Standing Against Satan
Vicky MootsKingman, Kansas
Eph. 6:11: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Verses 14-15: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”
Paul tells us in these verses that the purpose of wearing our spiritual armor is so that we will be able to stand against Satan. He makes it clear that we need the whole armor to do this, but in V. 15, he emphasizes the importance of wearing proper footwear. No barefoot warriors or flip-flops are allowed in this army!
Why? What is so important about our feet in our battle against Satan? I’m going to answer that question by discussing the importance of feet in the physical body and how they are constructed. Did you know that approximately ¼ of the 206 bones in our bodies are required to enable us to stand?
The foot is actually one of the most complex parts of the human body, because feet must bear the weight of the whole body. They are not simply rigid structures, but are flexible. They are composed of 26 bones each, totaling 52 bones. These bones are connected by joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and soft tissue. The feet also contain nerves to enable us to balance and to stand upright, as well as to perform activities such as walking, running, and jumping.
Each foot is divided into three sections (a trinity): the forefoot, midfoot, and hindfoot. The forefoot includes the toes (phalanges) and the longbones (metatarsals). There are five toes and five metatarsals on each foot. Five is the number of grace in the Scripture. The hindfoot consists of the ankle and the heelbone (calcaneus).
The midfoot portion of each foot has a collection of five bones (again, the number of grace), which form an arch. An arch is considered to be one of the strongest structures in architecture. These five bones include three cuneiform bones (another trinity) plus the cubiform and the navicular bone.
Spiritually, this demonstrates to us that it is by God’s grace that we are able to stand, as Paul tells us in Rom. 5:2: “By whom [Jesus] also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand…” We stand in the grace of God, not our own merit.
The ankle joint is formed from three bones (also a trinity): the talus, tibia and fibula. That makes a total of three trinities in each foot. The number three not only represents the Trinity, but it also speaks of resurrection, since Jesus was raised on the third day. Our ability to stand spiritually is, therefore, not only because of God’s grace, but also through the power of the resurrection, which enables us to walk in newness of life.
It is important that we keep our feet healthy if we want to be able to stand very long without pain. Feet can become diseased or deformed by wearing improperly fitting or non-supportive footwear. Shoes that are too tight, have pointed toes, high heels or that don’t support the arch will eventually result in such things as bunions, calluses, corns, hammertoes, plantar fasciitis or even foot ulcers. These things are not only painful and affect mobility, but can also become dangerous to our health.
In II Chron. 16:12-13, we read that King Asa became “exceedingly diseased” in his feet and died. In V. 12, it states that he died because he failed to speak to the Lord and had only sought the physicians for help. Spiritually speaking, we can become diseased in our feet (affecting our Christian walk and our ability to stand against Satan) if our spiritual feet are not properly shod and protected, or if we fail to seek the Lord for help.
All soldiers need combat boots to protect and support their feet. The footwear of the Roman soldier had a much different appearance than that of soldiers today, but it served the same purpose. Proper footwear is equally important to us spiritually, and so we must be sure to protect our spiritual feet as soldiers in God’s army.
The shoes which we have been provided and commanded to wear, have been designed to be sturdy, supportive and long lasting. They are guaranteed to fit properly, unless altered from their original design. The long-lasting material from which these shoes have been fashioned is not man-made. It has been imported from heaven. It is the “gospel of peace.” Therefore, it is eternal and will never wear out or grow old.
Col. 1:21 tells us that before we accept Christ as Savior, sin separates us from God and makes us His enemies. But the good news (the gospel) is that Jesus died to make peace and to bring us to God: “…having made peace through the blood of his cross…” (V. 20). This is the gospel of peace.
Paul then tells us in Rom. 5:1-2 how to put on these gospel of peace shoes: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We must put them on by faith. Faith is the shoehorn we use to put on our shoes.
The “gospel of peace” shoes are the right size for each one of us. We cannot add anything to the gospel (such as our own works or ideas), or take anything away from it, or the shoes will not fit, and we will be unable to stand. Jesus is the only way to salvation and peace with God.
That name, Jesus, was what made the lame man in Acts 3:6-7 whole and able to stand: “Then Peter said…In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.” It is the same name whereby our feet and ankles have the strength to stand against Satan.
In conclusion, let us look at the Greek meanings of the words “preparation” and “peace” in Eph. 6:15. “Preparation” means “firm standing” or “foundation.” The word “peace” means “that which has been bound together.” Therefore, with our feet properly shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we can stand firmly on the foundation, by faith, knowing that we have been made one with Christ, bound together with Him. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus!
So, having done all, let us stand!
