Our Spiritual Footwear

If you were tuned in last week to the webcast, Mr. Gary Petty gave the sermon, which came from the Tacoma Men's Weekend, and the armor of God was the theme for that weekend. I believe the number was 34 men that we had gathered together in a really beautiful spot, and it was just a nice time to spend the weekend together, to fellowship, to sharpen one another, and to have interactive presentations on the topic of the whole armor of God.

So the message you tuned into, then, from Mr. Petty helped to kick the weekend off, and his presentation prior to the service, and then at the service, was on the breastplate of righteousness. And so, because that was the theme that was rolled out, and I would say an introduction was made to the whole armor of God. I'd like today to go ahead and share with you what I shared at the Men's Weekend. It was more of an interactive format, but I've pulled it back into a little more of a lecture style here.

But I want to talk today about our spiritual footwear. Our spiritual footwear. And you can go ahead and turn to Ephesians chapter 6 as we begin today. This is the jump-off point for the topic of the whole armor of God, Ephesians chapter 6. And the specific focus of my presentation came from Ephesians 6, verse 15, which states, having shodged your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. And so, as was my title there and here today, I want to talk about our spiritual footwear. Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 10, I want to read at least some of the run-up up to this point and to fix our focus here.

The Apostle Paul writing and giving a very important set of instructions, I believe, to the Church of God for how we will engage in this spiritual struggle that we face. Because this is a calling from God, and it is a spiritual way of life that we're called to live, but there's an adversary to it as well who would desire not to see us succeed.

And he's putting his work in his effort and to trying to counteract what it is God would do in our lives. So Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 10, Paul says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Okay, this gives us the indication and actually the solid understanding right up front where our victory is going to come from. It's not from my resource or my strength. This is in the power of God. Be strong in the Lord, in the power of his might, what he adds to us and lends to us.

Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And since we'll be talking about footwear, standing very much ties into the focus here. And Paul actually very directly up front encourages us to stand. Be prepared to stand. Do all you can to stand. Verse 12, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Verse 13, therefore, in light of this, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all to stand.

The emphasis is remaining steadfast. Okay, having done all to stand. Verse 14, stand therefore, he says, having girded your waste with truth, having put on the breast place of righteousness, and now having shod your feet.

Verse 15, with the preparation of the gospel of peace. And then he goes on and takes us through the rest of this. I'll go ahead and read it. Verse 16, above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

And so, as the Apostle Paul points out to us, and in verse 12 specifically, this is a spiritual battle we're engaged in. It's good versus evil. It's light versus darkness.

And it's not a battle against other human beings, primarily, although it may spill out into that realm. Ultimately, this is a spiritual contest against the greatest adversary ever to exist, Satan the devil. And from that perspective, then, our weapons of our warfare, our defense, and even to that degree, our offense, must be spiritual as well.

Again, this is a spiritual battle. And they must be components that are given to us by and through our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood, and it says that we put on, and we only stand because of, what is given to us by the power of God. So this battle is only going to be won by staying close to them in that relationship. And it's interesting, if you look at all the elements of the armor of God, it's a relationship with God it's talking about.

Right? We have these various elements of faith, of righteousness, of the gospel, salvation, sort of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. You can go through all of these. None of these are going to be something we can pick up and strap on, and you successfully, apart from a closely maintained relationship with God. He is the one who lends us the strength to stand. Stand is important to what Paul is saying.

He says, you stand fast. Do all you can to stand. You be immovable in this calling, which has come from God. And we understand we face an adversary, frankly, brethren, who is stronger than we are on our own. He is smarter than we are on our own, and he's able to overcome us, frankly, quite easily, on our own, apart from the strength which God would lend unto us. So we're ultimately talking about our ability to stand against him, against Satan the devil, and be immovable with the help of God.

Now, the term stand here in Ephesians 6 is a military term for hold your position, and it's standing your ground, as in you've been given the ground of the high calling of God. Stand, therefore. Stand in that faith and be immovable, and don't let anyone or anything push you off the high ground of your calling. Do all you can to stand, and God will give you what it is that you need to succeed in this battle.

