Reasons to Memorize Scripture and a Really Cool Tip!

Of all the spiritual disciplines, scripture memorization is my new favorite and I believe one of the most important overall.  It's the best way to fill our minds with what it needs.  It's often a discipline that is neglected because it seems so difficult.  I want to share with you 5 reasons I believe scripture memorization is important and then I want to share a really cool tip that is allowing me to finally memorize scripture easily and brings great joy! 

1)  Memorize scripture to be more like Christ.  When you meditate on His words, you will become more like Him.  You will know Him better and better as His word becomes a part of your very fiber.

2)  Inner Cleasing.  Memorizing scripture takes your yucky thoughts and replaces them with clean ones.  When we've memorized scripture, we can call it up when needed.

3) Daily triumph over sin.  We can use scripture as an armour and sword to fight the daily battle we have with sin.  It's one of God's most effective weapons for us. 

4) To comfort others and to spread the Gospel.  I have never known enough scripture to actually do this properly, but I do now!  When people come to us for help and encouragement, we don't always have a Bible handy.  I believe the word of God spoken from the heart has great power.

5)  To commune with God.  I know that when I pray from scripture, He speaks to me and I also speak to Him.  Sometimes we can't come up with the words we want to say, but we can pray scripture aloud and express our love for Him this way.  Sometimes my words feel so insuffient.  God's words are always sufficient. 

There are so many other reasons to memorize scripture.  And there are so many verses that stress it's importance.  Here's a personal favorite: 

 ^"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,  so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth."  Deuteronomy 11: 18-21

Now, I want to share a tip to that will allow you to memorize scripture forever.  Apparently, music communicates with a different part of our brains than just words.  This is why scripture-songs you might have memorized as a child are probably still just as fresh now as then.  I discovered that youtube has scripture-memorization songs from Integrity Music available and they are fresh and catchy!  Here are a couple of my favorites.  Spend a few minutes and listen to them 3 or 4 times each.  Write the scripture down and carry it with you in your purse or car and sing them to yourself until they become second nature.  Be sure to memorize the location in the Bible that they came from.  Burn them onto a disc and listen in your car!  Or better yet, order the cds.  Then, the scripture will be in your heart and mind and you can call it up at any time.  Love, love, love these songs!