Showing posts with label Bible Memorization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible Memorization. Show all posts

Sunday

How to learn Psalm 46 v 1 Plus Free Phone Screen Saver - Bible Memorization


In this post I want to help you to memorise Psalm 46 v 1 both the words and the reference.

If you think

 NO. NO. NO. Too Difficult for me  

then have a look at  Top 10 Ways to learn Scripture - Bible Memorization  and you will get some advice & encouragement to realise that we can memorise scripture more easily than we think.







Psalm 46 is one of those Psalms that we turn to in times of worry, fear, need of God's protection or many other times in our lives.

The first verse of this Psalm is well-known to many but sometimes they don't know where to find it in the bible.

Or people may remember having heard that Psalm 46 is of great comfort in trying times but they don't remember what it actually says. 

That is why we need to memorize not only the words of a verse but also the reference of the verse for ourselves and also for sharing it to encourage others.


That's why Bible Memorisation is so important.



So let's look at 3 things:
  • Memorising this Scripture with Children
  • Memorising this Scripture as Adults
  • Some Freebies to help you.



Memorising this Scripture with Children

This is a Great verse for kids to learn along with the Story of the young Joseph.
You know the story of the Coat of Many Colours and the story of the Hatred of His Brothers.


This verse teaches us just what a strong, protective God we have who is present with us at all times and is the one we can always trust in.


If you want to see how I teach this one to the kids you'll find it at    Psalm 46 v 1  -  Memory Verse







which is on my other site for Kids Work at The Ark Page  






Using this for kids I would use A5 or A4 cards as shown below





which gives us the first half of the verse which I would do with the very young children and then add the second part of the verse for the older children.

Go on over and see more about the practical way of teaching this verse to kids at The Ark Page





Memorizing this Scripture as Adults

 Grown-ups who want to learn the verse of course can't be seen to be carrying around A5 sized cards etc. 'cause that is just not cool, then we have a Bible Verse Graphic instead.








Or this one which gives verses 1 & 2  which brings out more meaning and assurance to us.







But to get the whole portion of scripture involved here we really need to read the first 3 verses and then on seeing the Selah we can pause and consider it all together fully.




God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.


Therefore we will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the

 midst of the sea;


Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

Selah



Why even think about looking here at the first 3 verses when we are supposed to be thinking about memorising verse 1?

Well when talking about learning Bible Verses I always want to stress that we should know the context of the verses and be sure we understand the meaning correctly.




So what are the practical helps for Adults?


Referring back to Top 10 Ways to Learn Scripture - Bible Memorisation

We could choose some of those ways that suits this verse


1.  2.  4.  8.  9.  are the ones that spring most to mind for this.


Why not pin this to memorize it later 






1.  Read it often each day

Leave your Bible open at the verse or have a bookmark in your Bible so that you can quickly and easily read the verse or verses.   Do this as often as you notice the Bible or you remember to about the verse.




2.  Write it out a few times each day

a)   Start a notebook for writing out the verses you want to memorize.
You may even find you want to sketch some decorative art around it - then it becomes your Bible Art Journal.  You read and say the verse to yourself as you write and draw.

b)   Keep some sheets of file paper handy and write the verse several times on a single sheet each time.





4.  A Testimony Statement


Getting some meaning really helps.
Or some way for you to associate with the words.
The Psalmist was saying these words as a statement of what He had proved the Lord to be and the second sentence enforces the meaning of the first one.




8.  Make it easy to see it clearly & regularly each day.


To help with this you can have a Bible Verse graphic like I often include in my blog posts or like the ones I share daily on Sandra's Ark Facebook Page

Come and follow me on Facebook and get a daily encouraging Bible Verse in your Facebook feed.


a)   You can write out the verse a few times on paper or card (preferably not cursive so that you can read it easily) and place it somewhere you will not be able to ignore it.

Examples:  Bathroom Mirror,   Fridge Door,  any place you look at each day.



b)   You can use the one above with the verse on a mountain and sea background.





This verse is available for downloading FREE HERE and you can print it out (there are 6 to a page)
Print out one copy of it and you have 6 to place in strategic places around your home.

You can also laminate them if you want to use them for a prolonged period of time.

Remember the 2 verses can be learnt separately and then put together.

The picture chosen here is actually a visual help with the association of the mountains and sea. 




9.  Make it easy to see it at different times or any time of the day.


a)   Most of us carry our phones with us wherever we go now so if you have a verse as your screen saver you will always have it there to look at and read over.
The type of the first graphic we saw above would suit because it is ideal as a phone screen saver.

