Today if I were to sit down for coffee with all of you amazing women I’d want to share with you something that John Piper taught me that really changed the way I approach memorizing scripture.
This idea kept me from feeling overwhelmed and I am so pleased to share it with you because the more scripture we know, the better! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (among other verses) tells us what scripture does for us. We need to know God’s Word because it has the power to change us, it’s what offers us truth and shows us how to live our lives.
We NEED to have scripture stored in our heart and it's true that all scripture is profitable for knowing and memorizing. Also, it’s just good for our brains to be able to memorize large chunks of scripture!
The more scripture we know, the more it will come out in our words and actions. However, it can be hard to know where to begin with memorizing and it can be overwhelming to start.
John Piper has been a great (long distance!) spiritual mentor for me - I trust him, know he’s memorized large chunks of the Bible and has walked a lot of life. So the idea he has given of Fighter Verses has been really helpful!
Fighter Verses
You start to use the Fighter Verse method for memorizing scripture by looking at your life and choosing around 5 categories that you need to combat. These can be sins, temptations or trials that you find yourself constantly dealing with. You then choose one verse for each category - these are the verses you memorize first!
You don’t have to start with the whole Bible. What’s the one thing your heart needs to remember or fight against these days? Write it on a notecard or make it into a piece of jewelry😉. Take it one situation at a time and be ready to fight with God’s truth and words, remembering the verse.
To give you some ideas, I’ll share John Piper’s six categories and if we have a corresponding jewelry piece in our collection, I’ll share that, too. Most of our jewelry pieces are built on these verses for this very reason.
John Piper says the motor of his mind is neutral and the hum of the gears is the sound of Isaiah 41:10. This is one of his favorite verses of all time and it corresponds with our Held Bracelet. This is his go-to verse because he wants to remember that God is our God and that He will strengthen, help, uphold and not go anywhere!
The next verse, Isaiah 55:11, relates to his ministry work because he is a pastor and is great for any of us in public ministry like I am.
He used the next verse to reflect his fear of being too weak to do his work. We actually made this verse into an art print and I keep it right by my kitchen sink so I can be reminded that when I am the weakest, His glory and strength shine.
Future Decisions was also something he wanted to focus on and the verse he paired with it is reflective of our Guide Necklace that comes in four different colors and hangs at 14”. This is one of my verses that I have adopted, too!
He uses Romans 8:31 for opponents. So if you feel like you’re constantly walking up against enemies and people who are combating you, this is a great verse for you.
The last one he chose was for the welfare of loved ones - Matthew 7:11.
So these are the topics he chose that he felt he needed a verse to fight for and remember.
These were his six, here are the ones I’ve chosen over the year (at least, I started here and added more as time went on!).
Wisdom reflects Psalm 32:8 and goes together with our Guide Necklace. I usually wear the light grey one and call back this verse back to God repeatedly. I pray the verse back to God and use them for worship.
Weakness reflects 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Pslam 73 is usually what I go to for weakness (a Dear Mushka piece is coming for this verse this Fall!)
Welfare for Family and Children is paired with Lamentations 3 that comes with the Portion Necklace. It is a reminder that the Lord is my portion, not my children or husband or comfort.
Focusing on my purpose keeps me from comparing myself to others and my verse for purpose is 1 Peter 2:9 which actually comes paired with our first choker necklace! This verse is powerful and reminds me that my job is to proclaim and share His good news. I am chosen.
James 1:2-4 is my verse for trials and suffering which we just made into the Complete Necklace and comes in both gold and silver. This verse reminds me that my trials are changing my heart towards perfection.
You may want a verse for anxiety, rest, jealousy, anger, generic sin, etc. You need to think about what you are constantly battling with in your life, whatever keeps you from resting in the goodness of God - start there.
Your concordance in your Bible or Google is a great place to find a verse. Write it on a notecard or post-it, search our website for a jewelry piece to match it if you want something as a reminder.
Having these memorized has helped me so much in my life and I’m able to share God’s word and wisdom with others so much easier because I’ve stored them deep in my heart.I hope you've found meaning here, too!