The Word is Our Greatest Weapon

One of the ways that many of God's people err is through a lack of the Word in their heart, mind and spirit. Jesus even said that heaven and earth shall pass away, but his Word shall not. This is extremely true, because the very world in which we live has changed drastically through many centuries, but God and his Word will always be the same. The Bible is the top-selling book of all-time, because not only does it have all of the answers that I or anyone else will ever need for life, but also because every prophecy that God has spoken has come to pass.

This book was written by 40 different authors (most did not even know each other). However, they were all inspired by God to write the greatest guideline for life that I have ever read. The great thing about this book is that it does not contradict itself, because God does not contradict himself. He has a great sense of humor, but no contradiction. After all, the Bible does say that God is not the author of confusion. (1 Corinthians 14:33) Man contradicts. Contradiction equals confusion. It is an honor, privilege and blessing to know God personally, because his Word speaks. When I open up the Bible and when I am going through something, I can find a scripture that speaks directly, I repeat, directly to my situation. Jesus himself has even said that man does not live by bread alone, but by the Word of God.

The Word keeps me alive in the most important aspect of life, which is spiritually. As a result, I am able to operate better naturally. God's Word is not only a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, but it is also a Shield to cover me from the fiery arrows of the devil, as well as a Sword to land a very deadly blow to him in warfare, The Word of God is my greatest case of defense against the enemy's accusations and schemes, because the Word has stood the test of time to prove that God will not fail, and those who follow him at his Word shall not fail. When I know the Word and it is written in my spirit to the point that I can effectively walk in it, the enemy, my flesh nor the things of the world can take me down, because when I know the Word, I do not have to fight with my own carnal weapons, but with God's weapons which are with 66 different books from Genesis to Revelation. (39 books- Old Testament, 27 books- New Testament) The term "fear not" is recorded 365 times in the Bible, because God knows that we will be tempted to fear every single day, which is a great reminder. The way that I show that I love God is by taking heed to his Word and living my life according to his Word. Before I had become saved and sold out for Christ, the people who I really looked up to were Athletes and Entertainers. (saved or not) Now that I have chosen to put God first, my biggest hero is JESUS, because everything that he has done or has claimed has come to pass. My new role models are those who are written within the pages of scriptures. (Ex: Heroes of Faith - Hebrews 11) The reason why I admire these Heroes of the Faith such as Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Abraham, etc. is because none of these men were perfect, but because of their faith in God through their actions they were winners. Jesus is the only one who will always be perfect, because he is the Living Word.


Matthew 22:29
- Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

Psalm 119:9,11, 105
v. 9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
v. 11- Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
v. 105- Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Isaiah 55:11
- So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shallnot return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Jeremiah 31:33
- But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Matthew 4:4
- But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Mark 13:31
- Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

John 1:1-3, 14
v. 1- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
v. 2- The same was in the beginning with God.
v. 3- All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
v. 14- And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we behled his glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

2 Timothy 3:16
- All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

Hebrews 4:12
- For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 11:3
- Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

2 Peter 1:20-21
v. 20- Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
v. 21- For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Seed of Righteousness

