**January 20-21, 2012**
Hear bells and whistles and lots of music, maybe even a few beginning bars of the Hallelujah chorus: YOU MADE IT EXACTLY HALFWAY!!!! You are officially over the hump after you get this entry behind you.
Way to go, Sisters. Way to go! It’s a pretty good feeling, isn’t it? Don’t think for a second that the enemy didn’t try to steal away your focus and commitment. If you made it this far, you fought with him and won. This is a big victory. Celebrate it with your very faithful God.
I want to brag on you for being so fastidious about limiting your comments to the memory verses. Even when I’ve taunted you with extra conversation, you’ve held steadfastly to the rule. You are the best group ever. To look down the comment stream and see nothing but verses is immensely powerful. My faith explodes in my chest every single time. The sight of it and the effect it was having on my own personal life led me to invite anybody on Twitter who could use a fresh brainwashing to come and peruse it. I pray that numbers were blessed and that some took the challenge and decided to start memorizing Scripture.
All that said, this time, since we’re at the halfway point, I’m going to open your comments up to one extra line for the sake of personal testimony. After you’ve documented all your usual information (First name, city, verse, and translation), finish this sentence: Memorizing God’s Word this year has…
Get as specific as you can!
So you’ll have an example to go by, here’s my entry this time around with the completion of the added sentence:
Beth, Houston. “Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (The NET Bible) Memorizing God’s Word this year has caused me to have a redirected mind in a situation that could have bred fear and discontentment.
Get the idea? OK, now it’s your turn.
P.S. Here’s some really great news! Android and Blackberry SSMT apps are up, running and available. AND, plans toward our January celebration are already in full swing! We can hardly wait to host you here, Sisters.
I love you like crazy.
Beth
Alicia in OKC, OK:
“In my father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2 KJV
Memorizing scripture has made His word alive and applicable in my daily life. The verses God is giving me to meditate on are exactly what I need to focus on and learn in that very timing of my life.
Heather, Sedalia, Alberta
“and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindess, love.” 2Peter 1:6-7, NIV
Memorizing God’s Word this year has helped me to focus on God, and hopefully is changing my character!
Emily from Washington, DC …. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for GOOD and not for disaster, to give you a future and a HOPE.'” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
Memorizing God’s Word this year has given me such tangible signs of His faithfulness to continue to work out His will for my life and His glory.
Bev in Bayou Vista, TX
Galatians 5:6 (NIV)
“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
Memorizing God’s Word this year has opened my eyes to the beauty and power of searching His Word-There are an endless supply of scriptures I want to hide in my heart!
Jane, Irvine, CA
Proverbs 25:11 (Holman Christian Standard Bible):
“A word spoken at the right time is like golden apples on a silver tray.”
Memorizing God’s Word this year has drawn my mother and I closer together as we have shared this journey of faith and learning together. Thank you, Mom, for inspiring me to join you in this New Year’s Resolution challenge!
Cheryl in Fairhope – “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you…” (Ephesians 1:18 NIV). Memorizing God’s Word has given me a new confidence…I can, through His help, do it!!!
Aimee, North Aurora, IL
Teach me your way Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your Name.
Psalm 86:11
Memorizing God’s word has brought me peace when I am fearful, correction when I needed discipline, and the constant comfort of God’s presence as I grow to know and love Him more. Thank you Siestas! I am so thankful for this challenge and this community of women!
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118;24 NIV
Memorizing God’s word this year has helped me to feel His presence in my life and to feel more connected to Him.
“God thundereth marvelouslly with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.” Job 37:5 kjv
Just joined SSMT; memorizing God’s word has given me a “stronghold” in the midst of the craziness that the Devil tosses my way. Keeps my feet planted, and gives my mind the peace it needs to mother my children, be a good wife to my children, and serve my Lord.
Becca, TN
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” -Heb. 3:15 HCSB
Mary Kay
Fulshear, Texas
“rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,”
Romans 12:12
NASB
Cheryl from Hattiesburg, MS
Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for evil; to give you a future and a hope.
KaRetha, Denham Springs, LA
Psalm 100:2 “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.” NKJV
Memorizing God’s Word this year has anchored me in my service/work and given me peace when it gets tough.
Lorna Beth Hutter
Chicago, IL
Psalm 33:20-22 (NIV 84)
20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.
Sue. Groveport, OH. Colossians 2:9-10. NIV
” For in Christ all the fullness of the Diety lives in bodily form, and you have been given fulness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.”
The verses I’ve memorized with the Siestas have given me an addition to my spiritual wardrobe: snake boots, to trample the enemy under my feet ( thanks for the visual, Momma Beth ). Halleluia, in His glorious Name!
Roxanne, Frankfort, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8, ESV) Memorizing God’s word this year has provide me with peace and the ability to claim promises when I needed them!
Lindsay, Grapevine, Tx: I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron… Isaiah 45:2 (NIV)
Memorizing God’s word this year has given me a tool to use to stop unhealthy, ugly, or untrue thought patterns. It has worked wonders in my marriage!
continuing through Psalm 119…
Psalm 119:23-24, NLT
Even princes sit and speak against me,
but I will meditate on your decrees.
Your laws please me;
they give me wise advice.
Memorizing scripture this year has been a great source of encouragement and accountability for four of us who met on the trip to Israel last year!
