Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night (Psalm 1:1-2, NLT).
I hear this too often: “I can’t memorize scripture.”
This isn’t true, even if you are 90 years old!
The reason that you can’t memorize scripture is that you haven’t been memorizing scripture. Really, this is a nice ploy of the evil one. Listen to his thoughts…
The one thing I don’t want followers of Jesus to do is memorize His word. If they memorize scripture they will have victory, their minds will be rewired from thinking about what I want them to think to what God wants in their minds. They will have joy, instead of cycles of anxiety. I can’t have that. The best thing to do is convince them that they can’t memorize scripture.
A recent study looked at adults ages 58 to 86, who were given three to five new classes to take in three months. The average person taking the classes increased their mental abilities to the level of a person 30 years younger in less than a month and a half.
Now repeat after me, “Yes, I can memorize scripture!”
Two faulty thoughts, inspired by the pit of hell: “I’m too old to learn; memorizing is something that children do.” “Other kids in my class learn better than me; something is wrong with me.”
Yes, I realize some people do memorize better than others and that children have better language memory than those who are older. But recent studies show that the reason most people have difficulties memorizing is that they…
Stop memorizing, stop learning, and begin to think that they can’t memorize or learn.
The reason children can remember better than adults is that they spend more time memorizing.
The real reason that adults can’t memorize is that they get stuck in patterns or attitudes of life where they are not learning new things and just rely on past lessons, thought patterns, prejudices, and skill sets.
When we stop memorizing or learning, we lose the ability to memorize or learn. Fortunately, the memory part of the brain can be restored by learning – by challenging ourselves to learn new things.
Okay, again, “I can memorize scripture.”
Yes, there are some things in which younger brains excel. But those of us with older brains, have better verbal skills, and inductive reasoning, and it has been proven that the older brain is more equipped to deal with anxiety.
An article that I recently read made the statement that one of the reasons that older people have problems with taking tests is that they are worried about their memory and ability to learn.
They have “test anxiety,” which then interferes with their ability to memorize. Break this cursed memory doubt by saying right now…
“Yes, I can memorize scripture!”
Here is what I want you to do: I want you to memorize Psalm 1. Here is what will happen to your life when you do…
You will be like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do (Psalm 1:3).
Do not listen to the lies of the evil one about your ability to memorize. If God says to “meditate day and night,” He will restore your brain to memorize scripture!!!
One more time, “Yes, I can memorize Psalm 1!”