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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: I promised myself at the beginning of the year that I would begin to memorize Bible verses so that I can recall God’s promises. Why is this so hard for people? — D.M.

Dear D.M.: Satan is the great discourager and he doesn’t want us to read or memorize Scripture because it is the Word of God. When we look into the Bible, we make Satan angry and he will unleash all of his secret weapons. When souls leave his camp and join the family of God, the devil is not happy. But we can overcome everything that he hurls at us with the weapon God has provided — the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
We must saturate ourselves in His truth. We must read and ask the Spirit of God to clarify what we are reading. The Scriptures are the greatest source of hope we will find in this hopeless world.
We have to commit ourselves to storing up God’s Word in our minds and hearts. When we ask God to remove distractions so that we can commit portions of Scripture to memory, we must believe that He will enable us to do so, for this kind of prayer pleases Him. The Bible says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). It helps to print these portions of Scriptures on small cards and carry them throughout the day, referring to them frequently. The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and makes the child of God. The Bible says, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God” and put it into practice (Luke 11:28).
Our spiritual lives need food. Christ is the bread of life for our hungry souls, and the water of life for our thirsty hearts. God blesses those who seek Him.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)