Seven Immediate Benefits of Scripture Memory, Part 2

Chapter 8.
Seven Immediate Benefits of Scripture Memory, 

Part 2

Every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.
(Matthew 13:52 The Message)

But there’s more:

Scripture memory also gives us healthier emotions. I’m convinced that little biblical capsules (memory verses) are the best medicine for sustained emotional health. Like most people, I’ve struggled with my temper in times past, but no anger management technique is as powerful as memorizing verses like Proverbs 29:11: “A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control” (NIV).

If you struggle with depression, you’ll find a potent antidote in memorizing Psalm 42, or
the opening verses of Psalm 103.
If you’re anxious, internalize Philippians 4:6-7.
 If you struggle with a low self-image, get Romans 12:1-8 into your noggin.
If you’re hard to get along with, irritable, and unperson able, memorize Romans 12:17-21.
 If you lack discipline and self-control, a bunch of verses in Proverbs are just waiting to be planted in your head.
If you struggle with guilt, read 1 John 1:7-9 and quote it to yourself until it penetrates your thinking and changes the core of your heart.

The sturdy truths of God’s Word will enable you to keep your wits even in crises. Several years ago in Sweden, I found an English-speaking book telling one of the most gripping stories I’ve ever read:  
Evidence Not Seen: One Woman’s Faith in a Japanese POW Camp.
The author, Darlene Deibler Rose, was captured in Asia, like the woman I mentioned earlier, by the Japanese during World War II; and her experiences were also truly harrowing. She went into the camp with her Bible, but the guards took it away; however, they could not remove the memorized Scriptures from her mind.

“Much time was passed repeating Scripture,” Darlene wrote. “As a child and young person, I had had a driving compulsion to memorize the written Word. In the cell I was grateful now for those days in Vacation Bible School, when I had memorized many single verses, complete chapters, and Psalms, as well as whole books of the Bible. In the years that followed, I reviewed the Scriptures often. The Lord fed me with the Living Bread that had been stored against the day when fresh supply was cut off by the loss of my Bible. He brought daily comfort and encouragement
 - yes, and joy - to my heart through the knowledge of the Word.”

Darlene continued, “Paul, the apostle, wrote that it was through the comfort of the Scriptures that he had hope and steadfastness of heart to believe God. I had never needed the Scriptures more than in these months on death row, but since so much of His Word was there in my heart, it was not the punishment the Kempeitai had anticipated when they took my Bible.” 

  ============

In the book Who’s in Charge?

pastor Ben Patterson claims that memorizing selected Scriptures has helped him stay mentally healthy amid the rigors of criticism in the ministry. He said, “When I was young, I never won any awards for Sunday school Scripture memory contests. Someone else always rode away on the ten-speed bicycle at the end of the year. But in the last three years I’ve discovered that Scripture can give voice to things I don’t know how to express. It transforms the things churning inside me and brings real healing to my soul.

“One summer I memorized the twelfth chapter of Hebrews. At the time the entire chapter seemed autobiographical: running the race set before us, remembering Jesus, who endured the cross, who didn’t lose heart though scorned by men. The chapter reminded me that pain is a discipline God uses in my life: I was in training, and the pain caused by criticism was my coach.” 

Bible verses, well memorized, are stabilizers for our nerves, strengthening our attitudes and improving our emotions.

Scripture memory also gives us purer habits.
 The practice of memorizing and meditating on the Bible is the primary way to accelerate spiritual growth in your life. It speeds up the transformation process and leads to holier habits. After all, spiritual maturity is simply thinking more as God thinks; so as we implant His thoughts into our minds, using Scripture memory, and as we use the process of meditation to convert those verses into regular thought patterns, we’re developing the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5), yielding mature thoughts, pure habits, and holier lives. The psalmist said, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Ps. 119:11 NKJV).

When John Crawford was in the navy, one of the games played aboard ship was the anchor pool. Each participating sailor would put in his money and guess what time they would drop anchor. The exact time was recorded in the ship’s log, and the one with the closest guess got the money. It seemed like an innocent game, and the other sailors encouraged him to join in. It was tempting, and he wanted to be a good sport. But he knew they also wanted his money and that gambling wasn’t a habit he wanted to begin.

As the temptation intensified, John decided to steel himself with memorized Scriptures. He chose Proverbs 13:11: “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished; but he that gathereth by labour shall increase” (KJV), and Proverbs 23:5: “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away, as an eagle toward heaven” (KJV).

Not only did those verses fortify John against the temptations of the moment, they enabled him to establish lifelong patterns regarding integrity, honesty, and the role of money in his life.

I think of memorized Scripture as divine detergent in the brain, constantly washing my mind and cleansing and clarifying my thoughts.

The psalmist said, “I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt” (Ps. 119:11 The Message).
 No temptation catches us devoid of potential Bible verses specifically designed to combat it.    God has given us texts to cover any temptation and all sin.
 If we struggle with depression, we have Psalm 42.
If we struggle with materialism and greed, we have 1 Timothy 6.
If our besetting sin is a foul mouth or an angry spirit, we have Ephesians 4.
 If it’s lust, pornography, or immorality, learn the first part of Ephesians 5.

The Bible is an offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit.
 By quoting Old Testament texts He’d memorized, Jesus struck down every temptation Satan flung at Him on Temptation Mount. And we can do the same. Determine your weakest links, then search out verses to combat those struggles.
Memorize them diligently; and you’ll find, in the words of an old evangelist, that sin will keep you from the Bible, or the Bible will keep you from sin.

“The instruction of his God is in his heart,” says Psalm 37:31, “his steps do not falter.”

* 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart.