John 14:26 says that the Holy Spirit will bring back to our minds the things that God has said to us. But how many Christians these days have even READ what the Bible says, much less taken the time to memorize passages for the Lord to bring back to our remembrance? Our minds are like storerooms. We put our “supplies” there so the Lord can access just the right ideas we need in the moment. This week, an incident at my school really made me think. What exactly are we putting into our pantries?
The Kids Knew All the Words
At the very end of the school year, both teachers and students are “done.” We’re down to reviews and tests, award nights, cookouts and picnics, and performances by various groups. Every year, the theater department puts on a lip-sync show for their students’ final grades, and over the past few years, my classes have been invited to attend.
This year, as I sat in the darkened theater, I noticed that not only the performers knew all the words to the songs, but so did much of the audience. These were lyrics about sex, materialism, jealousy, and duplicity. I thought about how many times the kids had to hear those songs, soaking in the ideas of them, to be able to remember them so well.
Our Minds Are Like Pantries
A pantry is a dedicated place for storing food. In fact, it’s called a pantry because it comes from the old French word “paneterie,” from the word “pain,” meaning “bread.” Think about cooking dinner. You go to your pantry to pull the dry ingredients for the recipe, but if you haven’t bought them at the store and placed them there, they will not be available for you when you need them.
The mind is like a pantry, too. When life hits, we look into our experiences, our beliefs, and the ideas that we have put into our hearts and minds. Only what we have put in will be available to pull out to deal with the situations at hand.
We Should Not Fill Our Minds with Evil but with Good
- 1 Corinthians 15:33: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
What we absorb can affect us. - Proverbs 4:23: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
That’s why we must be protective of what we allow into ourselves. - Philippians 4:8: “Whatsoever things are true… honest… just… pure… lovely… of good report… think on these things.”
We must focus our thoughts on good things. - Ephesians 5:18–19 “…be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…”
We must be sure that our internal monologue is filled with the Word of God.
The Bible Recommends Memorization
- Psalm 119:11: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
We should put the Bible into the pantries of our minds. - Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”
We must LEARN God’s Word for it to be able to dwell in us. - Joshua 1:8: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night…”
Speaking the Word and thinking about it a lot is a recipe for spiritual success. - Proverbs 7:1–3: “Keep my commandments… bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.”
This is more than just casual reading. This is intentional memorization.
Where Is Our Delight?
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Psalm 1:2
The kids in that darkened theater delighted in the songs they were singing. They put their hands up, phones on flashlight mode, and waved them around. The words rolled off their tongues, and later, those same words will likely inform their ideas about what life and relationships are all about.
Is the Word of God our delight? Are we memorizing the words and thinking about them throughout the day? Are our pantries filled with the things of the world or the things of God?
But How Can We Memorize the Bible?
I found a solution that works for me. Maybe it will help you too.
About a month ago, a channel on YouTube popped up on my feed. The person was using the Bible as a basis for country-style music that he/she had created using AI. As I started to sing those songs, it occurred to me that I was implanting words into my mind that were not the version of the Bible I read, and not exactly the Bible verbatim. (The person had created choruses and bridges that were great for singing, but distorted the meaning as written.) I thought to myself that if that person could make AI music, maybe I could do it too.
So I created The KJV Rocks, a YouTube channel where I put songs that are strictly KJV Bible passages set to rock music. The Lord has confirmed many times that this wasn’t just my own wild hair but a project that He had for me to both use and share. At the time of this blog, I have 31 published songs and have already memorized a good portion of them. I sing them on my commute to and from work, and when I’m not playing them from my speakers, they are playing in my mind. Time and again throughout the day, the words come to me as the tunes thrum in my head. When I encounter the passages in my regular Bible reading, I can now say them by heart.
What Goes In Will Come Out
Matthew 12:34 says that “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” That’s why it is so important that we fill our minds and hearts with the Word of God. Hymns, gospel songs, and good old-fashioned Christian music can be good, especially if they are anointed by the Holy Ghost to convey His truths. But learning the Bible through music and putting those words into your mind on repeat has the double blessing of delight in the moment as well as the lasting impact of having the Word of God available for the Holy Ghost to bring back to you at just the right moment.
Try a Few of Mine or Make Your Own
See if you like the songs I made. If not, try making your own. The free version of Suno will let you make songs up to a minute long, and the paid version is only $10 per month. Just plug in the Bible as it is written and describe the style you like, and out pop songs you can sing to learn the Word of God.
Psalm 139:1-12 was my first attempt. I was amazed to discover that I could learn BIG CHUNKS of the Bible just by listening on repeat.
Psalm 23 is one of my favorites. I love the music, and the words are so comforting.
Hebrews 4:12-16 reminds us about the POWER of the Word of God and Jesus, our great high priest.
Check out the full selection — in Bible order — HERE on my blog or subscribe to my YouTube Channel, The KJV Rocks.
Send me a message if you don’t see the passage that you would like to memorize.
Enjoy analogies? Try 3 Last Days Object Lessons From Shopping or Strike the Ground According to Your Faith. Please sign up to receive my blog in your email inbox. You can find that at the upper right of your screen (or at the bottom on a phone). Also, check out my other YouTube Channel where I read the blogs out loud.
