III – Be

Free Online Educational Resources to Grow Your Spiritual Knowledge

The fourth element of the five SemperVerus components is KNOW, which emphasizes the importance of educating yourself throughout your life to take advantage of knowledge in a variety of subjects to become a well-rounded individual contributing to your own well-being and of those around you. The SemperVerus principle reads:

IV. Know: becoming a life-long learner to clearly, and with certainty, apprehend situations from which to benefit personally and others.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Bible TL;DR? Try The Concise Bible! ]

That includes the importance of knowing spiritual matters in general—and the lessons of the Bible in particular—to develop and strengthen your soul. Scripture tells us to:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness: How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible? ]

Knowing the Bible is foundational to living a meaningful, productive, and positive life:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Latest Biblical Archaeology Research ]

In his book, The God Who is There, Christian philosopher and apologist Francis A. Schaeffer says, “The Christian is the real radical of our generation, for he stands against the monolithic, modern concept of truth as relative. But too often, instead of being the radical, standing against the shifting sands of relativism, he subsides into merely maintaining the status quo. If it is true that evil is evil, that God hates it to the point of the cross, and that there is a moral law fixed in what God is in Himself, then Christians should be the first into the field against what is wrong.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense In Spiritual Warfare: Know Your Enemies ]

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:9-11

The internet offers a multitude of free resources to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Bible. Here are a few that SemperVerus recommends:

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Lesson From a Firefighter: Don’t Wait to Make a Positive Difference in Someone’s Life

The third practice of the five SemperVerus components is BE, which emphasizes the importance of intentionally reinforcing rectitude in yourself. It’s stated thusly:

III. Be: developing rich personal leadership character of exemplary moral and ethical quality.

In the following brief TED Talk video, volunteer firefighter Mark Bezos shares a life lesson he learned on his first fire emergency:

Or watch it here.

Something to think about as you live a SemperVerus life.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of BE ]

Stay True to what is right. Stay True to your aim.

Invite SemperVerus® to present its 5 life-changing success-generating components—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.

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Too Little Faith to Be an Atheist

The observable universe is approximately 93 billion light-years (one light-year equals about 5.88 trillion miles) in diameter, containing an estimated 100 billion to 2 trillion galaxies, each comprising an average of 100 million stars, according to calculations based on the Hubble Space and James Webb telescopes and new mathematical models. Voyager 1 is a space probe launched by NASA in 1977 to explore the outer solar system and interstellar space. After 48 years of continuous flight, it is currently over 15 billion miles (22.3 light-hours) from Earth and still going. Our own Milky Way galaxy alone is estimated to be 105,700 light-years in diameter and contains 100–400 billion stars and at least that number of planets.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Life Lessons to Learn From a Space Capsule Failure ]

Our unique planet teems with life, from the microscopic flea to the colossal blue whale. While the exact number is unknown, scientists estimate around 8.7 million animal species are on Earth. Only a small fraction of these have been formally described, with estimates suggesting that 86% of land species and 91% of marine species remain undiscovered. And there are roughly 391,000 known species of plants.

WOW!

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US Military Academy Prayers

The United States Army Cadet Command Prayer was officially commissioned and recognized in 2006 by the United States Army Cadet Command as the fourth official institutional military prayer in US history. It was originally written for the Leader’s Training Course (LTC)—now known as Cadet Summer Training (CST) at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, US Military Hymns ]

As it approaches its 20th anniversary in 2026, the prayer remains a solemn reflection of the values and mission of the United States Army Cadet Command, contributing to a broader effort to foster spiritual resilience and ethical leadership among ROTC Cadets.

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Gen. Douglas MacArthur on the Essence of Leadership

General Douglas MacArthur was Supreme Allied Commander, South West Pacific Area in WWII, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers overseeing the occupation of Japan following the war, and Commander-in-Chief of United Nations Command in the Korean War. He is one of only five people to hold the rank of General of the Army.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Medals of Honor and Valor ]

In receiving the Sylvanus Thayer Award at the US Military Academy at West Point on May 12, 1962—two years before his death—he gave a commencement address that has come to be revered for its patriotism and emphasis on the moral and ethical responsibilities of future leaders.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of LEADERSHIP ]

Five paragraphs of his speech, especially, read like a handbook of timeless leadership virtues. He began with the West Point motto—Duty, Honor, Country—to which he appended the virtues of courage, faith and hope:

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