Memorisation

<<committal to memory>>

The OT Israelite males were required to know the content of the five books of the law by heart (Genesis to Deuternomy). As a result, they were aware of what God required of them; “The word of God is in your mouth and heart, so that you may obey it” (Deut 30:14).

The Psalmist recorded, “I have hidden in your word in my heart that I might not sin against you...it is a light to my path” (Ps 119:11,105). If we do the same this provides a frame of reference, a resource bank from which the Holy Spirit who lives within each believer can bring a verse or section of the Bible to our remembrance (Jn 14:26). As we fill our minds with the Word of God the good, life-changing, liberating truth will form good thought patterns and habits, transforming our minds and lives into what is acceptable to God (Jn 8:32, 17:17; Rom 12:1,2; Phil 4:8).

Study the Bible, meditate on its content, live by its teachings and principles and memorise it to assist in guidance, or to repel temptation as Jesus did (Mt 4:4,7,10). He knew the Scriptures and quoted relevant portions. He did not try to use any human reasoning against Satan’s cunning twisting or manipulation of Bible verses. When Satan tempts with his question “Has God said?” we can boldly

Make it a goal to memorize some Scriptures regularly

state with conviction, “It is written…” It is important to understand the meaning of the verse or passage being memorized, not just being able to quote the words in ‘parrot’ fashion.

One method to aid memorisation is to write the material on small cards, and carry them in your pocket so they can be referred to throughout your day. Quote the reference before and after the verse so this is firmly fixed in your mind and associated with the correct verse. We quickly forget what we read once; we remember what we ponder.