Scripture Memory

-

 


    The past two years I have had the privilege of joining our Women of Promise to the yearly luncheon at Milligan University.  Last year the featured speaker was Pam Tebow, and this year it was Nicole C. Mullen. Both are gifted speakers with a clear passion for the Lord and His Word. It was a blessing to hear the stories of how the Lord has worked in their lives and hearts over the years.  Both ladies have incredible testimonies to the goodness of God and are using the platforms that God has given them to edify and encourage the body of Christ.  
    One thing that stood out to me was that both of these women of God had large amounts of Scripture hidden in their hearts.  It was evident as they quoted large passages of Scripture without referring to their notes or PowerPoints.  Both of these ladies testified to the Word of God lifting them up in times of great darkness.  Both of them also shared their personal aids for Bible memorization. 
    Scripture memory is not just a good idea, it is vital to our walk with the Lord. The Psalmist is our example, telling us in Psalm 119:11:  

Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 

    Jesus is our example; when led into the desert He quoted Scripture to fight off each attack from Satan.  
    In the Old Testament, we are commanded to meditate in God's Law day and night (Joshua 1:8).  This indicates that we have large passages in our heart and mind, for our minds to fall back on at any moment. 
    There are many Bible memorization aids out there.  Pam Tebow used music. Nicole C. Mullen lays out a weekly plan: one to two verses a week, building on the previous week's verse until a whole passage is committed to memory.  Many use index cards, writing out the verses they are working on.  Some recommend Post-It notes with the verse posted in areas you will see frequently throughout the day.      One other resource that I am excited to use is this tool, recommended by Carrie Gaul, a women's teacher and writer for Revive Our Hearts.  She uses 3 sheets. (You can click the highlighted words to open up the printable check-off sheets).  
    The first sheet is "Once a Day for Seven Weeks."  You choose one passage to work on for Seven Weeks. You start with one verse and gradually add on another until you have mastered the passage by reviewing it for seven weeks.
    The second sheet is "Once a Week for Seven Months."  After you have finished the daily review for seven weeks, that passage goes on this sheet and a new passage is begun on the daily sheet. You may find that a weekend time may work best for you to do your weekly review, for example. You will review this passage once a week for Seven Months. 
    The last sheet is "Once a Month for Seven Years."  After you have completed the weekly review of a passage, it is moved to this sheet where you review it once a month for seven years.  
    Each of these are excellent ideas and there are many others that may work well for you.  The point is that this exercise must not be neglected.  This is our defense against the attacks of the Evil One.  This is our strength when we are weak.  This is our guide when we are unsure of the next step to take in life.  This is the anchor for our hearts and minds.  It is not optional.  
    I am challenged to be more intentional about memorizing longer passages of Scripture.  I hope you will join me.  Let's encourage each other in this and watch God move among us as we hide His Word in our Hearts. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
💓 Heather Sparks💓

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It Is Well With My Soul

-
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. We are all reeling from the images we are seeing of our neighboring communities after Hurricane Helene blew through our region and dropped unprecedented amounts of rain. TVA has stated this was a 1 in 5,000 year event. There has been much loss of life and personal property. With the loss of my nephew fresh on my mind, I have found myself thinking of the words and humming the old hymn "It is Well" frequently. The story behind this hymn (along with the lyrics) tells that the state of our soul is the only thing that truly matters.  The author, Horatio G. Spafford was a businessman from Chicago. He had a successful legal practice and was a devout Christian. Spafford’s lost almost everything overnight in the great Chicago Fire of 1871. To add to this tragedy, his young son had just passed away a short time before the fire...
Read more

Adorning the Gospel

-
Image
  We all love to make things look nice, don't we?  Ourselves, our children, our cars, our homes --- most people like for our lives to be attractive to others and for our own enjoyment.  While I usually brush it off as false, Sam knows that I love hearing him or the kids tell me I am beautiful.  The beauty of nature is breathtaking.  God made us all to love pretty things.      Brother Doug has been leading us through the book of Titus recently.  Titus 2 speaks to every category of Christian -- older men, older women, young men, young women, and those in bondage.  A couple things stood out to me as Doug was teaching that have been running through my mind for the last couple of weeks.   3  Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior,  not slanderers  or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,  4  and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,  5  to be self...
Read more

Joy To The World!

-
Image
     One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is the music!  Christmas music brings a special element of joy to the season.  There are so many great Christmas songs in almost every style, from whimsical and folksy all the way to classical.  I am always excited for the time when the radio station switches to all Christmas music so that our car rides are serenaded with the sounds of the season.  The familiar melodies are comforting and cheerful, for the most part.  Many of these songs have been ingrained in my mind since infancy and I can't remember a time that I did not know them.  Just like all familiar music, however, I catch myself mouthing and humming along to lyrics that I know like the back of my hand without giving any consideration to what those words mean!  My older kiddos don't always appreciate this overly analytical approach to music that may cause me to nix a song or two from their playlists at times.  However, f...
Read more