You can download it  HERE for FREE






b)    Again using the square graphic with the mountains and sea print it out and laminate at least one to keep in your wallet, purse, or handbag for easy access when you have to sit and wait somewhere during the day - kids school collection,  dentist waiting room,  hairdressers while your colouring is setting.

c)    Write it out as in 8. a. above and laminate if you do not want the graphic - This way you can learn all three verses if you wish.




Some Freebies to help you

Please take up the opportunity of the free graphics mentioned above, they are all free for you to use but please don't share them with others instead direct your friends to this blog and they can download them for themselves.

Just click on the links below:

PHONE SCREENSAVER

Mountain & Sea GRAPHIC



Or if you have already subscribed to my blog you will find the link to the Free Printables in any of the emails we send out.








Top 10 Ways To Learn Scripture. Bible Memorization.


I could never do it!

          Do what?

Memorize Scripture!

          Yes you could.








Many people think they could never manage to memorize one verse of the Bible let alone 4 verses or a whole Psalm.

But it can be done if you really want to do it.

I'm going to Teach you how you can memorize any verse you want to.


When someone asks me which is my favourite Psalm I normally have not trouble in replying because I have always loved Psalm 34 since I was a teenager.

But no I have never tried to memorize the whole Psalm, that would be 22 verses and I'm not sure I would ever have the will power to learn all 22.


There are verses within the Psalm that I have memorized simply because I have liked them and read them so often that I do know them off by heart.


That is my first words of advice to anyone wishing to know how they can memorize any bible verses



1.  Read the verse often, every day, multiple times in the day.


Let's take verse 1 of Psalm 34 as an example.







This verse is easier to memorize than other verses because it is not a long verse and the two parts of the one sentence flow easily together.
Just read it out loud to yourself right now and you will see what I mean.

Yes?

Leave your bible open at the verse and come back often to lift up your bible and simply read the verse a few times.

Come back to it tomorrow and do the same thing throughout the day.

I am sure that you will have memorized that verse in a few days and will be saying it to yourself even as you are reaching for your Bible.




2.  Write out the verse.

It is well-known that writing something out helps us to remember better so use that now to help you memorize the scriptures.


Look at Psalm 34 v 2 


My soul shall make her boast in the Lord:
the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

Get a notebook and turn to a new page.

Write the verse on two lines - it easily falls into 2 sections so one section to each line.
As you write it read it out loud.

Leave a line and repeat and repeat until you are at the bottom of the page in your notebook.

By now you will have seen the flow of that verse (this is one of the reasons that the Psalms are easier to learn than other passages because it feels like they have a flow to the words, remember they have a rhythm because they were originally songs) and this rhythm or beat will help you as you speak it out.

Think of that verse doesn't it make you feel glad because when others hear of our trust in the Lord they will be glad too - in other words we will have encouraged others.





3.  Feel the excitement of a verse that is an exaltation to praise the Lord.


Psalm 34 v 3  is a good example of this.

The Psalmist David was urging united praise to God in this verse, what better than having the sense of others praising God with you.

If you and I are both praising His Name we are united.









4.  Personal Testimony - Action from you and Result from God.


Psalm 34 v 4 is a great verse to know when sharing your testimony because it is so much a part of our testimonies.

Haven't we all been in this position of being fearful of something and when we take it to God we have proved that He has answered our prayer.

It certainly was part of David's testimony because he wrote this at a time when he had been very afraid for his life.







This is an example of a verse where once you have learned the first part of the verse the second is natural follow-on.


So always think of the meaning of the first part of a verse and in a lot of instances it will help you to remember the second part.





5.  Instruction and the reason why it is good advice.

This time we are going to look at Psalm 34 v 8


When we instruct or teach or tell someone the way to do something  or what is good for someone we normally then give them the explanation of why this is a good instruction or teaching or the result that has been seen in the past.






The instruction or recommendation here is to taste and see that the Lord is good.

The explanation is that we know people have been blessed when they do this. 

So if a verse has an instruction mostly it will also have that reason why it is a good instruction and they go hand in hand so we have another help to memorize.




6.  Question and Answer within a verse.

If you ask a question you expect an answer to that question and in some verses we see that pattern so use it to your advantage when memorizing.

When the first part of the verse poses a question check if the second part answers it and if so then learn it as a question and an answer - it really will help.

I'm going to go to another Psalm here to use 2 very well-known verses to help you see my point.


Psalm 121 v 1 & 2






In verse 1 we have the question

From whence does my help come?

and

 in verse 2 we have the answer.


