Hiding His Word in Our Hearts: A Scripture Memory System That Actually Works

Currently, we live in a society where God’s Word is not valued, known, or worse, it’s being twisted to support lies.

We live in a day and age where we have more access to the Bible than any other generation in history and we have countless translations to choose from. You can even access it for free with the swipe of your finger on your smartphone!

But the sad reality is that even though we have great access to the Bible, we are a Bible illiterate society.

We simply do not know God’s Word.

This makes the enemy happy because he can use our Bible illiteracy to sway, tempt, lie, and lead us down false paths.

Right now many use Scripture entirely out of context, including very popular Christian authors. We are a deceived and confused generation but this is nothing new. The enemy has been deceiving and confusing humans since creation.

He even tried to use Scripture out of context to tempt Jesus when He was in the desert for 40 days fasting and praying.

Jesus was smart and knew exactly what he was doing and was able to call the enemy out using God’s Word correctly.

Can the same be true for us?

I believe it can be BUT we have a lot of work to do to hide God’s Word in our hearts so we can use it to stand strong against the enemies schemes.

Writing out God’s Word in my Scripture Graces journal has had one of the biggest impacts in my own understanding of Scripture but taking it a bit further, memorizing Scripture is the best way we can have God’s Word firmly planted in our hearts.

To be able to use Scripture in context, and in the correct form, when tempted is huge.

[clickToTweet tweet=”To use Scripture in context, & in the correct form, when tempted is huge! #ScriptureGraces” quote=”To use Scripture in context, & in the correct form, when tempted is huge! “]

The sad truth is that not only are we Bible illiterate but we also don’t have God’s Word hidden in our hearts the way it should be. Instead, we can probably recite useless trivia, lyrics to songs, details from our past, and just about anything in pop culture with little sweat.

But asked to recite a Bible verse, in context, with the correct verse reference? Well, that is another story.

I can’t tell you how many times I have personally tried to recite a passage during a Bible study or some other spiritual discussion with the phrase,

“I can’t remember the verse, but it goes something like this… (fill in the blank with choppy verse reference) I think?”

Sound familiar?

We all do it, and we will probably continue to do it because memorizing Scripture is a lifelong process and it will never be complete. (The Bible’s a big book Y’all!)

But we can certainly break it down and memorize little-by-little, day-by-day, year-by-year.

[clickToTweet tweet=”We can break it down & memorize the #Bible little-by-little, day-by-day, year-by-year. ” quote=”But we can certainly break it down and memorize little-by-little, day-by-day, year-by-year. “]

And you know where we should start?

Not with trying to memorize random passages willy-nilly but instead trying to memorize longer passages, and in some cases, entire chapters, or even entire books of the Bible.

Sounds daunting, doesn’t it?

I believe it’s doable and I also believe with a few simple methods, it’s actually pretty easy!

It’s also important too because the enemy will continue to tempt, lie and deceive us but when we start to have a strong understanding of what the Bible actually says (not what we would like it to say… BIG DIFFERENCE HERE) we can use it to defeat the enemies lies once and for all.

So where do we begin?

With a Scripture Memory system that works, of course! 😉

Your Scripture Memory System

This 6-step Scripture memory system will help you to easily memorize God’s Word to help you hide it in your heart so you can stand strong against the enemies schemes and defeat his lies with truth!

Choose a Larger Portion of Scripture

This is important to choose a longer passage of Scripture because it will help you keep the verses in context.

For some strange scientific reason, we remember things in larger portions. This probably explains how we can remember all of the words to that popular hit song back in high school.

When we memorize an entire passage or chapter rather than just a single verse, we are getting the full picture of what God’s message is.

Deeper understanding is taking root which also helps us to use the Scripture correctly and in context when we speak them and use them.

Print it

I find that when I have the entire chapter printed out, with spaces between the words, it helps me to memorize it better.

I don’t know about you but my journaling Bible has tiny print and lots of notes written in the margins or highlighted passages throughout.

When I print out the chapter, with a little extra space between the words and the lines, there is plenty of white space and no extra distractions.

Break the Passage Down

The majority of us can not look at a long passage and have it memorized completely with just a few quick read-throughs. Some have brains wired to remember everything but most of us do not.

We need to simplify, or break it down, to help us memorize it.

For memorizing longer portions of Scripture, I will usually break it down into memorizing 2 to 3 verses per week and building off of the previous week.

So for example, say I’m trying to memorize Colossians chapter 1. I may spend anywhere from a day to the entire week, working on memorizing verses 1 through 2. Then another week memorizing verses 3 through 4 while also building on the previous week. At the end of the second week, I can recite Colossians 1: 1-4 with 100% accuracy every time.

Yes, this takes a while but it works!

Remember, we aren’t working on memorizing Scripture just to memorize it, we are working on memorizing Scripture, in context, so it can be hidden in our hearts and always with us.

Use the First-Letter System

I can not remember where I was first introduced to this method of using the first letters to memorize Scripture, but it has been a game changer.

If only I would have had this strategy to memorize facts and notes when I was in school!

The first-letter system is exactly as it sounds, using the first letter of each work as a visual aid to help you memorize.

Sometimes all our brains need is just a little hint to get us going, and having the visual of the first letters is helping the memorization.

What I do after I break down the verses is write out the verse in first letters only on a small note card and place that in a prominent place so I can easily see it and practice my memory work.

Speak it Daily

The more you say the verse aloud while you are practicing Scripture memorization, the more it is being planted in both your brain and your heart.

Practice saying the verses aloud while you fold laundry, make dinner, or when you wash the dishes. Practice saying it aloud every time you are sitting at a stop light or waiting in line.

Use those small pockets of time to speak the Scriptures.

And for an added bonus, those within hearing are also having the Scripture planted in their hearts as well! I also do my Scripture memory work around my kids. Their little brains are like sponges and absorb everything which is why we constantly have these songs playing in our home!

Write It Out

I’m big into writing out Scripture which should be no surprise to you if you have been around this blog for a while now!

I kind of talk about it a lot 😉

But for good reason!

Countless studies will confirm that when you slow down to write something out, you are much more likely to remember it. The odds go up when you write in repetition.

Each week as I work on the verses I am memorizing by using the first letters and speaking it out, I also write the verses.

First on a small notecard, then I write it out in my journal repeatedly. I also write the previous week’s verses to build on my Scripture memory.

By using this method I can easily commit to memory an entire chapter of the Bible in just a few weeks.

For some, it might not take as long, you could possibly condense the time, but for others (myself included), it takes a few weeks of breaking the verses down and repetition to commit to memory.

After using this method to memorize a few chapters, you might also find your muscle memory improving!

Go at a pace that works for you and helps train your mind to remember God’s Word.

Even after you memorize the chapter, commit to regularly reciting it to help keep it hidden in your heart.

This Scripture memory system is also great to include others in to help each other to memorize God’s Word.

Little ones have minds like sponges, who remember far better then we do! Have them memorize Scripture with you.

Make it a family affair by also getting your spouse on board. Ask a friend to join you, gather the ladies from your Bible study group, or reach out to some friends who you regularly check-in with.

The more people holding you accountable also means more people are hiding God’s Word in their hearts as well!

Have you ever memorized a longer passage of Scripture before? What methods worked best for you?

 

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Ready to commit to writing a longer passage of Scripture but don’t know where to start?

How about starting with John 1?

The Gospel of John opens up with some very powerful reminders of who God is. The first few verses are some of my favorite verses in the Bible. John reminds us that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him and He is the light that shines in the darkness. (John 1:1-5)