There are all kinds of firepower in the world today yet the operative word in today’s headline is ‘necessary.’ Oh, firepower is definitely important but it must be one that is fit for purpose. The effectiveness of a firepower is proportional to how much its fits into the purpose for which it is required, because firepower are means to ends. What are the ends to which the firepower is being considered for deployment? Have the ends been properly clarified? Have they been dispassionately examined and resolved? Were the ends determined in the heat of the moment or after careful, considerable thought?

Remember that we are using firepower as metaphors for things that enable leverage and advantage. Liam went to a gun shop to make his pick of items he considered necessary for the task ahead but the bigger task was keeping his mind alert to make the right choice. His choice of firepower was determined after careful thought, not in the heat of the moment.

Whether figuratively or physically, a knife would not do if an individual were to face a mob, for example. But another kind of firepower, the kind Apostle Paul, fired from his lips, when he found himself in a mob situation centuries ago, might be the fit-for-purpose tool, in the circumstance. Being mentally alert, created the condition for him to perceive the insight, which he launched at the mob, and through which he made his escape. In the process, he made mental alertness the best holster for any available firepower.