You and I can take confidence in knowing that we are the best outfitted army ever to exist if we put on this spiritual armor, and we can take confidence in the fact that we serve the greatest commander in chief there ever was. Article caught my eye this morning, and I jumped over there and took a glance, and there's literally a crisis in the US military recruitment numbers, and that's related to a number of reasons and things, and you could point that in whatever direction, but I'll just say, you know, we serve the best commander in chief there could be, and the most righteous cause that there could be, and we are as a spiritual army, the best outfitted army ever to exist.

The Roman army, you know, the power of the world in its day, which Paul modeled this after, was the greatest army to exist, and the fact that they clothed them, they gave them armor, they prepared them, drilled them in battle tactics, made them so successful for the Roman Empire. This is a spiritual battle, though. If we're going to be victorious, we have to pick up the armor and actually put it on, and that means maintaining our direct relationship with God each and every day.

This afternoon, we're going to consider the role of our spiritual footwear and what it plays in the whole armor of God. You know, from where I sit, I can see most people's feet. Looks like you have shoes on. I can't see Randy's feet, but you know, there's a skirt around that table. Then we put our shoes on to come here today, then we put our shoes on to go about pretty much anything we do. We have shoes for work, we have shoes for leisure, we have shoes to, in some ways, relax. We have hardwood floors at home, and I find that hard on my feet, so I have my, actually, my flip-flops that are right by my bed when I get out in the morning, just so I can walk until my feet and legs loosen up.

I put that cushion on and I go. But what are the risks of not wearing shoes? When I was a kid, I grew up in Florida, and you know, warm climate, and I ran around outdoors for hours on end with no shoes on, and I had tough feet. Today, I can't even walk out to my car. You know, the gravel between the front door and my car parked right around the corner is something I can't even bear.

My feet are tender and sensitive, but you know, I used to get slivers in my feet. I used to, you know, have foot injuries here and there. What literally stopped me from running around barefoot was when I was in my early teenage years and I was running around on an old wood deck, and I picked up a splinter that was long through my foot and it required incision and stitches and all of that. So that cured me of that foot running, running around barefoot.

But, but again, there's injury that can so easily come running around without shoes on in various circumstances. You know, what are the risks of not wearing them as a soldier in battle, if you could imagine? And you think of, in your mind, maybe the Roman soldier and they've got the helmet and the shield and the breastplate and the armor, and if they send them into battle with no shoes, just how disastrous that would be.

You know, you you suffer a foot injury and you can take somebody no matter how well-clad they are and the rest of them, you could take them right out of the fight, simply through that. So again, we use these shoes for everything. Why would we walk along in this spiritual journey, engaging in the spiritual battle, the greatest contest of the ages, without the spiritual footwear that God would provide us to wear into this contest? Remember, he says, you stand, having done all two stand.

Hold your position against the adversary. Apostle Paul modeled the description of our spiritual armor after that which the Roman soldiers around him wore. He saw them coming and going, and in my mind, I think of, you know, two years of house arrest in Rome. There was probably, maybe there was a Roman guard.

I don't know if there was one present at that time, but no doubt he saw them in Rome coming and going, as well as other travels that he made around the Empire, and certainly other times chained to a Roman guard throughout a number of his different adventures. But he modeled this in various ways after what he saw visually, but he made it a spiritual comparison. The Roman soldiers' shoes were typically a sandal-boot combination.

If we had PowerPoint today, I would put you up a slide, but just you can Google it and see what the Roman boot looked like. It was literally like a leather sandal that had some open ventilation, but if you've seen even in the movies, it comes up past the ankle and laces up even partway up the calves. And the bottom of it under, so you had this leather, kind of this leather piece, it was a midsole that was under the bottom of your feet and went up the sides and laced up. Then it had a bottom sole that, very thick, that they actually drove nails up through this.

They called them hobnails, these iron hobnails, these little short nails, drove them up through the bottom of the sole, through the midsole, and crimped them over, bent them over, and then they slipped an insert, another sole, into that, which then they put their foot into this. But you had these hobnails then, which were basically these studs riveted up through the bottom of the sole, and it provided a number of things for the soldier. This is kind of where you get the concept of being shod for action, being shod with, as we have in our case, your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. For the Roman soldiers, issues were critically important to his function in life. In fact, his life could depend on, out on the battlefield, life or death, depending on the quality of his footwear, and indeed how it was held together. The nail heads doubting the bottom of the sole provided traction, much like metal cleats, if you think about it, and these heads actually stuck out a little ways, maybe an eighth of an inch, and so they provided grip and traction. You and I, I was trying to think of a parallel for where we live, have you ever tried to walk on ice in tennis shoes? I learned early on that it's not a good idea to walk across an icy parking lot with your hands in your pocket, you know, in wintertime, especially if you're wearing tennis shoes.

