Memorizing Scripture

Hey friends! Back in March, I wrote a post titled "Tips On How To Grow Closer To God." In it, I shared a ton of different ways you can deepen your relationship with the Lord. One of those tips was to memorize scripture. In Psalm 119:11 it says "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." We are to hide God's Word in our hearts, meaning that we are to treasure it. One special way to treasure God's Word is to memorize it!! I think we can take for granted the gift of being able to read the Bible so easily. So many people aren't so fortunate. One day you might find yourself without a Bible when you need it the most. When we have certain passages memorized, God brings them to mind in specific moments for a reason. There are so, so many reasons why we should memorize scripture. To name a few:

- To encourage yourself & others - in so many ways too!

- To answer questions while sharing the Gospel - so important y'all.

- Knowing the difference between the devil's lies & God's truth - also so very important!!

In 1 Peter 5:8-10 it says, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."

The devil is going to attack you and we have to be ready!! Be ready with TRUTH. Be ready with God's Word. When Jesus was in the desert for 40 days and Satan tried to tempt Him, Jesus came back with scripture! He didn't have a Bible with Him - nobody did back then. He had the verses ready. (Matthew 4:1-11) We need to be prepared. So, with all that being said, here are some ways I like to memorize scripture!

5 WAYS TO MEMORIZE:

Write It Out. When I memorize scripture, I usually write out the passage that I am working on memorizing on a sticky note or an index card. As I continue learning the verse/s I will have the sticky note/index card placed somewhere I look often or somewhere that is very visible. For example, oftentimes I put it on my bulletin board. Sometimes I put it on my bathroom mirror so that when I am brushing my teeth, I will say the passage over and over again in my head until I finish brushing my teeth. This way, I am working on them in the mornings and at night.

Sing It. I can't tell you the number of verses I have memorized to the tune of a song. SO MANY. When I was younger, I would listen to Seeds Family Worship all the time on my KindleFire. I am pretty sure that was like the only songs I had on there. Anyway, I still remember pretty much all the songs I learned from them. I'm going to link their YouTube channel here for any of you who want to use them. I also memorize verses to Disney songs, since they are so familiar to me. Plus, whenever I hear a song that I've memorized a Bible verse to the tune of, I immediately think of the verse instead of the actual lyrics, which is cool. :)

Repetition. This is pretty self-explanatory, but I find it so helpful to just repeat the verses over and over out loud. I say out loud because when I am verbally saying it I find that it sticks with me better than if I were to repeat it in my head, though that works too. I just think for me it sticks better if I am saying it out loud and hearing the words. Try it out & see which one works better for you!

The Verses App. I recently found this app & I really like the layout, the way you earn badges, & the whole motivation it gives you. The only problem I have with this app is that you have to pay for other versions of the Bible besides KJV. I don't usually memorize in KJV, so it's just a little inconvenient. Other than that, it's really helpful! Also because of that I mostly use an app called "Fighter Verses" which works really well too & you have access to most versions of the Bible. :)

Make It Your Password. I think this is such an awesome idea! While you are memorizing a specific passage, you can make the reference to the specific verse you are learning, your password to any device. Before you allow yourself to get on your device, take a few seconds to say the verse you are learning. Since you might spend a good amount of time on your device, this is perfect!

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU MEMORIZE?

There is no specific amount of verses you have to memorize. If you choose to memorize one verse, awesome! If you choose to memorize a whole chapter, great! It really doesn't matter. There is no amount of scripture you can memorize, no amount of good deeds you can do to make God love you more. He already loves you more than anyone else ever could. He loves you enough to die in your place, and HE DID. - "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

WHERE DO I START?

With so many books, chapters, and verses in the Bible, you may be wondering, "Which one should I start with?" You can start anywhere! But if you don't have any idea where to start, think about what kind of season of life that you are in right now. Or you can think of a specific characteristic you are working on. After you have figured that out, search for verses that go along with that. Then, as you are working through that, you can have some encouragement/a reminder as you go about your day. You can also try to memorize a whole chapter or even a whole book of the Bible if you are confident! There are some really good books that aren't too long and I think are perfect! (Ephesians, Philippians, James, etc.) In the end, it's all up to you.

I hope that you enjoyed this article & hopefully learned something from it. Memorizing scripture is so important & I hope that you take this all to heart. If you have any questions on this topic, please comment them down below & we will answer as soon as possible. I just want you to know: God loves you so much and He wants you to have a relationship with Him. He is a personal God and wants you to talk to Him. He’s waiting for you and is ready to welcome you. Remember, you are God’s creation, made in His image by His own hands! Please take at least 10 minutes to spend time with Him today, He is waiting for you with open arms and a warm smile. Have an amazing and beautiful day & don’t forget to look for the simple joys God gives you today! ❤️

~ Aliana 🌻