Jesus doesn’t save us to leave us like we were. He wants to change us from the inside out. He has given us His Word to be that dynamic tool to transform our lives.
When God’s word is in you, it changes what comes out of you. As you get to know Him more, you will love Him more. And as you love Him more, you will want to live for Him more.
After coming to salvation in Christ and early in my walk with Jesus, I wrestled with some of the same insecurities, the same doubts and old habits that plagued my life before. I couldn’t understand why I was having such a hard time walking in this abundant and victorious life.
A friend who kept seeing old insecurities pop up challenged me to start memorizing God’s Word. At first I was daunted by this challenge. I had flashbacks of late night study sessions using flashcards to memorize vocabulary terms and the periodic table of elements. This didn’t appeal to me at all. But then my friend modeled for me the power of scripture memory. Just as healthy nutrition changes our physical bodies, so a steady diet of God’s Word changes us.
My journey of scripture memory began honestly with memorizing just a few scriptures at a time, ones that met me specifically in my heartbreak and struggles. As I began to hide God’s Word in my heart, it not only changed how I thought, it literally changed my personality. It changed my mindset and my actions. Quite simply, the revelation of God’s word caused a deep transformation in my soul.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
This is the supernatural effect of memorizing scripture. When God’s word is in you, it changes what comes out of you. As you get to know Him more, you will love Him more. And as you love Him more, you will want to live for Him more. When we have God’s word within us, the Holy Spirit will use it to encourage us, to correct us, and dismantle the enemy’s lies.
When Jesus was in the wilderness and He went through temptation, Satan came at Him strategically with lies about His identity, His destiny and lies about His purpose. Jesus easily could have fallen into those temptations and settled for so much less. But what Jesus did instead was to respond with the Word of God. The Word of God was his weapon and defense. Chuck Swindoll shares
“I know of no other single practice in the Christian life that’s more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. That’s right. No other single discipline is more useful and rewarding than this. No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your counseling will be in demand. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified.”
You may be wondering how you can put memorizing scripture into practice this week. Here are three steps in getting started:
- Pray and ask the Lord to help you. Scripture memory may feel daunting as it was to me, but with the help of the Holy Spirit it is possible and you will see the transformation it brings.
- Search for a verse that pertains to what you are dealing with right now. For our family, my husband is job searching. We are seeking the Lord for his highest and best. The verses we are memorizing and praying over are Psalm 27:13-14 (ESV)
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”
- We each have a different learning style. Mine is visual. I need to see something multiple times to be able to fully comprehend and apply it. Our family has a dry erase board in our kitchen. I’ve written this verse out so that when I’m grabbing a snack for my toddler or putting the groceries away, it’s in clear view and I’m able to read and memorize it. I encourage you to memorize scripture the way that best fits your learning style: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and/or reading/writing.
Author Info
Rebecca Falkner
A Carolina girl living in the great state of Texas, Rebecca has worked in ministry for the last thirteen years. Rebecca graduated from Winthrop University with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She worked as a kindergarten and special education teacher before moving to Houston to work with This Redeemed Life and Second Baptist Church. When Rebecca isn’t chasing her two toddlers, she loves writing, gardening and trying new recipes with her husband.