Get a little skim of water on top of that ice, and there's no traction at all.

Have you ever been in a position where maybe you were wearing shoes with not very good traction, and somebody else with good traction, you just come along and grab you, and you're just kind of like water skiing or ice skiing right on top of that sheet of ice with no real grip?

Darla wears grippers. These slip-on, they have little metal studs that stick out. She slips them onto her work boots and her chore boots in the wintertime, and she can go out and walk up and down the snowy slopes and feed the horses and do chores. She's taking a pretty good tumble or two over time before she started putting those on, and the fact is, without real grip and real traction, you're vulnerable in your ability to stand. So the Romans understood the need for their soldiers to have good footwear, and oftentimes their enemies, even as they would, plan to try to conquer Rome. Okay, how are we going to face these people? They would lace a piece of territory with what we would call like a minefield. Today minefields are explosive charges. If you can get somebody to step on it, maybe you can disable the enemy. In that day and age, the minefield was low-tech, but it was generally rocks buried with a sharp point upward or even sticks that were sharpened to a point and buried into the ground. So just the neck and the point stood up, and the idea was if you get your enemy to step on that and injure themselves, again, a foot injury, it very much takes somebody out of the fight. And so they understood the importance of this footwear. Slipping was not a good option either in hand-to-hand combat. If you think about it, you engage somebody right there on the front lines of battle in hand-to-hand, and you go down. You're in a vulnerable position now with your adversary over you, and it makes it hard to whip out the sword of the spirit. If we're going to make this contextually spiritual or to utilize the other advantages of your armor, if you're generally just laid out down on the ground, your advantage of your opponent is over you. So maintaining that footwear and that grip and that traction is absolutely essential to them. And likewise, for the people of God, standing against the devil, brethren, requires solid footing. Requires solid footing.

Roman soldier could dig in, and they could hold their ground with these shoes, even on slippery hillsides, and their ability to engage in combat in difficult terrain was aided by the footwear that they had on. And isn't that where our adversary likes to engage us in battle?

You know, on the slippery slopes of our life. Places where perhaps our footing could, we maybe have allowed it, become a struggle on the uneven terrains on our life. He tries to, in various ways, push us over the edge, right, off the cliff, into the pit of despair, whatever it might be. But our ability to stand is absolutely critical, and it's dependent upon the quality of our spiritual footwear. If we're going to stand against the wiles of the devil, if we're going to hold our ground as true soldiers of Jesus Christ, then we must be equipped with this essential piece of armor. And it brings us back, then, to our focus scripture for the message today, Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 15. It says, "...and having shodged your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace." The word preparation implies a readiness, right? It's something you do in advance to prepare so that when the moment comes, you're actually ready now to go forward and engage the enemy in battle. So we have a preparation that must take place in our lives.

Readiness takes constant vigilance, and a soldier had to be prepared at all times. The Roman soldiers out on the march didn't just drop all their armor to lay down to go to sleep. They actually were strategic in what they did. Now, they maybe got a little comfortable, took a couple pieces off, but everything was in place so that, at moments' notice, they could jump up and be ready to be engaged in battle. You and I must be in a state of readiness. Readiness means you know what you're getting into. It means you studied your adversary. You know your adversary's tactics, and you've even applied those things to your own tactics and readiness to respond. So this is actually not something that you just do on the fly. Readiness is a preparation process. So we are to be shod with the preparation, with the readiness, of the gospel of peace. And that's what our footwear literally is. It is the gospel of peace. It's on the gospel of peace which we stand. So I'll make this slightly interactive. This was completely interactive over there, but you know, this is... we still have a small enough group here. What is the gospel? I mean, we need that definition. What is the gospel? What does gospel mean? I'll take some feedback.

Good news. Right. Gospel means good news. Good news of what? Say again? Good news of the truth. Yes, absolutely. Any else? God's plan.

