WORK THESE WORDS INTO YOUR LIFE // A BLOG SERIES // PART 5
“I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture… No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified.” —Charles Swindoll
“Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization.” —Dallas Willard
In Psalm 119:11 the author wrote, “I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
The Passion Translation renders this verse: “I consider your [words] to be my greatest treasure, and I MEMORIZE them and write them on my heart to keep me from committing sin’s treason against you.”
Nothing will do more for your spiritual life than memorizing God’s Word! One of the most powerful habits you can develop and practice is to memorize passages from the Bible. Whenever you commit Scripture to memory, the Holy Spirit has a way of bringing that Scripture to mind when you need it the most.
1. Memorizing God’s Word will help you RESIST TEMPTATION!
When Jesus was tempted by the evil one in the wilderness, how did He overcome temptation? On all three occasions when the devil confronted Him, Jesus responded by saying, “It is written…” and followed with a quote from God’s Word (See Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:13 and 6:16).
I know he wrote the book, and technically that gave Him an advantage, but do you get the point? If Jesus memorized and quoted Scripture during periods of trial and testing, we need to memorize God’s Word so we’re prepared to speak it over our lives when we experience testing and challenges, as well!
Because Jesus had memorized the Word, when He needed it, He could rely on it.
Remember Ephesians 6:17? After listing several weapons available to the believer as part of the “armor of God,” Paul challenges us to take up the only offensive weapon listed. Paul writes, “Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
The word Paul used for “sword” is the Greek word “machaira,” which was a razor sharp sword used by Roman soldiers in close combat. Paul believed that God’s Word is a weapon that we can use in spiritual warfare to resist temptation, overcome the evil one and enforce the victory of God!
You’ve been given the same weapon Jesus used to overcome His adversary. The Word of God on your lips carries the same authority and power it carried when it was spoken by Jesus. In fact, Mark Batterson described it like this:
“When you open your Bible, God opens His mouth.” — Mark Batterson
Revelation 12:11 in The Good News Translation says,
“They won the victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the TRUTH which they PROCLAIMED…” —Revelation 12:11 GN
Fill your mind and mouth with the Word of God and watch what God will do!
2. Memorizing God’s Word will help you make BETTER DECISIONS.
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”
Once again, The Passion Translation reads, “Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your Word makes my pathway clear.”
Have you ever prayed, “God, what do you want me to do?” and had a passage of Scripture come immediately to mind? I’ve had it happen. Why? Because at some point in my life I had memorized that passage. It’s likely that if I hadn’t taken the time to memorize God’s Word it wouldn’t have been resident in my spirit for the Holy Spirit to bring to my attention.
3. Memorizing God’s Word gives you STRENGTH and STABILITY when things get really DIFFICULT.
I love the way Psalm 119:49 reads in The Message.
Remember what you said to me, your servant—I hang on to these words for dear life! These words hold me up in bad times; yes, Your promises rejuvenate me. —Ps 119:49 MSG
God’s Word has “held me up in bad times.”
The word “rejuvenate” means “to make young again; to restore to youthful vigor or to make fresh or new.” That’s the power of God’s Word. Memorize it so you can speak it!
Proverbs 22:17-18 gives us this insight into the importance of memorizing God’s Word:
“Listen, and I will teach you what the wise have said. Study their teachings, 18 and you will be glad if you REMEMBER them and can QUOTE them.” —Prov 22:17-18 GN
God’s Word in our minds and on our lips has a way of producing joy and gladness!
Have you ever heard someone say, “…the truth will set you free”? It’s a popular statement. But it’s partial and incomplete.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that “the truth will set you free…” That statement is only part of something Jesus said. The entire statement is found in John 8:32 where Jesus said this:
“And you will KNOW the truth, and the truth will set you free.” —John 8:32 NLT
The evil one doesn’t really care how much truth you have around you. You can have an NIV truth, NLT truth, an Amplified truth, a Living Bible truth, a Passage Translation truth or Message Truth, and he isn’t concerned at all!
You can have a copy of truth on the bookshelf, another copy on the coffee table, another copy in the bedroom, car and office, and access to it on your smart phone. He still isn’t concerned.
The evil one doesn’t care how much truth you have around you. He cares about how much truth you have IN you. The Bible doesn’t say, “…the truth that will set you free…” But it does say, “…you will KNOW the truth, and it’s your knowledge of the truth that will SET YOU FREE and KEEP YOU FREE!!”
The Bible on your bookshelf, night stand, iPhone or computer isn’t doing you any good, unless you ACCESS it, APPLY and SPEAK it! But, the Word of God in your spirit and coming out of your mouth sends demons packing and brings God’s power to bear on any and every situation! No wonder Isaiah said this about the Word of God.
“…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” —Isa 55:11 NIV
“My word performs my purpose and fulfills the mission I sent it out to accomplish.” —Isa 55:11b TPT
SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO MEMROIZE A VERSE:
1) PICK A VERSE that speaks to you or a situation you’re currently experiencing.
2) Say the ADDRESS of the verse before and after the verse.
The hardest part of a verse to memorize is often the address or reference. That’s where the verse is located in the Bible. So, as you say the verse out loud, say the address before and after the verse.
3) READ the VERSE OUT LOUD several times!
Memorization is usually more effective when you say the verse out loud and just keep repeating it over and over again!
There are three simple keys to memorization: REPETITION, REPETITION and REPETITION!
Sometimes, it’s difficult for me to memorize something just by reading it. I have to actually SAY IT out loud. Once again, something about the triple sensory experience of READING it with my EYES, SAYING it with my MOUTH, HEARING IT with my EARS helps me lock it in my mind.
4) EMPHASIZE KEY WORDS when quoting the verse.
5) Create a FLASH CARD SYSTEM (digitally or on paper).
6) Use the SCRIPTURE as your SCREEN SAVER.
7) Put the VERSE to MUSIC. Make up a MELODY to the verse that helps you memorize it.
If you have any musical talent at all, put the verse to music. Set it to some beat or tune. This is one of the tools that I use for memorization.
I know what some of you are thinking, “Chris, you just don’t know me. I can’t memorize anything.” I don’t buy it!
We all REMEMBER what is IMPORTANT TO US!
For instance, I know guys who can keep up with football stats from decades ago, and others who can spit out baseball scores and facts from 25 years ago. My wife can tell you the birthdays for all of our kids, grandkids and family members. (If I don’t record that stuff in Outlook and set an alarm, I’m toast!)
The point is we memorize what we’re interested in. And if you’re interested in memorizing Scripture, you can find a way to make it happen.
The writer of Psalm 119 describes how much he valued the Word of God when he wrote:
“The words You speak to me are worth more than all the riches and wealth in the whole world!” —Ps 119:72 TPT
Memorizing God’s Word reveals the value we place on it, and is another way we can strengthen our grip on the “sword of the Spirit” and “work His Word into our lives.”
