I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Ps 119:11)
WHY SHOULD WE MEMORIZE GOD'S WORD?
Because He told us to!
In fact, God not only told us that we should memorize His Word, He told us why:
So we don’t sin against God
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Ps 119:11)
The Bible has been called “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” In His Word, God lays out the rules for how He wants us to be and act. In an emergency, a pilot can’t take the time to pull out the airplane manual to figure out what to do, so pilots are required to memorize the immediate action items for critical situations. In the same way, we usually don’t have time to pull out the Bible and try to find the right verse to guide us when we are tempted or in the middle of a crisis. We need to have God’s word hidden in our hearts, so like Jesus we can respond to challenges and temptations with scripture.
So that it can guide us in our relationships
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)
Being a follower of Christ is all about relationships, starting with our miraculous relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are to be guided by God’s Word in all our relationships, and especially in a marriage relationship. Two can become one only through the miracle of God’s love and inspiration, and the only way we can have a sacrificial relationship with others is through God’s Word.
It is the path to wisdom, insight and understanding, helping us to know and respect God
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Prov 2:1-6)
How can we expect to hear God’s voice and know His will for us in our lives, if we don’t know who He is and have a proper respect for Him? We can only achieve this though accepting His words and storing up His commands within us, and then asking God to give us wisdom, insight into His ways, and the understanding of how He would have us apply His word in our own lives.
So He can use it to show us our path
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Ps 119:105)
Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. (Ps 119:133)
Like adding fuel to a fire, as we store more and more of God’s Word within us, it becomes a brighter and clearer light that God can use to show us the way He wants us to go, helping us to become “a feather on God’s breath.”
Scripture Memory Verse
1. Each week there will be a Scripture Memory Verse. Pray for God's help as you repeat each verse until you know it “by heart.”
2. Go beyond rote memorization by meditating on the meaning of each verse and how God might be trying to guide you through that scripture.
3. Meditate on the memory verse as you fall asleep, and when you wake in the middle of the night:
On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Ps 63:6
(See also: Ps 1:2, 42:8, 119:55-56, 119:148)
4. Most of the Prayers of Surrender on this website are based on Scripture and are composed mostly of Scripture, so as you memorize these prayers, you are also memorizing God's Word!
Scripture Memory Verse
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Ps 119:11
Because He told us to!
In fact, God not only told us that we should memorize His Word, He told us why:
So we don’t sin against God
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Ps 119:11)
The Bible has been called “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” In His Word, God lays out the rules for how He wants us to be and act. In an emergency, a pilot can’t take the time to pull out the airplane manual to figure out what to do, so pilots are required to memorize the immediate action items for critical situations. In the same way, we usually don’t have time to pull out the Bible and try to find the right verse to guide us when we are tempted or in the middle of a crisis. We need to have God’s word hidden in our hearts, so like Jesus we can respond to challenges and temptations with scripture.
So that it can guide us in our relationships
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)
Being a follower of Christ is all about relationships, starting with our miraculous relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are to be guided by God’s Word in all our relationships, and especially in a marriage relationship. Two can become one only through the miracle of God’s love and inspiration, and the only way we can have a sacrificial relationship with others is through God’s Word.
It is the path to wisdom, insight and understanding, helping us to know and respect God
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,
and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Prov 2:1-6)
How can we expect to hear God’s voice and know His will for us in our lives, if we don’t know who He is and have a proper respect for Him? We can only achieve this though accepting His words and storing up His commands within us, and then asking God to give us wisdom, insight into His ways, and the understanding of how He would have us apply His word in our own lives.
So He can use it to show us our path
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Ps 119:105)
Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. (Ps 119:133)
Like adding fuel to a fire, as we store more and more of God’s Word within us, it becomes a brighter and clearer light that God can use to show us the way He wants us to go, helping us to become “a feather on God’s breath.”
Scripture Memory Verse
1. Each week there will be a Scripture Memory Verse. Pray for God's help as you repeat each verse until you know it “by heart.”
2. Go beyond rote memorization by meditating on the meaning of each verse and how God might be trying to guide you through that scripture.
3. Meditate on the memory verse as you fall asleep, and when you wake in the middle of the night:
On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Ps 63:6
(See also: Ps 1:2, 42:8, 119:55-56, 119:148)
4. Most of the Prayers of Surrender on this website are based on Scripture and are composed mostly of Scripture, so as you memorize these prayers, you are also memorizing God's Word!
Scripture Memory Verse
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Ps 119:11