(Excerpted from Spiritual Healing: The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 8)
"Moving down to the very bottom of our armor, Paul introduces us to the shoes prepared with the Gospel of peace. As Jesus was going through His final teachings to the disciples, He told them this:
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27)
All that Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 13-17 was critical information if they were to be successful in carrying the Gospel to the world in His physical absence. He knew that His peace would be necessary for their victory over an enemy who would stop at nothing to destroy them and the Gospel. Jesus' Gospel was one of peace with God. He was telling His disciples of their need to settle the issue now. They were never again to doubt, nor fear, their position with God ever again. Jesus was calling them to be assured of their salvation and to walk in it.
Isn't it interesting that God used the word picture of a sandal or shoe to illustrate how we are to 'walk out' the Gospel? Because we are God's children, our journey is to be traveled with our shoes of peace and assurance tightly tied on. Our peace with God that flows out of our understanding of God's love for us is something that must be settled in our hearts before we try to overcome our daily sin. Walking in the knowledge of His love for us is what our peace is based upon, and it is critical to our belief system, as well. Without this peace in our hearts, it will be difficult to overcome the lies the enemy will tell us, especially when we fail by falling to sin. Without the peace of knowing that God loves us, even when we fail Him, we might just believe the lie of satan that it is impossible to belong to God if we do sin.
Also critical to our walk of peace is the manner in which we walk through the terrifying times of the journey. When Jesus said, 'Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful, ' He was just hours away from His arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death. He knew that His disciples would face a time of despair and heartache. He knew that in their flesh they would be fearful of what would come next. But isn't it amazing that He also left these words for us, knowing that we, too, would face our own dark days? His peace was the answer then, and it is still the answer for us today. Jesus is calling each of us today to walk out our spiritual battles by standing firm in the peace that has been given to us by God."
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