Now, with the modern equalizers of guns, bombs, and the like, great warriors aren’t as highly prized as they used to be in the days of Middle Earth, but they do give you a slight edge whenever you happen to have the smaller army. Look at 2 Samuel 23 to see what I mean. One of David’s mighty men, Josheb-Basshebeth, against 800 enemies. Guess who won? And then there was Eleazar son of Dodai. It says that he struck down Philistines until his hand grew tired and froze to his sword. That’s insane. In 1 Chronicles 12 it talks about some of the Gadites that came to David’s aid at Ziklag: “These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand.” You want hardcore, that’s hardcore!

So the supersoldiers that wade through enemies like a backyard pond in the dry season aren’t merely figments of a writer’s imagination; they really did exist, and they were just as deadly as anything an author or director today could think up. Here’s the question, though: how does this apply to us today? I mean, I doubt any of those guys I just talked about will be reading this anytime soon, but this point applies to everyone. You see, in the spiritual world, there is a battle going on. It is an invisible battle, but the results and participants of the battle are both visible and real.

The Bible says that Satan is “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” If you know anything about lions, you know that they like preying on the weak, sick, and puny. And that would be your average foot soldier or helpless citizen. You know who he doesn’t want to tangle with? Bruce Lee. Legolas. Yoda. The guys who could kick his tail halfway across the battlefield with their respective weapons without breaking a sweat.

So how does a person become a mighty warrior? It’s like soldiers in real life. Train your mind and body to follow your commands. Get to know your weapon intimately (that would be the Bible). Learn to hear, understand, and obey your commander (that would be God). If you work hard at it, you won’t have as much trouble taking down the little search parties that the enemy sends your way. Now, this doesn’t mean that you will never sin, or that your life will be easier. But it does mean that your life will, overall, be more victorious because of your knowledge of the Word and the dedication with which you follow Christ. So get ready for battle, and start sharpening your sword.

According to dictionary.com, “swag” is plunder, treasure, or a swaying and lurching movement. Unfortunately, dictionaries are not very quick on the uptake, and that’s not exactly how that particular word is used today. No, here’s my official definition:

swag [swag] n. 1. The result of successfully showcasing a specific skill set deemed as unique, radical, or popular. int. 2. An exclamation expressing surprise or approval.

Swag is the new rad, and the word is used about as commonly as the letter X in Algebra 2 class. Now that we know what it means, we can begin breaking down what actually gives a person swag. If you’re really good at something, and it helps if that something is weird or brand new, that will give you swag. If you do really well on a public exam or in a contest, that will give you swag. If you regularly perform crazy, insane, death-defying acts of dumbness and get away with them, then you probably will have a good amount of swag as well. Of course, there are ways to lose swag, so I wouldn’t recommend going down that last path to find it (search “freerunning fail” in YouTube to see what I mean).

You see, “swag” is so sought-after because it makes a person look cool and become more accepted by their peers. It gives them something to be remembered by, so that their friends can say, “Johnny? Oh he’s the guy that can _____. He has swag.” That’s why teenagers are obsessed with it; it because teenagers are obsessed with being noticed and accepted by their friends. What they don’t realize, though, is that there are almost unlimited ways to “have swag,” many of them without even trying. In fact, one of the biggest ways to have swag is to be who you are as a person, without trying to impress anyone. When I’m on the basketball court making shots by myself, I have swag. When I’m playing a really cool piece on my guitar at home, I have swag. Now, maybe there isn’t anyone that notices at that particular moment, but here’s one of life’s truths; if you become skilled at something, even if nobody sees it in you right away, you will eventually be recognized for what you can do. And when that moment comes, even if it takes years, there will be a lot of people saying, “That person has swag.”

For starters, let’s look at the minivan. It’s hardworking, but not too flashy, and it’s probably light-colored. There are usually some juice or food stains on the upholstery, left there by the kids when they were younger (or maybe there are still kids around to do that). There may be some dents and scrapes of paint on the outside, left there by kids riding their bikes around it, or from a teenager backing into a mailbox on their first day of driving. Despite these outward appearances, though, it doesn’t break down that often, it can be fun to drive, and it’s just one turbocharger or paint job away from being a swagger wagon.

Next, we take a look at a classic antique car. Whether a ’69 Camaro, a Model T Ford, a 1970 Lincoln, or a 1950 Rolls Royce, these smooth rides have unlimited charm and style. You have to take care of them to make sure they stay new and shiny, but their grace on the road and the feeling of old times you get when riding in one make them unique, and they will repay you for all of your love and hard work you pour into them.

Then, of course, there’s the sports car. Ferraris, Lambourghinis, Vipers, Porsches, Corvettes, Aston Martins, and Bugattis. They are slick, smooth, and fast. Dual exhausts, convertible tops, chrome packages, spoilers, you can turn them into anything you want. However, for all their looks and g-force, they do have their downfalls. One little dent in the fender can cost a fortune to fix, and their gas mileage is usually a number that wouldn’t let you legally vote.

So how do these cars apply to people? Well, look at your parents. They usually don’t dress fancy or act flashy, but they are very hardworking. They may have some scars from past accidents, but you can learn from them and avoid the same mistake. And best of all, they are both dependable and trustworthy. The antiques? Those would be your grandparents, or the older generation that so many young people avoid and shut out. They are classy and refined, and they can teach you a whole lot, if you’re willing to take time and listen. They might be hard to take care of and understand at first, but with time, they will repay you for your time and energy.

