Welcome back, friends! I am so thankful you have decided to join me today. I just wrapped up a Scripture Memory Workshop for ladies at Shepherds Church this past week, and let me just say I am in awe that the Lord would allow me to lead this ministry at church and how thankful I am for the church to support it. In the past, the workshops I have led had between 15–20 consistent women who came, but this July we had 29 women. That's a lot of women who NOW have the knowledge, the how, and the WHY of Scripture memory!
If you are listening or reading this and were one of those ladies at the workshop, I am so thankful you were able to go. Perhaps you are now very excited, or maybe you are not so sure if you are going to be able to do this, but you're willing to try. Maybe you are listening and have never been to a workshop or even knew this was an option. Well, my friend, let me encourage you to keep listening because today's episode will be for anyone who is a bit curious to know how to keep the momentum going when you are trying to learn and build a new spiritual discipline. Yes, memorizing Scripture is a spiritual discipline. Today, I want to share with you how to keep this momentum going.
John Piper says,
"I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture."
And Scripture says:
Romans 12:2 (ESV) says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Ephesians 4:20–24 (ESV) says, "But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."
Ephesians 6:16–18 (ESV) says, "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints."
Psalm 119:9, 11 says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word... I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."
Ladies, I hope after listening to those passages, you can say along with me that meditating on God's Word is a sure way to align our hearts toward God's ways.
This discipline can be hard, just like any other discipline. I have struggled with many kinds of good disciplines. When I was younger, I would try to get up early, have quiet time when my kids were young, have devotions, exercise, eat well, create meal plans, and clean the house. What I found to be helpful during those years was to have women come alongside me who were also young mothers, as well as older women who could understand or relate to my current season of life to encourage and walk with me.
I also struggled with finishing books and Bible studies. Whether it was a spiritual discipline or a life discipline, I would always start off really excited with an action plan, perhaps buy some new gear such as pens, an exercise shirt, an app, a new journal, or even create a new plan. At first, I would be consistent in the discipline, such as getting up early so that I could spend time in the Word or finding time to exercise, but then life would happen. Hahaha... when does life NOT happen?
Some of us have jobs and other responsibilities. Families get sick, school starts, appointments and holidays creep in, stealing your time and energy away from your original goal.
All of these things compete for our time, but more importantly, they compete for our time with God. Spiritual disciplines are important, but they're hard to maintain without the encouragement of others; having a cheerleader at your side, being able to tell a friend the honest truth, and having that friend respond in a way that is not demeaning but instead moves you forward, pointing you to Christ.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, I know it's important to have spiritual disciplines, but I too struggle with consistency, and yes, that does include Scripture memory. I'm not perfect, and I don't think you are either. The only One who was ever perfect was Jesus Christ, our Lord.
There are many of us who are in different seasons of life. You may be like me, a soon-to-be empty nester with grandkids. Or perhaps you are a young momma with little kiddos. Maybe you are a single lady, or perhaps you work shift hours. Can I encourage you to try to have this mindset?
Scripture memory is time alone with God.
1. Have the mindset that Scripture memory IS time alone with God.
Yes, this is the first thing I would recommend to help keep the momentum going.
I had to have this mindset when I was going through a very busy season of life with young kiddos and also when my mom was dying from pancreatic cancer. There will be seasons in your life when it is a struggle to get up early and find time to be in the Word. BUT just think, if you memorize Scripture, then God's Word is already in your mind to meditate on anywhere you go, in any situation.
I have a friend who used to get up in the middle of the night with her little one, and she redeemed that time to be in God's Word by memorizing Scripture. She could have decided to go on social media because, hey, that is probably the easiest thing one can do at 2:00 a.m., but no, she made a conscious effort to focus on Scripture memory. Yes, it takes discipline, but it's so worth it! When you have this mindset, I think you will be much more likely to be consistent in this spiritual discipline.
The next way to keep the momentum going is to:
2. Start small.
If you are new to Scripture memory, you may be very eager to memorize and start off with a bang. Let me encourage you to step back and breathe. Start small.
I say this because if you start small, you will be able to accomplish a short section of Scripture in a shorter amount of time, and for most people, that can be encouraging because you realize, ‘Hey, I actually can do this.’
I did this when I first started. I memorized Psalm 1. In the beginning, I never thought I would ever be able to memorize because I believed I had a really bad memory. I mean, hey, I couldn't even tell you what happened in the previous movie I watched or remember someone's name. So finishing a short psalm gave me the momentum to keep memorizing.
Some examples of starting small would include short passages such as Psalms 1, 8, 23, 100, or 150.
Next you will want to:
3. Create a reasonable and reachable goal.
A goal is a desired outcome or result that a person aims to achieve within a specific period of time. Goals provide direction, focus, and help measure progress.
A well-defined goal is often called a SMART goal. So, if I were to use Psalm 100 as an example My smart goal would be like this: By August 31, 2026, I will memorize Psalm 100 by learning two verses each week using the First Letter Method, rote repetition, and voice recordings as my primary memory tools. I will track my daily reviews using my Review Grid, and after memorizing all five verses, I will review the entire psalm daily for 14 consecutive days. Memorizing two verses each week is a realistic and manageable pace that allows time for consistent review and retention, while helping God's Word dwell richly in my heart and strengthen my long-term retention of Scripture.
Okay, now for the last and final way to keep your momentum going, and it is probably the most important one. I think it's a huge factor in whether or not you will continue memorizing Scripture.
4. Find community and stay accountable.
There are many ways to stay accountable. You can ask a friend to meet you once a month in person, or perhaps you could be accountable to a friend for four weeks via text. This makes the goal doable, and it's not a long-term commitment.
Another option is to join the Online Bible Memory Goal Community, which is a worldwide community of people who love Scripture memory.
BUT, if you are a lady near me in the good ole state of NC, in the RTP/Triangle area, you could join the Shepherds Scripture Sisters. To find out more, check out the link in the show notes or click the link on my blog.
So, how are you going to keep your momentum going? Will you commit to starting small, creating a goal, and finding someone to be accountable to?
Drop me a line in the podcast text option or leave a comment on my blog. I would love to know what you plan to do!
Till next time, stay rooted!
