15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; Ephesians 6:15–16

The third and fourth pieces of armor Paul writes about to the Ephesians are the shoes of the gospel of peace and the shield of faith. Shoes provide stability, help us walk on uneven terrain and keep our feet from getting dirty.

We’ve all seen pictures or drawings of Roman soldiers. They didn’t wear combat boots like our soldiers do today—they wore sandals. Hardly a shoe we would consider fit for the battlefield. What’s a sandal going to do? It leave the tops of your feet exposed and actually makes it more difficult to run. I don’t know that soldiers’ sandals were any different from those worn by ordinary Romans in the streets. Suffice it to say, any shoe in battle is probably better than no shoe in battle—although the sandal is up for debate.

Isaiah doesn’t specifically explain shoes as a part of God’s armor, but it does correlate feet with bringing peace and good news, which is what Paul writes about. Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.”

The definition of peace is “freedom from disturbance.” The definition of readiness is “being fully prepared.” Satan wants to disturb our peace—that’s his goal. And we must be fully prepared to stand firm against his attempts to steal it.

The Enemy loves to steal our peace, and fear and anxiety are at the top of his list. We have all struggled with them at some point. As women, I believe we are the backbone of so much. We nurture, fix messes, work, prepare, plan and put everyone before ourselves. Yet the Enemy uses those very things we love to put wedge fear and anxiety between us and our Lord. We worry instead of praying, doubt instead of believing, question instead of asking God and try to control instead of remembering God is in control and always has been.

Putting on the shoes of readiness with the gospel of peace means two things. First, it means being fully prepared for what the Enemy throws at us, knowing we can confidently stand firm, grounded God’s perfect peace, undisturbed by what Satan’s schemes. Second, it means being ready for battle. We will not hide behind anxiety or fear. These shoes give us the courage to face whatever terrain or weather lies ahead, to confront fears and anxieties, to reach others who need Jesus and to help those who are in need. The shoes in God’s armor give us the power to put one step in front of the other when it feels impossible—fully prepared, undisturbed by Satan’s attempts to steal our peace and ready to fight.

Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” Ladies, our words are powerful. If we see a sister in Christ suffering with fear or anxiety, don’t let her suffer alone. Be there. Pray for her, spend time with her in God’s Word and do it with glad and cheerful hearts.

And 1 Peter 5:7 says, “cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Ladies, God wants to take your burdens and your anxieties because He loves you. He is your warrior and your way maker, and He will always be there ready to pick up your burdens and carry them for you.

Paul then says, “Take up the shield of faith, which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” The shield is often used in the Old Testament to describe God’s faithfulness, protection and salvation. Psalm 5:12 says, “For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” Psalm 91:4 says, “…his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” Psalm 18:35 says, “You have given me the shield of your salvation.”

Paul focuses on faith when describing the shield. In battle, there are offensive tactics and defensive tactics. The shield is defensive, used to block deadly blows from swords, javelins, arrows and fiery projectiles. Today, Israel has a massive shield called the Iron Dome, which intercepts missiles before they hit the ground. A soldier may have many weapons, but without a shield, he is at a significant disadvantage—vulnerable to strikes and less likely to advance further into battle without that protection.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The opposite of faith is fear. Without faith, we are nothing. Fear may be the number one factor that causes Christians to become lazy and complacent in their walk with God. It paralyzes us and prevents us from advancing the gospel. We fear the unknown and the unseen—but isn’t that what faith is? Believing in the unknown and unseen?

We all have faith. It’s impossible to live without it. We have faith our kids will travel safely to college and back. We have faith that our chairs will hold our weight. We have faith that the massive hunk of metal we’re on, 30,000 feet in the air, will get us from point A to point B. We have faith that our favorite team will make it to the championship! We don’t let fear stop us—we get in our cars, we board the planes, we sit in the chairs and we buy unbelievably expensive game tickets because we have faith in those things.

But not all faith leads to truth. Those things can fail us. The only faith that never lets us down is faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Joshua 1:5 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Luke 1:37 says, “For no word from God will ever fail.” God is faithful. God’s Word is true. That is His promise.

And faith is required to please God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” God loves His children. He is pleased with those who follow Him and walk by faith, not by sight.

Faith requires action. James 2:14–17 says, “14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

In other words, merely talking about faith without action is not faith at all. One cannot exist without the other.

A shield is for protection, and our protection is faith in Christ. But that faith requires action—you must pick up your shield and use it for it to be effective. And many shields together are stronger than one. They form a canopy of protection against the Enemy’s attacks. You’ve probably seen it in the movies: soldiers circle up, back-to-back, lifting their shields overhead to block incoming arrows.

When the Enemy attacks you, do you call out for help from your fellow soldiers? Whether you like it or not, the Enemy will attack. It’s only a matter of when. We were never meant to fight alone. Paul knew this when he wrote to the Ephesians. Find your tribe and join your shield of faith with theirs—a canopy of protection against the evil one.

We must walk out our faith. Don’t just talk about it, listen to it or don’t hide from it. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Lord, I pray that we all have the courage and strength to put on our shoes of readiness and pick up our shield of faith and fighting this battle alongside our sisters in Christ. Fill us with Your peace and give us a faith that only You can provide—a faith that grows stronger as we advance further into battle. Amen