Putting On Your Soul Shoes

Herb Kelleher, the founder of Southwest Airlines, was once asked about the secret of his airline’s phenomenal success. “I can teach you the secret to running this airline in 30 seconds. This is it: Southwest is the low-fare airline. Not a low-fare airline. We are a low-fare airline. Once you understand that fact, you can make any decision about this company’s future as well as I can.” Kelleher elaborated on his statement, “Here’s an example. Tracy from marketing comes into your office. She says her surveys indicate that the passengers might enjoy a light entree on the Houston to Las Vegas flight. All we offer is peanuts, and she thinks a nice chicken Caesar salad would be popular. What do you say?”

The interviewer hesitated, so Kelleher answered his own question. “You say, Tracy, by adding chicken Caesar salad, that it will help make us THE low-fare airline from Houston to Las Vegas? Because if it doesn’t help us become the unchallenged low-fare airline, we’re not serving any d____ chicken salad!!”

Understanding your unique purpose is not only integral to success in the business world, but it is also foundational to success in the spiritual world. A clearly defined life purpose is like a beacon in the darkness that provides direction when we face crucial choices. 

The slugfest between airlines over passenger share is child’s play compared to the spiritual war that rages between you and Satan over your destiny. Do you really want to win this war?  Would you rather be a victor or a victim? Discovering your purpose in life—and then making choices according to that purpose—is essential for victory in the spirit wars. 

1. The Importance of Footwear in Battle

I once heard a fashion consultant say, “I always judge the quality of a person’s wardrobe by first looking at his shoes.” Good shoes are essential for any well-dressed man or woman. 

However, in New Testament times, quality footwear was more than just a fashion statement. Sturdy shoes were indispensable in a world in which most people walked wherever they traveled.  

For a Roman soldier in the heat of battle, good boots were critical for his success in battle. The thick soles of the Roman boot protected the soldier against stones or sharp sticks the enemy might have planted underneath the ground in order to pierce the soldier’s foot. Pieces of metal protruding from the bottom of the soldier’s boots, much like the cleats in an athletic shoe today, also provided stability for the soldier that prevented him from stumbling while engaged in hand-to-hand combat with his adversary.  

As the apostle Paul studied the Roman soldier who guarded him, he noted his thick-soled, metal-enhanced boots and compared them to an essential component for any Christian who wants to win in his death struggle with Satan.

2. Identifying Our Spiritual Boots (Ephesians 6:15; Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:14-15, 17)

I believe that the key to identifying this essential piece of our spiritual armor is recognizing that this verse is a paraphrase of  Isaiah 52:7 which says, “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”

Paul is linking “feet” with the announcement of Christ’s coming salvation, which the prophet Isaiah anticipated 700 years before Jesus’ birth. If you think it is a stretch to interpret Isaiah’s words as a reference to announcing Christ’s salvation, consider how Paul links Isaiah’s words with “evangelism” (a word meaning “to announce good news”) in his letter to the Christians at Rome.

Today, the word “preach” is considered a pejorative term, such as when one of my daughters says, “Dad, quit preaching to me.” But in Paul’s day, the word “preach” simply meant to announce or proclaim. The spread of the gospel message is not limited to paid professionals speaking in a stained-glass voice once a week from a wooden pulpit. Paul is emphasizing the necessity for every believer to regularly proclaim the good news of the salvation offered by Christ.  

The spiritual “boots” that give stability to a Christian’s life are his willingness and ability to share the message of Christ with others.

Those who challenge this interpretation ask, “What does evangelism have to do with spiritual warfare? How does our commitment to share the gospel with others help us defeat the attacks of Satan?”  

Good questions, for sure. So let’s take a moment to see how the Bible connects our purpose in life, evangelism, and success in spiritual warfare through four simple statements.  

3. The Connection Between Your Purpose, Evangelism, and Spiritual Warfare

• God Created You for a Great Purpose  (Jeremiah 1:5)

Why has God left you here on earth rather than taking you to heaven?  

Think about it. If God took you to heaven the moment you were saved, God’s eternal purposes for your life could be instantly fulfilled. 1 John 3:3 says that in our new bodies, which we receive at the Rapture, “we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.”

Because we will be like Christ, we will also enjoy perfect, unhindered fellowship with God as described in Revelation 22.

So the question is, for what purpose have we been left here on earth? Why would God be willing to postpone his enjoyment of a perfect relationship with us and prolong his ultimate desire for us to become just like Christ?

• Your Purpose Is to Fulfill God’s Purpose (1 Timothy 2:3-4; Matthew 28:19-20)

In New Testament times, the primary mission of Roman soldiers was to expand the Emperor’s kingdom throughout the earth. Today, our soldiers do not formulate the mission; their job is to fulfill the mission of their Commander in Chief.

When soldiers arrive in a war-torn country, do they look at a map and say, “Gee, I wonder where I would like to go sightseeing today?” Is their goal to visit as many local restaurants as possible to sample the local cuisine?  

If those things become a soldier’s priority, he will be removed from his post quickly for dereliction of duty!   

A soldier’s job is not to fulfill his desires, but the desires of His commander.   

Instead of bringing us home to heaven, God has assigned you and me to this foreign outpost called planet earth for a purpose. We are to do everything we can to stop the spread of Satan’s kingdom and instead expand the kingdom of God by introducing people to faith in Jesus Christ.  

That is the mission … that is our purpose.  

• Fulfilling Your Purpose Is the Key to Fulfillment in Life (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)

Why are we constantly searching for some new pleasure, some new achievement, some new possession, or some new mate to satisfy us, only to be profoundly disappointed? 

Here is a simple explanation. Eternal beings can only be satisfied by that which is eternal. You can’t fill an entire ocean with only a bucket of water. Since, as Solomon observed, God has “placed eternity in our hearts,” only that which transcends our brief existence on this planet can quench our thirst for meaning. We need an eternal Companion and an eternal purpose to fill our God-sized spirit with meaning. 

And that purpose is to join with God in His mission to seek and save those who are lost.

Now, remember, in Ephesians 6, Paul says our spiritual boots are our willingness and ability to share the gospel with others. How does that protect us against the attacks of Satan in our lives?  

We answer that question next.