These tips were sent to me by James Arendt.
His website is chock full of great information he has collected on a variety of subjects which delve deep into the spirit world. If you want to know about Jesus and are concerned about World events and how they may effect you in the days to come, I encouarge you to check his site out at:
http://deeptruths.com
(Memorization Tips)
(Extract From Activated Issue #10)
Page:12-13
Memorization tips
--Transform your mind
Why should we memorize Scriptures? There are many benefits! The Scriptures we “hide in our heart” will be a blessing to us all our lives; they’ll encourage our faith and help us recognize and thank the Lord for all He does for us. Memorization gives us a special closeness with Jesus, who is the Word (John 1:1-14). It is also easier to claim in prayer the promises that the Lord has made in His Word when we know these promises by heart (2 Peter 1:4).
Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). The Word is what gives us life and food and nourishment and strength and spiritual health. If you are faithful to hide it in your heart, it will come to life for you! You’ll also always have it with you, whether you have a Bible on hand or not. This is very useful when witnessing to others.
As you delight yourself in the Word and meditate on it, the Lord will bless and prosper you, and you will be “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season!” (Psalm 1:2-3).
1. Your memory can be developed like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets; lack of use causes it to weaken.
2. The more you concentrate, the easier it is to memorize. Find a quiet place, free from distractions.
3. Find the best time for you. Most people find it easiest to memorize first thing in the morning, when their minds are rested. The evening is a good time to review what you memorized that day.
4. Sight, sound and action. Read what you are memorizing, write it out, and quote it out loud to yourself. Using these three methods together reinforces the memory process.
5. Memory work is work! It does take a certain amount of determination and self-discipline on your part, but the more you do it, the easier it gets.
6. Know you can. God has given you a mind that’s more powerful than any computer. If you find it “impossible” to memorize, claim Philippians 4:13-“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”-and keep trying.
7. Set goals. When getting started, try to memorize one verse every day, or one verse every two days. Have short-term and long-term memory projects.
8. Be regular. Find one or two time slots in your daily schedule that work well for you. Five minutes or so at a time is all it takes.
9. Repetition is the law of memory. The more you go over what you’re memorizing, the quicker you’ll learn it; the more often you review what you’ve already learned, the longer it will stick with you. Go over a new verse three times a day till you know it well, then once or twice a week for the next few weeks, then once or twice a month, etc. If you have difficulty quoting an “old” verse correctly, you need to review it more often.
10. Try to learn the references too (the book name, and the chapter and verse numbers where the verse appears in the Bible). This will come in handy when you want to find the verse later.
“Bind them [God’s Words] continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you roam, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will speak with you” (Proverbs 6:21-22).
For a listing of some of the most important verses in the Bible for memorization, arranged topically, order Key Bible Verses. You’ll find this small booklet-in a handy shirt-pocket size that you can easily carry with you-to be an invaluable memorization aid.
Try these verses for starters
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.
Ephesians 2:8-9 By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
John 14:26 The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Acts 1:8 You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me.
Acts 2:17 It shall come to pass in the Last Days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh Psalm 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.
Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
1 John 5:14 This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
PUTTING THE WORD INTO ACTION: MEMORIZE SCRIPTURES! The more you concentrate, the easier it is to memorize.
n The best time to memorize is usually first thing in the morning or last thing at night.
n Use sight, sound, and action to help ingrain the verse into your memory.
n Memory work is work and you have to work at it.
n "Repetition is the law of memory!"
n Memorize and review for short periods, but do it often.
n You need to have a plan for reviewing.
n Set a goal for what you will memorize each week.
n Regularity is a key.
n When quoting your verses, try to do it aloud.
n Keep on memorizing even when you don’t feel like it or even when it is difficult.
n Select verses to memorize that are meaningful for you and that you understand.
n Try to learn the references, but don’t spend too long on them.
n While it’s good to memorize the verse word-for-word, don’t insist on perfection.
n Memorize a variety of both individual verses and longer passages.
n Use your verses and it will help you remember them.
n Review your verses at a steady pace.
n Memorize Scripture songs--verses that have been put to music.
n You can start by memorizing one or more of the key verses for each class in this workbook. Alternatively, select verses from the Key Bible Verses booklet.
n Seven key Psalms to memorize: Psalms 1, 19, 23, 27, 91, 100, 121.
supplementary material
STUDY NOTES
HELPFUL HINTS FOR MEMORIZING
These points can be applied to anything you are memorizing and studying, not just Scripture memorization.
