By Allison 

[This is the third article in a series that we will be posting this month, focusing on the importance of Scripture memory.]

I pray that your memorization journey is going well so far. Today, I want to share with you some additional tips to aid you as you climb the difficult road of memorization toward a closer reunion with your heavenly Father.

Remember to recite the reference before and after you read the actual passage, so that you know where your verse is located in Scripture. If someone questions the validity of your verse, you can get out a Bible and prove to them that God said this.

One of the more basic methods of memorization is simply to read the verse over and over. The key to this whole process is repetition; the more you do it, the better it will stick in your memory. You can write the verse out on a sticky note or pretty card, and then paste them all over the house, in places that you will see them often, like a door, the bathroom mirror, across from the toilet seat, above the kitchen sink, a desk, etc. I’ve also laminated verses and put them in the shower, so that I can make use of otherwise wasted time. Look for little snippets of time like as you are brushing your teeth, or doing the dishes, to use valuably for God’s glory.

Find or make a picture of the verse you are memorizing, and save it as the background of your computer and phone. Make a bookmark out of it, and diligently read it each time you open your book.

You can also write the verse out on an index card, put it in your pocket (or purse) and then pull it out whenever you have a spare moment, in the car (provided you are not the driver), while folding the laundry, while waiting in line; you get the idea. Elizabeth Elliot in her book Passion and Purity, first published in 1894, said of her future husband, “I noticed him in dining hall lines with little white cards in his hand, memorizing Greek verbs or Scripture verses.” He took this method to heart, and proved attractive to Elizabeth because of his diligence in this area. Remember as you read your memory passage over and over again, to meditate on it and really think about what the verse is saying. I can read something over a hundred times, and still not have it memorized, because I was not paying attention to the words. Before you know it, you will be able to recite the passage from memory.

Another helpful tip is to read the verse five times right before you go to bed and five times as soon as you wake up. When you do this, you put God’s Word as the last thing you think about before sleeping and the first thing you think about when you wake up. It is extremely effective.

Try writing the words in your verse with different colors and styles and then reading it off that card. In John 3:16 you could highlight all the references to God in say, blue; all the references to death or blood, red; all the references to mankind, yellow, and so on. The crazier it is, the better it will stick in your mind. You can write verses using all kinds of wild fonts, colors, and sizes. Consider putting these colorful verses around the house. As you read this card over and over again, it will soon become embedded in your mind.

Writing your verse out is very effective because it involves many of the senses in your body. When you write your verse, you can engage your body (with your hands), your eyes, and, if you speak it out loud, your mouth and ears as well. The more senses you involve in your memorization process, the easier it will be to memorize the passage.

Write it out multiple times, thinking about what you are writing. If you do not think about what you are writing, then it will not help you stick that verse in your memory.

To make this memory process into something more like a game (and I highly recommend doing this with your younger siblings), write the verse out on a whiteboard or chalkboard, and then erase one word at a time, while repeating the other words in your head. As an illustration, in Colossians 3:16, you could write the phrase, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Read this several times, and then erase “Let” so you say “let” and then read “the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Go on to erase “the” and say “Let the” and read “word of Christ dwell in your richly.” Do this until all the verse has been erased and you’re repeating it entirely from memory.

A final tip in the subject of how to memorize Scripture, is to write out only the first letter of each word in the verse. After you have become fairly familiar with the verse, by using some of the other tips I have mentioned, try reading it using only the first letter of each word to spark your memory. This site will actually convert your passages into just letters with the push of a button. This method is helpful to really solidify the passage in your mind.

Once you have memorized a passage, the journey has begun. There are many things you can do with a passage that you have memorized, including,

Apply it

• John 13:17
• James 1:25

Share it

• Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Pray it

• Acts 4:24-31

Teach it

• Ezra 7:10
• 2 Timothy 2:15

Converse about it

• 1 Peter 4:11

Meditate on it

• Joshua 1:8
• Psalm 1:2

Witness with it

• Mark 16:15

If you wish to dive into the topic of memorization even more, check out my list of resources here.

I encourage you to explore some of the suggestions I have included above and find your favorites, and then dive in. The more you memorize, the more fruitful your spiritual life will be. Just try it! Do you wish to share with the KBR subscribers what the Lord is doing in your life through memorization? Email me at theindwellingwordministries[at]gmail[dot]com. Next week, I will compile your responses to share with young ladies around the world.

~Ashley (15)
{Guest Writer}

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