My help comes from the Lord who made
Heaven and earth.

Logical to have an answer follow a question and hence verse 1 is not complete without verse 2.

Listen to anyone quoting from the start of this Psalm and they never quote verse 1 on it's own.






7.  Understand the meaning of the verse.

Let's Look at Psalm 34 v 1 again 


A verse like this one has only one sentence which is in two parts.

Things are always easier to learn if they are logical or make sense to the learner.

The first part of the verse is a statement

I will bless the Lord at all times:


You say this to yourself even 3 times and you almost have it learnt off by heart.

I say almost here because for the rest of the next hour you will remember it and maybe for the rest of today you will remember it but perhaps you might not be so fluent in it by tomorrow.

But you are on your way to memorizing this verse.


The second part of the verse is another similar statement which is a logical follow-on from the first part

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.


it's a natural follow-on statement because if we want to bless God all the time then we will have to have words of Praise and Adoration and Love for Him coming to our thoughts throughout our waking hours and hence we will be speaking out words that represent that.


By now you know the meaning of the verse and it is always easier to learn a verse when you understand it.

That is not to say that if we do not understand a verse fully we cannot memorize the verse and hopefully we will try to learn verses we don't understand and pray that through the memorizing of the verse God will give us understandng of it.


Also when a verse has the words  AND  or  BUT  in it then we will have two parts of the verse in accordance with each other or in opposition to each other.

So a follow-on coming naturally from the first part,  or two parts in agreement using the AND, or two parts in opposition using the BUT give you clear definition and meaning in a verse and make it easier to learn.








8.  Make it easy to see the verse clearly &  regularly each day.


We cannot have our Bible at hand every moment of the day so if you feel you need frequent readings of the verse like pop-up reminders then do the following:

Get a post-it pad and write the verse out clearly on it then tear off the post-it and stick it on
  • the mirror you will use first thing each morning and last thing each night
  • the front cover of your Bible
  • the front cover of the book you are currently reading
  • the door of the fridge
  • the door of the cupboard where you go to get your favourite mug for that cup of coffee


Psalm 34 v 1 and 3  (see pics above)  are great ones for the mirror.




9.  Make or Use Bible Verse Graphics

A.  The verses you have seen above are all graphics that I have made and I can tell you that in making the graphics I learn the verses.

In making and working with something we spend (a good deal of) time thinking about the words and especially with the shorter verses we tend to end up learning them. 

So if you want to try your hand at making a graphic or writing the verse and illustrating it then this can help you learn it and you can put it in all the places you could put a post-it note.


I post a bible verse graphic every morning on my Facebook Page for Sandra's Ark  so if you want to be encouraged by a verse each day or have a graphic you can Save in Facebook then click through to my Facebook Page and be sure to like and follow the page to see those graphics in your feed each day.



B. Another way to use a graphic is to set it as wallpaper or lock screen pic on your phone - then you always have it on hand.

For this you will need it to be a suitable portrait shape and size so most of the normal verse graphics you see will not suit.

I have a few verses made out for screen savers & you can download them from









And now for the last Way to learn your Bible Verse and I have to say it is my favourite way.



10.  Sing It.

For years we have known that singing is one of the easiest ways to learn and memorize.

When we were teenagers my husband Fred and I learnt a song and loved it and it is one of the ways I have always remembered the start of Psalm 34.

Many others have benefited in memorization from putting words of scripture to music so


if you can find a song based very closely to the scripture passage then use it.

If you want to learn the song I used to memorize the first 4 verses of Psalm 34
 you can hear it in the video below.










Wednesday

How to Help Others Love The Word of God - A Dose of Encouragement


I work with kids in our church and think it is important to help them learn God's Word and hopefully they will come to love it and love God.



However I think sometimes we are not wise as to how we try to help younger people get to know the Bible.






Some time ago I saw a young girl make an appeal on Google+ for help as to how to go about learning bible verses.


Firstly
I was glad that she was looking to learn verses because doing so is storing up God's Word in your heart and mind and is something we are instructed to do from God's Word.


Secondly
I was sad that she needed to request help on Social Media because I would love to think that any young person would have someone they can personally talk to for this type of help and not have to appeal to strangers.


Thirdly
I replied offering to help by posting my Bible Verse Graphics and giving her permission to copy them to use to learn the verses.  Also with some advice on how to learn them.


BUT 
then I saw other replies by people who just did not read properly what the young girl had written.


