WEBVTT 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:14.960 When I was thinking about this, I'm like, man, it's not even like teaching your crowd just like teaching a bunch of my family. 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:16.800 So I just thank you guys for the opportunity to do this. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:18.079 And let's start in prayer. 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:19.120 It's hard here. 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:23.280 Lord, we just we thank you so much for your word, Lord. 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:25.760 We know that your word is light to us. 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:30.640 We thank you that it never changes, God, and that every time we open your word, it speaks to us again. 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:36.799 So we just ask, Lord, that tonight would be about your word, Lord, that you would speak to us, that you would open our hearts. 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:43.600 I thank you for the words that you've given me, but Lord, I just pray that my words would be yours, Lord, and that there would be encouragement spoken tonight. 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:54.880 Lord, that we would all walk away, just feeling more knowledgeable about who we are in you, Lord, and more knowledgeable about how we can walk forward and really be equipped to stand in this world. 00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:57.600 We just thank you and we give you praise tonight in your name. 00:00:57.600 --> 00:00:58.399 Amen. 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:00.240 All right, all right. 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:07.519 So we are in Ephesians chapter six, and we are going through, like Tyler said, equipped to stand. 00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:17.439 And something that I love and I want to just kind of go back to is where we were in the fall and in the spring when we did our church-wide study of Ephesians. 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:21.840 So we started in the fall with the beginning of Ephesians, and of course, that was identity. 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:25.280 So we went through what does Paul say about who we are in Christ? 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:28.799 And then we spent the spring season going through what is our purpose. 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:32.560 So we once we know who we are in Christ, how are we to be? 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:34.719 What kind of people ought we to be based on that? 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:37.760 And so this passage in Ephesians comes at the very end. 00:01:37.760 --> 00:01:45.280 So now Paul is giving us the practical armor that we can put on on a daily basis that reflects our identity and is indicative of our purpose. 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:47.840 And so that will kind of tie in tonight our verse. 00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:55.760 So we will go ahead and go through Ephesians 6, and we will start in verse 10, and we'll read all the way through verse 18 together. 00:01:55.760 --> 00:02:00.159 So and I'll be reading on NIV, but then I'll also be mentioning NLT as well. 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:04.319 So verse 10 says, Finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:08.879 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:20.240 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:30.000 Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:41.199 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:47.680 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, which with with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:57.280 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. 00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:02.639 With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:07.439 And so tonight we are focusing on the gospel shoes, the gospel shoes. 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:11.520 And I will say, if nothing else, studying this passage has been such a blessing to me. 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:18.400 I have found myself so many times in the past month going back over this and encouraging myself with what I feel like the Lord has shown me through this. 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:28.080 So it's such a blessing to walk through this season knowing that what we present to you, I think as leaders, you know, he always says that we preach ourselves first. 00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:30.000 And I really think that this is a case here for me. 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:33.680 Um so our verse specifically tonight is going to be verse 15. 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:41.199 And so that again says, stand with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:43.439 And I really like what NLT says. 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:50.000 It's phrased, it says, for shoes, put on the peace that comes from the good news, so that you will be fully prepared. 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:53.280 And I want to circle that word peace, because we'll come back to that. 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:54.879 That word peace here. 00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:58.960 Um, but in that section, how many times does Paul say the word stand? 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:01.680 Anyone count how many times he says stand? 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:06.000 We'll see if your number matches mine, because I might be wrong. 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:10.080 So in that whole ten through eighteen. 00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:27.519 Yeah, any mention of stand. 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:28.399 Stand, stand. 00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:36.319 Okay, I got four too, but depending on your version, you might have something different. 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:40.879 Four, anybody have more than two, okay. 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:45.600 So we know that this is an important concept, especially again, our series is called Equip to Sand. 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:47.920 And so that will come into play tonight. 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:51.040 But when I think of this, I have to be really honest. 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:54.160 Shoes are not the first piece of armor that I think of. 00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:58.160 Um so, like if somebody asked me, name the parts of an armor on a soldier. 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:00.000 I okay, helmet, makes sense. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:01.759 Protect your head, breastplate, got it. 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:03.839 Sword, okay, shield, yes. 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:04.639 But shoes. 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:08.399 I don't often think of shoes as being a piece of armor. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:12.000 I think of them as being something we need, but not a piece of armor. 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:15.680 So I was kind of thinking, what is the purpose of shoes for a soldier? 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:18.000 If you're a soldier, why do you need shoes? 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:19.279 So, what are some ideas? 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:21.439 Why would a soldier need good shoes? 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:24.720 Okay, hold the arch, yes. 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:28.000 Oh, march, yes, yes, yes, march. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:30.160 Protect them, protect, protect. 