Scripture Memory/ Meditation
ght to memorize scripture. “Since I was a little kid, I was tau teacher would be proud. When I was a kid I did it so my the things that keeps me Now that I’m an adult it’s one of tough times in life, and from falling, helps me navigate alone that my heavenly reminds me even when I’m all life. Hiding God’s word in Father has a good plan for my e impact on my life.” my heart has made an incredibl Atlanta ~Darren Youngstrom, Student Venture
If you could take only three items into battle, what would those be? Would you take armor? Would you take a sword? Would you take a helmet? All of these things are important to protecting yourself against the attacker and fighting back to win the fight! The Word of God offers all of these things for us spiritually! The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that we are fighting a spiritual war, not a war against people on this world. Being of this world ourselves, we must equip ourselves to fight! The Word of God is a guard for our hearts and minds as well as a weapon to fight off evil. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any doubleedged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” We must then use this weapon that we have to fight against the temptations of the flesh and the evil that exists in human nature.
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. ~Joshua 1:8
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. ~Isaiah 40:8
Not only does the Word of God serve as a weapon that we can use to fight temptation, but it also give us an avenue to meet and enjoy God. This is called [39]
meditation. As you seek to memorize Scripture, try to internalize what you are reading and make it part of your walk with Christ.
How to Memorize Scripture: Choose the verses. Commit to memorize. Choose a method that works for you.
Here are some ideas: 1 Chewing the Cud – Take the analogy of cows chewing their cud. They chew it to get nutrients, and then they swallow. Then, they regurgitate it and chew it again to get more nutrients. This is gross, but a great word picture of how we should be meditating on scripture! Do not assume that the first time you read it, you will get all the nutrients out! Swallow the words, and then continue to meditate on it every day in order to really understand what it is saying and get every ounce of truth out of it that you can! Day 1: Read 30 times. Day 2: Read 25 times. Day 3: Read 20 times and think about what the verse means. Day 4: Read 15 times and think about what the verse means.
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Day 5: Read 10 times and think about what the verse means. Day 6: Read 5 times and pray about how you can apply the verse to your life. Day 7: Begin to be practical in how to apply the verse to your life. 1 Cards on a Ring – Take 26 3x5 cards and cut them in half. Now punch a hole in the top left hand corner of each card! Now you have 52 cards for the 52 weeks in a year! Put at key ring through all of the holes and clip the key ring to your keys, backpack, or bag so that you always have these Scriptures with you. Commit to memorize one Scripture per week. 1 Erase a Word – Take one of the above note cards. Write its verse on a dryerase board or a chalkboard. Read the verse aloud. Then, choose one word [40]
to erase. Now read the verse aloud again. You should be saying the erased word from memory. Do so until the whiteboard is completely erased and you are saying the entire verse from memory. 1 Emphasize the Word – Get a composition notebook. Write the verse you want to memorize. As you read, give emphasis to different words. For example, if you were memorizing Philippians 4:13, you would read the verse 10 times, emphasizing a different word each time.
Practice: Read this verse all 10 times. Emphasize the word that is underlined and always say the Scripture reference to end. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13
Review, Review, Review. It is so important to review past verses each week! Meditate on them wherever you are: waiting in line, in between classes and in any moment where you are not engaged in a focused activity. The goal is to set your mind and heart on the things of God. This is not so that you can check off how many verses you know in your head, but rather so that you can know and enjoy God forever! And if in two weeks you don’t remember it, don’t sweat! The importance lies in the fact that you are meditating on Scripture daily and being faithful to do so, not in how many verses that you remember! God will be faithful to bring them to your mind when you need them! He wants you to hide the truth in your heart, not just parrot the words. [41]