When we go out and we preach the gospel as the church, we preach the good news of the coming kingdom of God. The Bible also says the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Right? And so truth and the position on which we stand, it's all incorporated into this definition. It's the good news of Jesus Christ in the coming kingdom of God. It is the redemption and the salvation that comes through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It's the news, right? We're all under the penalty of death, but the good news is Jesus Christ died for you, and God extends that forgiveness through him. It's the good news of the blessing that will ultimately come for all mankind when the kingdom of God is established. And it's what sees us through the challenges of the age and, indeed, all the way up through the end of the age. We hold on to that good news, and we stand firm in that good news. That's what allows us to stand against the adversary, against whatever the world might throw at us. We are shod with, we are prepared with, the good news of what it is that God is doing and has done in our life. And this says it is the gospel of peace. Having your feet shod with the preparation, the readiness of the gospel of peace. Peace comes from being right with God. Right before we came under the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Bible describes us as being enemies of God, in opposition to Him by our very nature.

So when you're reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that entity is removed, and you have peace. Peace with God. And isn't that the greatest of blessings that we could have as we stand against the one who would seek to destroy us? That you and I are at peace with God. And in that condition, God is on your side. Or probably it would be more accurate to say you are on God's side. Okay? But God stands with you, and God will fight with you. This is what our feet are shod with. This is what our strength is in the day of battle to be immovable. That actually God is standing with you, and you stand on the promises of God.

The gospel of peace is the good news that you can have peace with God, or that you have already peace with God. That's what the gospel is, and it is the confidence on which we stand. Romans chapter 5. Let's move out of Ephesians for a couple moments.

Romans chapter 5 and verse 1. Again, the concept that peace comes from being right with God. I spoke on this before the Passover, you'll recall. The chastisement for our peace was upon him.

Jesus Christ paid the price so that we could have this peace with God. Romans chapter 5 and verse 1, therefore, Paul says, having been justified by faith, justified means being made right with God.

And that's the danger with self-justification. Through self-justification, we seek to run around the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and just make excuses why I'm right anyway. That doesn't make you right with God. Okay? We have been justified, made right with God, by faith, and that comes through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, if we embrace the gospel message for ourselves, if we've responded through repentance and baptism and the laying on of hands, you've received the Holy Spirit, you have peace with God. You're right in His sight, justified in this relationship. And brethren, that peace equips us for battle. That relationship equips us for battle. Verse 2, through whom also we have access by faith into His grace, in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. So, the peace with God through Jesus Christ means that God is our strength in battle, and it means we stand solidly in opposition to the adversary. But with God on our side, that's the point. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. It's not our own strength that will stand against that adversary. But as Paul says, in multiple places, you have been made to stand through the sacrifice, through this relationship.

And brethren, that is the greatest of news that you and I could ever be shod with.

Romans 8 contains an incredibly encouraging string of scriptures that talk about our firm footing and what it does for our relationship with God and this world, and it reminds us that God is the one who is able to make us stand. Romans chapter 8 and verse 28. Romans chapter 8 and verse 28 says, And we know that all things work together for good, for those who love God, for those who are the called according to his purpose. We have absolute confidence in that. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined, to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called, whom he called, these he also justified, and whom he justified made right, these he also glorified. And so this is talking about the gospel message of peace. Again, it's a message of good news that comes as a result of being right with God and standing with God and having God who is your strength in this fight. Verse 31, Paul says, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

That's what it comes down to at the end of the day, right? No matter the adversary, the contest, the trial, the struggle, whatever it is, if God is for us, who can be against us?

And brethren, that is the sure footing on what we must stand in this fight. Verse 32, carrying on, Paul says, He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us, delivered for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen. Who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us? Jesus Christ at the right hand of God. So when you're struggling and you're feeling at a point maybe that, wow, this is an overwhelming battle, God is there and our advocate is there as well, Jesus Christ, at the right hand of God, making this intercession for us on our behalf. Verse 35, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or the sword? As it is written, verse 36, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter, yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. We're talking about warfare here, brethren, and our advantage and our strength. By being aligned with God, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I'm persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is such an encouraging concept to stand upon, brethren. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

The gospel of peace assures us that God is on our side as long as we remain on his. No matter the nature of the battle, we can be confident in our sure footing knowing that, frankly, we are undefeatable. Right? Best equipped army in the world, strongest commander in chief to exist.

