We’re off and running, Sweet Things! And 11,000 strong!!! Oh, how I pray that God will grant us the divine favor and indwelling power to keep it up month after month and finish 2013 in the multiple thousands. What joy He and we would have! For now, we take it step by step, one verse at a time. Don’t get caught up wondering how in the world you’re going to memorize 24 verses when you’re having a hard time memorizing the first one. That will sink your Scripture memory boat for sure.
I make you this promise based on my experience and the experience of many others: the more you memorize, the more you’ll get the hang of it. I was going to say that the more you memorize, the easier it gets but it’s not easy and that’s part of what makes it such a victory to celebrate with Jesus. I do believe I can tell you with confidence, however, that your tenth verse will very likely be easier to memorize than your first one. By that time, you’ve quit letting your nay-whining old nature tell you that you can’t do it and you shouldn’t have even tried. A big part of the battle in the first month is simply telling that self-destructive echo in our heads to shut its mouth. It’s replacing “I knew I couldn’t do it” with “Oh, yes I can. I can do all things through Christ.”
Persevere! Let’s not be quitters! God would rather us make it to the end of the year still stumbling over some words than throwing our hands up and quitting at the first imperfect recitation. Even if we don’t get our verses down perfectly, the pursuit itself is the very art of meditation. Nothing about it is a waste of time. Just think of how it helps to break the mental loop of rehearsed offenses. We’re going to be fixated on something. That’s how our minds often work. But we get to choose what.
So, right now say verse 1 out loud the very best you can.
Tremendous job. Now, let’s add our second one to it.
I totally love my verse this time around! It came up in my Scripture reading during my quiet time early Sunday morning. Here it goes:
Beth, Houston. All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children.” Isaiah 54:13 ESV
Isn’t that fabulous? I’m choosing this verse specifically so that I can turn it into intercessory prayer. Mind you, I’m not “claiming” it like I’d be apt to do with a promise more clearly obvious under the New Covenant. I’m reluctant to claim the fulfillment of a promise made straight to Israel for myself or people in my world unless I know that we have a coinciding New Covenant promise. I’d have to see consistency to pray it as one fervently counting on it. Isaiah 54:13 carries obvious elements that are very consistent with the promises of Christ to us. He promised that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and He blatantly gave us His peace but where I’m asking God to do an Isaiah 54:13 work in my family is the emphasis on ALL my children. I want every single one of them to be students of Christ Jesus, to love His Word and His ways with a passion beyond the natural realm, and for His peace to be great upon them and contagious. If you’ll look in the Scripture’s context in Isaiah 54, especially in verses 11-17, you’ll see that V.13 is within the promises God made specifically to Israel and scheduled for fulfillment in a time yet to come. So, no, I’m not claiming it, so to speak, BUT, I am indeed asking for it. That’s fair game.
God is not obligated to say yes to promises like those in Isaiah 54 this side of His Kingdom’s full revelation but, as I persevere in prayer and faith, He will indeed hear me and I believe be pleased that I had the boldness to pray it. He is not blessed by our small, vision-bare petitions anyway. I’ve thought for a long time that God would rather hear His children voice outrageously large prayers of faith even if He has to say no on occasion than hear our pale, timid, tepid requests for things He’s already given us anyway. For instance, if we belong to Him in Christ, He is indeed going to “bless us” and “keep us.” So, I’m adding Isaiah 54:13 to my spiral and planning to reword it often into a request. I’m going to take the risk that He may indeed perform generational miracles with a family tree sprouted from the soil of disease and brokenness. Make us oaks of righteousness, Lord, for the display of Your splendor. (Isaiah 61:3)
This I know for sure: we often have not because we ask not. (James 4:2)
I love something else about Isaiah 54:13. I love that the word translated peace in English is the word “shalom” in Hebrew. The Hebrew word blows the doors off of our usual concept of peace. When I ask God for great peace to be upon my children, I have no interest in a trance-like state of passionless nirvana. I want God’s brand of peace: lively, vivacious. Here’s what the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament has to say about it:
“The general meaning behind the root š-l-m is of completion and fulfillment—of entering into a state of wholeness and unity, a restored relationship.”
It means to be intact, healthy, sound. It means wellness of soul. It conveys the idea of God prospering His child. He describes His peace like a river: moving and running. His peace is no pond. I read the verse first out of The NET Bible that sits open on my desk at home. Isaiah 54:13 is worded this way on its pages: “All your children will be followers of the LORD, and your children will enjoy great prosperity.” Right that moment I jotted the verse down in my journal and, under it, asked the Lord (with enough zeal to imprint it on the next page) to prosper my children and their children and their children and their children in the way that really matters: grant them lives that bear much fruit – I said MUCH FRUIT –Â for THIS is to our Father’s great glory. May they blatantly show themselves to be Christ’s disciples. (That’s John 15:8 and, if you haven’t memorized it yet, it is a must! Prioritize it early on in your year if God causes it to leap off the page with you.)Â With all my heart, I want God to use this lineage He is redeeming to prosper His Kingdom.
