GRADUATING FROM SPIRITUAL INFANCY (PART 1)

INTRODUCTION

Do you really want God to become more real and personal to you? Do you want to graduate from spiritual kindergarten and learn God's mind concerning the problems, temptations and conflicts you will face in future days? Do you want to learn what Satan does not want you to learn-the simplest verses from the Bible that make him flee in defeat when they are spoken in faith by those who are tested and tempted?

When I was a new babe in Christ some 50 years ago, one way we recognized someone was still in spiritual infancy was their lack of knowing basic Bible verses. New disciples were challenged to memorize key Scriptures in order to grow stronger in every area of the Christian life. And memorizing the 66 names of the books in the Bible was just as important. Otherwise, we were viewed as "spiritual dummies"-too lazy to apply ourselves to the priority of hiding God's Word in our hearts. In the first six months of being a Christian-one year at most-many of us knew by memory at least 70 of the simplest but most important verses of scripture as well as the names of the books of our Bible.

Let's take a few lessons and cover this priority material. Just think of all the information you have stored in your mind over the years. Is there anything more important than hiding God's Word in your memory bank so you can grow stronger in the knowledge and reality of God? There are only three simple steps to keep from forgetting what you work hard to memorize: 1) REVIEW. 2) REVIEW. 3) REVIEW. Let's go to work.

MEMORIZING THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

(I'll leave some spaces so they are easier to memorize.)

JOSHUA 1:8 (God's call to memorize and obey His Word)

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

PSALM 23 (All six verses of this golden psalm that has guided millions through the valley of death to eternity with God)

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over; Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

PSALM 37:4 (To delight in the Lord is to embrace His desires in our hearts-and to have them fulfilled)

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart."

PSALM 46:10 (Discover the power of being still before God)

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

PROVERBS 3:5,6 (Learning the secret of God directing our paths throughout life)

(continue with part 2 of this lesson)