"NEVER LET THOSE RUBY SLIPPERS OFF YOUR FEET FOR A MOMENT, OR YOU WILL BE AT THE MERCY OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST!"
Memorable words from the WIZARD OF OZ movie. The plot revolved around getting those magic red shoes off of Dorothy. But the Wicked Witch was unable to remove her shoes. She got zapped when she tried. The only way they could come off is if Dorothy gave them up herself. And so it went....
We can find many hidden analogies in this story. Let's try a little Scripture spin: Spiritually, the devil is interested in our feet and specifically our shoes.
God has provided armor and protective equipment for our life battles which we are instructed to put on ourselves. It includes shoes. They aren't red but they still have spiritual powers. "Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6:15). This verse is an echo from Isaiah 52:7, "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."
Our shoes of peace guard our hearts. Even if we have all the rest of the armor in place but lack peace, fear can overtake us and we are apt to turn around and run in retreat. There isn't any armor for our backs! We are completely vulnerable to the enemy of our souls.
Peace is the valuable spiritual commodity that Jesus gave us as His final gift before ascending to the Father. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." Whenever our Lord appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, His first word was "Peace!"
The only way we can lose our peace is if we allow the enemy to take it from us or if we give it away ourselves. Scripture tells us to "resist the devil and he will flee from you." We are to call upon Jesus to zap the enemy when he approaches to steal our peace. By all means, let's hold on to our powerful shoes of peace!
The devil wants us barefoot without our shoes of peace. He would be happy if we got splinters or stepped on glass. He causes all the turbulence that he can muster. He can whip up sudden storms in our lives, inner upheavals and outside adversities and trials, all in an effort to disturb our peace.
But he has limited powers, "Greater is He who is in you, than he that is in the world." God has an ample supply of "peace that passes understanding" to keep our hearts and minds, our thoughts and our emotions, on an even keel. He calms our rough seas with His "Peace! Be Still!"
Jesus promised that although in this world we will have tribulation, we are to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. Jesus' kind of peace is not the absence of storms in our lives, but peace in the very midst of our turbulence.
Do you remember how Dorothy's story turned out? Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, gave her the magical instructions which would bring her home. "You've always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself. Tap the heels of your red shoes together three times. Close your eyes and say, 'There's no place like home!'"
If necessary, let's tie our shoe strings tightly and make a double knot or our enemy will attempt to snatch and run off with them! It won't be the Wicked Witch of the West but the Deceiver and Peace-snatcher. He is after our souls trying to block our journey to our Heavenly Home.
Our shoes of God's peace firmly on our feet throughout our lives will not magically but powerfully bring us to our Heavenly Home. Day or night we must never take off Jesus' peace-shoes!
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