My Sword 2013

For most of my adult life, I didn't make scripture memory a priority. I knew it was something that I should be doing, but couldn't quite find the motivation to discipline myself in this way. When I was pregnant with my oldest son, I went through some emotional trauma that caused me to start meeting with an older woman so she could mentor me. She really encouraged me to memorize some scripture to help me battle some of the things I was facing, and picked out a few verses for me. One in particular, Isaiah 26:3, carried me through labor and delivery! From that experience, I learned the power of the memorized Word. There was no going back!

There is a reason that Paul called the Word of God "the Sword" in Ephesians chapter six! When I am under attack, I can recall scripture that I have memorized and actively fight against it. This became a HUGE part of ground that I gained in my spiritual life in 2011 as I battled against insecurity. I made it a priority to memorize scripture that I could use to fight against the temptation to feel insecure, and what a difference it has made! (Not that I have arrived by any means, but now I am fully equipped to do battle when I feel attacked.)

In January of 2011, I joined the Living Proof Ministries blog community in committing to memorize two verses per month in their "Siesta Scripture Memory Team" and found that a useful tool for accountability. LPM does the SSMT every other year, but for 2012 I went ahead and followed the same game plan. I'm excited to be doing SSMT again in 2013. (It's not too late if you want to join in... to find out more, go here.) I wanted to do blog posts about the verses I selected in 2012, but didn't make that happen. I decided this week that I would write a blog post about each verse that I memorize in 2013 under the post title "My Sword." I'm playing catch-up, as the year is nearly a quarter over already, but that's okay!

I try to select verses that apply to what I'm dealing with in my life at the current time. I keep them in a spiral notebook that I carry with me, and I say them over to myself whenever I can. When I was working, I would use my drive time as scripture memory time. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I say my verses. When I am doing tasks that don't require a lot of brain power (dishes, feeding the baby, etc.), I say my verses. When I feel under attack, my verses are at the ready!

I can't say enough about the power of the memorized Word. God's word is alive and active, and I'm grateful that I can infuse it in ME. Praise His name!