The Reason why we Memorize Scripture

 

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. Psalm 119:2

 

The primary reason we memorize Scripture is because we are called and commanded to learn God's Word so we can learn more about Him, what He has done, and what we can do to lead a great Christian life. We are called to meditate on His Word. Have you responded to this call?

 

·         Knowing God's Word helps us be better at studying the Bible.

·         Knowing God's Word helps fabricate and shape our spiritual growth.

·         Knowing God's Word helps us experience and worship God.

·         Knowing God's Word helps us know and respond to His precepts and call.

·         Knowing God's Word helps us realize that God's Word transforms our minds to think in His ways and live our life better in Him.

·         Knowing God's Word makes it easier for the Holy Spirit to more powerfully guide us!

·         Knowing God's Word stimulates our intimacy and prayer life with Him.

·         Knowing God's Word gives us useful, effective, and effectual knowledge of the Bible.

·         Knowing God's Word gives us practical wisdom, guidance, and knowledge for life!

·         Knowing God's Word helps God use us more and more powerfully.

·         Knowing God's Word helps us in the sharing of our faith.

·         Knowing God's Word gives us success in dealing with sin and temptations.

·         Knowing God's Word gives us confidence in witnessing.

·         Knowing God's Word equips us to be able to help guide others.

·         Knowing God's Word helps encourage the spiritual growth in others lives.

·         Knowing God's Word helps us to overcome life's problems and obstacles.

·         Knowing God's Word helps us be content and at peace.

·         Knowing God's Word helps us to discern false teachings.

 

Have you responded to His call?

How to Memorize Scripture

God calls us to have His Words and promises written in our hearts!

I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. Psalm 119:8

Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:18-21; Psalm 63: 1-8; 119: 9, 11, 72; Matthew 4:4; Philippians 3:10; Col. 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:21-25; 1 Peter 2:2; 3:15

We can come up with all kinds of reasons why we should not or need not memorize Scripture. Perhaps, you are saying or thinking, "I can't because I have a bad memory," or "I just do not have time;" "I have tried this before and I could not do it," or "why should I?", or "I am not a pastor or in leadership." Someone told me once, "I do not need to because Jesus told me I do not have to." I can tell you that I do have a bad memory, and I certainly do not have the time while I pastor, travel, run an international ministry, and then there is my precious new baby. And, I can also certainty tell you that Jesus would never, ever tell you something that contradicts His Word.

 

Yet, we are called by God Himself, even commanded to learn, know, ponder on, and memorize Scripture (Josh 1:8; Psalm 1; 15; Is. 8:12; 1 Peter 3: 13-22; 4:12)!

The way to spiritual maturity and the glory of our reward is not in finding shortcuts, but exercising temperance and commitment through learning, experience, and overcoming adversities.

It is a long and difficult process (Acts 14:22; Rom. 2:7). The question is, How can you make memorizing Scripture a reality in your life? See what God Himself has to say; read any or all of these passages below, and in prayer, go over them and match them to these bullet points and ask Him how you are doing with this.

The Basic Plan

 

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. Psalm 119:9

         The "nitty-gritty" for ease in memorizing is to simply select a short passage-a verse or two. Pray, read it, and then read the chapter in an easy-to-understand translation to see it in context. Then re-read your passage at least ten times in the translation you are using, such as the KJV, NASB, NKJV, RSV, NIV or the ESV. Then, write it out on a small card and re-read it at least ten times. Put it away for a few hours or a day, then pick up the card and re-read it aloud several times. You should have it memorized after a week! It does take a little effort, but it is not as hard as most people think. There is no reason to dread or stress in order to know God's Word.

The simple basic plan:

1. Select a short passage to memorize.
2. Pray over it.
3. Read it.
4. Read the chapter to know its context.
5. Re-read the passage at least ten times.
6. Write it out on a small card.
7. Go over your card at least ten times, reading it out loud.
8. Put it away and in a few hours or a day, pick up the card and re-read it several times. In a few days, you should have it memorized!

The Big Tip

Now, to make it even easier and more fun, do the above and also use a recording device such as a tape recorder, MP3 recorder, or a smart parrot. This is what I do because I have a terrible memory and learning disabilities I have had to overcome. So, for me, this was the worst of the worst of my stress and dread, but I learned to do it and have fun doing it. By the way, this is a phenomenal memorizing method for any literature, notes, text, readings, etc. Read it, record it, and then play it back anywhere you are-while driving, at the mall, or wherever. You can do this with your notes, study material, information you have to memorize, even terms and words for science, a foreign language, or math formulas. I have found this one of the best ways to study, and it works!

