2 Corinthians 10:5

I have this vision of myself...30, 40, or (God-willing) 50 years from now.  I am this little old lady who can quote the bible like nobodies business.  Of course, I realized a few years ago that if I want to be this wise little old lady who knows scripture inside and out then I had better start memorizing some scripture!

So I did.  About 3 years ago I started diligently trying to memorize Bible verses.  I made flashcards of my favorite verses and started committing them to memory.  First one, then another, then I would work on 4-6 at a time.  I tried to learn 6 new verses a month.  I would review the ones I already knew making sure they stayed fresh in my mind.  Before I knew it I had a fair number memorized. So I started a new deck of flashcards and committed more to memory.  

I cannot tell you how profound this spiritual exercise has been for me.   It has brought the word into my  mind, my life and my very being, in ways I have never experienced before.  It is truly life changing.  It is hard to get lost in sin when you have Christ's words constantly running through your head. (Don't get me wrong, I still sin-just not quite as much!)

One of my favorite verses is 2 Corinthians 10:5, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."  This verse IS the reason I memorize scripture.  

There is so much in this world that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.  The world tells us we don't look the way we should, we don't have the stuff we deserve, we haven't been treated the way we should be treated and we shouldn't forgive anyone for that.  But that goes against the very knowledge of God.  I know this because I KNOW what God says.  I have committed it to memory.  And when I take captive my thoughts and I make them obedient to Christ, focusing on HIS words and HIS truth.  Those arguments the world wants me to believe are demolished.

The Bible tells us that the word of God is our sword (Ephesians 6) and it absolutely is!  It is a sword I strap to my body every single day, and every single day I use it!  I encourage you to do the same.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

2 Corinthians 10:5