written on your heartHow are we able to remember so many important dates, song lyrics, movie quotes, etc.?  Repetition, repetition, REPETITION!

Here are 10 simple tips for making Scripture memorization do-able and successful:

  1. Choose a verse that is special to you. Meditate on it. Read it over and over and study it until it’s meaning becomes a part of you.
  2. Now, to memorize! Write out the verse and reference on an index card.
  3. Break the verse down into smaller phrases. Work on memorizing one phrase at a time until you can string the entire verse together – including the reference – from memory.
  4. The number one tip for memorization? Recite, recite, RECITE! That’s how you know things like names, directions, and other info so well! Studies show that if you recite something 15 times a day for 30 days straight, it will be in your memory forever.
  5. Try using time that is often mentally wasted, such as traveling in the car, waiting for a meeting to start, waiting in line, the commercials during a TV show, while exercising/jogging/working out, etc.
  6. Set challenging yet reasonable goals. Try memorizing just 1 new verse per week, allowing just 10 minutes each day to review your memory verses.
  7. Accountability! Work with a friend with whom you can be accountable. Check up on each other. Quiz each other. Set goals together, and share rewards when you accomplish your goals!
  8. Review, review, REVIEW! Once you’ve memorized a verse, don’t just forget about it.  Add it to your daily/weekly review, so that it can become a part of your life forever!
  9. Scripture cardsKeep them close by.  Put your memory verse index cards in your backpack, purse, or pocket for quick reviewing during dead time.
  10. Use a smart phone app such as Scripture Typer or Fighter Verses to catalog and review your verses during dead time.

DID YOU KNOW… After 24 hours, we remember…

  • 5% of what we hear
  • 15% of what we read
  • 35% of what we study
  • 100% of what we memorize

YOU CAN DO THIS!  You can write God’s Word on the tablet of your heart!  I wish you all of God’s very best as you embark into the wonderful, fruitful, life-giving, life-saving habit of Scripture memorization!

So… remind me one more time: Why do we need to memorize God’s Word?  I’ll let the Word speak for itself – check out these verses for why Scripture memorization matters: