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 – 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.) 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
Pushkala, Louisville – Let Love and Faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart – Proverbs 3:3 (NIV)
Cyndy in Huntingdon, PA, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits!” Psalm 103:2 NIV
Shelley OK, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” NIV
Jaclyn Bailes Palestine, TX. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17, NIV
Beverly, Pearland, TX
Romans 15:13 TNIV
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. John 4:8 (NAS)
Sande Wilkie, Mission Viejo, Ca When you pass through the waters I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. Isaiah 43:2
Jessica in Manhattan!
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…
Isaiah 61:1 NIV
Lexington,KY You can’t live the same way and expect new results. Ephesians 4:24 NIV
Katie, Kentucky “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:4-5 NIV
Kari – Frisco, TX
“Be kind to one another and build each other up.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Sacramento, Ca
For you have been my hope,
O Sovereign Lord, my confidence
since my youth. Psalm 71:5 NIV
Delores O.
Lake Stevens, WA
Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name…For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand. 1 Chronicles 29:12, 13, 14b HCSB
Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him for God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8NAS
Forgot in include:
Kelly, Acworth, GA
Ruth, Westerville OH
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 NET
Jessica, Florence, SC:
‘Look at the nations and watch–
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe;
even if you were told.’
Habakkuk 1:5 (NIV)
Mickey, Blue Springs, MO
Philippians 4:13 NKJV
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Stephanie, Westerville. I will sing to Adonai, because he gives me even more than I need. Psalm 13:6 Complete Jewish Bible
Kristy, Rome Ga, the Lord appeared to him from far away.I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Jer 31:3
Wendi, Kennebunkport. “The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11 NIV
Lori, Springfield, Mo:
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Jn 14:21 (KJV)
Jessica, Hannibal, MO
The fear of The Lord is the beginning of knowledge. But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7
James 2:15 & 16 (NIV)
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of yo usays to them, “Go in peach; keep warm and wll fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
Niceville, FL
“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple”. Isaiah 50:4 NASB
Cheryl, Austin
Isaiah 43:13 (NIV)
Yes, and from ancient days I am He.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reversed it?”
Judy, Beaumont, California
Many, O Lord my God are your wonders which You have done
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.
Psalm 40:5 NASB2002
Sarah
Colorado Springs, CO
“I am the Lord, and there is no one else; there is no God besides Me. I will gird and arm you…” Isaiah 45:5a (amplified)
Carrie
Prior Lake, MN
Proverbs 12:18 NIV
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Jennifer, Houston
Psalm 34:4 NIV
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Brenda, Birminham. Yes, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt.” (Jeremiah 31:3, 4 NKJV)
Kent, WA-The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou set test thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which The Lord thy God give to thee. Deut 28:8 KJV.
Andrea from Birmingham:
Let us not lose heart in doing good; for in due time we will reap, if we do not grow weary Galations 6:9 NASB
Kay Martin
Tupelo, MS
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.”
Colossians 1:15-16 NIV
Rachel, Dallas, TX
“but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
– Luke 22:32 (ESV)
Lynn, Lancaster, KY. “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29. NASB
Cassia from Spring, TX: But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25 NIV
Cleveland, Ohio
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the L ord ! This is what the Sovereign L ord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the L ord .’” (Ezekiel 37:4-6 NLT)
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spread out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV
Marilyn Wirsz Odessa, FL
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phiippians 4:6 NIV
Ellen from Syracuse, NY:
“… 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.” — Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
Marta, Anchorage; And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance, and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of light. Colossians 1:10-12 NIV
The LORD will keep you from harm-
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121:7-8
“I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16 NLT
I love this one.
Anna, Huntsville AL — ” Try to live peacefully with everyone, and try to live holy lives, because if you don’t, you will not see the Lord” Hebrews 12:14 GWT
Pam G, Oregon. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Matthew 5:6 NIV
Katherine Chaney, Greenbrier, AR
I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:6 ESV
Karen Edlund
Rochester, MN
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:21-23 NIV 1984
Elisca Roller, Alexandria, Louisiana
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Samantha. Novi,MI. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Phillipians 4:8, NIV84
Tiffany Travers
Salisbury
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 NIV