6.4 Armor, Standing, Watchfulness, and Spiritual Weapons

¹⁵ Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil becomes prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.

¹⁶ He saw that there was no man; He was amazed that there was no one to intercede. So His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness sustained Him.

¹⁷ He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.

¹⁸ So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and recompense to the islands.

¹⁹ So shall they fear the name of the LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD.

¹¹ And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

¹² The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

¹⁴ Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

¹³ Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.

¹⁴ Do everything in love.

⁴ Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities;

⁵ in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger;

⁶ in purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;

⁷ in truthful speech and in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;

³ For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.

⁴ The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

⁵ We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

⁶ And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

¹³ Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed,

¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace.

¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.

¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel,

²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.

⁵ For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

⁶ So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.

⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.

¹⁸ Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight,

¹⁹ holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and thereby shipwrecked their faith.

¹¹ But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.

¹ You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

² And the things that you have heard me say among many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be qualified to teach others as well.

³ Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

⁴ A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him.

⁸ Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

⁹ Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

¹⁰ And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.

¹¹ To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen.