“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” – Psalms 119:11 KJV

One of the most effective ways of discerning and countering Satan’s attacks is to know your Bible. It’s not enough to read the Bible in a casual way; we must apply its teachings to our lives, and thus allow God to engrave His sacred truths on our hearts. And what better way can you accomplish this than by memorizing Scripture! Unfortunately, this is a practice that is neglected by many. Yet Jesus set an example that provides us with an answer as to why it ought to be regarded as such an important discipline for Christians. Let’s take a look at it!

“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.” – Matthew 4:1-11 KJV

Indeed, Jesus clearly demonstrated that one of the most powerful methods of overcoming the enemy is to become so acquainted with the Holy Scriptures that they could be recalled at any moment to counter temptation. Thus, the Holy Scriptures were written in His heart, and He used them as a means to defeat the devil who sought to persuade Him to turn against God. In fact, a close reading of what had happened reveals that Satan even went so far as to use Scripture out of context to try to deceive Jesus. But Jesus was well versed in the Scriptures and immediately discerned what Satan was up to. How well versed are you when it comes to knowing the Bible? How much of it have you committed to memory? Do you know it well enough to identify when someone is using Scripture out of context? Do you know which Bible verses to recall when temptation strikes?

Listen, if the devil was bold enough to attempt to attack Jesus in this way how much more will he try to do the same to you? And if Jesus looked to the Scriptures as a means to identify and counter the enemy, how much more do we need to do the same? It is tragic that so many Christians spend so very little time reading the Bible these days, but even more disheartening that they don’t use it for what it is meant to be used for when they do read it.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV

When people neglect to use the Scriptures for the purpose disclosed above, they easily fall into temptation when the enemy strikes. For though they may think that they are standing on a solid foundation they really aren’t, because they aren’t following Jesus’ example of feasting on the Scriptures daily, and committing their hearts to the teachings of God’s Holy Word.

“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” – Matthew 4:4 KJV

Why is it that so many profess to believe in Jesus Christ, but live as though they don’t need to feast on the Scriptures which He lived by and cherished? Why do they ignore the example that He set for dealing with temptation–using Scripture to identify and counter Satan’s attacks? Why do they behave in such a manner as to give the impression that what was good for Jesus really isn’t good for them? It’s because they allow the cares of this world to take precedence over the will of God for their lives, and thus they spend more time doing things that they really don’t need to do while neglecting to do that which is needful to maintain an intimate connection with God. It’s no wonder that they keep falling into the same sins over and over again. They fall into the same sins over and over again because they really aren’t making an earnest effort to walk in Jesus’ steps.

Do you want to overcome the enemy in the same way that Jesus did? Do you want to experience the power of God’s word in a way that you have not experienced it before? If so, then you need to walk in Jesus’ steps and start memorizing Scripture. For by doing this you will be able to use Scripture as a means to identify and ward off the enemy, just like Jesus did. In other words, you will stand strong in the face of temptation and cause the devil to flee from you when you elevate the Word of God to a higher level within your heart.

In fact, you can begin to do this right now, by memorizing the following Scriptures:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” – Proverbs 3:5-7 KJV

Note: here’s a place where you can find more Scripture to memorize, all sorted by subject: Bible Scriptures by Subject