“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” - Isaiah 40:29

I wanted to start off with a scripture! You might be asking why. Well as we either are approaching college for the first time, or are already in college, there are going to be good times and bad times. It is truly important to have a relationship with God because oftentimes, when we are facing a difficulty, it’s easy to become weary in our mind and emotions. Trying to figure it all out in our own strength can be exhausting. But we weren’t meant to try to figure everything out, we were meant to trust. We were meant to call on Him and let Him be the hero of our story! The Bible says in Isaiah that when you cry to God for help, as soon as He hears, He will answer you! He will give you strength when you are weary and increase your power when you feel weak. No matter what is going on in your life today, God is greater than any obstacle or difficulty you may be facing. Do you need strength to overcome a challenge in your life? Do you need power to stand strong in the midst of a storm? Call on Him, and He will hear you. Open your heart, and by faith, receive His strength and might. Let Him empower you to live in victory and overcome all the days of your life!

First I can say as an actual college student that it is not all that easy. If you want to go to a four year school right away, you have to do one of many things such as finding the right school that fits you and your finances. Maybe you have to or want to start off with a two year school to save money and see if you are able to actually do the college work because college is not easy as people think it is. But all those options come with a price to pay. I wanted to go to a two year school in Florida called Valencia and if you read my last article, I talked about how there were a lot of setbacks causing me not to start in the spring semester. I ended up coming back home to New Jersey to go to county college for a semester or two. Being that I believe in God, I believe that it was His plan for me to return home, otherwise I would have had many roadblocks in my way. This was His way of saying right now is not the time to go away so far on your own. He wanted me to come back stronger than I left and I am proud I did! My mom and I agreed I’d get another job while I am back home. I ended up getting it right on the spot a couple of days after being back. I also was able to start school finally! It may be online, but it is better than nothing! That is why having God in your life, especially in college, makes the traditions go smoother and the days better and brighter!

Next is for the people who started off with a four year school. There will be good times and bad times and you just have to know how to deal with it when it comes your way. Having a relationship with God will allow you to know you can call Him anytime and ask for guidance, and He will provide all the guidance you need! There are many ways to have a good time in school, such as meeting new friends and joining frats/clubs. There are also ways of having a good time, but doing it the wrong way, such as giving into peer pressures like drinking and smoking. If you never drank or smoked while underage before and you never planned on it, there will be the peer pressure of doing that because you want to fit in and be cool. If you are a church goer every Saturday or Sunday, there might be that pressure of not attending anymore in college because your friends think it is wack and would rather party on a Friday and Saturday night and sleep in the next morning. But don't give into the pressure and don't allow the devil to take over your mind and cause you to do the bad things instead of the right things!

Having a relationship with God and you college choices are very important. Having the relationship before college will only keep your mind more focused on your studies rather than the parties. I'm not saying you can't have fun in college because I want to have fun in college when I move on to a four year school, same with everyone else who will be transferring to a four year school next year or who are already going there to start. Have fun! Do it correctly and do not let the devil take away from what God has planned for you! Yes, there will be sin where you mess up, but there will always be sin in life. It is your job to know that God will be there to forgive you, every time you mess up and guide you to not do it again and to learn from your mistake.

Lastly, we need to remember we were meant to call on Him when we need help and to thank Him for everything you He provides for you. The

Bible says in Isaiah that when you cry to God for help, He does truly hear you and He will answer you! He will give you strength when you are weary and increase your power when you feel weak and feel pressured. So you need find your relationship with Him and know that His power will stand strong in the midst your storm! Just stay strong and let God be with you before, during, and after college! Good Luck!