Leave Your Shoes On

Picture this with me… A beautiful lady walks in the door. She has on the most gorgeous outfit you’ve ever seen. Her hair is flawless, her makeup is immaculate, and her smile is stunning. Everything about her is breathtaking. Then you look down and to your surprise you notice she doesn’t have any shoes on!

A few months ago a young woman came up to me and mentioned every time she even thinks about taking her shoes off in public she hears my voice. Don’t ask me why but I just have this thing about people taking their shoes off in public. Unless you’re at the beach, at the pool, or someplace like that, if you have access to shoes I just think you should keep them on.

Too often ladies in particular will see a pair of shoes they really like in the store and make the decision to buy them even though they know they’re uncomfortable, they can only wear them for so long, or they can’t even walk in them. Well, let me let you in on a little secret, ladies. If your pinky toe is crying out for mercy when you try the shoes on in the store, then that’s a good sign that same pinky toe is going to be screaming when you try to wear those shoes out to an event.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a pair of shoes that fit perfectly, look amazing, are extremely comfortable, go with every outfit you own and never have to be taken off? I know you’re thinking there are no such shoes, but what if I told you there are? No, you can’t find them on Amazon, but you can find them in Ephesians 6:15. It says, “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.”

When you put on your shoes of peace, they won’t hurt you; instead they’ll help you. They won’t cause you to stumble or fall; they’ll actually cause you to walk in the perfect will of God. The only thing that’s uncomfortable about them is when you try to take them off and walk without them.

Hebrews 12:14a instructs us to, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy.” Live at peace with everyone AND be holy? We all know we need the help of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to do that! So, if the Word of God tells us we’ve been given shoes that will help us walk in peace, why would we ever choose to put on a pair that causes us to walk in worry, doubt, stress or frustration? How will you ever be able to stand firm like God tells us to when you’re shaking in the boots you’ve chosen to wear?

I want you to seriously think about this. When you go to the store, why would you choose to pay so much money for a pair of shoes you don’t even plan to keep on your feet? Well, Jesus went to the cross and chose to pay the ultimate price for our peace. So the least we could do is to wear the shoes He bought for us and never take them off.

Questions to Ask

·      How comfortable are you only being clothed from your head to your ankles?

·      What shoes have you chosen to walk in other than the shoes of peace?

·      Describe a time when you weren’t prepared for the schemes of the enemy because he caught you with your shoes off.

Scriptures to Study

·      Ephesians 6:15

·      Hebrews 12:14

·      Romans 12:18

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