You and I, if we truly are in this relationship, reconcile with God and we maintain it. We are undefeatable and we are given what we need to stand in the battle because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4.4. You can't fail if you're doing your part, but we can't leave the armor in the corner. We have to put it on. We have to lace up our shoes each day and get going, shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, standing on the blessing and the promises of God, standing upon the realization that Jesus Christ died for me so that my penalty could be relieved and I am now his, bought at a price. If that's the perspective by which you enter in the battle and God is with you, then indeed you will stand and be undefeatable.

The apostle Paul says we're supposed to have our feet shod with the preparation, with the readiness, which comes from embracing the gospel of peace, being ready to take action at all times, knowing we are right with God and as a result we stand together with him. So think about this spiritual battle. We're not sent out on the battlefield like, here put this on and go fight and let me know how it turns out. The implements of our armor are the relationship we have with God and then what he gives to us. So very much we may be facing the greatest adversary ever to exist, Satan the devil and his onslaught, but God is standing with you. And if he's with you, you have the most sure footing and you are prepared to truly stand no matter what may come your way.

Let's look at a scripture that tides the gospel message to the feet of an individual and then I want to begin to see another aspect of the gospel of peace as it actually pertains to the defeat of Satan himself. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 52 and verse 7. Isaiah chapter 52 and verse 7. Isaiah 52, 7 says, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news. Years and years and years ago I sang in the choir for a couple of pieces and this was one of the songs, you know, and I can't hardly read this without hearing that tune, but how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns. This is talking about the proclamation of the good news, of the gospel, and the references made to the beauty of the feet of the one who brings it. You might say, well why is somebody's feet beautiful who would bring the gospel? Well, the point is they've brought something which is now impacting people's lives for the better. It's something they didn't have to this point and now they have it and once they recognize this pearl of great price, they've grabbed hold of it for themselves and they are so grateful for the one who brought it to them. Right? Their feet are beautiful in that sense.

In my mind, this is just my personal opinion on this. When I think on how sometimes people reverence or look towards Herbert Armstrong and his legacy, sometimes it almost verges on worship of the man. What I'll say from my perspective, I look at, I think of him, and through this scripture, he was a man with beautiful feet. He brought a message and it was a message that was a blessing to many. And now our job today is to carry forward with a message that can be a blessing to others as well. But again, the feet of those are tied very directly to the message of the gospel. But if we look at Isaiah 52 verse 7, there's actually a word contained in here that applies directly to the defeat of the work of Satan. And again, it's tied up in the gospel message. That word is salvation. Salvation. The defeat of Satan's influence and his work in our lives is tied up in salvation. Right? He was succeeding until you gave yourself over to this relationship with God. You have been saved. That's what salvation is. And it's an ongoing process in our life. I have been saved. I am being saved. And hopefully I'm carrying forward in that process. And I will be saved in the ultimate sense when my change comes at the return of Jesus Christ. But this is a continuing and ongoing process of salvation. But understand, salvation defeats the work of the adversary in your life and my life. Someone who has received that message and responded to it now, they are standing in the truth of God and they're standing in the kingdom of God. And when our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we carry this good news with us all the time. And you know, it's not just a concept to be preached. You know, we don't just say, this is our message to the world. No, this is also who and what we are as a matter of our faith and our spiritual defense. And we stand against the adversary when this truth is our spiritual footwear. We must allow it to guide our steps every day. So, brethren, it's the reality of our salvation which gives us the stability to remain standing in the midst of the battle. If you are secure in your salvation, you will be secure in your footing as you stand in opposition, again, in this spiritual warfare. Because we face an adversary that actually hates this message.

He hates the gospel message, and why would that be? You know, why would Satan hate the gospel message?

Well, he hates the gospel message because how it impacts his ability to effectively fight against those who have had the light shine in their lives and have responded to it. Let's go to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 3. Let's notice actually why and what it is he tries to do in this world to obscure the gospel. We'll understand then more fully how actually being shod with this is a very critical element to our victory. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 3. It says, But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age, we know who that is, right? That's the adversary, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. So there's a veil in place in this earth right now, but the veil of darkness and deception is what the adversary uses in order to gain an advantage. All mankind are his foe. It's not just you and I, it's those who have been created in the image of God for a purpose.

That is all of mankind. And Satan hates the gospel message, and he will do what he can to blind mankind from the light of the truth. Satan knows the effect of the gospel, and he understands that contained in the message.

It's the message of his defeat. It's the message of the defeat of the influence of his power.

