Ready to Move

The sandals or shoes Paul describes in Ephesians 6 not only provide stability to help the believer hold ground. They also provide mobility. These are not dress shoes that are uncomfortable or that you want to keep perfectly clean. These shoes will allow you to move at a moment’s notice.

As 1 Peter 3:15 tells us, “If you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.” In the original language, these words communicate the idea of giving a defense, as in a court of law. So we should always be ready to give a defense of what we believe. We need to be ready at a moment’s notice to seize opportunities to share the gospel.

Some people say, “The Lord never opens up opportunities for me to share my faith.” I think He does, but I think often we are not paying attention. Opportunities are all around us. Sometimes we simply need to push on that door of opportunity a little bit. We need to talk to people. Jesus sat down with the woman at the well, asked her for a drink of water, began to converse with her, and transitioned into a spiritual conversation. People rarely will come knocking on your door to ask what they must do to be saved. Generally there will be other kinds of opportunities, but you need to have your spiritual antenna up, so to speak, and seize the moment when it comes.

The armor of God is not only for holding ground; it is also for gaining ground. We gain ground when our shoes are on and we walk through the doors of opportunity God opens for us.