"Help me, Jesus! I need you right now in my time of trouble.”

These are the strong words that fall off our lips as we cry out to our Savior, Jesus Christ, in some of the most trying times. As we are crying out, he is listening to every word we speak, weighing the intentions of our hearts and our ability to endure those moments in life.

Matthew 12:36-37 says, “And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” As much as we want to say the proper words during trying times, the bottom line is that we need help. Help does not come because we have said the correct words that will somehow make God move faster than any other prayer. Psalm 34:17 says “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.” God’s people know his Word by using them it the words they speak and the actions they commit in this life. In knowing specifically what God’s Word tells us to do, we are assured that we are doing things his way.

Scripture gives us a spiritual road map that will allow us to be spiritually prosperous in our works for God. We must learn to know Scripture so that our times of trouble may not be difficult to endure. The Bible teaches us, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16). Learning Scripture is extremely essential in working for God. We must be able to implement and apply the principles of Scripture to our own personal lives in order to properly distribute them to others.

Scripture must be applied with the basic need of understanding. When we study and meditate on the Word of God, it allows us to gain an understanding. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). We may need help from someone in a higher rank who has studied the Word of God in depth. Someway there needs to be a connection between studying and actually applying. Some Christians may have practical ways that they get to understand, know, and learn Scripture while others just hope they are right. Utilizing our spirit of discernment, we have to secure a position of confidence in Christ that only God can appoint us to.

I want to encourage those who are not as confident in the Lord as they should be, especially when it comes to Scripture. I thank God for the intelligence that humans need to create technology, because they have invented something called the smartphone. I paraphrase some of the Scripture that I know I have previously read during a time of study. I have a habit of typing in my smartphone just enough of the Scripture to bring up the actual verses that will instruct me. One thing I pray that I will not do is get God’s words wrong. In that personal commitment and spiritual conviction, I always keep my phone on hand to research what the Lord has said about anything in particular.

I know plenty of people who can quote Scripture off the top of their minds, word for word, and I absolutely commend them. If they are not applying those Scriptures to their lives, eventually they will be condemned by God. In my personal commitment to studying Scripture, I am going to make sure everything that I hear others say is in the Bible is actually in there by looking it up myself.

In Bible study we are encouraged by a great leader to look up things in the Bible. This leader is very confident in his knowledge of Jesus Christ. Anytime we do not recall what the Word of God says, we are urged to find it in Scripture. In my past learnings of the gospel, I have encountered leaders who actually get upset and frustrated when they are questioned regarding what the Bible says. We are then sacredly ridiculed, sarcastically called things like “Bible scholars” and “those saved people.” What is wrong with enforcing the truth, especially if it is your God-given duty?

We are responsible for our own salvation in Jesus Christ. The only way to accomplish that task is to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ and study the Word of God. What good is it to want to know what the Bible says if we do not study it? How can we apply the principles of the Bible if we do not know what they are? Lastly, how can we follow Christ if we are not equipped with the knowledge of how he wants to be followed?

With proper studying, prayer, meditating, and application, our strength in Christ is due to be unmovable. The Bible says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Unless you know Scripture, it is easy to fall short.

Deidra Fulsom is founder and president of Sisters Yielding Righteousness Under Pressure in Memphis, Tennessee. We encourage and motivate women to live a healthy lifestyle in spite of obstacles that may stand in their way.