1. Your memory can be developed like a muscle!
The more you use it, the stronger it gets, but lack of use causes it to weaken.
2. The more you concentrate, the easier it is to memorize!
Finding a quiet place, free from distractions, will help a lot.
An unfocused camera lens gives an unclear picture, and a wandering mind, easily distracted, doesn’t get a clear picture of the things it observes, finding them hard to remember. If you give your full attention, then you’ll get a good clear picture of that verse printed on your mind.
3. Find the best time for you.
In the morning when you're fresh after waking up, or right before you start your work, is usually best. All you need is 5-10 minutes when you can concentrate without distraction, if possible. Or, try the evenings. The important thing is to find the best time for you. Some people like to start the night before by reading over the verses they want to memorize the next day, so that when they wake up, they're already familiar with them.
4. Sight, sound, and action.
Most people remember best what they see, while others remember best what they hear, and another portion best what they do in actual motions. By using all three of these faculties, you can increase your ability to remember. For example, by reading, you use your sight. If you quote your memory work out loud, you hear it too, as well as use your mouth to speak it. Then by writing the same verse to be memorized, it is often better remembered.
Simply, the more involved you become with your memorization, the better you remember it.
5. Memory work is work!
It does take a certain amount of determination and self-discipline on your part. Make hiding the Word in your heart a life-long habit! When it becomes a habit, it will get easier.
It's plain hard work to memorize! You have to work at it--like digging a hole or scrubbing the floor or washing the windows or dishes--it's just hard work! You've got to keep repeating and repeating and repeating and repeating! Normally you'll memorize a verse phrase by phrase, that's about the best way to do it.
The law of memory is repeat, repeat, repeat!
6. Set a goal or memory project for each week…
…so you don't have to decide each day what you're going to learn that day. There are three suggested verses in each class in the Workbook. We’ll talk more about this in a minute.
For more memory tips:
See also Activated! magazine, issue 11, pages 12-13.
(The section above was copied from the Class)
MORE MEMORY TIPS
1. Regularity is a key. It's best to have a regular time each day for memory work.
2. Try to repeat the verses you are learning every hour during the first day, then two times daily for one week.
3. It has been said, "Repetition is the law of memory!" The more you review, the more it sticks with you.
4. Set a daily quota of how much you plan to memorize. The main thing at first is to make memorization a daily habit.
5. Quality, not quantity. It's not always how many verses you know that counts, but how well you can use them.
6. Memorize and review little, but often. A short time each day is much better than spending a long time every now and then.
7. For memorizing a passage of several lines or more, here’s one general approach:
a. Read the whole passage, giving full attention to the meaning. If you don’t understand it, you will have a difficult time remembering it.
b. Memorizing line by line. As you memorize each new line, always review the line before it, in a method of two steps forward, one back.
c. Give more attention to weaker parts, spending more time on them.
d. Then quote the entire passage.
e. Try to review the passage every hour during the first day, then two times daily for one week. By doing this faithfully, many people find they’re able to remember it well for a whole month without review.
8. Initials: Another quick verse-learning approach is to just write out the first initial of each word for your review during the day. For example, to remember the verse Philippians 4:13 which says,
“I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.”
You can jot down the reference and the initials of each word on a piece of paper like this: “Philippians 4:13-ICDATTCWSM.”-And carry it around with you. After a little while, the initials will be enough to remind you of the actual words.
9. When learning your verses, try to do it aloud.
10. Association: Many people find it easier to memorize by finding a pattern, a picture, or a certain order of words that helps memorize the passage easier. Here are some examples of learning verses with association:
a. Romans 3:23 and 6:23 - both talk of sinful man and have the numbers 23, and 3 and 6 are multiples, which helps to cue your memory.
b. Maybe the first letter of a set of words form certain initials that are easy to remember. For example, in Luke 11:9, the initials of the main words “Ask, Seek and Knock” form the word “ASK.”
