Have you ever seen a child try to walk in their parents shoes? This weekend, my friend Sharon sent me the cutest video. It was her grandson in a diaper, walking in his Daddy’s big tennis shoes. Oh how he was proud of himself, wanting to ensure everyone could see him in his Daddy’s shoes.
Honey, do you have on your Daddy’s shoes? His shoes are shoes of peace. Peace that makes sense of things that don’t make sense. Peace that protects you, guides you, and fills you with confidence. Peace that empowers you to take the next step on the journey set before you.
Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the full armor of God, and verse 15 tells us about those shoes, “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.”
Putting on God’s shoes may be awkward at first, but girl, keep practicing and you will get the hang of this. In the beginning, walking in peace feels foolish. It feels unrealistic. But these shoes of peace are exactly what God has for you.
At first, walking in his shoes will bring sudden moments of peace, and this is how you will know you’re moving in the right direction. When that peace shows up as a feeling you can’t explain, confirming things you didn’t even know how to ask for, this is God saying “Yes, this is my way. Follow this peace.”
Have you ever felt that peace? You just know deep within your soul that this is right. And when you move in that direction, you feel absolutely guided. Your feet are steady. Your path is laid out before you and all you have to do is take the next step as it comes. As you go, you are filled with strength to do all you need to do. You feel supernaturally guided, and somehow in ways you cannot fully understand or explain, things just start working.
This is God teaching you to walk in his shoes of peace.
As you practice seeking this inexplicable sense of Godly confidence and assurance, you get better at walking in those shoes. You’re not as clumsy. You don’t stumble as often.
And eventually, walking in peace becomes your normal. It’s no longer a sudden shocking calm that overcomes your soul, it’s a continual presence every day. You wake up in peace. Regardless of circumstances, your feet move forward in peace. You dwell in peace. Things that used to rock you, no longer rock you. You’re not upset. You’re not worried. You’re not overwhelmed. You’re at peace.
And what you notice as unnatural at this point is an absence of peace. When suddenly things don’t feel right. When an indescribable feeling down in your soul alerts you with unease. This absence of peace is now your guide telling you this isn’t right.
As you grow in your journey of walking in your Daddy’s big shoes of peace, you move from feeling the occasional sense of peace, to a continual sense of peace. In the beginning you were looking for that supernatural sudden feeling that says ‘this is right, go here’. Once you’ve followed that long enough, it’s no longer a sudden feeling, it’s your natural feeling. Then you’re guided by the opposite feeling that says ‘this isn’t right, turn around.’
I remember when I first started walking in these great big shoes of peace God offered me. I was continually worried. Constantly upset. Easily offended. Always looking and searching for that hidden thing I was supposed to do next. And suddenly I would be filled with that unspeakable peace. A feeling of calm and assurance would overcome me. And that’s when I would know, this is it.
That’s good. But honey, it’s just the beginning. God wants to show you so much more!
I’ve been walking in those shoes for a long time now. I don’t stumble quite as often as I used to, but you know what, I don’t really get those sudden moments of unspeakable peace any more. They’re not noticeable because it has become NORMAL for me to feel peace. I’m always at peace. I can walk in these shoes well because I’ve been practicing for a long time. Now the guidance comes from the moments I don’t feel peace.
Having peace is now normal to me. Not having peace is abnormal. It shocks me. It wakes me up. And it says “THIS ISN’T FOR YOU. GET OUT OF HERE.”
Do you recognize the difference? Are you putting on your Daddy’s shoes of peace and practicing your walk in his ways? As you learn to walk in his shoes, peace will permeate your days more and more.
David was surely referring to these shoes of peace in the 23rd Psalm when he wrote “He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”
This is exactly what if feels like to walk in peace. You can walk right through the darkest of valleys without fear because you know you are being supernaturally guided and protected. You can walk with confidence knowing when you’re walking in the shoes of peace, your feet will go in the right direction. You follow peace, and when there is an absence of peace, you turn.
