Rose's Devotional : MEMORIZING BIBLE VERSES

Welcome to Rose's Devotional

MEMORIZING BIBLE VERSES

by Elaine Enneking, 1993

INTRODUCTION

As a new Christian I was early impressed with the idea of memorizing Bible verses. The elderly couple who drove me to church interspersed memory verses throughout all their conversations, or so it seemed. And such wonderful, faith-filled verses they were! My heart soared as I listened.

Then one day in church I heard about a World War II prisoner of war who had encouraged his fellow prisoners by tapping memorized Bible verses in Morse Code on the walls of his cell.

I thought of the coming time of trouble when our Bibles will be taken away and determined to fill my mind with Scripture and learn Morse Code. [I never succeeded in learning Morse Code, but I pray that God will use the American Sign Language that I am learning to accomplish a similar purpose through me.]

My first attempts at memorizing verses brought feeble results. About eleven years later, however, I was introduced to a more organized plan using flash cards. What a difference! The verses and references became easier to learn. Since then I have used methods and ideas from various resources and developed others from my own experimentation.

Realizing that other Christians may be struggling in their efforts to memorize Bible verses, I trust that this information will help to encourage, equip and inspire all who read this material to greater success.

How to Use This Information

Read it through first for an overview.

Later look up the references (given in parentheses) in your King James Version of the Bible. Make a list of those verses you would like to memorize in the future.

Refer to the technique and tips section often until you have firmly established Scripture Memory as part of your Christian experience.

Review entire article as often as you wish and whenever you need encouragement to continue memorizing Bible verses.

PART I

Value of Scripture Memorization

God's Word is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path (Psalm 119:105). As you memorize and meditate on it day and night under His direction (Psalm 119:11; Psalm 1:2-3), He will fortify your mind with the tools He will use to help you meet and overcome temptation.

God's Word is an important part of your armour against sin (Ephesians 6:10-18). The truth to gird your loins is the Word of God (John 17:17). The preparation of the gospel of peace for your feet is your experience in the Word of God (searching, praying, understanding, obeying, meditating, memorizing, sharing). Your shield is faith, which "cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

No wonder the psalmist said, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:11)

God requires you to feed on His word and let Him use it to perfect every area of your life. He asks you to keep His words and His commands in your heart. He tells you to teach them diligently to your children and talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. Bind them for a sign upon the posts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

Memorizing Bible verses is part of God's plan for all His children.

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Memorizing Scripture can improve your Christian experience and witness by:

1. transforming your character

2. improving your communion with God

3. giving you a message

4. protecting the purity and truth of that message

5. giving authority to that message

6. giving you success

1. Transforming your character

Learning and meditating on your verses requires a lot of thinking. Your thinking shapes your character. "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he..." (Proverbs 23:7).

Philippians 4:8 tells you to think about the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, full of virtue and worthy of praise. The Bible provides the best seed for thoughts of this nature.

Scripture memorization:

1. helps you see the world through God's eyes and keep your

thinking in harmony with His will (Isaiah 55:6-9).

2. helps you resist temptation (Psalm 119:11).

3. pulls you back on track should you start to wander away (Isaiah 20:21) .

4. equips you for perfection and all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). There is power in the Word of God to make your character like His.

As you share your experiences of how God leads you through your verses, your faith in God and love for Him will be strengthened.

2. Improving your communion with God

By meditating day and night on His Word you enable Him to speak to you continually, for your heart and mind remain open to Him. He can write His law on your heart.

Your verses provide unlimited resources for prayer and praise to God.

3.Giving you a message

What you think about, you will live and speak or write to others. " Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34). "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

Character comes first, message second

A Biblical message without a Christian character is both distorted and deceptive.

You must "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh a reason of the hope that is in you" (1Peter 3:15).

God will give you ideas, messages and projects as you learn and meditate on your verses and apply them to your life.

You will have more understanding than all your teachers (Psalm 119:99).

Knowing how a particular verse has influenced you many encourage others.

You will find yourself relating your memory verses to your experiences and to happenings around you. It would be good to keep a daily journal of these things ("How God Spoke to Me Through Scripture Today") so that you can encourage others as well as yourself.

4. Protecting the purity and truth of that message

God's Word is truth. As you study, memorize and apply it to your life, His Holy Spirit will bring you into all truth (John 16:13).

Worldly philosophies (Colossians 2:8) will be eliminated from your message if you:

1. are willing to obey God in all things.