In order for fruit to grow, a seed must first be planted into the ground. Then that seed must be watered as well. That is how we are as children of God. Jesus said that by their fruits we shall know them. Just like plants, we too have a seed that needs to be planted and cultivated, which is the seed of righteousness. Anyone who has the seed of righteousness is classified as what the Bible calls being born of God and when someone is born of God they cannot commit sin if they are to name that name because God's seed remains in them. However, in order for a tree to grow fruit, it must have the proper atmosphere and climate in order for it to produce. That is why you cannot find Apple Trees here in Washington, D.C. because the climate is not right here. When a person becomes a born-again Christian and comes to God through his Only Begotten Son Jesus, they must have the seed of the Word of God planted into them. That is why we as Christians come to church, we read our Bible, pray and talk to God while in term he talks to us through his Word as well as sing to him and praise him. This creates a climate in the service. The Bible also says that God inhabits the praises of his people. In other words, when we are in service doing praise and worship, God comes in and dwells within our praise offered up to him, which is where freedom and deliverance comes and the questions to our situations are answered. This in turn builds up a powerful atmosphere. Finally, when the Word is preached in its purest form because the climate and atmosphere have already been established, this in turn produces a Stronghold in the church. What this means is that when God takes a hold of a person, his attributes come to place through the service where everyone is able to come in on one accord and fellowship with each other as well as pray together for whatever the other persons need is. When this kind of stronghold takes place, sicknesses can be healed, burdens are removed, yokes are destroyed and by the Word, chains of bondage are broken. It is also important that we apply this same principle to our lives when we are outside of church, because in order for us to be truly effective for the Kingdom of God, we must take that same seed that was planted in us and create that same climate in our homes so that if we have an atmosphere of darkness it could be changed to light. When we do this, God's stronghold takes a hold of us where we can have the power to break whatever boundaries and chains that are holding us back as well as do the same for someone else. These attributes are a result of being born of God and his seed being inside of you, because a child is always a direct image of their parent. This holds the same for people who are children of God, because in order to be identified as a Child of the True and Living God, you must have his seed and carry his qualities. For example, people know that I am the son of Vaughn Resper, Sr. because I am of his seed which results in me being a direct imitation of him by not only facial features, but as well as character which is the result of my upbringing. The more I have been around my Father, an atmosphere has been created over time. This atmosphere has become a climate which means that many of the stuff that I do become predictable in a good way, because the seed that my Father planted in me through the Word of God has been deeply rooted. Over the course of time, a stronghold has been established where that seed has fully grown and has produced fruit similar to that of my Dad. When we carry out this principle we can take that climate of righteousness everywhere we go and people can see God's seed growing inside of us to where they can see the fruit that we produce. I can testify to this principle because I am able to carry this light around me for everyone to see who I truly belong to. Vaughn Resper, Sr. may be my earthly Father, but God is my Heavenly Father who is the Creator and Sustainer of everything by His very words. Therefore, I count it as a privilege and an honor to be able to call him everyday not only when I need him, but to tell him Thank You as well as praise him for his goodness toward me in delivering me from all of my burdens and bondages. I am proud to proclaim not just by words, but by my actions to let everyone know whose Kingdom I belong to which is the Kingdom of God, and I am proud to be considered a child of God. However, there is a flipside to this point. The more a person is in sin and in the presence of things that pertain to Satan, there is a seed of unrighteousness that is cultivated. The more a person goes to clubs and secular concerts, the more that atmosphere grows. The more you listen to poisonous music such as hip-hop, heavy metal, etc. from Lil' Wayne, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, DMX, etc. to Motley Crue, Korn, Kid Rock, Eminem, etc. the climate for sin becomes more and more predictable to the point where you are at the right place at the right time for the enemy to take control. The longer you watch BET, MTV and VH1, the more that atmosphere grows. When all of these things come together, the enemy unleashes his stronghold on that person and becomes the roaring lion who seeks to devour just like the Bible says. The only way to overcome this is through the Power of the Holy Spirit which is able to release the very anointing in our lives to destroy yokes, remove burdens and conquer the wiles of the enemy. In closing, my question is, which seed are you cultivating? Righteousness or Unrighteousness? Are you born of God or born of the devil? As for me, I am Born of God!!! No one can deceive me, because his seed remains in me. I don't care if a certain famous singer made a song "We Fall Down" where he repeatedly says
"A saint is just a sinner who fell down". The devil is a liar and he lied in that song big time, because according to scripture, a Saint is not a sinner, but a Saint of the True And Living God.

Always fighting in his army,
Vaughn Resper, Jr.

Matthew 7:17-20
v. 17- Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
v. 18- A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
v. 19- Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
v. 20- Wherefore by their fruit ye shall know them.

