Memorizing Scripture

I have a confession to make: I only have 7 verses of the Bible fully memorized. 😳 I've been a Christian for 9 years now, have read the entire Bible, have many verses partially memorized, and recognize certain stories and lessons as being within the Bible when I hear them. There are no excuses for me to have so few verses memorized.
      I started feeling God challenge me about this last year. I was reading about Christians in places like North Korea and China who memorized Scripture because it is too dangerous for them to own a Bible or because they have to share one with many others. These believers are hungry for God's Word and so they memorized large portions of it in order to encourage themselves and remain faithful to what God says in the Bible.
      One of my favorite pieces of Scripture is Psalm 119. In it, the psalmist displays a hunger for God's Word. Psalm 119:11 (NIV) says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." I memorized this verse last year because I want it to be my heart as well. The psalmist is clearly devoted to God, but also knows the great value of His Word.
      When we care about something, we don't just let ourselves forget about it. We place reminders everywhere: photos of a person or memory, letters, things from our favorite places or experiences, journal entries, etc. We make sure that it stays in our mind and heart. We don't always do that with God's Word, though.
      There is a difference between reading Scripture and knowing Scripture. When we know the Bible, we know how God feels about certain matters. We also can't be fooled about what the Bible says. There are many people who twist Scripture for their own gain or to hurt others, but when we know the Word, we can be free from their influence or control because we know the truth. We can also more easily discern the Holy Spirit's voice from our own (or those of others) because we will know God's character more intimately.
      This is why I decided to place a greater emphasis on memorizing Scripture this year. I want to know the Bible and truly hide His Word in my heart. Will you join me in this challenge and begin working to memorize Bible verses? You can work at your own pace, but take it seriously. We can encourage each other and send updates under the comments section of this post. (So far I memorized 3 verses this year.) I have no doubt that God will bless us through this goal to know His Word.

(Yesterday, I started to use my small planner binder to keep track of my progress. Whenever I memorize a verse or piece of Scripture, I write it down and recite all the verses I have memorized to keep them fresh in my memory. I start by working to memorize small bits at a time and as I get those parts correct I add morse of the verse to it. I recite it throughout the day and check if I am correct. I do this for as long as I need until I fully memorize the Scripture piece I am working on. The bookmark in the photo is one I received from Voice of the Martyrs last year. It depicts a secret meeting of Christians studying the Bible because it is dangerous to be found doing so in their country.)