These Boots Were Made For Walking

The famous playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote, “This is true joy in life…being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one…being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little cod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”

Even though George Bernard Shaw was not a Christian, he understood the power of having a grand purpose in life. Understanding your purpose in life not only adds to your enjoyment of life, but it can also be a strong deterrent to the attacks of Satan.

“And having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE” (Ephesians 6:15).

We don’t often use the word “shod”, but the word refers to “footwear.”

The third piece of spiritual armor that Paul talks about is the boots. Last time, we saw that a Roman soldier’s boots gave him stability, especially in hand-to-hand combat. They also protected his feet as he traveled the Roman Road.

What are the spiritual boots that give us stability as well as protection in life, especially when under enemy attack? It is our ability and commitment to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.

Last week, we discovered these three truths about our purpose in life:

• God created you for a great purpose (Jeremiah 1:5)
• Your life purpose is to fulfill God’s purpose (1 Timothy 2:3-4; Matthew 28:19-20)
• Fulfilling your life purpose is the key to fulfillment in life (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)

Now, let’s discover the fourth principle:

• Living your life purpose helps you to thwart Satan’s attacks (Ephesians 6:15)

The question is how? Adopting God’s purpose as your purpose, making God’s business your business, helps you make three critical choices that are essential to winning the spirit wars.

Adopting Christ’s grand purpose is directly related to experiencing success in your spiritual battles against Satan. Living out your purpose means making daily—if not hourly—choices concerning every area of your life. The airline executive we talked about last week chose peanuts over chicken Caesar salad, not because peanuts taste better, but because their low cost helps him achieve his purpose statement for the airline.  

Similarly, the Christian who makes expanding God’s kingdom his life mission will find it easier to say “no” to Satan by making three critical choices.

1. Choosing Purity over Immorality (2 Timothy 2:3-4, 22)

Although most of you reading this are not “paid professionals” like those of us in vocational ministry, we are part of the same mission: to enlarge God’s kingdom by encouraging people to become fully committed followers of Christ. For a moment, consider how immorality in your life might thwart that mission.  

How would a member of the small group Bible study you lead feel after learning you left your mate?  How would the discovery of pornography on your computer at work affect your witness to your supervisor or fellow employees? How would the revelation of your illicit relationship with someone affect your children or your mate’s attitude toward God?

If your life is really focused on fulfilling the purpose for which God has left you here on earth—pointing people to Christ—then why would you do something that was completely contrary to that purpose?  

Remembering your mission and living out that mission can be a powerful deterrent to the lure of immorality.

2. Choosing Generosity over Greed (1 Timothy 6:9-10; Matthew 6:24, 33)

Immorality is not the only trap that the enemy sets for us. Another powerful temptation you and I wrestle with daily is materialism.  We can become preoccupied with money for a variety of reasons. Some of us appreciate the luxuries that money can purchase . . . an expensive car, designer clothes, beautiful homes. Others enjoy the independence that an accumulation of money affords … the ability to travel whenever and wherever we want or the freedom to tell our employer to “take this job and s____ it.” Still others believe that a mound of money is protection from devastating catastrophes such as unemployment or illness.

But regardless of our reason for worshipping money, the result is always the same.  

A “snare” is a trap set by a skillful hunter. Satan, a master stalker, understands what an effective trap money can be in destroying our relationship with God. A preoccupation with money will always lead us away from God.  

A focus on material possessions destroys our desire for God. The independence that money provides us destroys our dependence on God. The security money offers us destroys our trust in God.

Devoting yourself to a purpose that is greater than your immediate happiness can drastically fix your fixation with money. Connecting yourself to God’s kingdom purpose will dramatically transform your attitude about money.

 Living Out Our Life Purpose: 

Third, living out our life purpose (making God’s business our business) helps us . . .

3. Choosing Diligence over Aimlessness (1 Corinthians 9:26-27; Ephesians 5:15-16)

Your body will either be a “slave to sin” or a “slave to righteousness.”

For example, your voice can be used to share the gospel with an unbeliever or to discourage another Christian. Your hands can be used to open God’s word to provide the spiritual food you require, or they can be used to open a magazine or an Internet site that will quench your love for God. Your feet can either take you to the front lines of ministry or they can take you deep into the enemy’s camp to be seduced and conquered by your opponent. Your body can either be a great tool to employ or an instrument that destroys our life purpose.  

Paul’s greatest fear was that in some unguarded moment he would make a tragic choice that would completely negate his entire ministry. He knew from the strong desires that still raged within him that such a mistake was a strong possibility. His only hope for averting spiritual disaster was continually beating his body into submission. 

One of my seminary professors used to advise, “Men, say ‘no’ to at least one thing you want to do every day just to remind your body who is in charge.”   

Buffeting your body—reminding it who is in charge—may mean pushing away that extra piece of dessert when you would like another, turning off the television set when you would like to see an extra episode of your favorite sitcom, closing the latest Sports Illustrated and opening your Bible, getting out of bed 30 minutes earlier on a cold winter morning to exercise when you would love to stay under the covers a little longer.  

The ability to rule over your body is crucial to fending off Satan’s attacks.  

However, you will never sustain your motivation for self-discipline as long as you live “without aim” as Paul says.  

Just as an athlete finds it difficult to train when there is no game on the calendar, or a soldier finds it hard to prepare for battle when there is no enemy in sight, Christians without a clearly-defined purpose in life will eventually give up on discipline and give in to sin.

Keeping our God-given purpose clearly in focus provides the motivation we all need to live a disciplined life …. and to avoid the traps of the enemy.