A soldier certain needs a belt to hold everything together (i.e., God’s truth) and a breastplate to protect his heart (i.e., God’s righteousness), but what good would a soldier be without firm footing? God calls upon His soldiers to have “strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15). Soldiers must be prepared! They must be ready! They must have a firm foundation on which to stand, so that they can withstand the attack.
For the Christian soldier, “the gospel of peace” provides that for us! There is no “firmer foundation” in which to “stand” than the good news of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 15:1)! Without it, we are on shaky ground at best. And notice, that even in the midst of battle, the “peace” that we are looking for can only be found in the gospel!
May God help us to “strap” it on! Let us do all we can to learn it (Eph. 4:20), proclaim it (Mark 16:15), defend it (Jude 3), love it (2 Thess. 2:10) and live it (Phil. 1:27)!