The Shoes of Preparedness

The shoes that Paul described as part of the armor of God in Ephesians 6 do more than give believers the stability to maintain solid spiritual footing. They also provide mobility. These aren’t uncomfortable dress shoes that you walk carefully in so that you can keep them clean and unscuffed. These shoes allow you to move at a moment’s notice.

The apostle Peter wrote, “If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it” (1 Peter 3:15 NLT). 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.

The way to prepare ourselves, to “break in” the shoes that are part of our spiritual armor, is through practice. We can do that by studying and committing to memory Scripture passages that present the gospel message. The fresher these passages are in our minds, the more quickly we can access them when an opportunity arises. A good place to start our studying and memorizing is with passages such as John 3:16; John 14:6; Ephesians 2:8–9; Acts 2:38; and Romans 5:8.

Another way to “always be ready to explain” our hope is to anticipate questions, objections, or concerns that people may have about the Christian faith. For example, someone may ask, “Don’t you think it’s narrow-minded to say that Jesus is the only way to God and eternal life?” If we’re prepared to answer the question before it’s asked, it may strengthen our credibility. A great way to anticipate such things is to think back to the questions, objections, or concerns we had before we became Christians.

We can prepare ourselves by talking to other mature believers, drawing on their gospel-sharing experience. Christians who have been “in the trenches” can offer valuable guidance on how to approach people and what to say and what not to say.

Some people say, “The Lord never opens up opportunities for me to share my faith.” I think He does, but we may not be paying attention. Opportunities are all around us. We just need to hone our skills in recognizing and seizing them.

More than anything, we need to talk to people. In John 4, Jesus sat down with a woman at a well, asked her for a drink of water, began to converse with her, and transitioned into a spiritual conversation. That’s how it’s done.

People will rarely will come knocking on our doors to ask what they must do to be saved. Generally, there will be other kinds of opportunities, but we need to have our spiritual antenna up, so to speak, and seize the moment when it comes. We need the spiritual shoes that allow us to move swiftly and efficiently in presenting the gospel.

The armor of God is useful not only for holding our spiritual ground but also for gaining spiritual ground. We gain ground by walking through the doors of opportunity that God opens for us.

Reflection Question: How can you be prepared to share your faith when an opportunity arises? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

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