The Right Shoes

No matter how powerful the breastplate of a Roman soldier was or how much he had tightened his belt, these wouldn’t do much good if he slipped and fell. So, in his list of the armor of God, Paul mentions “having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. . . .”

The Roman sandal or boot was essentially a sole with straps held firmly on the foot at the bottom. It would have been studded with nails, providing the soldier with better footing and thus preventing him from slipping and sliding on the terrain. It would be like wearing cleats today.

These shoes also provided protection, because one of the common battlefield tactics of ancient times was to place sharpened sticks in the ground at an angle. If a soldier came along and wasn’t wearing sandals or boots, he would suffer a wound to his foot and probably die from infection. The irony is, he would be wearing his breastplate and have his sword and shield ready, but could end up dying because his foot got cut. So, footwear was of the greatest importance.

So when Paul said, “Have your feet shod,” he is telling us to wear the right footwear. It will not only protect us from the enemy’s tactics, but also will enable us to keep our footing. The devil would love for you to lose some of the ground you’ve gained since becoming a Christian. He will try to get you to start slipping and lose your footing, because he knows it will be the beginning of the end.