Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Ps. 119:11)
Memorization is very important if you want to overcome sin and temptation. It is almost impossible to do this without memorizing Scripture. When you are tempted, you can overcome more easily if you quote Scripture out loud. The Scripture will come to your mind naturally when you are tempted, and you will know to do the right thing. If you quote the verses aloud and you sincerely know the Lord, I can see no way that you could continue sinning. It will give you a strong warning, and you will not want to commit that particular sin. The Word of the Lord is the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), and it is the only offensive weapon in the Armour of God.
I learned from experience that I need to memorize Scripture to overcome sin. If I didn’t review my memory verses or memorize new verses, I found myself tempted more often, and I found it harder to overcome.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He quoted Scripture to rebuke the devil, and he quoted it from memory (He did not have written Scriptures with Him in the wilderness!)
O how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day. (Ps. 119:97) I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. (Ps. 77:12)
Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. (1 Tim 4:15)
Memorization of Scripture leads to meditation on God’s Word. I find this happens often with me when I am reviewing verses that I already have memorized. I will be recalling a verse from memory and I will try to find the meaning of the parts of the passage, or I will get a cross-reference from the Holy Ghost to a verse that I have read previously, which I will usually look up, unless it is a verse I have already memorized. Looking up these cross-referenced verses will usually help you to understand the passage you were meditating on. In order to receive these cross-references, you have to read your Bible daily.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. (Amos 8:11,12)
Memorizing Scripture is very important for times of persecution. Memorization helps you to overcome the persecution and gives you joy and comfort in oppression. When you recite Scripture to yourself during times of persecution, you will forget your troubles and be filled with joy, for great is your reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you. (Matt. 5:12)
Memorizing God’s Word is very important because, in times of persecution, Bibles are banned and confiscated. If you did not memorize it before hand, you will not be able to use it. You cannot read a Bible that you do not have. When they take our Bibles away, we will have to rely on the Scripture that we have memorized. Groups of Christians should memorize different passages of Scripture so that they can share it with other Christians. If they memorize different passages, they will have more of the Bible with them than if everyone memorizes the same passages.
How to Memorize Scripture:
The best way to memorize Scripture is to put your memory verses into categories, like salvation, the Word of God, and overcoming sin. Memorization of Scripture is not that hard, especially if you use the King James Version.
I usually memorize a verse by first writing it out in it’s entirety, and then reading it a couple of times. Then, I will put my Bible and the copy of the verse away, and try to write the verse as best as I can. Then I will check with my copy of the verse and correct every mistake in a different color, filling in everything that I missed. I will then study the second paper for a few minutes, noting my mistakes. Then I will put it away, and try writing the verse again. I keep doing this until I have it correct for a couple of times.
Another tip in memorizing: Look for patterns.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Phil 4:8)
Think this is a hard verse to memorize? Well think again. Here is how I memorized it: I noticed that it repeats the “whatsoever things are” six times, with a different word/phrase at the end of each. I Made a list of these phrases in my mind: true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and I noticed that “whatsoever things are” goes before each of these words. After this, all you have to remember is the Finally brethren at the beginning and the if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things at the end of the verse. It’s that simple!
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