Scripture Memorization

 Since September of last year I've been memorizing Bible Verses. I'm not the best at memorizing things and I remember when I was in school I hated having to do spelling test because that was nothing but memorizing. As I've grown as a Christian I have found a way that helps me memorize Scripture where it will stick with me.

The first thing I do is pray about what I am getting ready to memorize and that God will show me ways I can apply a verse to my everyday life. The second thing I do is pick out Scripture that I can relate to or I use the Bible verses in my devotional. Starting in September I used the Mandisa Word Warriors Scriptures. She had picked a verse for every month that went along with one of her songs on her album "Overcomer." I also used Bible verses on Twitter and in my everyday reading.

When I started the devotional Faithful One by Amy-Jo Girardier I would memorize the verse the devotional said to. In my latest Bible study, Stepping Up: a Journey through the Psalms of Ascent by Beth Moore, I am going to memorize a whole chapter in Psalms. I also use the verse of the month on the Karen Kingsbury 2015 Wall Calendar. 

What I use to help me memorize is a stack of colorful note cards to write the verse on and draw pictures to help me remember key words. I use a post-it note to put on my bathroom wall so I see it everyday. I set a goal to memorize it by. I write the verse down in a little notebook everyday. When I have the verse memorized I highlight it in my Bible, write a way it can apply to life, and put a colorful tab on it so I can quickly turn to it in my Bible when I need it or just want to read it.

Some verses I've memorized are:

• 1 Peter 1:8
• James 5:16
• Ephesians 6:20
• 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I hope this helps you as you set out to memorize Scripture.

A Photo A Day Challenge

 

Well, it's the last post of January 2015! On January 1, 2015 I started taking a picture of myself everyday and posting it. I'm not taking these pictures to "show off" or however someone might want to word it. I've been taking these pictures to inspire me on my journey to a healthier and happier me. I took the idea from pinterest to take a photo everyday for a year. I'm curious to see the changes I'll see come December 31, 2015. So, I thought I'd finish the month by revisiting my New Year's Resolutions and report on how I'm doing with keeping them.

1. Be a better Christian. I've been doing the Bible study Faithful One by Amy-Jo Girardier. It's on 1 & 2 Thessalonians and it's been a great study! I highly recommend it! I've also been reading His Princess by Sheri Rose Shepherd and it's great too! Also, I really recommend the free app and/or website She Reads Truth.

2. Do better in school. God has really guided me since my classes started back on January 7th! The biggest blessing is how He has given me a great math teacher and has helped me really understand math!

3. Get more serious about my writing. I have. I've mostly been writing fanfiction on Wattpad, but it feels good to just be writing again!

4. Relearn an old hobby. Unfortunately I haven't stuck to this one. This does not mean that I'm just going to mark it off the list. This means that I'll strive to work on it next month.

5. Eat healthier and exercise more. I have been doing this and I feel so much better! I learned earlier this month that I have low Vitamin D. So I've been taking vitamins to help, exercising almost everyday and really trying to find healthier snacks and foods!

6. Live more in the present than the past. Wish I could say this one has been the easiest, but I would be lying. This has been the hardest one for me and I have days where the past is all I think about.

Faith in today's world

  Let's talk about the word "Faith" and the action of having Faith today. The dictionary defines "Faith" as: complete trust or confidence in someone or something. strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. a system of religious belief. a strongly held belief or theory. The Bible says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." ~Hebrews 11:1 (NIV). And 2 Corinthians 5:7 says "For we live by faith, not by sight." (NIV)
This graph shows how much the word "Faith" was used in different years: "Faith" graph. I think it's sad we've gotten away from having faith in today's world. We worry about the here and now and trust technology, but do we have faith God is there and will provide for us? 
I think it's time we stop putting our TRUST in worldly things and start putting our FAITH back in God and showing the world that the King of kings is the One who is in charge with good plans!!