Memorizing Bible Verses: 1 John 4:17-18 (ESV-English Standard Version)

An important part of keeping God’s word in your heart and having it available for when you need to quote it to fight against the devil’s temptations is to memorize scripture. There are many ways to do this including singing verses, using pneumonic devices, and old-fashioned look and don’t look as you try to say the verse. Here is a technique that I learned from memverse.com. Try it out and see if it works for you. The goal for the Beloved series is to memorize 1 John 4:7-21. This is a passage about our relationship to God and others. At two verses a week (one week will be three verses), it should take seven weeks to memorize this passage, but you can work faster if you wish.

Step 1: First read or sing or chant the verses several times.

(Verse 17) By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
(Verse 18)  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Step 2: Now try saying the verses with words missing.

(Verse 17)  By this is ___________ perfected with us, so that we may have ___________ for the day of ___________, because as he is so also are we in this world.

(Verse 18) There is no fear in ___________, but perfect ___________ casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in ___________.

Step 3: Try saying the verses with more words missing.

(Verse 17)  By this is ___________ perfected with us, so that ___________ may have ___________ for the day of ___________, because as ___________ is so also are ___________ in this world.

(Verse 18) There is no ___________ in ___________, but perfect ___________ casts out ___________. For ___________ has to do with punishment, and whoever ___________ has not been perfected in ___________.

Step 4: Try saying the verses with even more words missing.

(Verse 17)  ___________ this is ___________ ___________ with us, so that ___________ may have ___________ for the ___________ of ___________, ___________ as ___________ is so also are ___________ in this ___________.

(Verse 18) ___________ is no ___________ in ___________, but ___________ ___________ casts out ___________. For ___________ has to do with ___________, and whoever ___________ has not been ___________ in ___________.

Step 6: Try saying the verses with only blanks.

(Verse 17)  ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________, ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________, ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________.

(Verse 18) ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________, ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________. ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________, ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________.

Final Step: Try saying the verses without blanks: 1 John 4:17-18.