Page 8 - Good News January 2010 paper

Continued from p. 1
Continued from p. 1
lust or immorality. We are bombarded at every turn
with the promise of pleasure through illicit sex.
What a lie! Yet all of us have the potential to buy into
that way of thinking and fall into sin.
I also believe we should memorize verses about the
dangers of gossip (James 1:26) and a Christian's
duty to obey the government (1 Peter 2:13-15).
When we know specific Scriptures to combat
Satan's lies, his logic will fall apart under the
scrutiny of God's Word.
2. Set small goals at first
2.
One verse a week is enough to begin. Don't set out
to memorize an entire book of the Bible, because
there's a good chance you will fail and then give up
completely. Remember, the ultimate goal is not to
memorize Scripture, but to live a godly life because
you have God's Word hidden in your heart.
3. Review the verses you memorize
Then they will become part of your long-term
memory. Use index cards to keep all your verses
together. When you have a few moments between
appointments or tasks, you can pull your cards out
and review them. Verses that correspond with the
temptations you face will stick most readily in your
mind. For verses you don't use as often, implement
a review system.
4. Personalize the Scripture you memorize4.
Where appropriate, substitute your name or a
personal pronoun to make the verse apply to you.
For instance, say, “Lord, I choose to set my mind on
things above and not on things on earth, for I have
died and my life is hidden with Christ in God.” Or,
“Lord, I am casting all my cares on You, for I know
You care for me.”
5. Quote the verses audibly when you are tempted
Why? First, I do not believe Satan and his host can
read our minds. He can put ideas there, but
Scripture does not indicate he can read your
thoughts. In terms of challenging the devil and
putting him in his place, I am not convinced that
mentally reviewing verses does as much good as
'n Onbekende jaar lê voor my en wat dit inhou,
weet ek nie. Wat daar wag van smart of
vreugde is nou nog net bekend by God die
Vader. Daaroor bekommer ek my nie nou nie,
maar laat dit in Sy sorg en liefde.
Al sou daar siekte wees of sonskyn, al sou dit
voorspoed wees of swaarkry, al sou ek volop
vriende hê of in eensaamheid my pad moet
loop, vertrou ek op die Here se beloftes en aan
Sy Hand gaan ek die toekoms in.
Al sou die son bedags nie skyn nie of daar geen
ster te sien wees in die nag, sal ek nie bang
wees vir die donker nie, want die Here self is vir
my Lig en Lewe. Al sou die aardse lig dan
dowwer word, is daar in Sy nabyheid altyd Lig!
voicing them. Second, it shifts the
tension from an internal conflict
to an external one. We tend to
latch on to temptation emotion-
ally and think, "This is the way I
am. Otherwise, why would I feel
this way?" When you speak the
Truth, it reminds you that your
enemy is the devil. He roams
around like a lion looking for
someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Satan would rather have you
internalize the battle so he can
remain anonymous. Even when
we have made bad choices and
become "our own worst enemy,"
it is extremely helpful to pro-
nounce the Truth out loud.
The last reason to express the
Truth audibly when tempted is
that Jesus did so. There are times
when you will have to whisper,
and other times you can speak at
a normal volume. You may feel
silly the first time you try this, but
you will notice an immediate
difference when you do. As I
begin speaking the Truth aloud, I
often feel a sense of courage and
conviction sweeping over me.
Usually, this turns to joy, and what
started out as a bad thing
becomes a time of praise and
rejoicing.
Christians get bombarded by
daily pressures to adopt the
standards of this world. When we
memorize God's Word, we realign
our thoughts with the Lord's
values and standards. Refreshing
your mind with His perfect eternal
perspective, will help you resist
the temptation to conform to the
world (Romans 12:2). Then you
won't fall prey to Satan's lies.
Adapted from “Winning the War
Within” (1988). www.intouch.org