The Gospel Of Peace

“Stand therefore… having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”
Ephesians 6:14–15

The next piece of the armour is the gospel of peace. In John 14:27, it says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace, gave us His peace!


Now, this particular piece of the armour is actually on your feet. Ephesians 6:15 says, “And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Romans 10:15 says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Many of us are given opportunities to share the gospel of peace with our friends and relatives. That is what this scripture is referring to. Your feet are always ready to bring good news to people. That is why God says that your feet are beautiful! You are wearing your “gospel of peace” shoes.

Why the gospel of peace? Because God knows that it is so easy for us to become troubled in our minds and our hearts. John 14:27 says, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

The devil cannot manage a Christian who remains in peace. He can’t do it because the devil himself has no peace. In fact, he is restless. Matthew 12:43 says that evil spirits go about seeking rest, but find none.

The devil wants to disturb your mind, trouble your heart and agitate your emotions. No wonder the Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 that he goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But the verse before that says, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” So a Christian who practises casting all his cares to the Lord cannot be devoured by the devil.

In spiritual warfare, it is vital you put on your gospel of peace shoes. Soldiers take their feet and boots very seriously. In fact, keeping their feet healthy and boots in good condition is very important during war. You never know where the battle will take you. You could end up fighting in swamps or walking for days up and down rough terrain. And if you can’t walk or run because your feet are injured, your whole body will be in danger when the enemy strikes.

Boots are also useful for crushing scorpions, snakes and cockroaches. That is what believers are meant to do. Luke 10:19 declares, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” So put on your spiritual boots!

In fact, when you walk in peace, you are unconsciously allowing God to lead you. You don’t have to be smart to follow God. Often, the Holy Spirit leads us by the presence of peace within or the absence of it. That is how I make decisions for my church. Some things sound very reasonable, but if I don’t have peace in my spirit about them, I don’t do them. Likewise, some things don’t sound very wise, but if I have peace about them, I do them.

Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…” The word “rule” here in the Greek means “to be an umpire”. So in everything you do, let the peace of Christ rule or decide as an umpire. We have all seen umpires preside over tennis matches. If the umpire calls “out”, there is no point arguing with him. You can shout “in” all day to no avail. You can throw down your racquet like John McEnroe used to and shout, “It was in!” but the umpire has the final say. So let the peace of Christ rule or decide as an umpire in your heart.

John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” For years, I didn’t fully understand what the word “leave” really meant in this verse.

One day, I studied the word and found out that it doesn’t simply mean “allow to remain behind” or “not take along with” the way someone would say, “Okay, I’ll leave my bag here with you.” No, the word actually means “bequeath”. In other words, Jesus is saying, “I bequeath My peace to you.”

But what does the word “bequeath” mean? A dying man may have his children gather around him so that he can bequeath his estate or business to them. That is what the word “bequeath” means — to give or leave an inheritance by will after one’s death. So when Jesus was about to die on the cross, He bequeathed to us our inheritance — His peace. It was not just any peace. Jesus said, “My peace”. It was literally His peace that He bequeathed to us.

I also discovered something else about the verse. I had always thought of “peace” as “peace of heart” or “peace of mind”. Now, it does include that, but one day, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes. I began to realise that Jesus was talking to His fellow Jews. So He would have used the Hebrew word “shalom”. He would have said to them, “Shalom I leave with you, My shalom I bequeath to you, not as the world gives, do I give to you.”

In Strong’s Concordance, we find that the definition of the word shalom includes “well being, health, prosperity”, not just peace in the usual sense. The peace that Jesus left behind for us is literally His health and prosperity too! So when He said, “My shalom I leave with you”, He bequeathed to us as an inheritance, His very own health and prosperity too.

Now, the world promises peace as well. The world says, “If you listen to soft new-age music, turn down the lights, burn some incense and practise meditation, you too can feel peaceful.”

But guess what? It is all just emotional. Once the music stops, once the incense stops burning and the lights come back on, the peace ends. Why? Because it is all outward peace, not inner peace.

Only Jesus gives true and lasting inner peace. And the peace of Jesus is strong, abiding and unaffected by outward circumstances. If your peace is affected by outward circumstances, then it is not peace.

The Shield Of Faith

“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”
Ephesians 6:16

The verse begins with the words, “Above all”. When you see the words “above all”, it means that what it is referring to is of top priority. In other words, of all the pieces of the armour, the “shield of faith” is of paramount importance.

The shield of faith can “quench all the fiery darts” that the wicked one throws at us. What are the fiery darts? They are thoughts. When the devil throws them at you, you can quench them or accept them. If you accept them, then the devil can make inroads into your life.

