It takes time and effort to memorise Bible verses. But when we consider the spiritual benefits we can achieve through this practice, it is well worth the effort.

Here are some reasons why we should memorise Bible verses:

To focus our minds on spiritual things

The Bible instructs us to “set your minds on the things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2) and “those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5b) By memorising God’s word we focus our minds on what matters most. This is so important when we live in a world that demands so much of our attention.

So we can overcome sin

Psalm 119:11 says “I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, Jesus responded to every temptation with the words “It is written…” When we have God’s word in our hearts, we have immediate access to His word which will help us to overcome temptation.

To inspire us with words for all types of prayers

What is in our hearts inspires our emotions and how we express our emotions through our words. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16). The Psalms are filled with words of praise. When we have those words within us, we have a Biblical vocabulary to use when we praise the name of the Lord. The same is also true for all types of prayers – like thankfulness, confession, and intercessory prayer for others.

So we live with hope

Memorising God’s promises will help us greatly when we face discouragement.  Take for example this powerful promise: “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

It equips us to share our faith

Memorising verses with gospel promises will help us have the right words when we witness to an unbeliever. For example “”…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9) and “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

It equips us to minister to other believers

Colossians 3:16 which I referred to above, shows that when the word of Christ dwells in us richly, we can teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.

Every Sunday during our morning service, we encourage people to memorise a Bible verse during the week. So far this year we have worked through 1 John 5:1-5, Psalm 23 and Psalm 1. You can see the passage we are currently working on, and the verse for this week, on our home page.