The Shoes Of Peace
Peace: A defensive weapon
Keep in mind that Paul using the illustration of the Roman soldiers shoes as “peace.” To see why Paul did this we must consider how the roman soldiers shoe was made and what this dangerously spiked show did for the Roman soldier.
The greave began at the top of the knee and extended downward to just above the top of the foot. Why do you suppose the Roman soldiers greave would cover so much of his leg? Why do you suppose the greave was made of solid bronze or brass?
The upper portion of the shoe was very important it protected the soldier’s foot from being bruised, cut or broken during battle.
A bruised, broken or lacerated leg could quickly spell disaster for a soldier. A bruised leg meant he would be impaired in his fighting and ability to swiftly respond to an attack. A laceration meant he could loose large amounts of blood and thus be too weak to defend himself. A broken leg meant he wouldn’t be able to stand and in this weakened position the enemy could literally take his head from his shoulders.
Because of the dangers a Roman soldier had to be sure his legs were protected. Otherwise it would mean the battle would be more intense and his chances of overcoming his enemy would be drastically reduced.
Their greaves protected them from danger, and gave them the assurance they needed to proceed with the mission that had been given to them.
Likewise, God may give you an assignment in life that requires you to go through some challenging places. If you do not have this protective peace of God at work in your life, it is highly probable rocky relationships and tough situations will hurt you.
However, when you have the peace of God ruling in your heart, mind, and emotions, you can go into the toughest, rockiest situations and never be hurt or receive one scrape. Therefore, the peace of God enables you to successfully fulfill any call that God will give you in life.
The Roman soldier sometimes was ordered to go through thorny places where his shoes the greaves would protect him from getting scratched.
Similarly, if you make it past the rocky places in your life and are headed toward victory, the enemy may try to abort your victory by forcing you to through a thorny patch. Your thorn patch may be a difficult financial situation, a bad marriage, a sick body, or a challenge in your ministry or place of employment.
When the peace of God is working in your life, just as you successfully made it through rocky places, you will make it through these sticky places. The prevailing peace of God will rule to such an extent, that you can walk through those hard places without receiving one tiny prick to your mind or emotions.
The greaves protected the soldier from various things and repeated attacks to his legs.
Do you see why Paul viewed piece as a weapon of defense? When you are walking in the peace of God, that peace protects you from cuts, scrapes, bruises and hurts, Its like a protective greave, protecting your mind and your emotions from wounds and fears that could impair your life of faith
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With the peace of God Operative in your life, you can go though the rockets, toughest times and not get cut, bruised or seriously injured. With the peace of God ruling in your life you can walk though thorny situations that the enemy has devised to destroy you, your family, your business, or your church family – such times when you wake up and realize, I’m going through some extremely difficult times, and never had more joy! Why haven’t I been more bothered by all this trouble? Why haven’t I been bruised by this situation? I seem to have total peace!”
Because you are walking in the peace of God, that supernatural peace that has given you the protection you needed for the situation. You can walk through the darkest valley without injury if you are walking in divine peace.
You may know people who, naturally speaking, were going through very hard times in their personal lives, and yet, continued to display joy and power in their countenance. You may have wondered, “How are they making it through this time in their lives without loosing their minds? How do they do it?
There is only one answer: the peace of God. When you are walking in the peace of God you do not realize how difficult your situation is! You are so overcome with the peace of God that and insulated through it, that you may not realize how thorny things are. When you are walking in the protective peace (though everyone else is aware of it) you may not be aware that the enemy is trying to fatally wound you.
How can you go through all these potentially dangerous things without realizing it or being hurt by them? Through the peace of God that totally encompasses you all about protecting you so completely that you can carry on in life undisturbed by these events.
You must know one thing: the devil will try to kick you in the shins and get you down! I can guarantee it!
Try to believe God for healing – and see if the devil will sit back and watch without giving you a run for your money! He doesn’t want you to be healed. To keep you from receiving your healing, he may try to give you fits!
Try to believe God for prosperity – and see if the devil just sits back as the blessings of God freely pour into your life!
No! The devil doesn’t want you to have God’s best! When you begin to grow and move into these kinds of promised blessings, he will try to lambaste you and beat you to a pulp into defeat. You might say that he will try to kick you, break your legs, and then take off your head! He will come against you as hard as possible.
What will protect you from this kind of onslaught? The peace of God. The peace of God is a weapon that will defend and keep you in the midst of such trying circumstances. This peace pulls the plug on the enemies’ ability to affect your mind and emotions it causes his devices against you to become worthless. You may be saying, “Wow I have felt every kick, every thorn, every scratch and I still do.” If this is the case then you need to be clothed with the peace of God it will carry you through those difficult and hard times that you seem unable to bear.
As you grow spiritually, spiritual confrontations will come to challenge your new growth. Therefore, you must walk in the conquering and prevailing peace of God. Otherwise the enemy will move you into mental and emotional irrationality that will destroy your effectiveness in the Kingdom of God.
Along this same line of thought, Paul said, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds…” (Philippians 4:7).
The word “keep” is taken from the word tereo (te-re-o), and it means “to keep, to guard, to protect, or to garrison.” It is the picture of a band of Roman soldiers who are standing “watch” over something that needs protection.
By using this word, Paul tells us that the peace of God will keep and protect your mind. Peace will surround your heart and mind and protect it just like the Roman soldiers would surround dignitaries and buildings to protect them.
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.