Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘Cortney, what the heck? Paul never mentions a “cloak of zeal.” Stop making this stuff up.’ To which I say: Ah, I see... you thought we were gonna finally get into the sword, but I gotta keep you on your toes. Okay, yes. There is no mention of the cloak of zeal in Ephesians, but it is mentioned much earlier in the Bible. Allow us to take a quick, Old Testament pit-stop in Isaiah.

huge truth bomb to me that I want to share with you today. First off, let’s be real and honest. We are selfish and needy creatures. I mean, praise God that He puts up with us, but we are a generation and a people that always wants more. We are constantly full of excuses and needs. Enough will never be enough. It could be anything; we could want more success, more money, more friends, a relationship... whatever it is. Whether it’s material or immaterial, we find ourselves crawling through this life feeling lifeless because we don’t know what true satisfaction is apart from what the world dictates to us.

I won’t lie. For a while, this one stumped me. What purpose does a belt serve armor? It’s not like metal breastplates and chainmail needed to be held up by a belt. In fact, this piece seemed the most ornamentary to me. I know now, I could not have been more wrong. But that’s because I misunderstood the purpose of the belt, much like I think people misunderstand truth.

If I were to make a ballpark estimation, I’d say I have somewhere around thirty pairs of shoes in my closet right now. I know, I know. Some might say that’s a lot, and yet, some of my fellow shoe-lovin’ ladies might say that’s an appropriate number. Some have a set purpose which means they can’t be used every day or all year round– slippers, snow boots, flip-flops. Others are multipurpose, and therefore see more wear-time– my basic, black pumps, my denim Toms, my combat boots. Still, others are for no other purpose than to have a little fun– multicolor cowboy boots, bright pink and metallic high heels, highlighter yellow sneakers.

Hey Pops, Search me. And I mean really search me. Invade every cell and capillary, every thought-space and corner of my heart. If You should find unforgiveness in me, then bring it to my attention. Help me to war with it. Help me to lay it down.

Our key verse very eloquently reminds us that we are not fighting our battles carnally but in the spirit. Just like we don’t put on physical armor every morning, the battle itself is not visible. But that fact does not undermine or candy coat the fact that it is just as lethal as a physical war, especially because we cannot see it with the eyes we were born with. Instead, we are fighting against evil rulers and powers that we cannot see. Thankfully, our armor provides just the protection we need to take down those threats in the spirit realm.

My God, In this stagnant season in my life where it feels you are stripping me of everything I know, I will look to You as my only strength. As I am struggling to understand many things, I won’t lose faith in the fact that you are my number one supporter. You are the mediator between myself and my emotions and You comfort me in every battle, big and small. I look to You because my eyes don't even dare to wander anywhere else. Your beauty is too beautiful and vast for me; I am so overwhelmed. I am longing for Your presence and Your guidance. I am giving You all I have, longing for all that You are.

How awesome is it that the Lord sends us into spiritual battles with exactly the equipment we need to kick demon butts and take devil names? Let’s face it, guys: There is no possible way to live in this universe and be exempt from spiritual warfare happening all around us. Whether or not you are aware of it, whether or not you accept it, and whether or not you buy into the Christian faith at all, you are locked in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell. The war for the souls of this world is constantly raging and there is only going to be one winner. Every day, you head out to the battlefield where you have to decide which side you’re fighting for, and not choosing puts you on the wrong side. Here is the good news and the bad news.

To me, the armor of God was a cutesy Sunday school lesson. You know the one– complete with a coloring ditto, felt board lesson, and a foam craft. It was a practical analogy that was beaten to a dead horse when I was a child. But don’t you love when God turns things on their head? Recently, I was in a Bible study reading through Ephesians. In our final week of study, the armor of God came up as we read the last chapter. As we were discussing the passage, the Holy Spirit said to me, “You aren’t wearing and using your armor to its fullest potential because you don’t understand it.”

All of us have this urge and desire to get things right. We convince ourselves that perfection is achievable in one form or another, but in all truth, perfection is not a reality. In the story from our key verse, we learn through the Lord’s servant, Peter, that we’re not going to get it perfect every time in life and our relationship with God. We see failure as a devastating pitfall, but it is something we can grow through and from.

My eighth grade experience was easily the worst year of my life, from beginning to end. I found myself isolated when I was the only one from my friend group that transitioned to advanced placement classes. I found myself further isolated when all of my friends ended up having the same lunch hour and free periods since they were all in the same classes. Every single day, I dreaded going to the cafeteria, because that meant I had to solve the awful dilemma of where to sit daily.

Sometimes the mountains in our lives can feel way too steep and it feels so much better to just pretend that they aren’t there. I am a master at doing this and always have been. But here’s a fun fact: just because you ignored those mountains in your life doesn’t mean they go away. One day, they pile up to the point that hope or faith sound like long-lost friends.

If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy, I can only conclude that I was not made for here. I first heard this incredibly personal lyric on an old Brooke Fraser (now Ligertwood) CD when I was 12 years old. I remember hearing the rest of the song and feeling understood in a way I never anticipated before. Suddenly, something deep inside me felt seen and spoken for as I hungrily listened. The statement behind the lyrics comes from C.S. Lewis, the man this song is named after. His version goes a little like this: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

Our country has been living through days and weeks full of heartbreak. We have seen life-altering events take place that have left people both speechless and driven to speak out. It has been a very difficult time for many families and individuals to wrap our heads around these horrifying events and the actions needed to prevent them from happening again. I am not writing this to air out my political views or voice my personal feelings. Quite honestly, that is irrelevant compared to the fact that God so badly wants to show us all His comfort and love in times such as these. That is what I want to share with you today because we all desperately need this revelation in one way or another.

It’s such a simple thought, but just ponder it: faith is the heart and soul of our relationship with God. It is the igniter that brought us to the cross and moved us to commit to Him. It is the lens through which we see the world and the litmus test we use to turn conviction into life-change. It is a tool we use to search our hearts and the baton we must be desperate to pass on to as many people as we can possibly manage.

This past week, God has been revealing two things to me, and those are #1: Everything happens for a reason, and #2: NOTHING surprises God. If I am being honest, last week was the worst handful of days I’ve had in a long time. I faced a couple of really big trials and just like anyone else, I was experiencing a lot of confusion and anger. When things aren’t going our way or things happen in our lives we don’t understand, we tend to let that situation take hold of our joy. I will admit I did that for a while. I almost let the situations in my life win by letting myself become discouraged and wallowing in it, but then I realized something.