you, "Are you wearing spiritual combat boots that fit your feet? Or are you going onto the battlefield with your slippers?"
A soldier is only as good as his feet.
Prepare your feet for battle.