           The key to memorization is this: STUDY! REVIEW! and PERSEVERE! Repetition is the best way to engrave the verses into your mind.

 

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

 

More here: 

http://70030.netministry.com/apps/articles/?articleid=31424&columnid=3801

 

 

Stand in and with the Word of God!

The Bible is the Word of God. it is cross-cultural and cuts though all languages, people groups and time; it does not need us to make things up or bend it out of shape. It does not need to be diluted or watered down to make it palatable. All you have to do is explain it, in love, with the above precepts of passion, conviction, compassion, clarity, and Truth. The Word is the peg that goes into both the round and the square hole! You do not need to reshape the peg of His Truth. You are to know the culture of others and be relevant, but love that is real, along with the Gospel, needs no modifying. Essential doctrine is crucial because we are proclaiming God, and God is a God of Truth! We are His ambassadors; we are never to misrepresent Him!

We are to do our best to witness, pray, evangelize, do missions, and put forth every effort we can to expedite His Word. And, as a Christian saved by His grace, we have to remember that we still need to repent, even though He paid it all, because we love Him and want to obey His decree.

Allow God to smash the bad things out of your life that hinders your growth, character and Fruit! PII

The James 4: 7-10 is passage is a roadmap of how to repent. God tells us both what to do and what not to do which will lead us to a victorious life that is transformed in Him. The call is simple: we are to submit, come near, wash, purify, grieve, mourn, wail, change, and humble ourselves. Each one leads to a closer relationship with God, and to a life that is bearing fruit, building character, and becoming more mature and effectual to others around us. This is exhibited and practiced by maximizing our time with God through the disciplines of the faith, Bible reading, devotions, prayer, and godly fellowship.

It comes from trusting our Lord and His plan, thereby taking the focus off the ways of Satan, the world, and us. We are to be vulnerable in confessing our sins and drawing to Him as LORD. When we are humble, God is glorified and He lifts us up. It is not about our way; it is all about HIS WAY (Prov. 24:3-4; Isa. 45:7; Jer. 29:11-14; Phil. 2:3-4)!

When we chase the devil and/or our pride, we will sink below the tossing waves in a sea of despair, a life that boils over with trouble (James 1:6-8). The key to preventing that sinking is to allow these commands to take root and God's work in us so our lives reflect righteousness. When we remove our sinful attitude of pride, He is glorified.

When we accept Christ in our life, He needs to be Lord of our life. We are to take responsibility for our addiction and dependence, allowing His conviction to touch us deeply; then we can let go of our ways and surrender to His way (Matt. 11:28; Luke 11:9-10).

Then God will remove your defects of character! We must stop trying to manipulate God to give us our desires and needs, and concentrate on how we are to worship Him in all that we do, in total trust and total devotion. So, let us stop combating with God, stop fighting with ourselves, and stop the hostility with one another, and concentrate our efforts toward God's glorification and worship. This means we are to recognize sin and its destructive nature. It may look good, but it will take us away from God and others, leave us bankrupt in our relationships, and fill us with bitterness and despair.

 

 

Allow God to smash the bad things out of your life that hinders your growth, character and Fruit!

Read James 4: 7-10

God wants us to make the fervent attempt to repent and get right with Him. He does not want us to lead a double life in trying to serve two contradictory paths in life because when we do, we are being hypocritical, creating broken relationships, shattered lives, and unmet opportunities. This leaves us in despair as the devil and our ways have no hope or purpose other than to steal what God has to give to us. We already have joy and completeness in Christ when our hearts and minds are centered on Him. So, the bottom line of this passage is the call to submit and surrender to God, allowing Him to be our only Lord and direction. Then, He will lift us up beyond our greatest desires and plans to a much greater plan and purpose in life!

Thus, commit to smash the bad substances from your life that hinders your growth, character, and Fruit.

Proverbs 3:34, tells us to submit to the sovereignty of God. God's plan for our life is far better than any desire, evil or good, we could ever have. Thus, it is logical and beneficial to be humble in Him (1 Pet. 5:5)!

