Bible Memory Project
For a long time, I thought the purpose of memorizing Scripture was to remind myself not to sin. Here’s how the process worked in my mind.
Step 1: We memorize a few Bible verses.
Step 2: When temptation comes, we remember the verses we’ve memorized.
Step 3: By remembering these verses, we “remind” ourselves not to sin.
In other words, I thought about the Bible like a phone notification. I assumed that the main reason we memorize verses is to remind ourselves, in the face of temptation, not to sin. Bible memory, however, is more than just a reminder not to sin. It’s also the way we keep ourselves from sin.
You can probably think of times in your life when a sinful thought or desire came to mind. Maybe at that moment, you confessed the sin and asked God to help you fight the temptation. Maybe you felt disappointed when a few minutes later, the thought was still there. Let me ask you this: how did you respond?
Did you give up?
After all, if prayer doesn’t work, nothing will. Right?
I admit this has been my response more than once. But what if you and I changed the way we thought about Bible memorization? Instead of using Bible verses as a reminder to avoid sin, what if we saw it as the very thing that keeps us from sin?
Here’s an example of what it might look like to use Bible memory this way.
Let’s suppose that a sinful thought comes to mind later this evening as you try to fall asleep. The specific sin really doesn’t matter; it could be lust, envy, or greed.
As soon as the thought comes to mind, you confess it and ask God to help you think true thoughts. Imagine, however, that the sinful thought doesn’t immediately go away. What if, as you are praying, the thought continues to plague your mind?
How can you respond in a way that honors God? Here’s an idea.
Quote Bible verses until you fall asleep. If it helps, speak the words out loud. It may seem simple, but when you and I quote the Bible, we speak God's words. Justin Peters once said, “If you want to hear God speak, read your Bible. If you want to hear God speak audibly, read your Bible out loud.” [1] The same is true when we memorize the Bible. By repeatedly quoting Bible verses, you force yourself to think about what is true. I’m not promising that memorizing verses will make you sinless, but it can be a powerful way to fight sin.
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I want to highlight one way you can prioritize Bible memory this year. Bible Memory Project is a great resource to help you memorize and meditate on God’s word. Each month focuses on a new theme, and four verses go along with that theme (one each week). For the past months, I’ve been writing some of the weekly devos that help unpack and apply the verse of the week. You can follow along with those HERE. I’ll also be posting many of the devos here at nickharsh.com. This is a great place to start if you’re looking for a simple way to memorize scripture this upcoming year.
[1] Justin Peters (@JustinPetersMin), “If you want to hear God speak, read your Bible,” Twitter, May 12, 2017, https://twitter.com/justinpetersmin/status/863167957014163456?lang=en
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I welcome any questions, comments, or additional thoughts you may have. If you were helped by something you read, please share it with your sphere of influence. Thanks!