So I am really fired up about my verse for our next two weeks and hope to still be saying it and praying it for the next generations of this family line when I’m about to see Jesus. If you don’t already have a verse selected, you are welcome to share it and make it your own with Jesus. Choose any verse that He’s using to speak to you right now. Remember, that’s what will make it stick to your ribs. It needs to mean something to you!
Hit it, Girls! Remember! Only your names, cities, verses, references, and translations! You are stellar, Sisters. I love you so much.
Edited to add: Information on how to download your Android or iPhone application!
I know many of you have been asking if we are going to have an app this year for your smart phones, and we have both good news and bad news. The good news is YES, we ARE! We have created an app for both Android and iPhones. The bad news is, the Android app is ready for you, but if you would be so patient with us, we’ll have the iPhone app ready for you in about five or six days. Does that sound good?
So, excuse me while I get technical for just a minute!
For those of you that still have the old application on your phone (and this goes for both Android and iPhone users), you would most likely have received a notification about the availability of this new one, but if not, and you are currently using an android, simply click here to download the app. (This link is for Android users only.) Android users, if you’re having issues with this link (and it’s currently working fine on this end), you can search “Living Proof Ministries – Scripture Memory Team – 2013” in your phone under applications. (I have very little knowledge about Android phones, so forgive me if my wording is wrong.)
When the iPhone app is ready, I’ll update this post for those of you who would like to download it with all the instructions you’ll need. However, I do know upfront you’ll be able to find the app in the iTunes store via your phone or computer.
Once you have the application, it is very user friendly. You’ll be notified the 1st and 15th of every month with the new blog post that will land in your application (you will only be notified if you have turned on notifications for this specific app), you can share the post, and then you can also store your memory work in there. It will also act like your spiral. You may want to use both your spiral and the app to have on hand in case you lose one or the other!
I hope that helps! Doesn’t this make it so much more fun?
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Ashley, Lexington, SC
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
Donna , Mesquite, Tx
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. ” (Prov. 17:22 ESV)
Cindi Hueytown, AL
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NIV
Lisa Riley from Sussex, WI
Come to me, all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
Micah 6:8 NIV
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does The Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer” Romans 12:12 NIV
Michaela, California
“‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says The Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.'” Isaiah 55:8(NLT)
Melissa, Oklahoma
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 NASB
Rayelene, Port Arthur, TX
“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!
2nd Thessalonians 3:16 (NASB)
Kaley, Kansas
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalms 118:24 NIV84)
Lynzie, Conway, AR
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Galatians 4:4-5
Emily, Lawrence, KS
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; NIV84)
Amy, Apex NC
Isaiah 40:30-31, NIV
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Cacey, Livonia, MI
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Susan, Innisfil Ontario
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. Psalm 9:10
NASB
Barb Rowe, Naples Fl
“The Lord is my light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 ESV
I Peter 1: 1-4 (NIV)
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, CAppodocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Tammy, Arkansas
“But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” James 1:25 NIV
Melanie,Pine Bluff
“Every word of GOD is pure, He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.”
Proverbs 30:5 NKJV
Christina, Longmont CO
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:17 NLT
Teena~Cypress, TX
“I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for your constant love and truth. You have exalted Your name and Your promise above everything else.”
~ Psalm 138:2 HCSB
Philippians 4:6. NIV
Do not be anxious about anything ,but in every
situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
DeLynn, Georgia
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Luke 9:23 (NIV)
Linda, Holland. “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”
Isaiah 26:3 NIV84
Breanna Henderson
Russellville, Ar
NIV
2 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline.
Geri
Deer, TX
John 1:4-5 NLT
The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Jessica, Texas
Psalm 147:3
New International Version (NIV)
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
Robin, Ardmore, OK
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV
“because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2 (NIV)
Ashley, Memphis, TN
One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. Psalm 27:4 NASB
Rachel, Dallas
“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.” NASB
Psalm 23:2
Tracie, Grand Prairie, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalms 139:14 NIV)
Missy from Greenville, NC
Psalm 13:5-6 (NIV)
“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me!”
Adrienne, Willow Grove, PA
proverbs 22:6 (esv)
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Johanna, Carlsbad, CA. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
(James 1:22 NIV)
Stephanie Beattie, Sugar Grove, IL. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 NIV
Shana, Wichita Falls, Tx
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:14
ESV
Erin in Euless
Psalm 65: 1-3 (NLT)
“What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to you, for you answer our prayers. All of us must come to you. Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.”
Hannah, Pleasant Hill, MO
Proverbs 14:1, ESV
The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.
Daniel 3:18
But, if not, be it known unto thee, O King; that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Susie, Korea. “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” James 1:3 NLT
Deborah, olive branch, ms.
Moses continued, “The Lord will give you meat to eat this evening and more than enough bread in the morning, for He has heard the complaints that you are raising against Him. Who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord .” (Exodus 16:8 HCSB)
Carla, Fort Worth ~ “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NIV
Melissa, Boston
“The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:7-8 NIV
Lindsey, Athens Ga
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Hannah, Lake Charles, LA — “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1– NIV
Karen, Cheyenne, WY
“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.” (Isaiah 54:13 ESV)
Isaiah 30:21
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
Shannon, Lexington, KY
“Stop at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16 NIV
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15