We’re just practicing walking in his big shoes. With practice we get better at this.
When you’ve been walking in these shoes for a while, it changes the way you move. You can take big, bold steps of confidence knowing when there is peace, you are following the promptings of God which are leading you down paths of his good plans for your life. Likewise, you can boldly stop and change direction without apology when there is an absence of that peace.
You know the Geico commercial of the teenage kids running from the killer and they brilliantly say, “let’s hide in the shed behind the chainsaws.” Yeah, that’s how stupid it is for us to continue when we don’t have peace. That unsettled feeling is God’s spirit within you saying, STOP. THIS ISN’T THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THIS ISN’T MY BEST PLAN FOR YOU.
Why do we sometimes respond to that prompting with contempt, as if God is trying to take away all our fun? God isn’t trying to punish you with a boring life, Sis! Our God is a God of adventure. He is a God of over the top awesomeness. He is a God of fun and excitement and things that are so ridiculously good they would totally blow your mind. He is a creative genius. He makes impossible things look easy. And when he gives you that unsettled feeling within it’s not because he’s trying to steal your fun. He’s trying to protect you from unseen forces of evil that are against you! Hiding in the shed behind the chainsaws isn’t a good idea, but sometimes we’re really stupid and insist it would be fun! NO. When there’s no peace, you turn!
You don’t have to hide in the shed behind the chainsaws. You don’t have to keep pushing through this without peace. Where there is peace, you know God is guiding you. Where there is an absence of peace, you know God is turning you.
Shoes of Peace come from the Good News. What’s the good news? It is God’s truth. The truth that he is with you and will never forsake you. The truth that he is for you and not against you. The truth that he has good plans for you and those plans are better than anything you could have dreamed up on your own. The truth that he is equipping you and making you more than a conqueror. The truth that he will make a way where there has never been a way before. The truth that he’s making old things news. The truth that he will move mountains, tear down walls, break chains, part waters, and walk on stormy seas to get to you, guide you, and save you.
Honey, walk in that good news today! This is where confidence comes from. This is where assurance comes from. When you’re walking in those shoes, you don’t have to question your every step.
Do you have peace? Move forward!
Is there an absence of peace? Stop and seek what God is trying to show you.
Yeah, those shoes of his peace are big and you will be clumsy at first, but keep practicing. Here’s a very practical way to practice. Are you ready?
1. Stop worrying about it.
2. Pray about it.
3. Check for peace.
Philippians 4: 6-7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Your first step is to intentionally choose to stop worrying about it. Worrying is both a choice and a habit. You can make a different choice and change your habit. Worry does not create peace. Worry creates stress. Stress creates bad moods. Bad moods create bad choices. Bad choices create bad results. How does it start? Worry. STOP THAT! Worry has you hiding in the chainsaw shed wondering why things are only getting worse for you.
There is a running car in the driveway waiting for you, GET IT IN. You know what that running car is? PRAYER. Prayer is your way out. It is your way through. It is your absolute guaranteed answer to guide you in the next step of what you need to do here.
And when you pray about it, something supernatural happens, you experience God’s peace. Where does that peace go? It says his peace guards your heart and your mind, and honey it flows right to your feet. Why to your feet? To guide you in your next step in doing the right thing.
There’s your Daddy’s shoes!
Maybe you’re in the beginning of your journey trying to walk in Daddy’s big shoes of peace, and you’re just looking for that sudden peace that doesn’t make sense but will surely guide you down the right path. Good. Remember the 3 steps: Stop worrying about it. Pray about it. Check for peace.
If you’ve been doing this for a while, then peace is now your natural means of daily travel. You always have peace. You naturally don’t worry anymore. You pray about it and you’re filled with confidence. Now, just watch for any moment you feel an absence of peace, and that’s your turn sign.
You will be moving along through life, walking on God’s good paths for you, bringing honor to his name, with absolutely no fear. And you won’t be wasting time trying to hide behind chainsaws. You’ll be in the running car every time! Moving forward, with peace!
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