Have you thought about memorizing scripture?
I’ve always been really bad at memorization but I’ve been making more of an effort to memorize Bible passages.
Knowing the Word of God by heart is beneficial. There are times where I’ll be going through my day and a scripture pops into my mind. It may speak into what I’m going through or it may be an encouraging reminder.
Either way, it’s good to tuck the Word of God into your heart. But how do you practically memorize scripture?
Here’s how to memorize scripture for beginners.
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Why is it important to memorize scripture?
So, why memorize scripture? Memorizing scripture has many benefits. These benefits include:
- Helps with temptation: When Jesus was in the wilderness, Satan tempted Jesus with scripture. Satan knows scripture very well, but Jesus knows it better. He shuts down every temptation from the Devil with scripture. Memorizing scripture will help you in times of temptation as well.
- Helps with discernment: How can you be discerning if you don’t know scripture? Memorizing scripture helps with discernment. It will give you the confidence to know what is true doctrine versus false doctrine.
- Helps with encouragement: Finally, memorizing scripture helps with encouragement. There will be times I’m going through something and a passage comes to mind that encourages me.
Bible Verses About Memorizing Scripture
The Bible talks about memorizing and meditating upon scripture. Here are some Bible verses about memorizing scripture:
- Psalm 119:11 – “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you,” (ESV).
- Joshua 1:8 – “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success,” (ESV).
- Psalm 37:31 – “The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip,” (ESV).
- Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God,” (ESV).
How to Memorize Scripture
Memorizing scripture is important but it can be hard to do. I’ve always told myself I had a bad memory, but I surprised myself when I started memorizing scripture. So if you believe you have a bad memory, there’s hope. If I can memorize Bible verses, so can you. Here’s how to memorize scripture verses.
Decide what version you’d like to memorize from.
First, decide what translation you’d like to memorize from. I recommend choosing from NASB, NIV, ESV, CSB, or KJV. Choose one translation and stick with it.
The reason for this is that it’s confusing trying to memorize several translations. If you memorize one verse in the ESV and another in NIV, it can be hard to keep track of the translation you’re memorizing from. Sticking with one translation makes things easier.
Select the Bible verses you want to memorize.
Next, decide on what you’d like to memorize. You can start off small with just a verse or two. It doesn’t have to be much.
Here are some sample Bible verses to memorize:
- John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” (NIV).
- Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” (NIV).
- Proverbs 27:17 – “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” (NIV).
Starting off with a few verses will get you on the right track to memorizing scripture.
Print the Bible verses you want to learn on a sheet of paper.
Next, print out the Bible verses you want to memorize on a sheet of paper. When I wanted to learn Philippians 1, I separated each verse so that it was easier on my eyes.
Here’s an example of what I did:
This made it easier for me to memorize one verse at a time because each verse was separated.
Highlight Bible verses as you memorize.
As I memorized a verse, I would highlight it on my paper. This gave me the motivation to keep going. It was encouraging for me to look back and see all the verses I had memorized.
It pushed me to keep going and continue memorizing more. Here’s an example of highlighting verses as you memorize:
Verses 1-4 are highlighted which would mean these verses are memorized.
Set aside a time each day.
If it helps, set aside a time each day to memorize. It could be as little as 5-10 minutes. Setting aside time everyday helps instill the habit.
A practical way to do this is to set an alarm at a specific time everyday. Keep in mind that this time should be during a timeframe you’re most productive. Personally, I memorize better in the afternoon so I keep that in mind when I’m memorizing scripture.
You know yourself best, so set a time you know you’ll be able to memorize scripture best.
Set aside a spot each day.
You can also set aside a spot each day to memorize. Setting aside a special spot to memorize is nice. Whenever you’re in this spot, you’ll remember to memorize.
Make it a habit to memorize daily.
Memorizing scripture is hard. Believe me, I thought I was the worst at memorizing. That’s why it’s good to get into the habit of memorizing daily. If you work at memorizing daily, it will become easier.
It’s also encouraging to see how far you’ve gotten. As you memorize daily, you realize you’re tucking more of God’s word in your heart each day.
Other Ways to Memorize
There are a few other fun ways to memorize scripture. Here are some ideas.
Scripture Flash Cards
Making flash cards is a great way to memorize scripture. You can use normal paper flashcards or online flashcards. Both work great, so it’s up to you and what you think will work best for you.
Going through scripture flashcards is an easy way to practically memorize scripture.
Scripture Post It Notes
Some people do well with post-it notes. Write the scripture you want to memorize on post-it notes and stick it around places you frequent. For example, you could stick a note on your laptop, on your mirror, in the bathroom, etc.
Seeing these post-it notes will bring scripture to remembrance.
The Bible Memory App
The Bible Memory app is an app that helps you memorize scripture. It helps you memorize through typing the scripture, seeing the verse, and listening to the verse. By doing these three actions, it will help you retain the verse a lot quicker.
Conclusion
Memorizing scripture doesn’t have to be hard – it can be easy if you have the proper processes in place. I hope this post has encouraged you to memorize scripture. Please comment below if this has helped you. I’d love to hear from you.
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