Many people will (mistakenly) think that anyone who memorizes a huge amount of Scripture must be some sort of “super saint”. I have this to say about that, and that’s this: Super saint? NO I AIN’T! Not even close. (To echo the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:18, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh”.) In fact, just the opposite of their notion is true, because the more of the Bible I memorize, the more I realize how utterly and entirely sinful I am in and of myself, in my flesh. You see, as Psalm 19:7-8 clearly states, the Bible – and especially memorizing the Bible – “enlightens the eyes”. It breaks through the blindness which besets us from birth and opens one’s eyes. To the truth and existence and nature and will of God. To the nature and detrimental, destructive, and indeed deadly consequences of sin (Romans 6:23). And to the nature of man. Our flesh. Our fallacy. Our tendencies. Why we do what we do. Why we do what we should not and not do what we should! (Romans 7:19) So you can see why I say that the more Scripture one memorizes, the more one will see the righteousness of God and the sinfulness of oneself, of the flesh, to the extent that I can honestly say that I’m the BIGGEST SINNER I know, I’m the biggest sinner I’ve EVER known, and I’m probably the biggest sinner YOU’VE ever known, at least that’s how I see it, that’s my (believe it or not blissful) Bible-borne perspective.

But thankfully Psalm 19:7-8 doesn’t stop there! Because it’s just as clear that the Bible also “restores the soul” and “makes wise the simple” and “rejoices the heart”! It’s not just a win, not just a home run, memorizing and reciting Scripture is a GRAND SLAM! And not just spiritually, but humanly… not just in the spiritual realm, but in the human realm, not just in the life to come but also this present life (1 Timothy 4:8). And I can testify from firsthand experience that all of this is absolutely true: so long as I’m doing so on a regular basis, my spirit remains utterly joyful, rarely ever leaving the proverbial “cloud nine”. I find that I see things that many others don’t (heightened insight produced by the Word within). And I find that my heart remains filled with and focused on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2), not on the things which are seen, but unseen, not the things which are temporal but eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18) – what a wonderful way to go through life! And what’s amazing is that I’m just at the START this journey of memorizing the entire Bible, after which the Lord is leading me to turn this into a full-fledged, full-speed-ahead, full-time ministry – here’s the plan…
PHASE 1: Memorize the ENTIRE Bible as a “love/thank You” gift back to Him and also to prove, to demonstrate to the world the utter and tangible power and benefits of the ingested (memorized) Word of God! And for the first few months to highlight the need and leave room for the Lord to lead like-minded Bible-loving believers to support this in whatever ways they’re able and willing and excited to do so when learning about this historic endeavor and opportunity.
PHASE 2: After memorizing all or at least the vast majority of the New Testament, the next step will commence and entail totally changing the emphasis of this website from seeking one-time and especially Monthly Partners so as to get and keep this going to just giving back by meeting the needs of others, to “fulfill the law of Christ” by “bearing the burdens of others” (Galatians 6:2) and “serving one another” (Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 4:10).
Specifically, I will make myself available all throughout the day virtually every day so anyone will be able to:
- Ask and receive Bible-based answers to their questions about the Bible itself, God, sin, human nature, and whatever else might be on their hearts at any given time. Literally for the rest of my or their lives, they will have a ready and waiting friend and/or listening ear and/or shoulder to cry on according to their need at the time. Without reservation, and without judgment.
- Submit prayer requests to be prayed for by someone who is brimming with the living Word within him, which I firmly believe is the biggest key to effective prayer: the Word sanctifies (John 17:17) and cleanses (Ephesians 5:26) and keeps pure (Psalm 119:9) and away from sin (Psalm 119:11); now combine all of this with the fact that “the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12) and “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16b) and perhaps speaking most poignantly to the amazing link between memorizing Scripture and an effective prayer life, “If you abide in Me, and MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, ask WHATEVER you WISH, and it SHALL BE DONE for you.” (John 15:7). How will people’s lives literally change and be transformed by the supplication and intercession by one in whom such a massive amount of Scripture will be dwelling? GAME-CHANGER. Life-changer. WORLD-changer! (Literally. Just ask the people who were living in the time of Elijah.)
