It’s through grace that we have been saved. It’s through his matchless love that each and everyday we are cared for. In the times when we are facing trials that feel like they take everything out of us, the closeness we have with God can feel matchless. But when we are in a season in our lives absent from trials, we almost lose that connection with God if we are not pursuing him in the right way.

Ask my parents: when I was a kid, I was not opposed to sharing– except when it came to food. Every night, I’d sit down at the kitchen table, turn on some cartoons, and indulge in a snack time before going to bed. And when punishments for bad behavior were in order, I’d rather be spanked than have my snack time taken from me.

God, help me fully be a disciple of all that you are. Lead me to all the hurting people in my life, the ones with unseen hurt, and help me lavish your love upon them. I want to be someone known for the fearless pursuit of others and a boldness that completely glorifies your kingdom. It can be easy to comfort and minister to those I care for, Lord, but to minister to my enemies– those who oppose me– that’s a whole new battlefield.

How do we follow Jesus? Recently, I’ve come to learn that the answers are so simple: to follow Jesus, we must look at him and remain behind Him. These lessons are thanks to the endlessly cool Eric Gilmore, who I had the unique opportunity to spend a Saturday with at a School of His Presence conference. It seems elementary, but I’m starting to learn that we tend to try and complicate the simple truths of God’s beautiful gospel. At the end of the day, our heady qualifications and lofty, theological thoughts are not the prerequisites to living a life submitted to Christ.

Hey Pops, Thank you for being present in all seasons, even those seasons that my weak flesh struggles to seek and find you. Thank you for always beckoning me closer. Thank you for the distinct privilege of being called and claimed by you.

Have you ever faced something that feels so much bigger than you? Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed by the problems in your life or the struggles you are facing? Has joy ever felt completely unattainable for you? Well there are two things I can say to encourage you today: first, we have all been there, and second, in the midst of your trial, God is always doing something behind the scenes. You are never alone in what you are facing and there is always a reason for why you are facing it.

How is it that this is one of the simplest messages in the gospel, yet we still can’t seem to grasp it? Trust me, I’ve done it, and still do. Sometimes, we read certain passages so much that we gloss over them. But we can’t allow our head knowledge to rob us of heart knowledge. So if you read today’s key verse and immediately checked out, then I need you to reposition your heart, because I can promise you, none of us have figured out how to carry out these commandments the way Jesus did. No matter how many Sunday school lessons you sat through, no matter how many episodes of VeggieTales you’ve watched, these lessons are never done learning.

God left us with a mission. In our key verse, we see that He left Paul with the same mission: to be His hands and feet on this earth– to spread the truth of the gospel across the nations so that every ear would hear the wondrous name of Jesus. Our call and Paul’s call are one and the same. If we continue to experience God and draw close to Him, our compassion for others and confidence to tell them about Jesus should continuously grow.

I am very blessed to have grown up with a present, God-given father. To call me a daddy’s girl is a little bit of an understatement. When I was a child– and let’s be honest, even now– there was nothing my dad wouldn’t do to make me happy. Sometimes, that meant taking down the swing set during the winter to rebuild it inside, just so I’d never have to miss a beat of playtime.

All of us have great strengths that God has given us or is going to give us. They are the things that make us who we are and give us the power to be Jesus’ hands and feet on this earth. For Sampson in this story, his gift was his strength was empowered by God with one stipulation– he was never to cut his hair. As we see here, he falls into the trap of is own sinful nature leading him to be betrayed by Delilah resulting in him losing his hair, his strength, and the Lord.

Well, guys, we made it. This is the end, and I could think of no better way to wrap up this Armor of God series than to talk about the only weapon we’ve been given. It also turns out, it’s the only weapon we’ll ever need: the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. First of all, sword imagery is found all over the Bible. From Genesis, when God placed an angel with a sword of fire at the gates of Eden after the fall, to Revelation, where it says a sharp sword will come from Jesus’ mouth to strike down nations– swords are used as a vehicle to explain things in the heavens and on earth.

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.