January 19
“Thy word have I treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee” Psalm 119:11
Finally, we will discuss memorizing scripture. This is a very important practice and discipline that enables us to overcome temptation. Jesus was alone in the wilderness for 40 days. There is no indication He had scrolls of the Old Testament with Him. Everything He had to face His greatest test with the Enemy was already in His heart and mind.
When Jesus faced Satan, he quoted scripture with each test. Specifically, He quoted from Deuteronomy. He did not stop and say, “Just a minute, Satan, let me pray about how I feel about that suggestion of yours. Come back in a few days for my answer.” Jesus knew immediately that Satan was tempting Him to disobey God and deviate from the Father’s plan. And He responded by quoting scripture. Scripture was the counter to every temptation Satan threw at Him, And note that when scripture was quoted, that was the end of that temptation. No more discussion. Bull’s eye!
We also need to have the scriptures well stored up in our memory that we can quote them immediately and accurately. We need to have a wide repertoire to cover any sin, especially those we are more prone to commit. We need to bring these immediately to mind whenever those temptations come to mind. Scripture will quench temptation like a bucket of cold water on a candle…that is, if we can bring it to mind and stand behind it like we believe it.
Memorizing the scriptures is hard work for some, but a necessity for the Christian. Take index cards or other sturdy paper and write the verse(s) on the card. Then study it and try to say it without looking. You know how to memorize things. Techniques like associating the words with some kind of visual image or acronyms are helpful to some people. Have someone check you once you have made pretty good progress.
You can memorize scripture as a family or with a friend. You can set goals and reward yourself or ask others to reward you if you can do a certain amount. I recommend setting a word perfect standard, without helps (others prompting you if you forget). You probably won’t have others helping you when you need to bring to mind the scriptures when you are sharing with others or needing to resist temptation. It can’t be foggy in your mind, but crisp to be useful, I think.
You also should set a plan to review verses periodically so you don’t forget them. At one point, I had the books of Colossians, James, and 2 Timothy mostly memorized, along with Romans chapters 6 and 8 and the Sermon on the Mount. But now, most of it is gone because I didn’t review it regularly. (I can still quote Colossians 3 and Romans 8 reasonably well, thankfully!)
As you can see, memorizing scripture is a lot of work. Various organizations like the Navigators have tools that are helpful for memorizing scripture, along with verses printed on small cards. I highly recommend getting these tools and making a habit of regularly memorizing scripture. You will never regret the time spent doing this!