Week 3:  The Sandals of Peace

Memory Verse for this week:
Ephesians 2:8-9 – By grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast

Review:
1. Jesus made the right choices because His desire to please the Father was more important than anything the enemy offered.
2. Jesus knew the Word in order to respond to the Devil’s attacks
3. We must know what the Word says in order to stand firm against the Enemies attacks
4. Glorifying God means denying our self and focusing on Him.  Willing to sacrifice your desires on behalf of others.

Piece of Armor: Sandals of Peace

Day One Summary: Wearing the Sandals means that we are standing on the defensive

1 Corinthians 16:13 – Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong
James 4:7 - Submit to God, But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:8-9 – Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.  Resist him, firm in the faith.

5 Ways to Defend Yourself:
1. Resist temptation when the Enemy seeks to lead you into sin.
2. Stay faithful even when the battle rages
3. Refuse to compromise Biblical truth
4. Keep your eyes focused on God in spite of distraction
5. March forward in faith at any given moment

Question: Which one of these 5 ways is easiest for you to do?  Which ones are the hardest?

Having our feet sandaled isn’t only defensive but also offensive:  sharing the gospel

Question: Have you ever considered the sandals of peace to be an offensive weapon?

Day Two Summary: There is no Gospel of Peace Apart from Jesus

Read: Ephesians 2:1-3

List words or phrases that describe our lives prior to meeting Jesus

Question: Is there any hope for us apart from God?

Day Three Summary: Our Relationship with Others

Relationships Matter: Read the following Scriptures and describe what each says about relationships
Exodus 20:12
Deuteronomy 6:4
Ephesians 4:1
Ephesians 5:22
1 Peter 3:7

Unity Matters:
Read: John 17:20-23

Forgiveness Matters:
Steps to Forgiving Others
1. Admit my anger and ask God’s forgiveness
2. Ask God to help me let go of my pain
3. Meditate on God’s grace toward me
4. Pray for the other person
5. Focus on doing good towards others.  The changes your focus away from anger

Discuss with the group these 5 steps.  Be honest about the challenges you face with these steps

Day Four Summary: Getting Ready to Tell the Story

Make sure You are wearing the full Armor of God

Question: What steps have you taken to make sure that you are wearing these? Have you taken any steps?
Belt of Truth
Breastplate of Righteousness
Sandals of Peace

Understand that Believers are Blinded by the Enemy
Read: 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
What is the state of unbelievers?
Who has created this blindness?

Get Others to Pray for You.
If you are going to tell nonbelievers the good news of the Gospel, we’d better be ready for the Enemy to fight against us

Question: How important is prayer?  How much of a priority do we actually make prayer?

Day Five Summary: Telling the Story

Be alert to tell others about Christ:
1. Intentionally develop relationships with nonbelievers
2. Know people, and always be prepared to minister to them when they are hurting
3. Pray for these people daily
4. Take the time to ask others about themselves
5. Be ready to respond when someone asks about your day or your weekend
6. Learn to bridge conversations to talk about your Christianity

Summary: What does wearing the sandals of the Gospel of Peace mean?

Standing firm in our faith, knowing God’s Word and being prepared to share our faith with others. Building a foundational relationship with others. Notice it takes all three pieces of the armor so far to be doing this step.

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