Hey, Everybody! Welcome to Verse 3! One month down, only eleven more to go! I say that with a grin because I don’t want it to fly by. There are stressful aspects to what we’re doing here on our team because victory is labor intensive and demands focus and discipline. You can’t really cheat at your memory work. I mean, either we take the time for the constant repetition until it’s embedded underneath that skull of ours or we don’t. But, at the same time, it’s also rejuvenating, don’t you think? And fun? And, admit it, the team aspect of it is glorious.
In fact, I hope God is using this whole process to bring some of you back to life. I’m picturing all of us women like that valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37. Scattered in that broad dell of ours are skeletons of dead-tired, depleted girls from all over the United States and in at least a half dozen other countries. Thousands of us. The breath of God’s words falling on us, rattling our bones, wrapping us with new wine skins, filling our lungs, and beginning to raise us to our feet: a mighty army brandishing Swords. (Eph. 6:17) We use these swords to battle darkness and not one another. We are not Peter who, in an impulsive fury, left poor Malchus with one less ear in John 18:10. There they were, in the most critical moment in human history thus far and Jesus had to stop what He was doing and stick the man’s ear back on the side of his head. (Luke 22:51) Enough of this! Jesus commanded. The people around us who we are called to reach and serve in Christ’s name are not drawn to weapons and shredders but they are indeed drawn to courage and valiance and gracious strength. A well-trained soldier knows who his enemy is and who his enemy is not.
I’m looking forward to your verses! I am starting some memory work out of the one-chapter book of Jude today. I find this verse fascinating because the inspired penman really meant to write his audience about one thing when God sidetracked him to another. These dimensions of divine inspiration make my mind spin. I love thinking about it. Here goes mine:
Beth, Houston. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude 1:3 (ESV)
Contend for the faith. Lord, show us, teach us, equip us, fill us, and anoint us with holy affection, sound minds and doctrine to contend for the faith. Show us how to fight for our faith without wounding and scarring the people we were called to influence in the process. This can get tricky. Show us how it’s done.
I’m honored to serve you, Sisters, and to draw swords with you in this battle against the blackest darkness. Built up in Christ by the breath of the Spirit, focused and deliberate, we can be a mighty army.
OK, let’s have it. Your names, cities, verses, references, and translations.
Live and love well out there today, you hear?
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Kesley from Rome, GA
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 NIV
DeAnne,Talmage,KS Psalm 63:1 NIV
O God, You are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for You,
my body longs for You,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
Stacie Dichsen, O’Fallon, IL
Isaiah 60:1 (NKJV)
Arise, shine; for your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM and HE will make your paths straight. (NASB)Needed to be reminded!
Stefanie, Moses Lake, WA
James 1:5-8 ESV
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 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. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Candie from gulfport ms
Galatians 5:16-17
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh [a]sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you [b]please.
Kay, Hermann, MO 2 Corinthians 4:9 NIV
“persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed.”
Barbara – Lantzville, B.C.,
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
Proverbs 14:26 KJV. (anxiety buster!)
Katie Brown
Greenfield, IN
He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God.
Micah 6:8 NET
Deena from Amarillo, Texas
“The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7 NLT
Jessica, Sioux Falls, SD
Isaiah 40:31 ESV
“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Joan Fredericktown, OH NIv
Isaiah 50:10
Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God!!!!
Katelyn, Fort Worth, TX
For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.
Proverbs 2:10-11 NLT
Charlotte, Frankston,Tx
Psalm 143:10 NIV
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; May your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Amen.
Romans 8:38-39 NIV
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers (39) neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Debra Hamson – Dahlgren, IL
Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
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.
Roxanne – New York, NY
1 Chronicles 28:9 (NLT)
“…learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him.”
Kelly Snodgrass
Rogersville, TN
Love that I had already picked Jude 1:3MSG!! How fun!!
Dear friends, Ive dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we all have in common. I have to write insisting – begging! that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish.
Jacie from Amarillo, Texas
“Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.” Psalm 149:3 NIV
John 8:32 The Amplified Bible
“. . . you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”
Julie, Pace, FL
With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. Psalm 18:29 NIV
Kelly, Brentwood CA
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 NKJV
Beth, just wanted to write to you that as I was reading the portion of today’s blog describing women with swords, I envisioned a huge group of women with swords raised (super shiny of course!) and had the most amazing feeling in my heart. I love the idea of swishing a sword through darkness, through sin, through depression. I thank you for being you and sharing yourself with us! You are such a blessing!
Pati, Cheyenne Wyo.
1Peter 5:6-11 ESV….Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the samekinds of sufferings are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while the God of grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the
dominion forever and ever Amen.
Kathy from Fishers, IN
We live by faith, not by sight.
II Corinthians 5:7
NIV
Julie, DeWitt, MI
Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things in Your law.
Psalm 119:18 NIV
Heather
Little Rock, AR
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. (Galatians 5:24 NLT)
Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Dorian from Grimes, IA
āI have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.ā -John 16:33 NIV
phil4;13 I can do all things with Christ who strengthen me.
Michelle Bahret, Carver, MA.
“He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” Psalm 18:19
Oops, I forgot, the translation is NIV.
“earnestly contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”. That faith is without doubt recorded in The Word, to which no new revelation is to be added. Jude intends to write a treatise on salvation but changes direction under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and hits head on on apostasy. THIS is so needful to know in this day and time as apostasy runs rampant in “the church” Ray Yungen- A Time of Departing is a MUST READ for Christians today.
The people who love your Instruction enjoy peaceāand lots of it.Ā
Ā Thereās no stumbling for them! (Psalms 119:165 CEB)
Maggie from Tampa, FL.
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love them.” James 1:12, NIV
Alicia, Atlanta
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29 NIV
Amy Leonardtown, MD
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. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
~Lamentations 3:21-25 (NIV)
Psalm 118:29 – O Give Thanks Unto The Lord For He Is Good For His Mercy Endureth Forever KJV
Stephanie Corley
Quitman, Texas
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 perseverance the race marked out for us.
–Hebrews 12:1 (NIV 84)
But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. James 3:8-10 NKJV
Leigh Ann from Perry, FL
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” ~ John 15:8 (NIV)
Jenni – Irmo, SC
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)
Anna
New Palestine, IN
“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; Yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
1 Peter 3:15 ESV
Lizzie Smiley, San Antonio, TX Siestas!
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
(PSALMS 27:13-14)
Margaret, Escalon, CA
Jeremiah 29:11-13
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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Anna, Huntington IN, 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 Godās will isāhis good, pleasing and perfect will.
āRomans 12:2 NIV
Chanda from St.Petersburg, FL
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.
Philippians 2:14-15
NIV 1984
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:10 NIV
Courtney H., Flowery Branch, GA
Hebrews 10:23
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for HE who promised is faithful.”
forgot the translation!
NKJV
Summer, Steamboat Springs, CO
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
James 3:16, ESV
Alison from Southport, NC. You will keep in perfect peace the mind that is dependent on You, for it is trusting in You. Isaiah 26:3. HCSB.
Carla, Houston, Tx.
You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.
Ps. 65:11 (NIV)