Remember that Repent means to completely and utterly turn away from our desires and deeds and toward His love and plan. Real, authentic repentance is sincere; we will regret our past behavior and be on guard in future relationships so that a moral and lifestyle change will result. It is God's desire that we repent of our sins and come to His way (Matt. 4:17; Acts 17:30; 24:14; Rom. 2:4; 1Thess. 5:6, 8; 2 Tim. 2:5; 1 Pet. 2:22-24)!

So, what can I do? Do not laugh at sin; guard against it. Do not accept the worldliness of the world; rather, model maturity and character because you are being empowered by the Lord. We are to flee the world's influence while being the influencers of it. We are to flee the devil while being on guard of his tricks and trade. You may be thinking that only the weak and cowardly would surrender themselves-even to God. But, the fact is, only a coward would refuse to allow the ultimate greatness in himself that is only achieved by yielding totally to Christ. He is greater than those who are His (John 3:30)!

 

The Main Goal of Bible Study

DON'T JUST INTERPRET IT, BUT APPLY IT TO YOUR LIFE!!!

John 3:5, 30; Gal 2:20-21; Phil. 3:10!

Unfortunately a lot of Christians think that all we have to do is read the Bible, and do what it says, and there is nothing to interpret. Or they will react against the educated "professional" Christian who is a teacher, scholar or pastor. They see that person taking the Bible away from them, and wrapping it in confusion. They do not want the Bible to be some kind of obscure book they cannot understand. But what they are in fact doing is reading the Bible without any understanding and making excuses for it and it is very doubtful they are doing what it says! (Of course some scholar's love to wrap things in confusion!)

·      Some Christians have no problems with interpretation, it is the application and obedience that they have trouble with. We tend to understand the precepts of the Bible so well that we will rationalize them away, such as "do everything without complaining or arguing" (Phil. 2:14). Thus we complain and argue all the time.

·   The primary goal of interpretation is to find the "plain meaning" of the Bible!

"You search the scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me" (John 5:39)

The question is do we get it?

Since the Bible is God's authoritative Word, we no doubt will spend more time in it! Are we prepared to allow the Word of God to get in us and make changes and to transform and renew our minds for His glory? (Romans 12)

· If the Bible is not where you place your trust, then where is your trust and where will it lead you?

· We cannot have the Words of Jesus without the Bible!

· The Bible is the chariot that carries the voice of God!

We as the people of God who have been saved from our sins by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ have a call, a mandate: to preserve His Word, and to proclaim His Word. We must remain steadfast in this call to our individual selves, as well as our neighbor.

"We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? (Heb. 2:1-3)

 

REMEMBER:BE SURE TO INCORPORATE WHAT YOU KNOW INTO YOUR LIFE!!!

Excerpt from the book, 'Into Thy Word' Order the book, 'Into Thy Word' with a 15-week curriculum!

Why Should We Make an Outline?

I developed this curriculum for you to use from over twenty years of research. I sought out the principles and resources that a good "sermonizer" uses to teach. Why is one preacher bad and another good when they come from the same seminary and denomination?

 

From my original mentorship under Francis Schaeffer, study under Ray Stedman, and interviewing hundreds of excellent Bible teachers including Charles Swindoll and R.C. Sproul for my book, Into Thy Word, it has been my quest to see what "secrets" and means can best be utilized to learn and then teach His Word. I discovered that an outline is essential, after a good inductive and or exegetical study, to lay out what we are to learn and then to teach. By the way, every good preacher is first a learner before they become a teacher! Being a learner, doing an inductive approach, and then outlining are the common denominators of what a good Bible-centered pastor does to prepare.

 

There are no shortcuts to good Biblical messaging. We need, your congregation needs the right essential elements and tools to produce sermons. Outlining is essential for a Bible teacher use to prepare their lesson. Outlining will be your primary means of producing quality, Bible-centered lessons, talks, sermons, or even research papers.

 

An outline is an essential tool. It can be used for any form of text, whether it is a Bible passage or any other form of literature-from Shakespeare to a textbook to a magazine article. This is the way any good writer or researcher goes about preparing and organizing his materials.

 

An outline is basically an aid to help lay out the precepts and reasons of your sermon, study, or paper in a systematic, easy to use and easy to read structure. It helps you as the writer and another person as the reader to identify the general ideas and key thoughts of your line of reasoning. The basic consideration is for you to define the main idea and then the subordinate ideas.

More here:

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