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…
While You Can
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryIt’s so common. Because it’s just human nature to think, to presume and assume that we have a lot of time yet to live, so much so that it’s virtually impossible to even begin to imagine the world without us in it.
This deception is one of the devil’s most dangerous – and successful – weapons.
Because countless people “just keep going and going” through life without properly preparing for (or, in many cases, even considering) the life to come, eternity, i.e., without solidifying their eternal destiny… BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.
I’m sure that, just days ago, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin thought he had “all the time in the world” before fainting and falling lifelessly to the ground in the middle of that Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals, as the whole world watched. No doubt that but for the lightning-fast actions of the on-field first responders (and the prayers of countless Christians across the country and globe) he would indeed have left this world and immediately found himself in his new abode for all eternity, either Heaven or Hell, forever and ever and ever. (It’s clear to me that God has a purpose for sparing his life – not just for Mr. Hamlin but also as one of the fairly-frequent reminders God graciously gives to the world that this current, physical life is in fact finite and will indeed end one day.)
Mr. Hamlin was spared… for now. Meaning that he could go on to live for another 25 or 50 or 75 years. Or he could get hit by a bus the next time he’s out and about. That’s the whole point: one never, ever knows exactly WHEN they’ll leave this life and begin the one to come, in and for eternity… so it’s ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL for each of us to MAKE SURE we’re on the right track, the right route, the right path – the one that leads to Heaven, not Hell.
Mr. Hamlin was spared, was granted more time to do that…
But that wasn’t the case for four precious souls attending college in Moscow, Idaho. They were so young and truly just beginning their lives, on the precipice of finding themselves and making their way in the world, when suddenly someone murdered all four of them reportedly in a span of just ten or fifteen minutes.
Or what about the three other college students – football players no less, for the University of Virginia – who went on a field trip that very same day… I’d bet all the money in the world that they didn’t have an inkling that when their bus returned to the campus parking garage, one of their former fellow football teammates would pull out a gun and start shooting, killing three, injuring two, and scaring (and scarring) the rest (probably for the rest of their lives). On just that one day alone – November 13, 2022 – it was all over the news that seven college students, full of life and potential, slipped into eternity. Without warning. No advance notice.
Or what about the people who went to buy some food at their local grocery store as they had a zillion times before but on this occasion in Buffalo, NY, on May 14 a person with hatred in his heart entered and started shooting randomly, and ten precious souls slipped straight into eternity. Without warning. No advance notice.
Or what about the thousands of people who, as they had countless times before, merely showed up at their jobs one clear, cloudless, bright-blue-sky September morning in 2001 at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon – how many of them do you think even imagined that they’d be dead, they’d leave this life and enter the one to come in mere minutes, before the clock even hit noon?
Probably none of them. Very likely not even a single one.
Like I said, it’s human nature.
It’s also the very reason that each person needs to consider, address, confirm their eternal destiny RIGHT NOW, today, this minute, BEFORE it’s TOO LATE!
Because as far as I know, the “Grim Reaper” doesn’t send invitations.
If any of you haven’t yet “made certain” about your eternal destiny, of exactly where you’ll go when you leave this life and spend all eternity, I strongly, strongly, strongly urge and encourage you to do so RIGHT NOW. Simply speak to God: tell Him that you realize that you’re a sinner, confess your sins to Him and put your faith wholly and solely in His Son, Jesus Christ – in His prophesied immaculate conception (and not-so-immaculate birth, in a lowly feeding trough for animals), perfect life, and predicted death, burial and resurrection, which He lovingly underwent for you and for me, so that we can leave behind the sins of our past and literally become righteous, even the very righteousness of God, imputed to us through Christ and Him alone.
Eternity awaits. And for each and every one of us, the clock is ticking.
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Quick Thought: Profound, Prolific Protection
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryReading the Bible is like brushing your teeth.
Studying the Bible is like brushing and flossing.
Memorizing the Bible is like brushing, flossing, and mouthwash.
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Quick Thought: Post-meal Pots and Pans
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryI’m sure we’ve all cooked a meal which afterward left a major mess in the pan.
Literally uncleanable.
So we let it soak in water overnight and when we wake up the next morning, wah-lah, it’s super EASY to clean, the prior night’s cooked-on crud just washes away without effort.
That’s EXACTLY how it is with Bible memory!
You see, each day we automatically pick up dust and dirt and filth from this world in which we live, from a sinful and sin-filled society which seems to be getting even more and more so by the day. It’s just the nature of the beast, of being human in a corrupted world. Because even though (thanks to spiritual salvation) our inner person is a new creature, a new being altogether (2 Corinthians 5:17), there will still remain in our bodies, in its members, the “law of sin and death” (Romans 7:14-25). Which is why regular confession of our sins is one of the clearest signs of genuine salvation (1 John 1:9 among many other verses). Like the Lord Jesus put it so perfectly, salvation is our spiritual shower but we still pick up some dust and dirt just by walking in this world which is why we need to wash our feet (confess our sins) regularly (John 13:1-10).
If you were to cook several meals in a row in the same pan without having cleaned it, the results would not be very good. The same is true when we go very long at all without confessing our sins. I find that anymore most of mine are sins of omission versus commission, but sin is sin is sin and needs to be confessed, contritely and quickly, or it will indeed “cake on” in and to your life.
Emotionally. Relationally. Very often even physically and financially. And especially spiritually.
So just as we automatically soak a dirty pan overnight to let the water “break up” the crud, let’s be at least as diligent and clear-minded to do so with our hearts and minds.
And the way to do that, the “water” if you will, is – yep, you got it – the Bible in general and Bible memory in specific.
Amazing how EVERYTHING regarding this life and the one to come always comes back to the Bible!
What a gift, what a treasure…
May we drink it without measure,
Bringing God (and us!) much pleasure.
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