King James Version. VS 14, 15, Stand therefore....And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
'Your feet shod?' Shod is normally attributed to a horse. It denotes putting horse shoes on their hooves so they can go over rocky terrain without stumbling or going lame. After comparing several of the other translations of this verse, I think I like this one best. To be strong in the Lord, we must be ready to walk and run over some dangerous and rough terrain. Remember? We're in a battle against satanic power. As much as I enjoy history, I don't remember any battlefields made out of carpet. They were all rough.
A horse's hooves were 'shod' to prepare them for some rough travel. A Christian should know that his way will not always be easy. So, it would be best for us to be prepared for whatever rough place we might have to walk across.
Every teacher I know that has taught on the subject of the armor of God has always talked about dealing with the satanic forces that fight against God and stir people to evil. However, I have NEVER heard anyone talk about the rough job of dealing with personal relationships. Some folks have tried to bind demons, cast them out and rebuke them all day long to no avail. That's because they aren't trying to walk in peace in their personal relationships. That is the first area that you have to conquer before you can go out and find a devil to bind.
In Matthew 22:37, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul and mind. In verse 37 He goes the next step and says that the second greatest commandment was to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. Now, that's a tall order.
Sometimes, it is the roughest thing in the world to love our spouse after the way they act and the way that they treat us. God didn't say love them when they treated you good. He just said love them as you love yourself. He didn't say only a couple of hours a day. He didn't say only half of the week. He didn't say love your pastor but not the church members. He didn't say love everybody but love some more than you do others. He didn't say love them only when they do you right. He just said love them.
Jesus washed the feet of the disciples knowing that they would all run away except for John. He even washed Judas' feet knowing that Judas would betray Him. Jesus loved regardless of how He was treated.
If you lose the battle of agape love in your home or in your personal relationships, you will not be equipped to go outside and battle the demonic forces that control the world. They have already chained you to anger, jealousy, lust, hurt, lies and deceit.
You try to bind the demons and they'll just laugh at you. Why? Because the One who defeated them with His blood walked in a steadfast love for His crowning creation, mankind. 1 John 4:8--God IS love.
Let me repeat that sentence another way. When we purposely walk in agape love and in peace with our fellow man, the demons begin to take notice. Why? Because agape love is something that they cannot stop. They saw that look in Jesus' eyes while He lived and they saw it when He died. When Jesus told them to come out of some one, they came out. When Jesus told them to shut up, they never said a word.
If you will purposely begin walking in love with your spouse, family, friends and your enemies, the Strength of the Living God will begin to well up within you. As your love grows, your power over the forces of hell will, too.
And now we can deal with Part 2
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