- Find a BIBLICAL – Bible-loving, Bible-believing, Bible-practicing – church near them, right in their local area! I am already in the process of putting together this network of churches; denomination will be irrelevant, the only criterion will be the extent to which they demonstrably adhere to the principles set forth in the Bible about “how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15) With a primary focus on how supportive they are of Bible memory. I expect even just the human-interest/intellectual aspect of this project to attract countless people who aren’t even religious or are very early on in their spiritual growth who’ll need and want to find a church that will foster and maximize said growth.
- Find the businesses in YOUR area that are owned and/or managed by fellow Christians who love the Lord and His Word and realize the importance of and support Bible memory. Galatians 6:10 and 1 Timothy 6:2 make clear that it is our responsibility as Christians that our everyday choices inure to the benefit of fellow believers whenever possible, so I’m going to make that super easy and convenient by posting a nationwide (but searchable by state/county/city) LIST of Christian businesses so we can all choose THEM whenever we need a product or service; once assembled, it will appear on the “Find A Christian Biz” / Yellow Pages section here at BibleMemory.ORG so please check back for that in the coming weeks.
PHASE 3: Turn this burgeoning history-in-the-making effort into a full-speed-ahead, full-fledged, full-time ministry to Educate, Encourage, and Empower others to memorize and recite Scripture on a regular, systematic, verse-by-verse, book-by-book basis! Tall goal, but totally doable, because something very interesting happened as I memorized my very first book of the Bible, the New Testament book of James. That goal seemed not just tall but downright monumental. Undoable. Right? Wrong! Because, amazingly, the more of it I memorize, the EASIER it gets! The more of it I memorize, the more I am able to memorize. By the time I came to Chapter 5, I knew this large task was indeed going to be accomplished. BIG difference than when I was facing Chapter 1 Verse 1.
This is a fantastic real-life demonstration of Matthew 19:26 which says, “With men, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Including memorizing the ENTIRE Bible! You see, in the physical realm, the more water you pour into a glass, the less capacity it will have for more water to be added. But in the spiritual realm, when it comes to God and His Word, the Bible, the exact OPPOSITE is true! The MORE you pour into your mind, the MORE capacity you’ll have for additional verses and chapters and books to be added! Not less. And this amazing power is exponential in nature: I saw a large increase in capacity from James 1 to James 5, but double or triple the capacity by the time I finished memorizing Hebrews 1-5, and then quadruple or quintuple the capacity by the time I finished memorizing Hebrews 6-10, and so on. This finding is literally historic, and indeed the closest thing to a bona fide miracle in recent history of which I’m aware: it’s verifiable, it’s tangible, and – due to the “living and active” nature of the Bible (Hebrews 4:12) – it’s even repeatable. While the specific extent of this phenomenon might vary from person to person, the essence of the Word does not. Ever. This is how I’ll be able not just to Educate and Encourage the masses to memorize and recite Scripture on a regular, systematic basis but also to EMPOWER them to do so (the Word through me). (Believe me, once a person gets a taste of this, his or her life will never be the same. Human metaphors don’t really do it justice but in terms of the Christian life, it’s like trying filet mignon for the first time after a lifetime of eating hamburger.)
This will primarily be accomplished by producing a course, a syllabus, an entire series of videos, CD’s, and even audio cassettes, which will take all of this and make it SUPER EASY and CONVENIENT for people the world over to learn and apply this at their own pace and as their individual schedules permit. I am utterly convinced that another worldwide spiritual revival will occur, but I’m even more certain that it will only occur as people start ingesting the living Word of God by memorizing and reciting it regularly – “all the day” (Psalm 119:97) and even “day AND night” (Psalm 1:2-3).
By the way, this would be a great time to let you know that as I’ve been memorizing Scripture, a very specific METHOD of doing so is coming into focus, which, as noted above, I can testify firsthand is making it MUCH EASIER for me to memorize and retain – not just the Bible but EVERYTHING: to-do lists, schedule and meetings, various events that occur, etc., a true “sponge” effect! – and I’m 99.9% sure that it will do so for virtually anyone and everyone who applies it. It’s still coming together but seems to be getting close to the point that it can be rolled out. This one aspect alone of this one phase alone could easily and literally change the world and people’s everyday lives.
