There is a record of a great spiritual battle that was won only with words. Not angry words, not hateful or spiteful words. These were words that had been written centuries before this great incident. These were powerful words, words that carried authority, words that when used properly, at just the right time, became very effective weapons.
Of course, I'm speaking of the response to Satan by Jesus during the time of his temptation ( Matthew ch. 4 and Luke ch. 4). On this occasion the body of Jesus was weak from extended fasting. The pressure of Satan was fierce, but the words that Jesus used were more than adequate for anything that Satan could use against Him. That is because the words that he chose were the inspired words of God. " The
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I know that spiritually cold, careless Christians who seldom even read the bible certainly are not interested in memorizing scripture. But I'm talking about individuals who are interested and would like to be able to recall more of the Bible. Could it be that most people find memorization really difficult? I am a minister of the Gospel with more than thirty years experience and I can promise you scripture memory is a difficult process.
The greatest problem that I find with memorizing scripture is that most people only know the old ROTE memory method. That is hard, boring, and not very effective. While some repetition is certainly necessary, there are very effective methods that can be used to help in the retention and recall of scripture.
Many years ago, realizing that my ability to retain and recall scripture was poor at best, I set out on a quest to find methods for reinforcing my memory ability. What I found was that there is quite a lot of information on how the memory works and how to improve it. Much of what I learned has helped me tremendously. Over the years I have learned to effectively use my God given abilities like visualization, imagination, classification, organization, and association to help in the recall of God's
Everyone I’ve spoken with in ministry says nearly the same thing, “Scripture is your foundation.” They share their experience with how Scripture shaped them, continues to shape them, and helps them to draw their congregations back to the image of God. This study of Scripture is more than a mere reading, but an analytical listening and thinking that seeks the voice of God to move and stir the pastor’s heart. Drawing on this strength is the only way that the pastor can truly ‘be’ pastor.
S states that there are four phases to the human memory. He suggests that using a filing cabinet approach to learning things help with memorization. “Human memory is a four - stage process: input, encoding, rehearsal, and retrieval. A problem at any stage affects memory and learning”, (S, 2013). The author goes on to discuss how each process works within his system of learning and memorizing. Inputting information into the filing cabinet is through sensory. We are using taste, smell, sight, hearing and touching at this point just to organize and get the information into the brain but not memorizing or learning anything yet. This phase is the same as the first step in “Tips from the Science of Memory-for Studying and for Life”. Arranging the information in a way that it gives the best structure for remembering it. Next, we encode the information with short term memory, only knowing that the information is there but it is not yet fully understood or committed to long term memory. After that we will rehearse and practice the information that is organized and filed neatly in the filing cabinet because now we know where to go to look for the correct information when we need it for retrieval, the final step of the process. We need to know where to look for the things we have rehearsed and practiced over and over, this information is now committed to long term memory and the only way to keep what we have learned in long term memory is to rehearse it continuously. The author gave some tips on how to maximize our memory capabilities such as studying in a well-lit area, be organized with study material and have everything you need before beginning, get 6-8 hours of sleep every night, and take planned breaks during studying
Comprehension of Scripture is imperative to the successful recovery of the client, writes Hankle. Clergy, when also practicing therapy, should possess accurate Scripture knowledge and effective counseling methods.
In the Bible after Jesus was baptized Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. While he was fasting, Satan appeared and tried to tempt Jesus into turning bread out of stones. Jesus did not fall for the temptations but Victor did fall for the temptations from his supernatural source playing in his mind.