10 tips to improve your memory
1. Intend to remember.
2. Understand what you are trying to remember.
3. Organize what you know into meaningful patterns.
4. Become genuinely interested in what you want to remember.
5. Use as many senses as possible.
6. Associate what you want to remember with what you know.
7. If you cannot find a logical association for a new fact, invent your own.
8. If you have a great deal to remember, spread it over a few days.
9. Review what you want to remember as often as possible.
10. The best time to memorize is at night before you go to bed.
Fresh air and exercise
Exercise boosts memory power. Healthy people have fewer memory problems than people who get sick frequently. Exercise helps people maintain their strength and cardiovascular condition. It lessens stress and improves digestion and sleep--all of which boost memory ability. Best: Exercise moderately, but regularly.
-- A study of 1,000 people by the National Center of Health Statistics, reported in Super Memory: A Quick-Action Program for Memory Improvement by Douglas J. Herrmann, PhD.
(Outlook 5)
Meditation Moments
BE STILL
By Virginia Brandt Berg
“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” (Psalm 46:1-3).
In the 10th verse of Psalm 46 we come to that thought again: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
-- "Be still and know that I am God!" Oh, that is a wonderful passage! I had an experience this week that surely brought that to mind. I was in difficulty to find someone whose address I did not have, and yet there was a great emergency!
Just every part of my being seemed to throb with anxiety because that party had to be reached, and reached at once! It was something that just was necessary and needed immediate and vigorous action. I felt for a little bit like I would just fly to pieces if I didn't get ahold of this party and get some word to them!
I was in sort of an inward turmoil, when suddenly this very verse came to me, just “be still, get quiet, know that I am God.” - And so I sat down, and very quietly I looked to the Lord, just composed myself and asked God's Spirit to be with my own heart and help me to have faith and believe Him to do something, so that I could get in touch with that one before something was going to happen that would have been disastrous!
So as I sat there very still, and that verse had come to me, "Be still and know that I am God," I was really composed to a sweet quietness. And then as I sat there very quietly looking to the Lord, there came His Voice to my heart: Just write a note and take it to where they lived before.
The party had moved and that is why I couldn't get in touch with her. -- Take it to the apartment where she once lived, and maybe there would be some reason she would come back there, or the people that owned the place would find the note.
It seemed like it was Jesus that had spoken to my heart, so I wrote the note, and then immediately I got in the car with a friend of mind. We went over to the apartment and just as we pulled up there, the note in my hand, here came this very party that I had wanted to reach but no one could give me her address! Here she drove up in a car!
Isn't it wonderful how the Lord works out things! And it was just the Lord that dealt with that emergency and it brought to success the whole issue! I learned then that as God's Word says, my strength "is to sit still!" In Isaiah 30:7, God's Word says, "Their strength is to sit still" (Isaiah 30:7b).
In these crises days there is such a multiplicity of cares and burdens and so many things to be kept up with, and the mad rush! And with all the excitement it seems like we have a greater need than ever before for this kind of divine stillness, that God can just bathe our souls in quietness.
You know, it is only when your mind is quiet and serene and there is a poise of spirit, that you can look to God to help you, and you hear the still, small Voice, or you come to know God, as the Word has said here: "Be still and know that I am God."
How did my getting still make me know that He is God? The answer to prayer was so wonderful! He worked a miracle! And while I knew that He was God, yet again there was a witness, again here was God answering prayer in such a way that I knew in a new way that He is God!
For a year and a half a long time ago, I had to live with someone that was always throwing the home into confusion and disharmony, or at least that person brought a measure of it into the home. It just seemed like this party could stir up the very dregs of our souls.
It was at a time like that that God really taught this lesson: Just to keep quiet and He would handle that whole situation. The only hope for that situation was to not be disturbed and hurt, but to get alone with God and let Him put His hush upon us, just like He had commanded: "Be still."
It was only when Jesus spoke that the winds become still! (Mark 4:36-41; Luke 8:22-25). And the same sweet Voice that commanded stormy Gennesaret to be still put a holy hush on our souls when this happened in our home.
So many people have got the idea that stillness is a sort of controlled tension, a practiced poise, and that you can compress anxiety in some way! Well, if you do sometimes, you are just inwardly a boiling cauldron, though you are seemingly calm on the surface.
But that isn't the kind of stillness we are talking about! The stillness of God isn't passivity! But it brings about the greatest clarity of thought and intensity of your desire God-ward. And it is in that stillness that you come to know God's will, and His Plan for your life.
