The Body of Christ: Complement VS Conflict: The Shoes of Peace

God spoke to me quite clearly, that the shoes of Peace are no small matter. How many times do we feel like war is what we need, when we need to speak the gospel of Peace? Romans 16:20 says “The God of Peace will soon crush satan under your feet.”

What does that even mean, exactly? We want power, God wants Peace.

I can remember years ago, I was in the bathroom crying, because I was in conflict with someone who refused to see my point. In my mind, it was a life-or-death matter. In fact, it had to do with raising my children with a spouse who did not agree to God’s ways.

I was afraid for them, and I really believed I needed to convince my spouse to see things God’s way. In my mind, he needed to bow down and acknowledge Jesus, but I was not going about it the right way. I was in fear, not faith, and this led to arguments and quarreling that was not always of God. I wanted victory, and I wanted it right now!

A precious woman of God came up to me in the bathroom, asking if she could pray with me. I was obliged, and after prayer, she gave me Proverbs 16, about how if we are righteous, even our enemies will be at peace with us.

 I remember pondering this all the way home, and later in my life, the passage would come up again, when I found myself wrestling with anger over injustice.

It’s not easy to see Peace as a powerful weapon of God. Images of hippies saying ‘Peace man” often come to mind when I hear the word peace. But making peace with all men (as much as possible) does not mean compromising righteousness.

What it often means, is standing our ground in our own beliefs, (What God has shown us), and giving up the right to try and change someone else’s mind. That’s tough when we want to walk in agreement with someone, especially a spouse.

How many conflicts arise, even in the body of Christ, when two people do not see eye to eye? How do they go forward in Peace? Should we just “submit” to someone we don’t agree with?  What if their leadership is compromised, tainted, and not God’s best for our lives? What if your spouse is asking you to do something you know is unrighteous?

God sent his son to say “Peace on Earth” but he also said his word will bring division, because his word is light, and the world, in general lives in a very dark realm.

Navigating the path of Peace with God:

 You’re staying in his righteousness may mean that others will not agree with you. I can tell you that Apostles, Prophets, teachers and pastors will often be part of the edification process, helping you learn how to walk in the shoes of peace, when there is spiritual war all around you. If you are walking in God’s righteousness, anyone who is not walking in that light with him, will most likely persecute you. Your very presence and decisions to follow Jesus will make them feel uncomfortable. Some will try to convince you to take a different path, while others may mock or ridicule you. 

To be at peace with your decision to follow Jesus, you must realize it’s not going to be an easy path.

When I got saved, I told my flesh, “You will be at peace with God, and his ways.” It was a decision. This meant if I didn’t feel like sitting through a church service, if I didn’t feel like studying, and if I didn’t feel like listening to what his spirit was telling me, My spirit man (who is right with God, and wants to do his will) would command PEACE to my flesh saying “You will do what I say.” Do you see where I am going with this?

If my flesh can surrender to the will of God, that means when I walk into a room and speak PEACE, the people in that room also can choose to be at peace with me.

Luke 10:5-9 The disciples are told to speak peace to a house when they enter, and if they are going to promote peace, the peace will remain. Sometimes we will be sent to preach Peace and good news, and after we depart, the persons we spoke to will decide they don’t really care about being at peace with God (and his ways). If that is the case, we can still be at peace, and they will continue to be in war and conflict.

So, let’s do a re-cap. Your Shoes are Peace. We want to reconcile men to Christ and cause them to be at peace with him (and his ways) just like we are. Satan doesn’t want peace, he wants war. When we declare peace, we are crushing satan under our feet.

Righteousness is our breast plate, (Ephesians 6). We are saved by Grace, The Lord gives us HIS Righteousness and wants us to walk in the spirit, becoming more and more like him. Whoever walks after the Spirit of God WILL become more like Jesus (and reflect his righteousness). If you see someone calling themselves a Christian, and you never see any fruit, growth or changes in their life, something is wrong.

Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, teachers and Evangelists are sent into our life to build us up and strengthen us, even to the point of helping us remember to “Put on” the armor of God (so we can stand against the wiles of the evil one).

Those offices should not conflict with each other but complement each other. The Apostle may be talking about strengthening your breastplate of righteousness. The pastor might be reminding you of your Helmet of Salvation.

The Prophet may be helping you sharpen your sword. The teacher helps you flesh out the whole truth, in a passage of scripture. The Evangelist, reminding you how to be at peace with God (and men, if it’s possible). You take up your shield of Faith, and when the devil tells you to be in conflict over all of it, tell HIM to get gone! Amen      -Laura Grace