This morning, the Lord spoke a word of instruction that would be applicable to all of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ. The word was spoken like a whisper. I would have missed the word had its content not had an image attached.  In the image, I saw a person attempting to climb a steep and unstable slope. They were unable to gain traction because they were wearing the wrong footwear.

As the image developed, the Lord said, “You are wearing soft shoes only suitable to walk in the flatlands. They are not able to help you climb to the spiritual summits where strategic Kingdom decisions are made and spiritual conflict is taking place.  I need my Church at a higher elevation where confrontations will take place with evil forces that control the affairs of nations and where those evil forces are working freely without interference. The peace I gave you is part of your spiritual armament and attire. Without those things in place and functioning, you will not gain the traction required to go higher to fulfill my command to go and make disciples of all nations.”

Paul wrote about what provides that kind of traction in Ephesians 6:15, “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” The words “fully prepared” caught my attention.

The word Paul used for “peace” in Ephesians 6:15 is a very distinct translation. It defines a person whose soul is at peace in Jesus even if the world appears to be spiraling out of control. It is the opposite of the restraining fear that keeps people living in the flatlands of faith afraid of an ascent. As a result of the presence of peace, they will fear nothing in this world. They will not be intimidated by the ascent of a steep slope that puts them in a place of jeopardy. This kind of person will have exchanged the soft, slick-bottomed shoes of a weak expression of faith found in the flatlands for the spiritual equivalent of Vibram-soled hiking boots. The peace they have in Christ will provide them the kind of fearless traction needed to ascend to the summits of spiritual authority where culture-shifting influence is expressed.

Still using the same Greek word for peace that he used in Ephesians 6:15, Paul penned his letter to the Church in Colossae. “Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts (Colossians 3:1). 

If God’s peace is given permission to rule our hearts and direct our choices, we will never have to succumb to fear when we stand before a steep mountain of danger and opposition . This fearless peace will provide us with the kind of traction required to ascend to the higher elevation of our faith where miracles, signs, and wonders await our arrival. Only the peace of Jesus Christ can carry us to such heights.