It was one year ago that I set out on a quest.  The task?  To put scripture into my heart.  I didn’t necessarily know how I was going to do it; I just knew that I wanted to do it.  All too often I had seen pastors, friends, speakers be able to recite scripture and weave it into whatever they were talking about.  I wanted to be able to do the same.  So my goal for 2015 was something I had never done before: one scripture per week.  Memorized.  In my heart to stay.  I set out on my journey with a stack of notecards.  The Bible verse on one side.  The book, chapter, and verse number on the other.

Now, before we go any further, I will admit this is awkward for me to write about.  I don’t want this blog to come across as pompous or arrogant.  One of my October verses was Romans 3: 23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  I am certainly no exception.  I’d like to believe that I need scripture as much as anyone to cover up my flaws.  Many of the verses exposed my weaknesses, which certainly was humbling, but the largest reward was when temptation knocked at the door, I was able to stop myself, pull out that scripture card from my heart, and use it to fend off the enemy.  Like Sunday for example.

I won’t even tell you what we were arguing about.  It was so petty.  As a matter of fact, when I began to share this story with our small group last night my wife and I smiled at each other, leaving out the root of our conflict.  The point was that as I was cooling down, lying on my bed, a verse that I had memorized came to mind: “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her, having cleansed her by the washing of the water with the word, that he might present himself to the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5: 25-27).

Talk about convicting!  That one stung, and I certainly had to reconcile with my wife once the steam that was puffing from me cleared.  I have come across countless times when this has happened over the past year, and all it took was about five to ten minutes a day of flipping through my flashcards.  To reinforce it, I posted the scripture on our family dry erase plaque in the kitchen.  Sometimes I would print it off on a small sheet of paper and stick it to my mirror above my sink, letting it sink in even more as I brushed before bedtime.  I truly didn’t think this was possible until I actually accomplished it, and now with 2016 upon us, I want to give this gift to you.

How do you know which verses to pick?  Pick ones that speak to you.  Ones that might expose a weakness you possess.  Ones that make you feel secure.  Ones that can be applied to your daily life.  Be on the lookout for these verses as they come to you.  Use a concordance or Google search engine to seek out a theme.  Subscribe to a “Verse of the Day” from a local website.  The past week I have gotten three amazing verses from K-Love, and guess what?  They are going to be my scripture over the next three weeks!  Psalm 119: 105 reads, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  Illuminate your walk with Christ through these verses!

So, what do you think?  How about this for a goal for the new year?  I can already tell you that this trend that began a year ago is already spilling into 2016 for me.  I don’t want to stop now!  Not while the ball is rolling.  Attack your temptations with scripture.  Pull out that sword, and see if Satan has an answer for you.  We should want Satan to groan every time we awake each morning saying to himself, “Aw, crud!  They’re awake.”  A scripture a week, and the Almighty you’ll seek.  Make 2016 a year when you put God’s Word in your heart.

(A wonderful song that reminds me to seek God’s will through His word is from Sidewalk Prophets.  Listen to their song “Help Me Find It” for a little inspiration today.)