Finally, I’m sure we all have a friend or two that we could easily compare to a sports car. Loud, proud, and in-your-face, they like doing things with speed and sizzle. But one minor setback, one failure, and they could spend weeks getting out of the hole they dug for themselves. Plus, just like their vehicle counterpart gets lousy miles-per-gallon, the more you spend time with these friends, the more you end up spending, both in money, pride, and sometimes your very sanity.

There are other comparisons, of course. Some people are trucks; working hard all the time, performing dirty tasks, and lending a helping hand whenever you have a sofa that needs to be moved. Some are like those beat-up junksters that end up being someone’s first car. They get things done, and they work okay on most days, but their issues and undependability make you wonder if they’re really worth it. Others are Formula-1 cars; they are only good at one thing, but they excel at it with all their being, making you wish you were as skilled as they. And don’t forget the police cars, tow trucks, and ambulances. These people sometimes have the hardest job, because they have to fix you up and straighten you out when you mess up or break down. But if they do their work properly, you’ll be just fine afterward. The only question that remains is, which automobile are you? Would you enjoy driving it all the time? Would you break down in emergencies? That’s something each person has to find out for themselves.

The L.A. Lakers are a team of, to use the slang, studs. Why? Two words; Kobe Bryant. Averaging 28.7 points per game (good for 3rd place, just behind Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony), 5.1 assists, 5 rebounds, and hitting 84% of his free throws. Steve Nash, point guard? 11.4 ppg, 8.1 assists, and hitting an astounding 97% of his free throws. How about Dwight Howard, their big guy? He collects  16.5 and 12 rebounds per game, and shoots 58% from the floor. And then Pau Gasol, who grabs 8.1 rebounds, scores 12.9 points, and gets almost 1 1/2 blocks per game. Together, those four players are averaging 69.5 points per game, 27.7 rebounds, 18.4 assists, and shooting 49% from the floor (if those stats don’t mean much to you, then take it from me; they are impressive, especially when they’re all on one team). Here’s the problem, though; they don’t play together. They’re just a bunch of studs that do well separately. And until they mesh together and play as one unit, even with the big names on their roster, they won’t win many games, because those big names are not playing for the good of the team.

Now, this is a familiar issue, even though we sometimes don’t want to acknowledge it. In the body of Christ, we all have our roles. For some, it’s being the guy that preaches on Sunday and gets the limelight. For some, it’s straightening chairs after service so the pastor doesn’t have to. And for others, it’s leading by example so that the younger believers have a role model to follow around and to copy. Some may get more “glory” than others, and be seen more by the public eye, but they all are serving in the body. As 1 Corinthians 12:12 says, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”

The problem is, some of us are so used to being in the spotlight that we choose to take issue when we get shoved to the back. Let me tell you, I have been there, and it is not fun. However, when you remember that God will exalt those who humble themselves, and that you can serve the Lord wherever you are, it helps take away the sting of feeling anonymous. So, if you are in a similar situation, where you are finding yourself doing menial and insignificant tasks to help further the gospel, remember this; nothing is insignificant to God, because not even the sparrows fall without Him seeing, and you will be rewarded for anything you do in His name. And if He sees that you handle small things with a servant’s heart, He will put you in charge of much. And that’s something that makes it all worth it.

Now, there are many different types of swords. In the Book of Judges, Ehud had a two-edged sword about two feet long. The Scots used a broadsword known as a claymore. Samurai swords are renowned for their flexible yet razor-sharp blades. Scimitars have only one cutting edge, but they are effective and powerful. German mercenaries used a sword called a zweihander, which was between six and seven feet long! You know, it seems like there are as many different swords as there are warriors who carry those swords. And that’s what makes them so cool. No matter who is wielding the sword, or what its shape, as long as the owner is proficient with it, it is a deadly weapon to its enemies. But the reverse is also true; if an untrained person tried to wield the same sword, they could hurt themselves very badly, and possibly other people close to them as well.

That makes me think about the Bible. It’s known as a “two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.” There are many types of Bibles: hardback, paperback, illustrated, New Testaments (with Psalms and Proverbs included), Gideon Bibles, and monstrous, gold-inlaid family Bibles. There are also countless translations and versions of the Bible as well. But it is still the same weapon, and it remains just as deadly no matter its appearance. In the hands of a mighty prayer warrior, or a person well grounded in the faith, the Word can cut through demons and principalities left and right. However, when a hypocrite, or a person speaking in anger tries to use Scripture to their advantage, they can hurt themselves and cut people around them very deeply.

War is different these days. In Bible times, the armies would run at each other with swords and spears, with archers and slingers providing cover, and chariots providing the heavy infantry. In the middle ages, kings and their armies would siege castles, with their cannons, siege towers, and crossbows. Nowadays, we have stealth missions and tactical air strikes. But no matter the timeframe, if a soldier attempted to run onto the battlefield without a weapon, he’d be destroyed in a heartbeat. This world is a battlefield, and the Bible is our weapon; our “sword of the Spirit.” Without it, our lives are many times harder and more dangerous to live. So next time you head out the door and step onto your personal battlefield, stop and ask yourself; do I have my weapon?