When we accept the thoughts that he throws at us, he is able to instil in us fear, self-pity, condemnation, feelings of rejection, feelings of betrayal and so on. For example, a symptom may present itself in your body. The devil then throws a thought at you: “It’s cancer! Remember that your grandfather died of that disease?” If you accept the thought and start to entertain it, you will begin to fear.

Don’t accept them, my friend! Ephesians 6:16 says that the shield of faith will help you quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. So how should you respond? Well, your part is to simply keep the shield of faith up to quench the fiery darts coming at you from the north, south, east and west.

You don’t have to worry about where the thought darts are coming from. You don’t have to worry about how many darts are being thrown at you. All you have to do is keep your shield of faith up because it will quench all the darts, not just some.

The main question you have to deal with is this: Am I living in faith? Am I acting in faith? But it is not about having faith in your faith, it is about having faith in His faith.

How does faith work? It works when we know how much God loves us. (Galatians 5:6) The fiery darts thrown at us from the devil are designed to counter the pieces of our armour.

The darts try to stop us from trusting in God’s truth. They try to stop us from believing in our righteousness in Christ. They try to stop us from walking in peace. But as long as you know that you are living in faith, you don’t have to worry where the fiery darts are coming from because they will be quenched.

Not too long ago, I had a chronic skin condition. One day, I said to God, “I believe that this pain will leave me now.”
Then, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Son, has it left?”
“No, it hasn’t,” I replied.
He asked, “Do you believe that I have faith for your miracle?”
“Of course,I do!”I said.
He said, “Rest in My faith.”
I rested in His faith and that day, the condition disappeared from my body! I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. I didn’t feel the brush of angels’ wings on my face. But it left!

You see, faith is simple, so don’t make it so complicated. Some of us are trying so hard to have faith or build faith that it becomes faith in our faith. “Do I have enough faith? Have I confessed enough scriptures? Have I confessed in faith? Maybe I should do this…” No, you should just rest in His faith. Just believe that He has the faith for your miracle. Just believe that He can and that He is willing to bring your miracle to pass because He loves you. When you see His grace towards you, when you keep your eyes on Him and just believe in Him, that is faith without you being conscious of it!

One Sunday, during one of my sermons on healing, a lady in our church was busy sending SMS messages to her friend who was at home. The messages contained points and scriptures from the sermon. She also told her friend to just believe and confess, “By Jesus’ stripes, I am healed!” You see, her friend had cancer.

Well, her friend read the text messages and confessed that by Jesus’ stripes, she was healed. When she went back to her doctor that same week, he could not find any trace of cancer! I believe that she was healed the same day she believed that by Jesus’ stripes, she was healed.

Now, I wish that every sick person could receive the manifestation of his healing within a day! But it doesn’t always happen so quickly. So I can’t tell you how long you should confess, “By Jesus’ stripes, I am healed” before the manifestation of your healing comes.

But one thing is sure: It is God’s Word and God’s Word cannot return to Him void. If you have to confess it for a month, then confess it for a month, knowing that Jesus has the faith for your miracle. Just do it until your healing manifests. Hebrews 10:35–36 says, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”

And as you confess God’s Word, simply rest in His faith, not yours. Simply believe that He has the faith for your miracle!

The Helmet Of Salvation

“And take the helmet of salvation.”
Ephesians 6:17

Now, let’s look at the helmet of salvation. Some of you may be thinking, “I’m saved through Christ, so I already have the helmet part under control.” But in the Bible, salvation is not only about being saved from hell. That is just the beginning. In the Greek, the word “salvation” also refers to preservation, wholeness, health and prosperity.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:8, the apostle Paul says, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” So what is “hope”? In the Bible, hope is a positive or confident expectation of good.

Today, we use the word hope too glibly. People use the word all the time, saying, “I really hope that I don’t get retrenched” or “I really hope that I score top marks in my test.” Often, we say in general conversation, “I hope not” or “I hope so”. This kind of hope means that you are not at all sure about something.

But the biblical meaning of hope is a positive or confident expectation of good. So when God says, “Have hope”, He wants you to have a confident expectation that good things will happen.

Do you know what is going to happen in your life this week? You probably don’t know. But God wants you to put on the helmet of salvation by having a confident expectation that good will happen this week. Know in your heart and declare with your mouth that it is going to be a good week, during which you will see God’s preservation, wholeness, health and prosperity. When you have that kind of attitude, you are actually putting on your “helmet the hope of salvation”.

The Bible says that you are to wear a helmet to protect your mind and guard your thoughts. If you are in trouble right now, whatever the trouble may be, you can put on the helmet of the hope of salvation. Remember, salvation is more than just being saved from hell.

Salvation includes healing, prosperity and well-being. And you have a confident expectation that good is coming your way, that God will see you through this trial you are experiencing. It is only temporary, that is why you can have a confident expectation of good.

