Thursday, October 28, 2026
Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. Ephesians 6:14-18 CSB
Promised Peace
Plenty of things in this world promise peace but deliver exactly the opposite. Satan entices us with promises of all kinds of things – including peace – but he is the father of lies. He promises us things in order to distract us from the real promise keeper, God. He wants us to take our eyes off of God and to distract us from him and his purpose for our lives, making us ineffective for the kingdom and taking a stand in the spiritual battle we are engaged in.
When our peace is shaken it feels like the whole world is caving in on us. The sandals of the gospel of peace are our foundation, helping us stay steady and secure because our trust in peace found in him and the victory we have in him. The gospel of peace (the gospel story) is the foundation of our lives. Just as shoes protect feet, the gospel of peace protects us bringing durability, comfort, support, and steadiness.
Peace (shalom) brings an inner resting of the soul that doesn’t fluctuate depending on circumstances. Completeness. Wholeness. It comes from Jesus alone, and is different from the world. We equate peace with lack of struggle and pain, but peace is possible in middle of struggle and pain. It is possible in the heat of the battle when the enemy is throwing everything he has at us.
“The gospel of peace” is both offensive and defensive.
Offensive – we must be ready to intentionally take the gospel of peace to a lost world. Matt 24:14 They also enable believers to move forward in mission, “going places” they could not before — sharing the good news without fear, confident that Christ’s work secures their place
Defensive – we must always be ready to stand against the devil’s schemes by being firmly rooted in the truth of the gospel and to be ready to give a defense for what we believe. 1 peter 3:15 In peace with graciousness and kindness even to those who oppose us. The gospel of peace protects against the “flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16) by reminding believers of God’s faithfulness, their identity in Christ, and the truth of Scripture
The gospel of peace brings peace everywhere there is division, anger, hate, or malice. The gospel of peace is powerful enough to save a whole world, unite kingdoms, span generations of all time, bring heaven to earth, raise the dead, and save a wretch from certain destruction. The gospel of peace justifies and reconciles an unholy people with a holy God.
He wraps his peace around us like a blanket. We should always have his peace on, along with the other armor, at all times. We need to be ready at all times and not wait until we are surprised by the enemy.
The gospel of peace provides us with peace in the midst of storms, chaos, lies, and the most difficult and trying times. We are protected by the gospel of peace because it is truth that stands against everything the enemy is throwing at us. It helps us stand unwavering in the battle when Satan tries to make us wobble. It helps us defend the “flaming arrows” from Satan, giving us confidence in who we are in Christ when he whispers lies in our ear. No matter the circumstances, the shoes of readiness for the gospel of peace enable us to move forward in our purpose, sharing the gospel of peace.
What gives you peace? We look for peace in so many wrong places. If we don’t want to think about it or feel we will seek peace in something. We buy things, take things, eat things, drink things, stay in bed, stay away from people, watch things, scroll things and more just to try to find a sliver of peace or a moment of contentment. None of these things will bring us peace. They are only distractions. Satan loves a good distraction because he knows the only thing that brings peace is Jesus and his gospel of peace. We will never find peace at the end of a distraction. We will find emptiness and the same thing we were trying to distract ourselves from and often more of it.
What invades your peace? What are you carrying that invades your peace? What robs your peace?