John 15:1-3
v. 1- I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
v. 2- Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
v. 3- Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

1 Peter 5:8- Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

Psalm 22:3- But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

1 John 3:7-9
v. 7- Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
v.8- He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
v.9- Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Peace and not evil

Today, the message at service was simple but yet profound. It was about understanding the thoughts of God which are uncountable. When the Israelites were in Captivity to Babylon, God spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah to let his people know that out of the many thoughts that he had concerning them, they were simply broken down to this: peace and not of evil, to give you and expected end. As we go through different situations in life and when we only see how bad they are and see how someone else is being set free before us, our natural response is to be upset and think that God has abandoned us. However, even though we do not know the final outcome, God knows it. Even though we may not know what our own thoughts for our lives are, God knows. This is a concept that even I have to constantly grasp when I see nothing but darkness in front of me, because I have to keep reminding myself that God has an infinity amount of thoughts concerning me. Even though the many heroes of the Bible that we read about have gone through dangerous circumstances, they all have one thing in common: God had it planned and ordained for each of them to succeed. God knows the end from the beginning and he even told Jeremiah, that he knew him before he was even in his mother's womb and even during that time, he sanctified him and made him a prophet before the nations. It would be absolutely crazy for us to serve a God who would take us through so many things as we serve him to suddenly abandon us. That is a lie straight from the devil himself. One of the reasons why I came to Christ was because I heard that he would never leave me nor forsake me and I definitely needed someone who would never abandon me. When Moses and the children of Israel were being chased by Pharoah and his army to the Red Sea, God did not abandon them at all but simply told them to stand still and see his salvation that day as Moses lifted up the rod to the sea. If God had abandoned them, that would not make him out to be who he says he is but rather a liar and we all know that God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of Man that he should repent. If God abandoned David during his fight with Goliath after giving him the power to defeat a lion and a bear, then David would not have been the extraordinary man of God that we all know today. Therefore people of God, we must hold on to our foundation of the Word of God and count our blessings and stand by faith that if God promised peace and not evil during that time where there was serious chaos, then he is more than able to do so in our situations today.

In His Powerful name,
Vaughn Resper, Jr.

Numbers 23:19- God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Jeremiah 1:5- Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Matthew 28:20b- and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

Hebrews 13:5b- I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Passing through the sea

This past Monday, as I went into my Daily Devotional I went into the Book of Exodus. There I studied the story of God leading Moses and the Israelites through the Red Sea, which is without question one of the most well-known stories throughout the whole Bible. However, in this particular instance that I read this story, God's Word truly came to life right in front of my very own eyes as the words leaped off of the pages as his word spoke to me clearly. I have come to say that even today, the same way that Moses and the Children of Israel were caught between their enemy (Pharoah) and a giant Red Sea, God had everything planned. That is why he spoke through Moses as Moses told the people not to fear, but to stand still and see the salvation of the LORD. They held their peace as the LORD fought their battle. God then tells Moses to lift up his rod, stretch his hand over the sea and divide it: and the children of Israel will go through on dry ground. All I can say based on this Word that God has opened up to me is, that when things look dark and it is hard to find a way out, we must stand on God's Word and have no fear but by faith take the next step by stretching out our rod and see as God opens up whatever Red Sea that we have in front of us so that we can walk right through on dry ground straight to new land. That Red Sea could be filled with doubt, fear, discouragement, circumstances, etc. but God has given us a rod, which is whatever gift he has placed in our very possession. Therefore, by faith we could hold that rod in our hand over the Red Sea that we are facing as God will divide it for us to walk straight way to our destiny.

Exodus 14:13-16

v. 13 - And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
v. 14 - The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
v. 15 - And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
v. 16 - But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

Confirmation

Just recently, I was reading The Book of Acts Chapter 10, about the story of Cornelius, the centurion. Scripture says that Cornelius was of course a devout man who had a fear of God throughout his whole house and prayed to God always. God just showed me something that was awesome in this story. Apparently, this must have been a very righteous man because here we find that his prayer certainly availed. Cornelius has a vision in what the Bible calls the 9th hour of the day, which is Hebrew version of 3 p.m. where an angel of God comes to him and calls him by name. In this passage, we read that when he saw the angel he was afraid and wanted to know what the Lord sent him for. I know often times I have felt that way when someone has a revelation from God concerning me. Later, I feel better when I find out that that revelation was based on something that I prayed about or had been looking forward to and I believe that is God's way of telling me that he has heard me and seen me so now it is time to get ready for the next step. The angel tells him that his prayers and alms (gifts) have come up for a memorial before God. This was the confirmation that God had heard his prayers and took notice of his gifts and counted them worthy. He goes on to give Cornelius the orders for his next assignment which is to send men to Joppa, where Peter lived. I am just here to simply say that when you are doing right in the sight of God as well as praying, not only will God approve it in a huge way through the confirmation of a prayer or by a revelation, but he will also give you the instructions for the next assignment that he has for you.