You may argue, “But Pastor Prince, isn’t that faith?” No, faith speaks of now. Faith is believing that right now, you have the answer to your need in Christ even though you do not see it yet. Hope speaks of the future. Hope is a confident expectation of good to come. That is why the Bible calls the glorious appearing of Jesus “the blessed hope”. (Titus 2:13) We have a certainty that it will happen, but it is in the future. Faith is in the now.

You must be sure of your salvation. There are a lot of misconceptions about salvation. So let me tell you some truths about salvation. Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good, Jesus came to make dead people live. We were all dead in our sins, but God loved us so much that He didn’t want to deal with us as ourselves. So He sent His Son to die on the cross. He took you with all your sins and He placed you in Christ. So now, when God looks at you, He sees you in all the beauties, all the glories, all the moral grandeurs and all the excellences of our Lord Jesus Christ!

1 John 4:17 says that “as He is [present tense], so are we in this world.” This is how we can have boldness in the day of judgment. From now on, we must always see ourselves in Christ. We have found a new centre. We are no longer in and of ourselves. We are not limited to our own resources. We are in Christ. And in Christ, we have a new identity.

Now, I want you to understand this: When Jesus died on the cross, He didn’t just die for our sins, He died as us! When He was buried, He was buried for us and as us. When God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, never to die again, Jesus was also raised as us. Not just for us, but as us. This is our new identity. Just as we were once identified with the old Adam, now we are identified with the last Adam, the second Man.

The Father raised Jesus far above Satan, far above all principalities, far above all power, might and dominion, far above every name that is named in this world and in the world to come. He is above everyone else. And when the Father made Him sit down at His right hand, the centre of the whole universe, where do we fit in? Well, we are actually seated with Him! With Him, we are crowned with glory and honour, far above Satan and every name that is named!

And that is what the devil doesn’t want you to find out about your salvation. He wants you to think of yourself as separate from Christ. He wants you to think that you are on your own. He wants you to think that when you do good, then you are with Christ, but when you do bad, you are separate from Christ. My friend, the truth is that you are in Christ forever! Knowing that gives you the power to do good.

The good news is that once you are in Christ, nothing can separate you from Him and His love. Romans 8:35 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or unclothedness, or peril, or sword?” We are in Christ forever!

Now, Paul says, “Take the helmet of salvation.” He wants us to take the helmet and wear it. Some people foolishly go to war without their helmets on. They don’t understand how important it is. They think that the helmet gets in the way.

When I was young, I didn’t understand why soldiers had to wear helmets. Helmets seemed like an unnecessary burden. But now that I am older, I understand how a helmet can protect your head and save your life!

Have you discovered that when you expect bad things, bad things will happen? The opposite is also true: Expect good things and good things will happen. Unfortunately, it is human nature to gravitate towards bad news. This means that lots of people’s heads are naked and exposed. They don’t have the sense to put on their helmets.

When the phone rings at an odd time, if people are honest, they will tell you that their first reaction is to think to themselves, “Oh dear, someone is calling me with bad news!” But if you have the helmet of the hope of salvation on all the time, when the phone rings at an odd time, you will say, “I wonder who has good news for me at this time of the night!”

Some of you may disagree with me and say, “Pastor Prince, you never know what to expect.” Well, instead of expecting bad things to happen to you, you can expect good things to happen to you. After all, you are a child of the living God! God loves you! There is a Saviour watching over you! Angels have gone before you!

There are more angels working for you than there are demons working against you. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) You have every reason to win! You have every reason to expect good things to happen to you!

The Sword Of The Spirit

“And take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:17

The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Do you know that it is one of the two weapons in God’s armour that is offensive? (The other one is praying in the Spirit.) The belt holds everything together. Your breastplate protects your heart. Your shoes protect your feet. Your helmet protects your head. Your shield protects your whole being. But your sword is for attacking. That is why it is so important.

If you have served in the army, you would know how important your rifle is. I have spent some time in the army. One of the first things they teach you in the army, men, is that your weapon — for me it was the M16 — is like your wife! They show you your M16 and they say, “As long as you are in the army, this is your wife!” I tell you, I never had to clean and oil a “wife” that much! I thank God that my wife Wendy doesn’t need that much maintenance!

But if you are a soldier stuck behind enemy lines, and you have lost your boots, helmet and even your uniform, if you still have your M16, you can survive. With your M16, you can still shoot the enemy. Even if you are scantily clad, you can still fight! The enemy will die laughing at you!

So the sword of the Spirit is our offensive weapon. The writer of this passage on the armour of God, the apostle Paul, displays many modern insights. One of themis in Hebrews 4:12 (I believe Hebrews was written by Paul). He says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Christians often say that the Word of God is a two-edged sword. In fact, the Bible says that it is sharper than any two edged sword.