PHASE 4: Set up new and/or work with established addiction centers to specifically address the huge need for healing, curing, and then preventing from recurring (relapse) the massive crisis of addiction to pain killers, opioids, and other drugs, as well as the dreadful disease of depression. I am absolutely certain that the best and probably only way to truly beat, to truly eradicate, overcome, and conquer an addiction is to turn to something even more addictive – and I am equally certain that the most addictive thing in the universe is the BIBLE, the living and active Word of God, the Word ingested. No doubt about it. The main challenge is that so relatively few ever really give regular and systematic Bible memory a try, but I – with your and the Lord’s help – intend to change that!
It won’t happen overnight but I have no doubt that change is indeed coming. And just in case you don’t think the Bible extends or has relevance to the physical realm of human existence, I humbly give you Proverbs 4:22 which, referring to the Bible, the “my words” of verse 20, clearly states that His words “are LIFE to those who find them, and HEALTH to ALL their WHOLE BODY.” Is that an amazing verse or what?! We have a super-duper health “pill” readily available to us (the Bible is the most-published and available book of all time) yet SO FEW EVER ACTUALLY SWALLOW IT! To their utter “missing out” yet few if any are even aware of this because nobody has trumpeted it from the proverbial mountaintops but with your help I intend to change this, too, and do just that!
I didn’t start memorizing entire books of the Bible as a child but did memorize a lot of single Bible verses and – totally not surprisingly in light of that verse/truth/fact – I haven’t had to see a doctor or go to the hospital my entire adult life. Not even a single time. No emergencies. No health surprises. Not one. I don’t think the two are unrelated or that this remarkable health history is mere coincidence or the result of “good genes”; no, I’m certain it’s that verse at work.
No, it won’t happen overnight but down the road I look forward to organizing some clinical/medical trials to demonstrate that this is universal and not just specific to me. I dare say that other than imparting the Gospel or giving one’s own life to save another’s, there is no greater act of love and kindness and therefore Christlikeness (since He epitomized and epitomizes both) than to free a person from the cruel slavery and bondage of addiction or depression, to provide them with the answer, the antidote, something that actually and permanently WORKS! So even just this phase of the action plan will likely be enough to revolutionize the nation and world.
CONCLUSION: If you like what you’ve heard here and found yourself nodding in agreement several times, please read on…
Quick Thought: One Coin, Two Sides
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryThe coin is eternity, the life to come, in general and specifically the first moment of such.
Even more specifically, what a person hears in that very first nanosecond.
The SCARIEST thought in the universe: hearing “Depart from Me, I knew you not.” (Matthew 7:23)
The GREATEST thought in the universe: hearing “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)
Like all coins, eternity has two sides.
Heaven or Hell.
Permanent paradise or interminable torture.
Everlasting elation or unhalting horror.
To tweak Jim Elliot’s famous quote discussed a few posts ago… “He is no fool” who chooses the former.
He is no fool who chooses Christ.
While we still have breath, may each of us focus not primarily on whether we know Christ but rather whether Christ knows us.
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Quick Thought: WAY Better than Hallmark: A Card Like No Other
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryAs you might’ve heard and as readers of this blog for any length of time surely know and as discussed in detail on the About page, for many years I tried to think (and think and think) of something special I could do, some sort of GIFT I could give back to the Lord to express how much I love and appreciate all He does and who He is, and not too long ago IT HIT ME – the PERFECT gift I immediately KNEW He would LOVE! If someone were to memorize the ENTIRE Bible – His “love letter” to humanity – and then recite it BACK to Him. To quote His own words, His love letter to us back to Him by heart.
I do believe that it’s the single best idea that’s ever occurred to me, in my entire life. I LOVE IT! But here’s the thing: this very unique “love/thank You” gift to the Lord Jesus Christ won’t be just from me, no no no, it’ll also be from and on behalf of everyone who supports this effort, this endeavor, this event in whatever ways they’re able.
Because without your help, without your support via prayers and/or donations and/or encouraging others to do likewise, the Lord would never get this gift so it is fully fitting and absolutely appropriate for the names of all those who support this to be included on the accompanying (spiritual) “greeting card” when we collectively give this gift to Him on that day (technically few days or week, due to the sheer length of the Bible) when I stand in front of the whole world (thanks to BibleMemory.ORG and YouTube.com/BibleMemory) and quote His entire “love letter” to us back to Him by heart.
