15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  

Ephesians 6:15-16 (CSB) 

 12 At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.[c] 17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.  

Ephesians 2:12-18 (CSB) 

 12 For our struggle is not against [a]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

Ephesians 6: 12 (NASB) 

 14 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth has fallen in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. 15 Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. 16  He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intervene; then his own arm brought him victory, and his righteousness upheld him. 17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in fury as a mantle. 

Isaiah 59: 14-17 (RSV) 

–

November 14, 2025 

“Too often, we’ve complicated the spiritual privilege of sharing the gospel into rehearsed, programatic deliveries, always headed toward the sinner’s prayer….But a lot of us just need to hit the off-switch on whatever guilt-induced, confrontation-avoidant recordings play in our heads, and just let God’s peace do what God’s peace does….let His Spirit just naturally guide us in living and sharing the blessing of gospel peace with those around us and we submit to His leadership and promptings.”  

 – Pricilla Shirer, The Armor of God, p. 116 

We have an almost four-year-old Australian Shepherd named Aspen. Actually, her full name is Aspen Juniper Wistrand. As a herding dog, she is incredibly intelligent. But she has severe anxiety (which she inherited but we did not know about when we got her as a puppy) and is afraid of other dogs. When she is afraid, instead of cowering or hiding, she barks, chases, and goes after the thing she is scared of. We have spent an unbelievable amount of time, effort, and resources on training her and helping her to overcome her anxiety. And yet, there is one area where we have failed.  

Actually, I’ll confess, where I have failed. And that is how to get her to walk nicely on a leash. At least three times, she has pulled me entirely to the ground and dragged me for several seconds. Each time this has happened, all of my effort has gone into holding on to the leash as tightly as I could because I would rather be dragged around the neighborhood than have her chase another dog and possibly hurt it. I wish I could take Aspen for lovely, relaxing walks. But I can’t. Every time I take her for a walk, I have to be prepared for battle. I wrap the bulk of her leash around my arm. I keep her as close to my body as I can so that it’s harder for her to pull.  I often monitor my footing and ensure I’m on steady ground, pushing my feet into the ground for added strength. And I’m constantly scanning the perimeter looking for possible “threats” like other people walking their dogs. When I walk her, I have to be ready. 

The gospel of peace, with all its depth and stunning reality, is something we must put on every day. We need to strap it comfortably and securely to our feet. We need to stand firmly in it, whether the path is smooth or the ground is convulsing and breaking up under our feet.  

And we need to share the fullness of this peace with others. The world right now is screaming desperately for peace. Just open your eyes. It’s all around you. Listen, really listen to what people are saying. The peace of Christ is not our gift to hoard in selfishness, artificial privilege, or in fear that we will lose it. It is our gift to share with a world that is on the brink of lost hope. The world does not need our judgment. The world needs to know that world peace is possible and that it has already begun through the work of Jesus Christ. And that they are invited to share in that supernatural peace.  

Questions for reflection and discussion:  

  • Do you struggle to share the beauty of the gospel of peace with non-believers? If so, why? 
  • Are there certain people you are comfortable sharing the gospel of peace with and others you are not? Why?  
  • Do you hoard the gospel of peace?  
  • Ask the Holy Spirit by His grace to give you discernment and to open your eyes and ears to you someone that needs to hear your voice share the gospel of peace and ask for the courage to follow through.  
  • How do you use your voice? Do you use more of your voice to talk about yourself or to talk about God?  

 Church Reading Plan:

  • Today, November 14: 1 Chronicles 3-4; Hebrews 9 
  • Saturday, November 15: 1 Chronicles 5-6; Hebrews 10 
  • Sunday, November 16: 1 Chronicles 7-8; Hebrews 11