This is what the girl wrote

Hey there My name's XXXXX I'm a 13 year old Christian girl who LOVES GOD, and is trying to live it! I need some advice on how to study the bible/memorize verses. I really want to memorize verses but what am I suppose to do? Choose a random book and then Read the same verse a million times till I memorize it? Thanks soooo much ya'll!!! Means a lot. Would ya'll mind praying for me to accomplish reading, and memorizing the Bible please? Thanks again!!!!


and this is part of what I wrote

Hi  XXXXX,  I teach a lot of kids bible lessons and bible verses and would be happy to help you.

followed by

XXXXX
Thanks Sandra Black   What do you suggest?

Me
I put various memory verses on our church website and I write a blog in which I put some Kid's songs and bible verses.
Will you please ask your parents to agree that it would be ok for me to help you.
They can find out about me here on G+ and then they can find my blog and check me out there too.

there was a little conversing back and forward followed by

Me
XXXXX I have publically posted a picture of a simple verse and linked your name to it so you should be able to find it ok.  If you can copy the picture (you have my permission to take my pictures although others do not) and print them out you can stick it up on your wall or pinboard and every time you go past it just read it out to yourself and you will know it in next to no time.

and I posted this





XXXXX
And thanks sooooo much +Sandra Black!!!



Now during this some other people were responding to this young girl


Woman 1:
Pray and wait with your eyes closed. You'll get a book or verse in your soul

Wait for how long?????


Man 1:
Gave a Link to his website which is 100 verses everyone should know by heart: study guide
and it continued for 26 pages.
plus a link for another guide which went on for 6 pages

This was a teenager he was talking to, but even for me it was way too long and too boring.


Woman 2:
Try memorizing the responsorial psalm each Sunday and one verse from the Gospel and Epistle.  That way you have just three things to focus on each week.  That should keep you busy for three years.  

There was more but that was about reading a chapter a day....  and who wants to be thinking of 3 years when you are trying to get started?


Woman 3:
Hello XXXXX  how lovely that you have posted on knowing Jesus.
I see that you have asked about memorizing bible verses - that is wonderful.
Now Katie... if you love the Lord Jesus you will know he died on the cross ..........

and she continued to speak out against the Catholic Church but said nothing about bible verses.


Woman 4:
One of the best ways to begin is to learn scripture verses and more importantly to know them in your heart to be true ..........   Did you know that 51 Things True of Every Christian .........

she continued about a link to a post on the 51 things but nothing about bible verses


Woman 5:
She mentioned music to help you learn verses and then told all about her wonderful journey to knowing God

 but nothing else about bible verses


Man 2:
Try "You version - The Bible" app on Android the give lots of plans to study the bible.

This was a teenager asking about learning bible verses not studying the bible - can we stick to the topic???



Woman 6:
Ask Jesus to come into your heart and reveal His Word (the bible) to you.

This was a girl who told us she was a Christian so we should respect her and believe her


Woman 7: For the reading part, I started with Matthew and have been reading a chapter every night before bed.  If you find a passage which you might like to memorize, read the first few words until you have memorized them, then add a few more and keep going until you have memorized the whole thing.

She is a teenager asking about verses - a passage would be daunting to me let alone her!


Woman 8:
Read the bible with love not as a book to memorize.  If you love it you will memorize automatically.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) 

Yes at least she gave a scripture - But NO, you will not learn it automatically!


There were many more people trying to give advice but all in a similar vein.

I was so disappointed that people had not read carefully before giving their advice.







Think before you give advice

Advice or help does not have to be long-winded a short answer directly related to the question is best with teenagers.

If we are in the position to help then we need to help by keeping their attention focused on what are the important points.

Every single one of those people (if they had thought about it for a little while) could have given a short helpful answer; but if while thinking about it, they had realised that they were not really suited to working with teenagers or had a true helpful suggestion, then they could have ended up a wiser person and not complicated things for her.

I believe as Christians we should all wish to help others love God's Word and to encourage them to read and memorize His Word.

I also believe that we should be willing to help others in any way we can but to remember to stay on the subject and not digress to our other interests.


Let's help others know God's Word

That teenage girl now follows my posts on Google+  so she can read articles on my blog or can use the verses I post to help her memorize scripture.  This is not something that takes a big effort on my part but is just one simple way of helping and encouraging others like her.


I and many other people post bible verses on facebook & google plus and other social media 

because 

for any of us, just to be reminded of a scripture can 

lift our spirits, 

turn our minds back to God in our busy days 

and 

encourage us.



I'm also reminded of something I used to hear older Christians say years ago and it is true today