That's why he hates it so much. Contained in the gospel message is the defeat of his influence and power. It's a message of repentance, right? Turning from sin, turning away from its cause, being relieved from its penalty, and Satan doesn't want that message taught. It's a message of coming under the blood of Jesus Christ and being reconciled in relationship with God, so the death penalty can be removed from you, and you can walk free. And Satan doesn't want that message taught.

It's a message that God's kingdom is coming, and you can be a part of it, repent, and believe in the gospel, Jesus Christ said, and you can be there, and Satan does not want that message taught.

Again, that message is about your victory, but his defeat. And he'll do what he can to blind the world to it. But again, brethren, you and I are shod with this, and it's the foundation and it's the standing of your relationship with God. And it's a source of your ability to stand against the wiles of the devil today. And he will try to bully you and try to get you to run away scared and try to get your eyes off of God, cause you to trip and stumble, maybe tie your shoelaces together if you can. Because he is the adversary. But understand, appropriate footwear really speaks to our ability to stand firm in the midst of the battle, doing all to stand with God by our side. So that's the one huge overwhelming element of this, is if you are shod with this message, you're on firm footing. And if God is with you, who can be against you?

Another important aspect of the gospel of peace is the realization that Satan has been defeated already by the captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ. That defeat has already occurred.

Ephesians chapter 4 verse 8 says that Jesus Christ led captivity captive. He led captivity captive.

And what that means is that through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ led captive the author of captivity and death. Led him captive already. 1 John chapter 3 and verse 8 says, For this purpose the Son of God was manifest, that he might destroy the works of the devil. So understand, the adversary is defeated already.

That's the sure-footing on which you stand when you go into battle. You're facing an adversary that is already a vanquished foe, destroyed already by the captain of our salvation.

That is the good news. That is actually the gospel of peace on which we stand. And if Satan the devil has been defeated by Jesus Christ, then he will be defeated by you with God by your side and with Jesus Christ giving you aid. Notice Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 14.

Don't ever walk out the door to face the day thinking you are facing this alone. We must do our part. We must strap on the armor. We must build and maintain that relationship with God. But if you've done that, stand in confidence. You're not alone.

You have the greatest victor on your side. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 14.

Inasmuch as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself, Jesus Christ, likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death. That is the devil. So again, it's reinforced again Jesus Christ through his sacrifice has destroyed Satan's power already, meaning that those who responded to the gospel message and have put on this footwear, you can stand because Christ has broken Satan's power over you through his sacrifice already and you've been set free. Stand securely in that liberty. That's the message. That's the good news. You can stand. You can stand. Verse 16, for indeed he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham, both physical and spiritual. Okay. Verse 17, therefore in all things he had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the people, for in that he himself has suffered being tempted. Notice he is able to aid those who are tempted.

So again, we're not left to our own devices in this struggle. We are given the armor in which we need and we do not stand alone. God the Father is with us. Jesus Christ is with us, aiding us with the same power today in our lives to lead captivity captive, to defeat the power of the adversary today. So that as you stand there in this battle, we still have to do our part, but recognize you are standing and battling before a vanquished foe, frankly has no standing before you at all. But we have to put the armor on. We have to fasten it securely. The term shod reminds me of horses hooves. That may be because I married a horse gal and we have horses. I think we probably have somewhere in the 11-12 horse range at this point, but shod is, in my mind, it's an equestrian term and Darla gets her horses shod before she's going to go out and do a lot of riding on them. I mentioned here just this week we were up north. We took a trip up north of Kelowna. There was an Icelandic horse evaluations that were taking place. It's actually a pretty big event.

People came from all around the U.S. and Alaska and Canada, and actually judges flew in internationally as well. And it was a time of exhibition and evaluation of these horses. We took our stallion up there, but to sit there and watch the level of performance achieved by these horses and their riders. But each of those horses was shod, to be able to streak down the tracks such as they did, not chip up their hooves, but to keep them in strong performance. I actually kind of like taking those kinds of vacations. It's not really restful. I had a pitchfork in a wheelbarrow, and I was shoveling stalls and hauling hay and doing those things. But what was kind of restful about it was I got to be Darla's husband for three or four days. Because when we were married 30 years ago, I was Darla's husband because she grew up here and nobody knew me. So, oh, you're Darla's husband. And somehow that flipped somewhere along the way, and it seems like most everywhere we go.