2. always seek His guidance and wisdom (James 1:5-7).

3. do not take the verse or verses out of the context of the entire Scriptures.

(Example--the sayings of Job's friends which God called words without

knowledge. See Job 38:1-2 and Job 42:7).

5. Giving authority to that message

God gave the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16). His Word is truth. He is all-knowing, all-powerful and never-changing. Jesus taught "as one having authority" (Matthew 7:29). He is our Example.

6. Giving you success

God's Word will not return unto Him void. It will accomplish what He sends it to do (Isaiah 55:11).

By meditating day and night in God's book of the law (and in His entire Word), not letting it depart out of your mouth and obeying all that is written therein, you will become prosperous and have good success (Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1-3).

By meditating day and night in God's law (and in His entire Word) you will be enabled to prosper and bring forth fruit (Psalm 1:1-3). "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Memorizing Scripture verses can help your Christian witness by inspiring and encouraging you to:

1. get started

2. persevere

3. do your best

4. share God's love and share your faith for the right reasons and with the right attitude. (See Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:16-17; Colossians 3:23; Exodus 4:12)

Memorizing Scripture verses will save you time by simplifying your resources.

You will know where to find your verses and refer other persons to them without needing a concordance.

You will have a ready reference categorized in many different ways by your personal computer, your brain.

You will be able to develop your witnessing ideas in relation to your verses nearly anytime or anywhere.

Not memorizing Scripture verses handicaps both you and God.

Memorizing Bible verses requires a daily time commitment; but it will do for and through you what no reference library can do.

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Words of Caution

It is most important to remember: Never use your memorized verses, but let God use His verses through you.

Memorizing Scripture is not a magical key to godliness or a guarantee of Heaven. Atheists, false christs and false prophets have memorized lengthy portions of Scripture but have not allowed God to change their hearts.

Satan himself distorted Scripture to try to cause Jesus to sin. "Satan is an expert in quoting Scripture, placing his own interpretation upon passages, by which he hopes to cause us to stumble. We should study the Bible with humility of heart, never losing sight of our dependence upon God." [Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 530, Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1888].

Let God work His perfect work in you. Let Him "work in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).

"...be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless" not as those "that are

unlearned and unstable" who "wrest" the writings of Paul, "as they do also the other scriptures, unto their

own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being

led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the

knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen" (2 Peter

3:14-18).

PART II

Technique and Tips

Choosing Verses for Memorization

Begin with verses you are already familiar with--John 3:16; Psalm 23:1-6; Matthew 6:9-13.

Pray for God to lead you to verses for memorizing.

Be alert for verses which are especially meaningful to you:

from your own Bible study

from your devotional reading

from sermons and tapes

from "promise" books

from Christian friends

Choose a variety of verses:

to encourage, comfort, strengthen

to instruct

to warn

to support doctrine (1 Peter 3:15)

to show God's character and His requirements

Here are some suggested verses to help you begin:

Isaiah 55:11 Psalm 46:1 Philippians 4:13

Genesis 1:1 Job 23:10 Deuteronomy 8:10 Psalm 19:14 Isaiah 9:6 Matthew 5:16

Luke 16:10 Acts 4:13 2 Chronicles 7:14 Hebrews 4:15 Psalm 1:1 Psalm 119:99

Romans 8:28 Psalm 91:1 1 Corinthians 4:2

Psalm 119:10 John 15:1-2 Colossians 3:16-17

Psalm 119:11 Revelation 3:20

John 14:1-3 2 Corinthians 4:2

1 Timothy 2:5 Philippians 4:19

2 Timothy 1:7 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Procedure for Memorizing Verses

Choose several verses (no more than 6 for your "becoming acquainted" file).

Stay with one Bible version. King James is most accurate and easiest to memorize from.

Write verses on cards (1 verse/card, or up to 3 verses if learning them togerther) -- verse on one side, reference on the other side. Turning the card over as you would a sheet of tablet paper rather than as a book page is quicker and more comfortable.

Write out your verses. Don't type them on the cards. This is inconvernient and will tend to hinder your progress.

Keep cards in business card case, zip lock bag, coin purse or similar case.

Pray for God to write the verses in your heart and mind that His Word will not return unto Him void (Isaiah 55:11).

Pray for His wisdom to understand the meaning and application to your life.

Read the verses daily. (Oftener is better).

Then try to remember the book of the Bible where the verse is found; later try remembering the book and the chapter; after that the book, chapter and verse.

