Psalm 119:11 - Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Why Scripture Memory?
Memorizing Scripture is one of those things that people often think that they can not do - until they try to do it. All the time, people are memorizing things. What's your phone number? Your address? The time of your next appointment? All the time, people are committing things to memory. So, what makes it possible to commit these things to memory? It's because they are important to you. You can memorize Scripture - you can memorize a lot of Scripture, if it is important to you.
Our goal is to motivate people into a systematic approach to memorizing Bible verses. We do that with our kids when we put them into AWANA or Word of Life programs (or whatever program of your choice). When they are in those types of programs, they are in a system. It because more difficult when there is no system, even with the desire. The tendency too often is to memorize a couple, but then it gets left by the wayside. I am going to suggest a system on this page that you can use. I believe it originated with Jack Van Impe, but I have modified it some. Before we look at the system though, I want to add a couple of things that will hopefully help.
Tips & Cautions When Memorizing Scripture:
Memorizing the Scripture is not the same as, "Hiding it in your heart." Memorizing is putting it into your head. When you put what you memorized into practice, then you have moved it from your head to your heart. When you memorize, meditate on the principles being used, and put them into practice in your life.
There has to be desire. If you don't have desire to memorize God's word, then you probably won't do it very well. It is important to have a love for the Scriptures. Could I recommend meditating on a stanza of Psalm 119 - whichever stanza you'd like - and look at the Bible the way that it is looked at there.
Set apart a specific time or situation that you will regularly memorize. Whatever time of day it is, make it consistent. You may find your best time for it is first thing in the morning, or maybe during breakfast or lunch, or right after dinner. Whatever it is, make it a habit.
Work with someone else. My experience is that the most motivating way for me to memorize well and consistently is when I am memorizing a passage with somebody else.
Give glory to God. Knowledge puffeth up. Be sure that you do not quote what you have memorized in order to opress people. That is bringing glory to self, and it is sin.
How to Memorize Scripture?
My system may seem complicated, but it has worked for me. Bear with it...
You begin by writing the verses that you want to memorize down on index cards. The reference on one side, the verse on the other. Whenever quoting the verse, I make it a habit to say the reference before and after the verse: "John 11:35, Jesus wept. John 11:35."
The memorizing begins by saying out loud, by memory, the first verse seven times a day for seven days. To memorize the verse well enough to say it the first day seven times, just takes repetition. Start with smaller phrases at the beginning of the verse and just keep adding until you get it.
After you have said the verse, out loud, seven times a day, for seven days, then week number two you say the verse out loud two times a day. The third week, you say the verse once a day.
After you have said the verse for three weeks (seven days saying it seven times a day, seven days saying it twice a day, and seven days saying it once a day), then you rehearse the verse once a week for three monhts (or twelve weeks). This keeps the verse fresh in your memory until it is committed for long term.
Depending on how much time you want to be committing to this system, you will be adding more verses on top of the first one. So, let's say you wanted to add one verse a day to your system: The first day you would lean and say your first verse seven times. The second day, you would be saying the first verse seven times as well as learning and saying the second verse seven times. The third day you would be saying three verses seven times, etc. By the end of the third week, you would have 21 verses that you are saying; some of them seven times, some twice, some once.
After you have said a verse for three months, it gets put into a once a month "box." When you really begin to accumulate many verses, it becomes more of a once every other month or every third month. But it is important to practice them every so often to refresh yourself.
The way I maintain my index cards is probably the most confusing. The day that I memorize a verse, I write the date (including the year) in the upper right corner of the side with the reference, along with a hash mark underneath it. Every day that I say the verse, I add another hash mark next to it. When I have seven hash marks on that first line, I write the date (without the year) to the left of the hash marks and get ready to start a new line. Once that first line is complete I know that it is time to say those verses twice a day for that second week. I do that same thing until I finish the third week and right the date to the left o fhe third line of hash marks.
For the once a week, I begin with writing the date (day & month only for space reason) of the first week I rehearsed it. If I am being faithful with it, it will be seven days later than the date on the left of the 3rd line of hash marks. I write the date for the once a week going down the right side of the index card. Once I have done that for four weeks, I start a second column to the left of the first. That is the 2nd month of once-a-weeks. Then a third column is filled, and I have completed that verse, and it gets put into the "once-a-month" box.
It takes some work, but the rewards are worth it. Remember - we observe the Scriptures in order to Do them.
Scripture Memory