Ten Ways to Memorize God's Word
10—Divide and conquer. Take the chapters and divide them into paragraphs that make sense. Remember your old English teacher, "One thought per paragraph!" And use the translation that is easiest for you. 9—Do you learn by listening? That is auditory learning. Try recording the passage on your phone, listening to it in the car, and then saying it back. You won't look any weirder than those folks who have a Bluetooth hanging out of their ear as they drive. 8—Do you learn visually? Write, write, write. Plaster it on your bathroom mirror, on your dashboard, and make a copy on notecards you carry with you. Picture where each word is on the page. Look for patterns in the verses. Is there a repeating word? How about a repeating phrase? Use colored markers to help you. 7—Do you learn by doing? You're a kinesthetic learner. Try acting out a verse, or picturing what Paul was doing when he wrote it. Maybe you could think of symbols for the words for instance, "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world." You might picture the #1 along with the Roman believers speaking to a globe. Draw a picture of a globe on the sheet you're using to memorize. (Note: it can be stick people on a lop-sided sphere.) 6—More than likely, you're a combination of all three so mix and match, just like the combo at Panera. Use whatever you need to memorize God's Word. 5—Get an accountability partner. When I memorized James, my friend Carolyn and I walked and recited. If you don't have time for that, ask a family member to keep you accountable once a week. My husband helped me with that. Then, both people are blessed by hearing God's Word! 4—Set goals. During our memorization of Romans, I'll encourage you to memorize 4-7 verses a week, but you do what you can! Decide ahead, set your goal, then be accountable. 3—Plan. I do most of my memorizing in the early morning when I'm still fresh. My friend does hers in the middle of the night when she can't sleep. (I hope you don't have that problem.) I also re-joined the gym. I take my sheet with me while I do the elliptical. I read, say it out loud and sweat. A great combination! (Bring a towel.) 2—Review. Say what you've already finished. I know, I know, it's hard. But what's hard is good!
1—Most importantly, Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. It is God's will that you know His Word. "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalms 119:11 (NIV)