After several days or weeks place the cards you are comfortable with in your daily memorization file (in a similar case).

Number each card.

Write the date on the card.

Keep a list in a notebook or journal with the card number and the reference of the verse. This way if you

lose some of your cards you can easily replace them.

Mark in your Bible each verse which you have memorized or are working on. Draw a circle or square

around each verse number or color or underline verse. Use a marker which will not bleed through the

paper). Write the card number in the margin next to the verse.

Add new verses to your original ("becoming acquainted") file.

Add these to your daily file for memorization when ready. Try 1-3 per week. Don't overload yourself with new verses. Consistency, regularity, and repetition are necessary.

Shuffle your cards frequently as you practice. This will help your mind categorize them in many different ways.

Do not label and learn topic with verse. This will tend to limit the categorization process in your brain.

Always recite the reference both before and after the verse.

As you begin a new card, take it a phrase at a time--reference, first phrase, reference. When comfortable with that, recite reference, first and second phrase, reference, etc.

After 7 weeks of daily review, place in weekly file.

After 7 weeks of weekly review, place in file to be reviewed every 2 weeks.

After 7 reviews, place in monthly file.

After 7 reviews, place in "every 6-months file".

After 3 years, place in "yearly file". Review all these well-learned verses at least once every year for the rest of your life.

Tips for Memorizing Verses

Carry cards with you for frequent review while waiting in line, on hold, in waiting room, etc. Apply to metal kitchen cabinet with magnet to review while washing dishes, etc.

Pray and meditate on your verses throughout the day.

Several short practice sessions during the day are more effective than one long one.

Practice just before going to bed. Then rehearse without cards just before going to sleep.

Relax; don't pressure yourself. Enjoy your verses.

Read the verses in your Bible in context frequently. This will help to fix them and their locations in your memory and keep you from attaching the wrong meaning. This is extremely important.

Sometimes a verse may not make sense alone. You may write 2 or 3 verses together on a card and learn them together for the full meaning.

Practice with family or a friend or start a Scripture Memory group. If your verses are different, so much the better. Other persons' verses will give you ideas for verses to memorize. You will have opportunity to share your verses and what they mean to you. This will bless your friends and family and reinforce your memory. You will learn and share additional effective memory techniques.

Repetition is required.

Speak your verses.

Write them out. This helps to confirm accuracy as well.

Record them and listen to the tape periodically.

Make up tunes and sing your verses.

Don't become discouraged if several weeks or months later you can't remember a particular verse.

Hold the card while you review several other verses. Often this will help you relax. With the pressure off, the verse can surface in your memory. If it doesn't, don't worry.

Any time you fail to remember a verse return it to your daily review until you are confident you can move it up to weekly and eventually back to where it was. You will need to do this from time to time. Don't let this discourage you. It is part of the learning process.

You will be encouraged as your list of memorized verses grows.

You will especially be encouraged as you see how quickly you can remember a verse that once may have been very difficult for you to learn.

Your greatest encouragement will come as you experience the appropriate verses flooding your memory as you study and listen to sermons and lectures, as you read and as you talk with others, as well as when God speaks to you in His still, small voice through your verses. These experiences will spark ideas for sharing God's love.

What if you suddenly realize you've neglected your verses for a month, or a year or longer? Don't despair. All is not lost. Begin again with your same verses. It will be easier than the first time. I know. I've done that more than once.

Stay with it. God will bless your efforts!

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

God has blessed me in many ways through my memorized verses.

During my times of illness and fear He has been near me with words of comfort, such as "Fear thou not; For I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee: yea, I will help thee: yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10)

When I feared an airplane flight I needed to take, He comforted me with the memory of "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there...If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me" (Psalm 139:7-10).

As I listen to sermons and class discussions or study the Bible, often the topics of the Scriptures that are used bring additional verses to my mind and increase my understanding. As I share these with others, they too are blessed.

Many times God uses my verses to bring me back to His way. One example of this happened recently. As my husband carried groceries from the car, I opened and closed the door to our home for him each time. On the last trip to the car he dawdled much longer than I thought necessary. I wanted him to hurry so we could leave for another errand. As I huffed and puffed, God reminded me of Psalm 84:10: "...I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." God is so good ! Yes, Lord, I would rather be a doorkeeper in Heaven or earth and be right with You than to live in wickedness. Thank You for reminding me of that.

And thank You for Your promise of the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, who is so eager to bring to my remembrance all that You have said unto me (John 14:26).