SHOWDOWN IN THE DESERT – 3
Morning Devotional August 06, 2012
Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16.
What was Jesus’ modus operandi in the desert? How did He defeat the devil? Peter Gomes in his The Good Book makes the point well: “[Jesus] recalled in every instance the instruction of the scripture, the teachings of an inherited faith to which he subordinated himself in his debates with the tempter. He didn’t outfox or even outmaneuver Satan; he simply relied on those things he knew to be true . . .” (pp. 280, 281). “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). How then shall we memorize the Word of God?
My friends at FAST (www.fast.st) have devised a simple strategy for memorizing Scripture that we’ve shared with hundreds of our members. Go online and order their study guides. Here’s an abbreviated synopsis: 1. Determine the version of the Bible you’re going to memorize and stay with that translation (be it KJV, NKJV, NIV, et al.). 2. Like good food, start with small portions. There’s no point in memorizing Psalm 119 initially---but verses 11, 97, and 105 are keepers. Start with short texts. 3. Use small blank cards or a small notebook for transcribing your verse to paper. 4. Write the text reference on one side. 5. Lock in the reference to the text by writing it twice: (one side) Psalm 119:11; (the other side) “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11, KJV).
6. Learn one word and then one phrase at a time. The quip---“inch by inch, anything’s a cinch”---is true. 7. Practice being “word perfect” with whatever translation you use; otherwise lack of precession will result in lack of retention. 8. Review your texts every day---and even throughout the day. Those small cards fit in a pocket, a purse, a backpack. 9. Review your verses once a week with a partner who is using the same translation. Here’s where family members and friends can be a great encouragement and help. 10. With daily review, in two months your text will be “locked“ on your hard disc memory.
Think of it---with just two texts a week, in a year you’ll have a hundred texts stored in your memory, a hundred powerful promises the Holy Spirit can bring to mind night or day. Why, in six years you could memorize the Gospel of Mark! And what better words to memorize than the words of the One who taught us by His example to do just that? So why wait? Start now! (The Chosen by Dwight K. Nelson, p. 229).
God bless us all!