Merrie – Katy, Tx
2 Corinthians 1:3 NIV
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
Memorizing God’s word this year has helped me to believe God with a greater measure of faith instead of fretting, and know that he is the only one who can satisfy the longings of my heart. So grateful!
Jane, Milton, GA: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord turn his face to you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 NIV Memorizing God’s word this year has helped me focus on the truths of each verse and apply them in my life.
Julie, Waco
“For forty years You sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.” Nehemiah 9:21 NIV
Memorizing God’s Word this year has helped me be more consistent in setting time aside for the Lord & spending a little less time in “survival mode.”
Susan, Andover, KS:
“See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands”
Isaiah 49:16 (NIV)
Memorizing scripture this year has given me time to listen to God and what His will for my life is.
Jan, Rockwall,TX
Psalm 19:14 NASB
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Audrey, Rockwall, TX
1 John 3:23b NIV Love one another.
Memorizing scriptures this year has put God in the forefront of my mind constantly!
Kathy, Akron, Ohio
Kate, Ottawa area, Ontario, Canada
“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into Him and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7
Memorizing God’s Word this year has helped keep me sane.
“The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zeph. 3:17 NIV Memorizing God’s Word has increased my security in the Lord and reduced my fears and faulty thinking, Pam in San Diego
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom, and revelation, so that you may know him better. Ephesians 1:17 (NIV)
Memorizing God’s Word this year helps me to stay focused on the eternal rather than the temporal as I pray these verses for myself, my family and my friends.
Psalm 73:23-26 (NASB) – “Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Memorizing scripture has allowed me to believe that I can be disciplined & successful in this area. Wasn’t sure I could!
Rebecca from Birmingham, Al
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perserverence the race marked out for us… Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)
Memorizing God’s Word this year has done incredible things for me. It has helped me keep my focus on Jesus and the eternal when difficult circumstances around me scream for my attention. LOVE the Word so very much.
Piper
Hickory, NC
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3
Memorizing God’s word has helped me so much. I am in a difficult season in my life and I need His word to guide me through. A wonderful blessing!!
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. Psalm 16:6 ESV It has gave me the courage and wisdom to lead The Inheritance for women’s Bible study!
Lu, Raleigh, NC 1 Peter 1:13-14 NIV
Therefore prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your mind fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
Memorizing God’s Word this year has give me mental clarity that rescues me from my own thoughts. Sort of like oxygen to counteract nitrogen narcosis in a scuba diver.
Joan/Coppell, TX: He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. Psalm 112:7-8
Memorizing God’s word this year has helped me to have a deeper arsenal to take captive the wrong thoughts and continue to fight more of the time…rather than give up.
Meredith Smith, Gridley CA
2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Memorizing God’s word this year has blessed me beyond what I could ever have imagened and given me strength and hope in some difficult situations.
Kathy, Akron, Ohio
“You gave abundant showers,O God; You refreshed your Your weary inheritance.” Psalm 68:9 (NIV)
Memorizing the Word of God this year again shows that God speaks His personal Word into my personal life and situation.
Alberta, Canada
Psalm 55:22 NIV
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall.
Memorizing God’s word this year has changed my life and carries me through every day.
Allison, Kalamazoo, MI
“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5 (NIV)
Memorizing God’s Word this year has increased my trust in Him as I find promise after promise of His love and faithfulness in His word.
1 John 2:15 (NIV) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Memorizing God’s Word this year has helped me realize how easy it is to seek the Lord – I can just start meditating on His Word that I’m memorizing and He is there!
Freida, Chatham, LA “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5 NIV Memorizing God’s Word this year has sustained me through some tough times!
Melissa, Glasgow, Ky. — “Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” — Psalm 103:5, KJV
Scripture memory this year has made me have a practical faith instead of abstract. Praise Him! He is always faithful to teach.
Erin, Bothell. James 3:17 NRSV “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” Memorizing God’s word this year has revolutionized my confidence in God’s plan for my life and emboldened me to walk joyfully in his plan.
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3
Bridget in Phoenix, AZ Finishing Psalm 25:19-21 ESV
19 Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
Memorizing Scripture this year has given God fuel to fan the fire of HOPE, FAITH and RESURRECTION power in my heart and soul as He burns away the chaff to reveal His Power and Glory. AMEN! HALLELUIA!
Donna, Sarnia, Ontario
Praise the Lord.
Praise God in His sanctuary;
praise Him in His mighty heavens.
Praise Him for His acts of power;
praise Him for His surpassing greatness.
Psalm 150:1-2 NIV
Memorizing God’s Word this year has helped me in the battle for my mind as my body battles multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer).
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” James 1:19 NIV
Karen, Wildwood, MO
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us …” Ephesians 5:1-2a, NIV. Memorizing God’s Word this year has caused me to see God like I never have and in a tough season of life, to not get derailed, but trust in His love and plan.
Gretchen, Gahanna, Ohio– Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. —Deuteronomy 31:6 Memorizing God’s Word this year has been a wonderful experience since I am doing this with my very best friend in the world and it has drawn us closer together as it draws us closer to the Lord!!
Tammy, Howells, NE
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalms 16:11 (NIV)
Memorizing God’s word has set me free from bondage and captivity. Praising Him for sweet Presence in my life.
Kerri, Nichols, NY
“For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14 (NKJV)
Leanne
Mississippi
Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV
Memorizing has helped me spit out these verses during hard times.