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:33.120 If you can't stand, you can't fight. 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:34.000 Oh, I like that. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:35.519 If you can't stand, you can't fight. 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:38.079 So, yes, so soldiers need shoes. 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:41.120 They protect them from walking through treacherous terrain, right? 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:48.319 If you're gonna be walking over something that's rough, rough surface, maybe there's debris on the ground from the battle, you have to protect your feet. 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:51.120 Shoes allow soldiers to walk into enemy territory. 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:55.759 It's literally the barrier between them and the territory that they stand on, right? 00:05:55.759 --> 00:05:57.759 It allows them to actually stand. 00:05:57.759 --> 00:05:59.360 It allows them to fight. 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:02.879 Like you said, if you don't have the correct shoes, you can't fight. 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:10.160 You're no matter what other pieces of armor you have or how strong you are, if you don't have the right shoes, you're not gonna be ready to use those other pieces of armor. 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:12.720 So shoes are really, really important for soldiers. 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:14.720 And think about them for us. 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:19.279 Other than our clothes, what's the one thing that you guys would never leave your house without? 00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:20.959 Okay, right? 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:26.959 So, how many of us have ever gotten to our car and we turn it on and we're like, oh man, shoes, that's what I forgot to wear today, right? 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:33.519 So no one, we're not, we might leave our wallet at home, we might forget our phone, we might even forget our work badge or something we meant to bring. 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:36.160 But none of us are ever gonna forget to wear our shoes. 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:39.680 Even if we're just going to get the mail, shoes are something that we always have. 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:48.079 No matter what our purpose is, anytime we go out to the world, if we're leaving our doorstep, if we're going anywhere or achieving anything during the day, we always put shoes on. 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:50.079 That's something that we never forget. 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:56.160 And also think about the not just the shoes that we wear, but think about the type of shoes. 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:59.920 So if you're a runner, you know the importance of getting shoes with good arch support. 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:03.439 You want shoes that are breathable and able to get you where you need to go when you're running. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:08.079 If you work in construction, you're gonna show up to your job site with some seal toe boots, right? 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:10.079 Because that's important for the work that you do. 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:14.879 If you play soccer, you're gonna choose shoes that are specifically designed to grip the ground. 00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:16.079 So you're gonna choose cleats. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:19.600 You wouldn't show up to a construction site wearing flip-flops. 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:22.959 If you value your toes, you wouldn't show up wearing flip-flops, right? 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:25.360 And you're not gonna put on your high heels to go play soccer. 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:33.040 So the type of shoe that we put on determines our ability to do whatever task is in front of us here. 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:38.000 Okay, and so what we kind of see is the type of shoe we choose matters. 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:44.319 And what we choose to put on our feet really impacts our ability to be steady and to be ready. 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:47.920 So there's two kinds of ideas, steady and ready here. 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:58.879 And if we look back at verse 15, we kind of see these two ideas, the steady and the ready, kind of emerge from verse 15, because we see it says feet fitted with the gospel of peace or put on, right? 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:00.319 So that's gonna be steady. 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:04.879 And then we also see the words be fully prepared or the readiness. 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:06.240 So there's two ideas here. 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:10.079 And so what we'll kind of do in our brief time together is we'll go through these two ideas. 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:14.000 So first we'll kind of look at what does Paul mean by the gospel of peace here? 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:15.279 That's the steady part. 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:20.000 And then how does that make us ready or fully prepared for what we have to face? 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:21.839 So that's gonna be that readiness part. 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:22.720 Sound good? 00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:24.240 Yeah, all right. 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:26.160 So first we'll start with ready. 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:29.120 And I told you guys earlier to circle the word peace. 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:34.240 And that is also because when I was reading this, I really haven't focused in on that word. 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:40.399 Even when I was thinking, you know, as a kid you learned the armor of God, the breastplate of righteousness, okay, the shoes of the gospel. 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:43.440 But in every translation, that word peace stands out. 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:49.039 And in fact, again, NLT says, put on the peace that comes with from the gospel. 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:52.399 So it mentions the word peace before it even mentions shoes. 00:08:52.399 --> 00:09:00.879 And so that idea of peace, depending on how we read this, it might almost seem ironic or like a contradiction. 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:08.720 So, especially if you're thinking from like a Western mindset or maybe as a new believer, when you think of peace, what do you think of? 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:12.159 So I would say peace is everything going good. 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:13.679 Peace is smooth sailing. 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:16.960 No one's fighting, everyone's getting along, there's nothing wrong. 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:18.639 Peace means there's nothing wrong. 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:24.720 And I think a lot of people in the Western world, especially like with world peace, when someone says we want world peace, what do they mean? 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:30.320 Well, there's no fighting, there's no wars, there's no conflict, everyone's friends, we're all getting along. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:36.799 And so if we look at this whole section of chapter six, though, Paul is using a soldier metaphor. 