by our message of truth, and by the power of God. We have righteousness as our weapon, both to attack and to defend ourselves.

Nor must you surrender any part of yourselves to sin to be used for wicked purposes. Instead, give yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life, and surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.

The night is nearly over, day is almost here. Let us stop doing the things that belong to the dark, and let us take up weapons for fighting in the light.

So put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace.

And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you.

But we belong to the day, and we should be sober. We must wear faith and love as a breastplate, and our hope of salvation as a helmet.

Timothy, my child, I entrust to you this command, which is in accordance with the words of prophecy spoken in the past about you. Use those words as weapons in order to fight well,

Take your part in suffering, as a loyal soldier of Christ Jesus.

There is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work. The capacity we have comes from God;

Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us.

You will have all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. When he deals with you, he is not weak; instead, he shows his power among you.

For even though it was in weakness that he was put to death on the cross, it is by God's power that he lives. In union with him we also are weak; but in our relations with you we shall share God's power in his life.

When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling a friend about a dream. He was saying, "I dreamed that a loaf of barley bread rolled into our camp and hit a tent. The tent collapsed and lay flat on the ground."

When Gideon heard about the man's dream and what it meant, he fell to his knees and worshiped the LORD. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, "Get up! The LORD is giving you victory over the Midianite army!"

He told them, "When I get to the edge of the camp, watch me, and do what I do.

Gideon and his one hundred men came to the edge of the camp a while before midnight, just after the guard had been changed. Then they blew the trumpets and broke the jars they were holding,

Every man stood in his place around the camp, and the whole enemy army ran away yelling.

Then men from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and both parts of Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites.

When he got to Lehi, the Philistines came running toward him, shouting at him. Suddenly the power of the LORD made him strong, and he broke the ropes around his arms and hands as if they were burnt thread.

So Samson sang, "With the jawbone of a donkey I killed a thousand men; With the jawbone of a donkey I piled them up in piles."

David answered, "You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied.

and everyone here will see that the LORD does not need swords or spears to save his people. He is victorious in battle, and he will put all of you in our power."

He reached into his bag and took out a stone, which he slung at Goliath. It hit him on the forehead and broke his skull, and Goliath fell face downward on the ground.

From Zion the LORD will extend your royal power. "Rule over your enemies," he says.

The LORD says, "Small and weak as you are, Israel, don't be afraid; I will help you. I, the holy God of Israel, am the one who saves you.

You will toss them in the air; the wind will carry them off, and they will be scattered by the storm. Then you will be happy because I am your God; you will praise me, the holy God of Israel.

The angel told me to give Zerubbabel this message from the LORD: "You will succeed, not by military might or by your own strength, but by my spirit.

Obstacles as great as mountains will disappear before you. You will rebuild the Temple, and as you put the last stone in place, the people will shout, 'Beautiful, beautiful!' "

He was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man in words and deeds.

For the message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved it is God's power.

So then, where does that leave the wise? or the scholars? or the skillful debaters of this world? God has shown that this world's wisdom is foolishness!

Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom.

but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Your faith, then, does not rest on human wisdom but on God's power.

You will have all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. When he deals with you, he is not weak; instead, he shows his power among you.

Should I go on? There isn't enough time for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets.

Through faith they fought whole countries and won. They did what was right and received what God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions,

So the priests blew the trumpets. As soon as the people heard it, they gave a loud shout, and the walls collapsed. Then all the army went straight up the hill into the city and captured it.

On the day when the forts of your enemies are captured and their people are killed, streams of water will flow from every mountain and every hill.

Today I give you authority over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."

It was faith that made the walls of Jericho fall down after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days.