Journey Through God's Word

¹⁰A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

¹¹Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

¹²For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

¹³Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

¹⁴Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.

¹⁵For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

¹⁶In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

¹⁷Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

¹⁹And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.

²⁰I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

²¹To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work.

²²I have sent him to you for this very purpose — to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.

²³Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness.

²⁴May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you.

²For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.

³When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.

⁴But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief.

⁵For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.

⁶So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.

⁷Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk.

⁸But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

⁹For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.

¹⁰Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.

¹¹So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

¹²Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.

¹³Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

¹⁴Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

¹⁵See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

¹⁶Always be joyful.

¹⁷Never stop praying.

¹⁸Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

¹⁹Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.

²⁰Do not scoff at prophecies,

²¹but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.

²²Stay away from every kind of evil.

²³Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

²⁴God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

²⁵Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.

²⁶Greet all the brothers and sisters with a sacred kiss.

²⁷I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.

²⁸May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

¹Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.

²Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer.

³But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

⁴And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you.

⁵May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

⁶And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us.

⁷For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you.

⁸We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.

⁹We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.

¹⁰Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”

¹¹Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.

¹²We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.

¹³As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.

¹⁴Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed.

¹⁵Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.

¹⁶Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.

¹⁷HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING — PAUL. I DO THIS IN ALL MY LETTERS TO PROVE THEY ARE FROM ME.

¹⁸May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.