Just as the early church fathers engaged in study, this discipline is popular among modern believers, who have found many ways to practice it. Many successful methods of practicing this discipline exist, but a foundational element of engaging in this discipline that applies to all of these ways is the method of interpretation. In another article, Robert Velarde explains that “when studying the Bible one must keep in mind not only the immediate context of the portion under study, but also other forms of context such as the cultural context, the literary context and more" (“How”). Context is important to studying the Bible because it will help make the passage easier to understand and will justify why certain things are happening. The Bible
Not only is the content extremely useful, but the way it is taught is unsurpassable; in On Christian Doctrine Book II, Chapter XLII, he states that one who studies the Scriptures will therein “find very abundantly things which are…taught with the wonderful nobility and remarkable humility of the Holy Scriptures” . To study the Bible, he says, one should begin by familiarizing themselves with the entirety of Scripture, ideally through memorization; after that, one should shift their focus to that in the Scriptures which pertains to the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity . True understanding of the Bible, however, can require some background information; as a result, one should also study that which will aid in his study of Scripture, as long as he remembers to study them for the sake of God and not for their own sake
Over the last few weeks, I have been asking myself just that. Is in depth Bible study really necessary? Why can't we just read the words and be done with it? Why go so deep into it?
His Word is sharper than the sharpest knife or any instrument of war or cutlery. No tool of man can ever be as penetrating and as useful to open or to divide, display or to mend, to reveal, or to lead as His Word. His written principles will open us up. They will go deep, penetrating us in our innermost areas, revealing all there is and
Scripture memorization), somatic (e.g. fasting), or dynamic (e.g. serving) exercises. Rather than expanding our love for and faith in Christ, we simply develop our brain, train our bodies, and hone our skills. For example, since I can remember I have been encouraged to read and studying my Bible, pray, and fast – as well as other spiritual disciplines. Thankfully, I was not simply told, I saw them put into practice by others. That said, I struggled with bordem while reading my Bible, distraction when praying, and insatiable hungry when fasting (surprise, surprise), which often resulted in me walking away from the endeavor. Why was this? Was it because I was doing something wrong? No, but also yes. It was not that my technique, per se, was incorrect, but rather it was that these “spiritual” disciplines were built upon the wrong foundation – they were centered on the wrong thing with the wrong objectives. I concerned myself more about pleasing others (often the authorities in my life), maintaining a perception of godliness, and essentially, earning the approval of God, rather than developing a deep, intimate commune with the Holy Trinity, the source of all spiritual blessing. Hedges simply notes, “[spiritual] disciplines are not about achieving, but receiving” (205). As such, spiritual disciplines require that they are
Tips from the Science of Memory- for Studying and for Life is separated into three subsections that each cover a diverse set of tips. The first subsection covers organizing, encoding, rehearsing, and retrieving course content. Before you can initiate memorizing the information you must be organized. To be prepared you should catch potential errors early on, put the information in a structure that will help you to comprehend it fluently, and experiment with different organization techniques. After you are organized and have removed any errors, you can begin memorizing the information. The best way to memorize is to stay focused, process the information at an appropriate level, make connections between the content and your life, create images
The three techniques I used were jingles, sentences, and story lines. I used these techniques to memorize Psalm 4: 2-4, which is a few sentences from the bible. When using the jingle technique I tried memorizing this by singing it like a song. It was easy to learn the information this way, but I forgot it in an hour. I kept getting this song that I made up mixed up with others songs I had to memorize before for choir. The sentences technique had the best result. I took a few keywords from the reading and made a sentence with them. It took more time to learn it this way, but I was still able to remember it after an hour. Story lines was the least effective technique for me when trying to remember this information. It was hard to use this technique
Bible study is an important part of the Christian experience. Without reading the bible, you really can’t begin to understand God’s love for humanity. When sitting down with a Bible, most people don’t know where to begin. I am going to give you bible study tips to help you get the most out of your Bible and time with God.
In fact, no other teaching (I think of) is more fundamental and rudimentary...and lacking than prayer and fasting is throughout the Body of Christ.
I feel that familiarity with the works of the literary canon is only one of many ways that people can improve their reading and writing skills. Reading is easy, understanding what you read is where the challenge comes in. Some of the canonized books, such as the Bible, Shakespeare stories, Sun Tzu; The Art of War, can be very difficult to comprehend especially for people of younger ages.
As well as praying for wisdom and insight in understanding the bible and studying the bible with others and not giving up the meeting with each other. All members study the bible which highlights that God is Sovereign, and we are lost and are in need of His salvation. Furthermore, it is through discipleship that we engage in deepening our personal relationship with the Lord.