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"The Chicago Way - Don't Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight"

Part 6, The Sword of the Spirit

Part-5 of our Chicago Way series talked about "The Helmet of Salvation." Today, let's visit the final part of our 6-Part series by talking about The Sword of the Spirit.

The Roman Soldier's offensive weapon was the sword, which was known as the gladius. The gladius was a sharp sword used in close-range combat. Keep in heart and mind that the sword was the only offensive weapon in their armor that was capable of serving a dual purpose:

  1. The sword was designed for defense.
  2. The sword was also designed for counter-attack making it a defensive and offensive weapon.

What's the deeper soulful message behind this illustration? I would like to answer this question by using a quote from Substack, "It is an active tool used to dismantle false arguments, resist personal temptations, and advance truth." What an awesome answer. I encourage you to use your spiritual sword to achieve exactly what Substack states:

  • Dismantle False Arguments
  • Resist Personal Temptations
  • Advance Truth

Knowing your brand (identity in Christ) will help you achieve all three goals each day. As I stated to a group of people a few days ago, "If you don't brand (identitfy) yourself, someone (the adversary) else will. The ability to dismantle false arguments, resist personal temptations, and advance truth starts with knowing:

  1. Who you are
  2. Where you stand and
  3. To whom you belong

To avoid bringing a spiritual knife to a gun fight, make sure you are wearing all of your spiritual armor:

  • Your belt of truth
  • Breastplate of righteousness
  • Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
  • Shield of faith
  • Helmet of salvation
  • The Sword of the Spirit

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