I woke up defeated today.
I don’t really know how that happens and honestly, it can be little things that feel like setbacks, or small triggers that just make me feel unworthy.
It could be a simple conversation that didn’t go the way I expected them to or an interaction with my dog that made me lose my mind!
I sat on the couch for exactly one hour this morning wallowing.
Why? I haven’t the slightest idea, actually! Haha! Isn’t that the worst?
At least if I know why I feel the way I do, then I can tackle the emotion or the reason. But, today, I don’t really know why I feel yucky, and used, and old, and out of it. But, the Holy Spirit quickened my heart and reminded me of a promise in God’s Word.
I began whispering that scripture over my life and then began saying it a little louder and then a little bolder with a smidge of confidence.
Therefore, there is now, no condemnation to those who are in Christ, Jesus.
Romans 8:1 NIV
There’s power in that word, by the way! If you’re feeling trapped or like there isn’t a way out, then you should know that you don’t have to live under condemnation if you belong to Christ! So, shake that off, and let’s talk for a minute.
Do you memorize scripture? If so, how do you do it? If you don’t, can I challenge you to make 2021 a year that God’s Word empowers you?
Check this out:
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12 NLT
Do you believe that? God’s Word is ALIVE and relevant to our lives TODAY!
I believe there is power in the Word of God and that having scripture in your toolbelt, is one of the best weapons we have available to fight anything we face.
There are two scriptures that come to mind when I think about scripture memorization, both of which I have pulled out of my toolbelt a few times when counseling people:
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8 NIV
Wow! God says that we will be prosperous and successful when we are armed with His Word!
Ok, Now, check this one out…
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11 NIV
It’s not enough to just read the Word, or even to hear the Word, we MUST HIDE the Word in our heart! Do you know why? Because no one can take what’s in YOU! It’s not available to them. It isn’t accessible to others. The Bible says that what comes out of a person comes from the heart, see Matthew 15.
These two verses are so encouraging and powerful because they remind Christians that we should be careful and pay close attention to the Word of God. It’s not simply enough to go to church on the weekends and expect that Word to stay alive in your life all week long. It’s important for those who trust in Jesus, to also trust in the Word of God, and to hide the Word in our hearts.
Someone once told me that they didn’t believe in memorizing scripture. Their argument was that the actual words weren’t as important as knowing the general idea of what the scripture said. While I don’t necessarily disagree, I DO believe that memorizing scripture IS important.
And here’s why…
When you become discouraged or overwhelmed… or, you face devastating hardship, you can have a general idea of what the Word says, and still miss something powerful.
When your best friend faces disappointment, it won’t be enough to just encourage them that, “everything will work out.” What will get them through is knowing exactly what the Word says and pointing back to the place where that promise is located in the Bible.
When you’re tempted to take the easy road and haven’t memorized some scripture to help you along the way, or you just have a general idea of the Word of God, the enemy can twist those words around and distract you from what God wants for you.
The enemy will twist the Word of God in an attempt to defeat the work of God. Without having scripture in your pocket, you will be unarmed when the fight against the enemy matters.
Ok, so, there are three methods that I practice when memorizing scripture and I want to pass them on to you:
- Simple meditating. Reading, praying, and thinking on the scripture, and then working on quoting that scripture throughout my day. And, I may spend a few days on one particular scripture until I have it and then I go back and remind myself of what that scripture was over time.
- Post-its. If you’ve ever walked into an office that I’ve held at a church, then you’ve likely seen post-its all over because they serve as great visual reminders for me. This one is simple and works well for me. I write the scripture down on a posit-it and stick it everywhere! Walls, desk, the phone on my desk, white boards, corkboards, refrigerator, etc. This way, I am constantly bringing that word before me everywhere I turn. Visual reminders are great! One scripture that I can distinctively remember posting at my desk was the reminder of why I do what I do: “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” Ephesians 4:12 ESV
- Apps. There are some really great apps that I’ve used to help me memorize scripture. If you’re on your phone a lot, this may be a great tool for you to use. This is a link to a great app for scripture memorization which is available on both Android & Apple platforms and is completely free: VerseLocker
Don’t get hung up on the method; instead, just start somewhere.
I don’t think the way that we memorize scripture really matters as much as it does that we work to hide God’s Word in our hearts. The avenue that we use is just that—an avenue. It’s not as important as actually taking the big steps to be disciplined enough to memorize the Word.
So today, I’m praying that God would remind you of the scriptures that you’ve learned along the way and that if you’re like me and you’ve gotten distracted that you would be burdened to start again. Don’t let the enemy beat you up because you’ve tried before and failed. Don’t hide under the umbrella of excuses any longer. Start somewhere small and allow the Word to get in your heart. Find a method that works for you. God wants you to be able to stand against the tactics that the enemy throws at you and having the Word of God in hand is one of the greatest tools that you and I have available to us. Take heart. There’s hope for you today. And I’m praying for you that you’ll be successful as you meditate on the Word.