Why should I memorize scripture?
Here are a few Biblical reasons to memorize scripture that we should remember:
Bible Memory Verses:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
God will comfort you in all your pain, sorrow, sickness, and hardships. Then you can use that same comfort that you received to help others when they are suffering.
"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" Psalm 119:11
Just like hearing my mom's voice telling me something over and over to make sure I brush and floss my teeth when I'm sitting in the dentist's chair getting a cavity filled.
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4: 4
Knowing what scripture says will help us when we are tempted.
"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm....the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God," Ephesians 6:11-17
The word of God is a weapon to be used in the spiritual battle with the enemy.
"Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil." 1 Peter 3:13-17
We should always be ready to defend our faith.
Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Matthew 28:18-20
The great commission is to be a witness to non-believers and know how to lead them to Christ if they want to saved from their sin.
"How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:33-37
A tree is known by its fruit.
How to remember a Bible verse:
Choose a bible verse that you want to memorize.
Choose one that speaks to you in this moment, especially with what you are going through right now.
Some Bibles have a Concordance in the back where you can look up a certain word and that will lead you to the verses you are looking for.
Keep this memory verse in mind as you go through your day.
Tips to help you memorize scripture:
- Write out the bible verse on an index card. Take this index card with you wherever you go for a week. Put it on your dashboard in your car, tape it on your bathroom mirror while you get ready, tape it to the refrigerator so you see it every time you make a meal, etc.
- Define words you don't know first so that you can understand the verse better.
- Look up the same verse in different bible translations to find the one that speaks to you the most. I suggest using Bible Gateway. For this example, I chose the New Living Translation.
- Let the words of the verse speak to you. What is God trying to teach you with this memory verse? On the back of the index card, write out what is meaningful to you about this bible verse, what you learned from it, and how you can apply it to your life. It helps to have a reason why you are memorizing this verse.
- Put all of your index cards in an index card container with index tabs so you can sort them by Books of the Bible or by Topic.
- Get a spiral book of index cards, that way you can always carry all of your memory verses around with you.
- On a sheet of paper, write out the bible verse several times. Just the simple action of writing it down over and over will help you remember it. Did your teacher ever make you stay after school for detention and write out something a hundred times on the chalk board as a way to help you remember something? For example: "I will remember to bring my homework in every day," or "I will not talk in class," or "I will not be late to class." (Hint: this may seem old-fashioned and you may prefer to type it out on your device, but sincerely, the action of hand writing will help put it on your brain.)
- You could put each of these sheets of paper in a 3-ring binder with index tabs so you can sort them by Books of the Bible or by Topic.
- Get a spiral notebook or a hardback journal to write down all of your memory verses.
- For shorter bible verses, say one word, then two words, then three words, and so on. For example:
- All
- All scripture
- All scripture is
- All scripture is inspired
- All scripture is inspired by
- All scripture is inspired by God.
- Emphasize a different word each time you say the bible verse. This could possibly change the meaning each time you say it, to help you see a different perspective, and/or help you learn and focus on what God wants to tell you. For example:
- All scripture is inspired by God.
- All scripture is inspired by God.
- All scripture is inspired by God.
- All scripture is inspired by God.
- All scripture is inspired by God.
- All scripture is inspired by God.
- For longer bible verses, you can concentrate on a smaller chunk at a time, such as a phrase or a line:
- Write one line on the index card for the first day, then add another line on the second day, and so on.
- Write out the whole bible verse on the card, but just highlight the first line on the first day, then highlight the second line on the second day, and so on.
- Each line could be a different color of ink or highlighted a different color to help separate the chunks.
- Put an extra long bible verse on the back of an actual puzzle that you have already put together that you will take apart and put back together again.
- Write out each line on separate slips of paper that you have to put in order, like putting a puzzle together.
- On each of the separate slips of paper, you could put a relevant picture that will help you remember that line better, and if the pictures are silly, funny, or ridiculous, even better! These could be emojis, photos, colors, shapes, symbols, stickers, sounds, a taste, a smell, etc. See the following video below for an example:
- Put the memory verse to music to help you remember. You can make up a tune, or you can put it to a familiar tune that you already know, such as: Mary Had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Little Star, or the Alphabet Song. Here is an example: 2 Timothy 3:16 Song Video
- Add American Sign Language to your bible verse to help you remember it. Click here for adding signs to bible verses. Here are some examples:
