¹⁶ In all circumstances take up ^(A)the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all ^(B)the flaming darts of ^(C)the evil one;

^8 (A)Be sober-minded; ^(B)be watchful. Your ^(C)adversary the devil ^(D)prowls around ^(E)like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ^9 (F)Resist him, ^(G)firm in your faith, knowing that ^(H)the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

⁴ For ^(A)everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—^(B)our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes ^(C)that Jesus is the Son of God?

God's Covenant with Abram

15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ^(A)“Fear not, Abram, I am ^(B)your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

¹⁷ So when God desired to show more convincingly to ^(A)the heirs of the promise ^(B)the unchangeable character of his purpose, ^(C)he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things, in which ^(D)it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope ^(E)set before us.

¹⁶ So we do not lose heart. ^(A)Though our outer self^[a] is wasting away, ^(B)our inner self ^(C)is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For ^(D)this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ^18 (E)as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.