[They say a picture is worth a thousand words so a video must be worth ten thousand so here’s the part of the Overview video discussing this: (it was recorded immediately after I recited the entire book of Hebrews for that video which took a few times to get it right so my throat is a bit hoarse here but thankfully the Lord helped me finish it before my voice was totally gone…)]
And on that day when we – together, collectively – give this most unique gift to the Lord, He will know each and every name that appears on the accompanying “card” since it will be not just from me but from every person who supports this in whatever ways they’re able and thus (literally) helps make it happen. (Because without support from a sufficient number of people who love God and the Bible, it won’t.)
If you would like YOUR name to be included on that “greeting card” (a Hallmark just won’t suffice in this case 🙂 ) accompanying this living love gift to our Lord Jesus Christ, here are the best ways to do so:
1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!
2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
3. Add your name to my Prayer List!
4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!
5. Share this post on your social media by clicking on one or more of these platforms:
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Ripple Effect, Part 2
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryLife is something. Something else, I tell ya. Often funny. Sometimes very, very funny: one example of this literally just happened, just culminated this morning.
You see, for the past few days I noticed a sporadic, usually-dull pain in my lower back. Usually dull but a several times a day quite sharp. To the extreme that I literally could barely breathe for those few seconds when the pain would spike.
This was all the more shocking to me since I’ve never been sick or had to go to a hospital or doctor or even been sick my entire adult life, and even as a kid only to have my tonsils/adenoids and wisdom teeth removed. (Though, in the spirit of full disclosure and transparency, I did fake sick a lot, so I could stay home from school and play video games.) (My parents rightly let me since I maintained very good grades. Except for penmanship but that isn’t a real class. 🙂 ) Anyway, due to that lifelong track record of stellar health, a usually-dull-sometimes-sharp pain in my lower back for a few consecutive days did indeed come as a shock.
This thought flew through my mind for a fleeting moment: Was it the first sign of kidney failure? Was it the onset of kidney stones? Was it lupus?
All possible I suppose BUT BUT BUT I have to admit these all seemed extremely unlikely to me since I am such a firm, total believer – indeed, partaker – of Proverbs 4:22 as discussed in-depth in a prior post but to summarize, the Bible straightforwardly states a crystal-clear conclusion: that those who “find” God’s words (i.e., the Bible!) will experience not just “life” but “health to ALL their WHOLE body” so I just couldn’t really believe that any of those possibilities were actually a “thing” in this situation.
A second (albeit unnecessary) hint or piece of supporting evidence was that the spikes of sharper pain occurred exclusively when I was standing/vertical, never when I was lying down/horizontal. If it were any of those issues, the physical position of one’s body surely wouldn’t matter, at least that seems very logical and common-sensical to me.
The result is that this morning, after a few days of this matter, I remembered that I had tightened the screws of my main chair, which I sit in while on the computer, eating, watching a few news/talk shows, pretty much every day-to-day activity except sleeping and shaving. I.e., I spend a LOT of time in that chair so it hit me that maybe, just maybe I tightened said screws a bit too much which would’ve made the chair less “flexible” or “forgiving” to my body so a couple hours ago I loosened them a tad and, wa-la, what do ya know, no more pain!
It was pretty funny (at least AFTER that last part occurred) but also a great reminder of what I wrote in the “Part 1” post: that our decisions and actions have RIPPLE EFFECTS! Usually in the lives of other people, always in our own.
Which is why it’s such a total NO-BRAINER to live one’s life, to base one’s decisions and actions on one thing and ONLY one thing: the Bible.
Because it’s never, ever wrong, always right. 100% of the time. Absolutely flawless. The very picture of perfection and indeed the only perfect tangible thing in the universe.
So you’ll understand why I’m going to take the next hour or two EATING IT UP. Consuming it. Ingesting it. And I can testify firsthand that it is indeed “more desirable than gold, even more than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb” and that in eating (keeping, heeding, applying, obeying) it “there is GREAT REWARD.” (Psalm 19:10-11)
Thank You, Lord, for the three greatest gifts you’ve ever given us: Your Holy Spirit; Your Word, the Bible; and Yourself.
May our every decision and action be in line, in accord with all three.
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