“Ignorance is bliss” and “What you don’t know won’t hurt you” are not winning strategies if you wish to live a victorious Christian life, but they do seem to be the prevalent mindset of many Christians today. I can say that because Christians who commit God’s Word to memory are few and far between.

King David understood the necessity of memorizing God’s Word:

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:9—11)

Memorizing Scripture is far more than stuffing your head with knowledge. It is storing weapons in your armory to be brought out in times of temptation.

We’ve lost our understanding of how Scripture, called the “sword of the Spirit” by the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 6:17), is used to defeat the temptations our adversary will bring our way.

The author of Hebrews explains it to us:

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

The Greek word translated “sword” in both our Ephesians and Hebrews passages is machaira, defined as “a short sword or dagger … probing the conscience, subduing the impulses to sin” (Vine’s Dictionary).

And why exactly do we need these daggers? The Apostle Paul tells us why:

“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17)

We all know the battle — we fight it daily. To do so unarmed is to be ignorant at best or foolish at worst.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us the two-edged sword divides soul and spirit, the same conflict we see in our Galatians passage. The devil appeals to our fleshly weaknesses. We know what they are and the enemy knows because he has observed us.

If I am tempted by someone flirting with me, I must pull out the sword of Proverbs 4:25: “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.”

If I am tempted to be dishonest, I must pull out the sword of Proverbs 12:22: “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.”

As I speak the Scripture, it cuts the cord of that temptation, enabling me to avoid it. My flesh tries to pull me down, but the Spirit will lift me up to freedom.

God’s word contains weapons capable of defeating every temptation the enemy can bring your way. We just have to search for them and commit them to memory. It’s that simple. Failure to do so will eventually have us bound up in our sins, incapable of freeing ourselves.

“The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.” (Proverbs 5:22)

I’ve had people tell me they cannot memorize Scripture. If you tell yourself that, you never will. If you ask the Holy Spirit to help you “hide the word in your heart,” He will most assuredly do so because He wants you to be victorious.

It’s time to fill your armory with the weapons of your warfare.

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!