Many people don't think they
can memorize their way out of
a new shopping mall let alone
remember a verse in the Bible.
I've spoken with dozens of people
about Scripture memorization
who say the same thing: "I have
a terrible memory." My answer
to them is, "Nonsense!" Everyone
memorizes all the time. You've
learned to speak, haven't you?
You've memorized thousands of
do's and don't's in life, right?
You know your social security
number, your phone number,
your address, how many brothers,
sisters, or children you have, how
to get to work and what to do
when you get there. The problem
is not that people can't memorize,
it's that they won't memorize.
The Bible is the foundation for
witnessing and you must memorize
verses to be able to use it --
this applies to your devotional life as
well as witnessing. One serious problem
I've found is that most people have
memorized fewer than seven verses.
The average Jehovah's Witness has
committed many more to memory and,
given the opportunity, could make the
average Christian feel about as knowledgeable
as banana bread. What I would like to do is
help you memorize better.
Four easy steps to memorization
There are four easy steps to Scripture
memorization. Let's use 1 Peter. 2:24 as
an example: "and He Himself bore our sins in
His body on the cross, that we might die to
sin and live to righteousness; for by his
wounds you were healed" (NASB).
Step 1: Location
The first step is to memorize the location,
not the verse. The reason for this is if you
forget the verse, but you've memorized
the location, you can always go look it up.
First, memorize the location: "1 Peter 2:24.
" Say "1 Peter 2:24" over and over again.
Don't worry about what it says at first,
just memorize the location. Make sure that
when you say 1 Peter 2:24 it flows smoothly
off your lips. Say 1 Peter 2:24 emphasizing
different syllables. Say 1 Peter 2:24, or 1
Peter 2:24 or 1 Peter 2:24 or even 1 Peter 2:24.
But say 1 Peter 2:24 enough times that when
you say 1 Peter 2:24, it is as natural as breathing.
Step 2: Gist
The second step is to learn the gist of what
the verse is. In this case it is very simple,
"Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross.
" Say, "Jesus bore our sins in His body on the
cross" in different ways. Say, "Jesus bore our
sins in His body on the cross," or "Jesus bore
our sins in His body on the cross," and "Jesus
bore our sins in His body on the cross," etc.
But say "Jesus bore our sins in His body on
the cross" enough times that when you say,
"Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross,"
it is as natural as saying 1 Peter. 2:24. (Kind of repetitive, isn't it?)
Step 3: Association
The third part is more fun. This is where you
associate the two together. Say, "1 Peter 2:24
is Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross.
Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross is
1 Peter 2:24. 1 Peter 2:24 is Jesus bore our
sins in His body on the cross..." Say this over
and over again, about ten times. In no time,
if you do this, you will memorize.
This association part is important because it
helps you to think of one part whenever you t
hink of the other. For example, if someone asked you "Where does it say that Jesus bore our sin in his body?", you'd immediately reply with "1 Peter. 2:24." It works.
Step 4: A piece of paper/Notebook of dedication
The fourth and final part is to take a piece of lined
paper, 8 1/2" by 11", and draw a vertical line about
one inch from the left hand side.
Write the verse location in the left column on your
paper and on the right side simply write the verse.
Do this with each verse you want to remember.
Memorization is like exercise. The more you do it,
the easier it gets; the less you do the harder it gets.
So do it. If you follow this procedure your mind will
become like a sponge, you'll end up memorizing
all sorts of stuff with the greatest of ease, like
how many socks are in your drawer, everything
that is in your refrigerator, and even where your car keys are.
And one more thing. You will be amazed at
how the Lord uses what you've memorized.
