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
Megan from Fairborn, Ohio
“He is wooing you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious place free from restriction,
to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.”
Job 36:16, NIV
Linda Peel Lexington, KY
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10 NRSV
Janet, Flower Mound, TX. Praise the Lord, praise God our Savior! For each day He carries us in His arms. Psalm 68:19. New Living Translation
Sharon-Frederick:
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the MOST HIGH will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1 TNIV
Becky, Pasco, WA
NLT Psalm 16:5
LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.
Jan from Green Valley, IL
Psalms 34:4 NIV
I sought The Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Jeri
Missouri City, TX
1Corinthians 17:14 (ESV)
Let all that you do be done in love.
Sabrina – Pikesville,MD
“For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3 [NABS}
Kristi
Houston, TX
Ephesians 4:31 CEV
“Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude.”
Donna
Tyler, TX
Phillipians 4:7 NIV
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Lizz, Brick NJ:
“Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.”
Exodus 23:20, NASB
Katy, Auburn. Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days. Job 27:5-6 ESV
“Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts.” Proverbs 8:34
Janet, Longmont, CO sending from Andra Pradash, India 9:30pm
“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”
Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”
Psalm 126: 2&3 NIV
Laura from Houston, Texas:
“Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 HCSB
Judy from Littleton, CO
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11 (ESV)
Lisa – Sioux Falls, SD
Be devoted to one another in brotherly (siesterly) love. Honor one another above yourselves. ~Romans 12:10 NIV
Kasey from Newnan, Georgia
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
Debbie from Georgetown, TX
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”. Hebrews 4:16 KJV
Carliann from Urbandale, IA
“I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people- without seeking a reward! I the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”
Isaiah 45:13 NLT
Vicki
Smithwick/Marble Falls, TX
“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:11-12 ESV
Caroline from Paducah, KY
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 ESV
Marie from north Richland hills, Texas
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Ephesians 3: 17b-18 niv
Fareen from Las Vegas, NV
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:5-8 NASB
Christine; St. Louis Park, MN: Romans 12:2 NIV Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Stephanie Charles, Edmond, OK
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– (Ephesians 2:8 NIV84)
Ginnie, Clewiston, Florida
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6 ESV
Cristi from Ocala, Fl
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
Kim, West Long Branch, NJ
Prov. 3:5 NIV
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
Michelle, Clanton, AL
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there by any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Psalm 139:23-24 NIV
Mikee Stutzman from Winfield, IL
Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ” ESV
Debbie from Corpus Christi, TX:
“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”
Phil. 4:6 NAB
Tina from Ohio
“Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”
2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV
Mary Beth, Richmond, KY:
Lord, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness. With You I can attack a barrier, and with my God I can leap over a wall!” –Psalm 18:28-29 (HCSB)
Karen Salvato
Lubbock, TX
1Peter 3:15b-16 (HCSB)
Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear.
Sheila, Meno, OK
Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. Psalm 119:129 ESV
Sorry-that was last weeks verse, oops!!
Psalm 119:130
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
ESV
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me. Psalms 139:9-10
Bethany, Frisco. Matthew 22: 37-39. (NIV) Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it–love your neighbor like yourself.”
Karen, Christy, Cheryl “A Cord of Three Strands”
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NIV
Brittni, Nashville TN
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19
Kate, Lafayette, Indiana
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” Philippians 2:3,4 NLT
Pam Bryant
Kountze
Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established. Prov.16:3 NKJV
All your children shall be taught by The Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. Isaiah54:13
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
Deuteronomy 4:9 NIV
But the scripture says, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9
Paula, O’Fallon, MO. Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:23 RcV
Diana from Arcadia, WI
“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”
Ephesians 1:11 NIV
Chelsie from San Angelo: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105, NIV
For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
Success, Mo.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV
‘And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”‘