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
Rhonda Curran
Tampa FL
Offer the sacrifices if the righteous and trust in The Lord.
Psalms 4:5. NIV
Becca from Keller, TX
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 NIV
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Ps 34:8 NIV
Jill Hoke ~ Palm Coast, FL
Psalm 34:8 NLT
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Katherine, The Woodlands, TX
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)
Isaiah 26:3-4 With perfect peace you will protect those whose minds cannot be changed, because they trust You. Trust Yahweh always because Yah Yahweh alone is an everlasting Rock.” God’s Word Translation, Names of God edition.
Tami from Georgia
Isaiah 1:17 (ESV)
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Correct oppression. Bring justice to the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.
Misty; Midland, TX
Becky, Mountain Home, Ar
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
Lisa L.
Indianapolis, IN
You crown the year with your bounty,and your carts overflow with abundance.
Psalm 65:11
NIV
Juleann, Wayne pa, “Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Lauren, Anchorage, AK
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefor, honor God with your body.
Bette, Bothell. You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. Psalm 65:11 NLT
Tonya Prosper, TX
Psalm 46:10 NIV
Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
Melody, Chelsea, AL
Psalm 16:6 ESV
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
(I just started The Inheritance study last night! 🙂
Lauren, Malvern, PA.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (NIV) John 15:8
Christina Herrera, Riverside, CA
God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NET)
Thelisa Nutt, Mansfield, TX.
Psalms 84:11 NIV 84
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor, no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
Jennifer H.
Allendale, MI
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures” Rom.1:1-2 NIV
June – Lake City, Florida
“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 NKJV
Amy, Pratt
“I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me” Isaiah 45:5 NIV
Kristen, Spring Hill, TN
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. NIV
Becky, Mountain Home, Ar
NIV version!
Mary, Chandler
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 NIV84
Lindsey from Madison, WI
Ephesians 19b- 21
.. that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
Justine from Littleton, CO
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Ps 84:3 (ESV)
Rebecca M., Morristown, TN
“Go out into the world uncorruped, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and the living God.”
Philippians 2:15 MSG
April Weatherspoon
West Palm Beach, FL
James 1:5 (ESV)
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Shelly, Rochester, MN
Ephesians 3:18 (NIV)
” . . . may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ . . . “
Michelle, Chester, NJ
Isaiah 45:5-6 (NIV)
I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,
So that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Olga, Lilburn, GA
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. (Genesis 50:20 NASB)
If Anyone considers himself religious and does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives Himself and his Religion is worthless!
James 1:26 NIV translation
Amanda- Crawford, TX ‘Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her’ Proverbs 31:28 NIV
Emily – Hagerstown, MD
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:5-6 ESV
April, Mitchell, Mb, Canada
Psalms 39:4 (NLT)
Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered – how fleeting my life is.
Janice, Burkburnett, TX
Habakkuk 3:2 NIV Lord, I have heard the report about you and I fear. O Lord, revive your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.
Kay Niehaus
Puyallup, Washington
Psalm 103:1-2
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits-
Zoe L, Oklahoma City, OK
In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
John 1:4 NIV
Kelly from Sherman, TX. “If you turn to my discipline, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words.” Proverbs 1:23 HCSB
Jackie Carson – Newton, IA
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. you must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” James 1:22 NLT
Julie – Wickett, TX
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)
Pam Smith, Smithfield, NC
Proverbs 2: 3-5 (NLT)
“Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.”
Valerie, Smithfield, NC
So I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you? Nehemiah 6:3 NIV84
Tomi, Des Moines
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22 & 23 NIV
Anne Ranck
Lewisburg, WV
Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (Living Bible)
Allison, Cypress TX
“For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life…” Proverbs 6:23
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 Gods will is-His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 NIV
Carol, Bellaire,TX
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 NIV
Julie
Dallas, Ga
Romans 12:11-12
New International Version (NIV)
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Tina, Walker, LA
“to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,to comfort all who mourn,” Isaiah 61:2 NIV
Jolinda from Kearney, Nebraska
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15, NIV