It's like this is Paul's wife. So when we go to an Icelandic horse event, Darla's known, and her horses are known, and I get to be Darla's husband. So, you know, sometimes it's nice to go where nobody knows your name, but they're still glad you came. Anyway, my point is this is a horseshoe nail, right? This is a horseshoe nail. So feet shod in preparation. That's the point. And this is simple. It's a piece of metal, and it's just one little piece of the whole overall eulogy of this massive horse and their rider and performing what they do. But this nail plays an important part in that. I say much like the iron hob nails, which were driven through the bottom soles of the Roman soldiers' footwear and then crimped over there, the horseshoe nail attaches, again, that protective shoe to the horse's hoof. There's an old poem which was originally published back in the 1300s, and the original author isn't known, but it eventually found its way into Poor Richard's Almanac, which was Benjamin Franklin's 1757 version of that writing. And you might actually recognize this poem today as a nursery rhyme. But it goes like this. It says, For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost, For want of the shoe the horse was lost, For want of the horse the rider was lost, And for want of the rider the battle was lost, And for want of the battle the kingdom was lost. It says it was all for the want of a horseshoe nail. Just this little tiny piece of metal that would be driven in in preparation. Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard's Almanac, he prefaced this poem with this comment. He said, "...even a little neglect may breed great mischief." Even a little neglect may breed great mischief. And he advised, "...circumspection and care, even in the smallest of matters." So you take this and you say, you know, for want of a nail, the whole kingdom was lost. Everything was lost for that one little item in preparation. Well, you and I are to stand in readiness, shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. And the question for you and I is, what's the condition of our spiritual footwear? And have we examined it lately?

Is it worn? Is it tattered? Is it... I tend to wear shoes until they're falling apart, right? Now it's because they're comfortable for me, usually by that point. And it's time to go break in a new pair of shoes. My shoes, I looked at them and I said, these are too embarrassing to go wear up and be at this event. So I ended up buying, actually, a new pair of shoes for the event so I can muck around in the horse stalls and, you know, get all kinds of things stuck to them. But what's the condition of our spiritual footwear?

You know, we need to recognize that our spiritual life, brethren, could easily depend upon the quality and the durability of our footwear. And life goes by in season. Solomon told us that. And there are actually times of preparation. And there's times when it's not the time to go back and do what it is you should have done prior to this point. And so we're talking about preparation. You know, the motto of the United Church of God is preaching the gospel and preparing a people. Preparation is part of the Church's mission. Preparation for the kingdom of God, but preparation today for the days that are yet coming. Because difficult times are coming, brethren. Just like the poem of the horse you nail, the lack of preparation, in advance, right? To place the missing nail into the shoe of the horse led to the loss of everything. And the loss of that shoe wasn't in a time of peace. It was in the midst of the battle. It was a time you couldn't just stop and go back and do it. The battle was now. And you had to fight. And it's the same for you and I as well. We're facing difficult times at the end of the age yet to come. And the time for us to be prepared and made ready and to have that standing and the gospel of peace and for that relationship with God to be solid is today. This is the season of preparation. Because the time will come when it's not the time to go back and do it as you should have done it from the beginning. Indeed, it will be the heat of the battle and you will either stand or fall based upon what your level of preparation has been in this day and age. For want of a horseshoe nail or in our life for want of whatever it is, maybe seeming small, but that would loosen that shod of preparation in our life. Whatever it is, take the time to check it out now, to address it now. Unless in the heat of the battle, all be lost. Rather than the performance of our footwear depends upon its readiness, we must be examining for that. Draw near to God today. Exercise your spiritual disciplines today. Prayer, Bible study, fasting, meditation, fellowship. Sharpen your relationships today. Draw near to God in your covenant with Him before the time of trouble comes. This is all about our spiritual preparation to stand in that day. Having done all to stand, you'll do it in the moment, but you do it in the run-up. You train and you prepare for when the time of trouble comes or the trial in your life. If your feet are properly shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, your footing will be stable and your victory will be secure. Brethren, you can absolutely stand on the firm footing of that. Because if God is with you, who can be against you? If captivity has been led captive already by the captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ, who can stand against you? And if the prophecies of the Bible are true, and brethren, they are. Then we can take confidence in the fact that God will crush Satan under your feet shortly, but your footwear must be on.