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:39.279 He's talking about equipping us for battle. 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:47.200 So, how can that make sense if peace means that there's no conflict, but Paul is telling us to put on peace going into a conflict? 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:48.879 How does that make sense? 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:55.440 And so, really, what I when I was reading through this, what we have to do is we have to discover what does Paul actually mean by peace? 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:56.799 What does he mean by peace? 00:09:56.799 --> 00:09:58.639 And Mark did such a great job on Sunday. 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:04.720 If you want to hear this message, just go back and listen to his, because he basically, I love that it connected so beautifully to that. 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:10.720 Um, and so here, peace, it doesn't necessarily mean outward peace. 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:12.879 It doesn't mean everything is going right on the outside. 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:14.000 It's a much deeper term. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:21.840 And so I'm no Bible expert, but when I looked it up, it comes, it's the Greek word, I think it's Irene, it's E-I-R-E-N-E. 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:26.240 And that is going to be the Hebrew equivalent of shalom, which is what Mark talked about on Sunday. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:27.120 That's shalom. 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:30.159 And so shalom is so much more than a feeling. 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:31.840 In fact, it's not a feeling at all. 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:37.200 One of the meanings of shalom can mean wholeness, it means completeness. 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:40.480 There's that phrase, nothing missing, nothing broken. 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:48.240 And so, in contrast to what we might think of as peace in the outward sense, peace isn't a feeling. 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:50.480 Peace isn't an experience. 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:54.879 In the same way you pick up a vase and say this vase is whole, that's not a feeling. 00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:56.960 The vase doesn't feel whole, it's a state of being. 00:10:56.960 --> 00:10:59.200 This vase is whole, nothing is broken on it. 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:01.120 And so peace is a state. 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:03.440 It's not an external thing. 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:06.720 It doesn't come from our circumstances, it's not a feeling or an emotion. 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:08.960 It is an actual state of being. 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:14.799 And if we think about that in this verse, it says the peace that comes from the gospel, the good news. 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:16.639 How does the peace come from the gospel? 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:18.879 How does the gospel bring us that peace? 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:27.519 Well, if we think the gospel meaning Jesus' work on the cross, his death and resurrection, because of his work on the cross, we can have that peace. 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:33.600 We have wholeness or reconciliation with God in the midst of real external conflict. 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:35.440 Because again, it's a state. 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:40.240 Jesus' work on the cross changed our state of being towards God. 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:42.720 At one point, we did not have peace with God. 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:44.480 We were enemies of God. 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:47.600 And because of his death and resurrection, he reconciled. 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:52.000 One of the synonyms to peace that I had looked up was reconciliation. 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:58.480 But it's not external, it's not we all get along now as a world, but we are now one with Christ. 00:11:58.480 --> 00:12:06.000 And so thinking back to Ephesians, if we go back to chapter two, I think Paul lays this out really beautifully in the beginning in chapter two. 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:13.759 So we go to two, we can honestly read all of chapter two, but we'll just for the sake of time look at verses one through five. 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:18.960 Ephesians two, one through five, and then we'll jump to 12 through 20. 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:23.519 So does anyone want to read Ephesians 2, 1 through 5? 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:56.799 And you were dead in the presentation of sin in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work, and the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:09.919 But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:12.080 By grace you have been saved. 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:22.879 Yeah, and so we can see there again, in order to understand real peace, we have to understand what our standing was before the good news on the work on the cross, and what our standing was because of it or after it. 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:24.480 And so that lays it out so nicely. 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:28.320 If somebody else wants to read, it's a little bit longer, but 12 through 20. 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:30.480 Ephesians 2, 12 through 20. 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:34.799 That you were, I say, at that time without Christ. 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:43.679 And we're aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and we're strangers from the covenants of promise and have no hope or without God in the world. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:51.279 But now in Christ Jesus, you were who we want and far off and made near by the blood of Christ. 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:58.960 For he is our peace, which hath made both once, hath broken the stop and petition walk. 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:10.000 Abrogating stream is flesh, the hatred that is the law of commandments, which stands in ordinances, for make the flight man in himself, so maybe peace. 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:20.960 So there again we see it mentions peace several times, and it says, verse 17, he came and preached peace to you who are far away and peace to those who are near. 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:24.320 For through him we both have access to the Father by one spirit. 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:37.200 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners or aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as a chief cornerstone. 00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:39.519 And so there again is that idea of peace. 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:42.320 We can see here that peace is an identity thing. 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:48.960 In order to understand peace, it's not dependent on our circumstances, it is truly, it's a place of standing, right? 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:50.559 We are reconciled to Christ. 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:52.480 We have died and been resurrected with him. 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:56.320 And so no matter what happens around us, we can have that peace. 00:14:56.320 --> 00:15:00.240 We can have the peace from the gospel, even in the midst of battle. 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:02.559 So here, Paul is not contradicting himself. 