2 Samuel 22:2-51

2 Our LORD and our God, you are my mighty rock,  my fortress, my protector. 3 You are the rock where I am safe. You are my shield, my powerful weapon, and my place of shelter.

You rescue me and keep me from being hurt. 4 I praise you, our LORD! I prayed to you, and you rescued me from my enemies. 5 Death, like ocean waves, surrounded me, and I was almost swallowed by its flooding waters.

6 Ropes from the world of the dead had coiled around me, and death had set a trap in my path. 7 I was in terrible trouble when I called out to you, but from your temple you heard me and answered my prayer. 8 Earth shook and shivered! The columns supporting the sky rocked back and forth. You were angry 9 and breathed out smoke. Scorching heat and fiery flames spewed from your mouth.

10 You opened the heavens like curtains, and you came down with storm clouds under your feet. 11 You rode on the backs of flying creatures. You appeared with the wind as wings. 12 Darkness was your tent! Thunderclouds filled the sky, hiding you from sight. 13 Fiery coals lit up the sky in front of you.

14 LORD Most High, your voice thundered from the heavens. 15 You scattered your enemies with arrows of lightning. 16 You roared at the sea, and its deepest channels could be seen. You snorted, and the earth shook to its foundations. 17 You reached down from heaven, and you lifted me from deep in the ocean. 18 You rescued me from enemies who were hateful and too powerful for me. 19 On the day disaster struck, they came and attacked, but you defended me. 20 When I was fenced in, you freed and rescued me because you love me.

21 You are good to me, LORD, because I do right, and you reward me because I am innocent. 22 I do what you want and never turn to do evil. 23 I keep your laws in mind and never turn away from your teachings. 24 I obey you completely and guard against sin. 25 You have been good to me because I do right; you have rewarded me for being innocent by your standards. 26 You are always loyal to your loyal people, and you are faithful to the faithful. 27 With all who are sincere you are sincere, but you treat the unfaithful as their deeds deserve. 28 You rescue the humble, but you look for ways to put down the proud. 29 Our LORD and God, you are my lamp. You turn darkness to light. 30 You help me defeat armies and capture cities.

31 Your way is perfect, LORD, and your word is correct. You are a shield for those who run to you for help. 32 You alone are God! Only you are a mighty rock. 33 You are my strong fortress, and you set me free. 34 You make my feet run as fast as those of a deer, and you help me stand on the mountains.

35 You teach my hands to fight and my arms to use a bow of bronze. 36 You alone are my shield, and by coming to help me, you have made me famous. 37 You clear the way for me, and now I won't stumble. 38 I kept chasing my enemies until I caught them and destroyed them. 39 I destroyed them! I stuck my sword through my enemies, and they were crushed under my feet. 40 You helped me win victories and forced my attackers to fall victim to me.

41 You made my enemies run, and I killed them. 42 They cried out for help, but no one saved them; they called out to you, but there was no answer. 43 I ground them to dust, and I squashed them like mud in the streets.

44 You rescued me from my stubborn people and made me the leader of foreign nations, who are now my slaves. 45 They obey and come crawling. 46 They have lost all courage and from their fortresses they come trembling.

47 You are the living LORD! I will praise you! You are a mighty rock. I will honor you for keeping me safe. 48 You took revenge for me, and you put nations in my power. 49 You protected me from violent enemies, and you made me much greater than all of them.

50 I will praise you, LORD, and I will honor you among the nations. 51 You give glorious victories to your chosen king. Your faithful love for David and for his descendants will never end.

Psalm 91
The LORD Is My Fortress

1 Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful. 2 Then you will say to the LORD, "You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you."

3 The Lord will keep you safe from secret traps and deadly diseases. 4 He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure. His faithfulness is like a shield or a city wall.

5 You won't need to worry about dangers at night or arrows during the day. 6 And you won't fear diseases that strike in the dark or sudden disaster at noon.

7 You will not be harmed, though thousands fall all around you. 8 And with your own eyes you will see the punishment of the wicked. 9 The LORD Most High is your fortress. Run to him for safety, 10 and no terrible disasters will strike you or your home.

11 God will command his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 They will carry you in their arms, and you won't hurt your feet on the stones. 13 You will overpower the strongest lions and the most deadly snakes.

14 The Lord says, "If you love me and truly know who I am, I will rescue you and keep you safe. 15 When you are in trouble, call out to me. I will answer and be there to protect and honor you. 16 You will live a long life and see my saving power."

Ephesians 6:10-20
The Fight against Evil

10 Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. 11 Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks. 12 We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. 13 So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm. 14 Be ready! Let the truth be like a belt around your waist, and let God's justice protect you like armor. 15 Your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet. 16 Let your faith be like a shield, and you will be able to stop all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Let God's saving power be like a helmet, and for a sword use God's message that comes from the Spirit.

18 Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God's people. 19 Pray that I will be given the message to speak and that I may fearlessly explain the mystery about the good news. 20 I was sent to do this work, and that's the reason I am in jail. So pray that I will be brave and will speak as I should.

2 Timothy 2:1-13
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus

1 Timothy, my child, Christ Jesus is kind, and you must let him make you strong. 2 You have often heard me teach. Now I want you to tell these same things to followers who can be trusted to tell others.

3 As a good soldier of Christ Jesus you must endure your share of suffering. 4 Soldiers on duty don't work at outside jobs. They try only to please their commanding officer. 5 No one wins an athletic contest without obeying the rules. 6 And farmers who work hard are the first to eat what grows in their field. 7 If you keep in mind what I have told you, the Lord will help you understand completely. 

8 Keep your mind on Jesus Christ! He was from the family of David and was raised from death, just as my good news says. 9 And because of this message, I am locked up in jail and treated like a criminal. But God's good news isn't locked in jail, 10 and so I am willing to put up with anything. Then God's special people will be saved. They will be given eternal glory because they belong to Christ Jesus. 11 Here is a true message:
"If we died with Christ, we will live with him. 12 If we don't give up, we will rule with him. If we deny that we know him, he will deny that he knows us. 13 If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful. Christ cannot deny who he is."