When God confirms something, it is huge. All I have to say is GET READY!!!!

Acts 10
v.1 -"There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band.
v.2 - A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
v.3 - He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
v.4 - And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
v.5 - And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter."

Power of Purity

As Believers, God requires and desires for us to be all 1 in his Kingdom before we could ever become all 1 in marriage. I thank the Lord that he has protected and kept me for 19 strong years for the mate that he has prepared for me in the future. But as for now, we must do our part and seek his Kingdom first, and everything else will come to us later anyway. (Matthew 6:33) Being pure, sin and guilt free before God is a beautiful thing, and I therefore continue to encourage those who are walking that straight line of virginity through holiness and purity because I enjoy it when someone encourages me as well. Recently, I attended a Singles Ministry Fellowship at Church and when the speaker asked if anyone in the room has never been involved in sexual intercourse, by the grace of God I was one of, if not the only one who boldly stood up to show that there is nothing wrong with being sexually pure and I believe that God honors that. I would also like to further address those who have been involved in sexual intercourse outside of marriage. The Blood of Jesus is strong and powerful that there is nothing too dirty that it cannot cleanse. For it is written that if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) It is also written, that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) The very first step is to confess. The Lord wants us to come and reason with him, though our sins are as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; and even though they may be red like crimson he says that he will also make them like wool. (Isaiah 1:18) God wants you and I to be free and not go back to that which has held us bound and made things so difficult for us in the first place. Plain and simple, if God has delivered you from something such as fornication, foul music, etc. DO NOT GO BACK!!!! RUN!!!!! For example, in the story of the 38-year old man healed at the pool of Bethesda, (John 5) after Jesus told him to Rise, take up his bed and walk. (v. 8) Later on when that same man goes into the temple, Jesus sees him again and says to him "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." (v. 14) In essence, Jesus was saying "Now that I have made you whole do not go back to what it was that kept you bound." I believe that this same principle applies today, even with sex before marriage. If Jesus has delivered you from an infirmity of fornication, lust, porn, etc., just like that man who could not walk, he is saying do not go back to these habits that have had you enslaved. God is a healer of all wounds and his Sword (His Word) can break all shackles of relationship bondage such as Soul Ties, Emotional Ties, etc. Another point that I have learned is that God will never be able to give us what it is that we need if we keep doing what it is that we want to do. Unfortunately, so many people including Christians get sexually involved because of a number of reasons. (false sense of security, false perception of love, it feels good, feels like you have been good long enough, impatient, that someone looks too good to pass up) Another sad part about this is that our desire to please this filthy, stinky, flesh is greater than our desire to please God. All of these false perceptions and dillusions come from the enemy who is the father of lies himself. I come to boldly proclaim that the devil, is was and will always be a liar, from now through the end of time. The truth is that God has created us special and wants to keep us preserved and have happy healthy years being single for when the time comes to marry, that baggage from those previous relationships will not weigh us down. So I speak to those who are virgins such as myself and others who the Lord has graciously kept as well as to those who may have fallen into sexual sin who may still have wounds: God rewards purity with pure marriages and cleans up the stains of sin left from bad relationships so that you can recover and washed from the inside out. Remember, the only safe sex is sex within the walls of marriage because God ordains marriages and not the boyfriend/girlfriend thing.

- In the pure name of Jesus,
Vaughn Resper, Jr.

Genesis 2:25 - And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed

Proverbs 18:22- Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.

Isaiah 1:18- Come and let us reason, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Matthew 15:19- For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Acts 15:29- That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

Acts 21:25- As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.