I know from experience, as I have often told you, that divine stillness often comes through trials and testings! You say, "Oh, how can that be?" Oh, yes! It subdues the soul, and suffering humbles the spirit! Are you going through a testing right now? Well, dearly beloved, you just get quiet and be still before the Lord and He will tell you why. Sometimes I know there are times when He doesn't tell why, but as a rule He will tell you why!
He will show you how to get all the sweetness out of it, and how to look to Him in such a way that He will teach you wonderful lessons from it! But you've got to get quiet! There has to be that sweet still devotion, and then He can speak to your heart!
Not in the tumult of the rending storm,
Not in the earthquake or devouring flame,
But in the hush that could all fear transform--
The still small whisper to the prophet came.
O soul, keep silence on the Mount of God!
Though cares and needs throb around like a sea
From supplication and desires unshod,
Be still and hear what God shall say to thee.
What shall the believer do in times of darkness? -- Just sit still and listen. Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and rely upon his God. Let him just sit still, as the Scripture says, sit still and listen.
Now the first thing to do is to do nothing! -- That is, stand still. That's hard for human nature to do! There's a saying, "When you're rattled, don't rush." In other words, when you don't know what to do, just don't do it.
I know many times in life I have run into sort of a spiritual fog and I have wanted to do something so badly in my own strength! I've just felt like I had to unsnarl the tangled wires, or I had to somehow find an answer to the situation -- but do something!
The human energy just felt like it had to rush out and try to solve the problem itself, or work it out in some way! Human energy may help sometimes, but more often, just anchor your boat and let it swing upon its moorings for a while, and simply trust God!
Wait upon Him, and see what God will do, and then as we are quiet and really trusting, God can work! Worry prevents Him from doing anything!
If our minds are distracted and our hearts are stressed, and the darkness of shadow strikes terror to us; or we run here and there in a vain effort to find some way of escape out of the dark place of trial where the Lord doubtless allowed us to get -- He can't do anything for us!
The peace of God must quieten minds and rest hearts! Put our hand in the hand of God like a little child and let Him lead us out into the bright sunshine of His love!
God help you to trust Him! Be still! Let Him do the work for you! Perfect faith will bring the victory. Put your hand in God's hands, God will work it out!
(Meditation Moments 7: "BE STILL", some slight editing)
bUILDING bLOCKS
FAITH THE TITLE DEED
(Illustrations from Treasures pages 48-52 will need to be added if space permits. I will send another file with the pictures..)
Faith has lost its meaning to us today. Today the word faith means kind of a hazy vague belief of some kind in something or other; the word faith doesn't really mean much. But in God's Word it means much more than that! It is the substance, it is the "hupostasis"; it is the title deed!
Nearly 400 years ago, when they were translating the original Greek New Testament into English, the translators ran into a puzzling problem: How should they translate the word hupostasis in the 11th Chapter of Hebrews.
They knew from the way this word hupostasis was used in other Greek literature that it apparently meant something fairly substantial.
Some years ago archaeologists uncovered the burned ruins of an old inn in Northern Israel. There they found a small iron chest containing apparently the valuable papers of some Roman noblewoman who had been traveling in Israel at that time, for the purpose of checking up on her various land holdings, properties that she owned in Israel. In this little chest they found that most of the papers were labeled with a big title "HUPOSTASIS."
All of these papers, which had the title "Hupostasis" across the top, were title deeds to her properties!
This was long after the Bible was translated, but we can now take advantage of that discovery.
If you turn to Hebrews the 11th Chapter, the word substance conveys the message quite well, but if you want to make it even clearer and more explicit, you can write above that word substance, in parentheses, "title deed." Now faith is what?--The title deed!
This Roman woman perhaps had never seen her properties she'd bought in Israel, but she knew she had them and she could prove her ownership even though she had never seen them.
A friend gave me a car once; I got the title through the mail. Though I'd never seen the car, never driven it, didn't know what it was like, I knew I owned a car. I knew I had it because I had the title in my hand.
If you've got real faith, even though you haven't seen the answer yet, you've got the title deed to it! What you asked for is yours; your name's written on it, and you will see it eventually--that's faith!
So how do you get such faith?
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Hear and read the Word!--The future is as bright as the promises of God!--Believe it!
(Treasures, Faith the Title Deed, revised slightly)