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:08.320 It makes sense when we understand what he is coming from with that idea of peace. 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:10.480 We also have Philippians 4 7. 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:15.360 We know the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:16.320 And I love that. 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:19.919 I hadn't, you hear that verse so many times, but I hadn't thought about the verb there. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:21.759 What's the verb in that phrase? 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:24.960 The peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:26.559 Guard, right? 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:32.159 So there he's personifying peace in that phrase, in that verse, peace is a guard. 00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:34.000 Peace will guard your hearts and minds. 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:36.399 I think about it like someone standing outside a tomb, right? 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:38.080 They're not going to let anything else in. 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:40.000 So peace is a guard. 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:42.480 And that is a protection for us. 00:15:42.480 --> 00:15:45.600 But again, it's not based on anything external. 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:50.320 Like the world would say, if there's not peace outside, I can't have peace inside. 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:53.679 But we're different because of the gospel here. 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:56.000 And that kind of leads us now. 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:57.519 That was the steady. 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:00.720 So we are grounded in our identity because of the work of Christ. 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:05.440 But that kind of leads us into the readiness, that kind of second part of the verse. 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:15.840 Um, and another verse that I was thinking of that calls us to readiness is in the New Testament, and it's 1 Peter 5, 8 through 11. 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:21.279 1 Peter 5, 8 through 11. 00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:25.600 And I'll actually start with verse 7, because it's a personal favorite of mine. 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:29.840 Verse 7 says, Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:32.720 Verse 8, be self-controlled and alert. 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:37.519 Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:41.679 So that sounds very similar to what Paul was saying earlier in chapter six. 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:43.519 Resist him standing firm. 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:50.320 There's those words again, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 00:16:50.320 --> 00:17:00.320 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:02.320 To him be the power forever and ever. 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:03.120 Amen. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:08.319 And so those words are very similar to what Paul is calling us to. 00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:10.079 Be alert, right? 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:11.839 Because the enemy is prowling around. 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:13.920 So there is a purpose for our readiness. 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:16.240 There is something we have to be ready for. 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:17.200 Okay. 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:22.000 Specifically, we're thinking about back in Ephesians 6, the stand against the devil's schemes. 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:24.240 That's what we're prepared for. 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:32.880 And so we can see that we can have internal peace even when there's not external peace, which is honestly something that I've been experiencing personally in my life. 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:36.880 So I think this is very impactful for me, no matter where we're walking. 00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:46.799 Whether we're walking to the mailbox or whether we're walking to work, whether we're walking into enemy territory, we can stand on that peace and be ready to fight the devil's schemes. 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:50.240 But being ready implies paying attention, right? 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:53.920 If you're a soldier and you're ready for battle, you have to be clear-headed. 00:17:53.920 --> 00:17:57.440 You can't be worried about anything, you can't be distracted by anything. 00:17:57.440 --> 00:17:59.920 You have to be an alert of sober mind. 00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:04.000 But if you don't have a peace in your soul, you're going to be chaotic. 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:07.839 You're going to feel like your, I guess, energy is off, right? 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:08.720 Like you're not ready. 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:10.240 You're going to be distracted. 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:12.559 And so you're not going to be fully prepared. 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:26.960 And that's how the peace connects to this idea of preparedness, is that if we know where identity is in Christ, we can walk into anything, into any situation, knowing that the outcome has already been determined and that we are strengthened. 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:28.319 We are prepared. 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:30.000 We can go on the offensive. 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:31.599 And I like what you said earlier. 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:34.640 If you're not, if you don't have the right shoes on, you can't fight. 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:38.400 No matter how big your sword is, if you're distracted, it's not going to matter. 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:39.279 You have a point. 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:45.680 And no matter how many tabs are open, yep, yep. 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:54.559 No matter how many tabs, no matter how busy your day is, no matter how overwhelmed you feel, you're going to stand on that readiness. 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:56.960 You're going to have that peace as a center. 00:18:56.960 --> 00:18:58.400 And again, it's an identity thing. 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:03.279 It's so much more than what the world thinks of as peace, meaning everything goes right. 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:10.079 Another encouraging verse to kind of talk about where we were versus where we are is in Colossians. 00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:13.279 Colossians 1, 19 through 23. 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:22.480 And so this kind of goes back again to our identity and then also our purpose or that idea of readiness. 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:38.000 So Colossians 1, 19 through 23, it says, For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile himself to all things, whether things on earth or things of heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:20:00.960 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior, but now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free of accusation, if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:09.039 So there again, we're kind of seeing the idea of the steady and the ready working together, putting on those shoes in order to be fully prepared here.