Romans 13:13- Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkennes, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

1 Corinthians 6:18- Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

1 Corinthians 6:19- What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Corinthians 7:1- Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

1 Corinthians 7:2- Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

2 Corinthians 6:12- Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.

Favor of God

God's Favor is beautiful. Often times when we watch TV and hear people talk about "favor" it is often equated with money, fame, awards, etc. and signify these things as "blessings" from God. Now do not get me wrong when I say this, I do believe that God does supply all of our needs including financial needs and he knows what we are in need of before we ask him. However, materials should not be the limit to favor, or prosperity. Favor is when you are able to lay your hands on the sick/hurt and they recover. You are actually reading from someone who is a testimony of that awesome healing power. (Mark 16:18b) Favor is when somebody talks to you or thinks about you, they think about a walking/living Bible and that is what God desires for us to be. Favor comes when doors of opportunity open up for you as a result of living righteously before God. Whenever you look through scripture and read about someone who has had God's favor as well as with man, it is often because of obedience, wisdom, love, faith, righteousness, etc. (Ex: The Prophet Samuel- 1 Samuel 2:26, David- 1 Samuel 16-17, The Prophet Daniel- Daniel 1:9, Jesus himself- Luke 2:52) Since favor comes through these characteristics that I have just listed, that means that whenever somebody gets up and claims that they have the Lord's favour when they were not doing what it took to receive his favour such as getting in his Word, having a desire to apply his word, but rather being stubborn and choosing to do things their way instead of waiting and trusting him, they are not testifying but rather "testi-lying". Come on people, it is basic A, B, C, 1,2,3. We just have to trust, obey, be patient and be righteous. Now, let's look at the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) shall we? The reason why the Father rejoiced over his wayward son was because he thought that the child was dead, but he was alive and he thought that he was lost but was found, all because that wayward son came to his senses. Now, it is time for us to look on the other side of this parable with the oldest son. Even though he could not understand why the Father and his servants were celebrating over the disobedient child by putting a robe on him, ring on his finger, and killing the fatted calf, the Bible says that the Father turned over to that son and said all that I have is yours. Even though the family was having a celebration for that particular time for the disobedient child who came back, the obedient child was still going to have his Father's inheritance, because he diligently obeyed his commandments. Even though God is a God of mercy and forgiveness, he still rewards obedience and righteousness and blesses those who are faithful with an inheritance.

1 Samuel 2:26- And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.

2 Chronicles 16:9a- For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him

Psalm 18:20-21 - The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

Psalm 34:19- Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

Psalm 37:25- I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Daniel 1:9- Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince and the eunuchs.

Luke 2:52- And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

1 Peter 3:12- For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

In his Matchless name,
Vaughn Resper, Jr.

God's Faithfulness outweighs my pain

As I look back over my walk as of late, I realize that no matter what may come my way, God's favor and faithfulness toward me outweighs any pain someone else may give me. I have had my share of pain from not only worldly friends, but also from Christian friends as well as family members, but that does not reverse the blessing and promises that God has for me. I was just listening to an old Albertina Walker song "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around" and that song came and ministered to me right on time, because regardless of whatever friends may come in our lives we cannot allow what they do to affect us, because we have to keep ourselves on solid ground. I also realize that writing can be a pretty good form of therapy and self-examination because as I am writing I am able to purge myself in order to encourage others. I do not just say what I say to look tough and to sound intelligent but as a result of what I have been through. The Bible is not just some religious book, but it is the living word because as you study the Word of God, you are able to use the scriptures as a self-examination so that you could hold the Word up as a mirror and evaluate whether or not your situation or lifestyle reflects situations in the scripture. I will give you an example. For instance, when I look at the story where Jesus walks on water in the middle of the storm. When I read that story, it gives me encouragement and causes me to examine my own storm and how Jesus is leading my footsteps through the rain to bring me to my destination safely. When I look at how faithful God has been to me, it does not matter what struggle I may have, because he can wash it away. I thank God for his goodness and mercy following me all of the days of my life and how he has kept me from the time that I was in Elementary, Middle and High School to now. It is not by my strength but by his strength that not only could I make it but for a testimony to others that they could make it as well. This is why I would rather have Jesus more than anything because

Psalm 23:1-6
1- The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want
2- He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3- He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4- Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5- Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6- Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 89:33-34
33- Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34- My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

Lamentations 3:20-23
20- My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21- This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22- It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23- They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Isaiah 55:11
11- So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.