Don’t miss Adrienne Camp’s new Bible study, As For Me: Life Through the Lens of the Psalms.
I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11
When I was a young girl, my dad was the principal of Jeffreys Bay Christian School, one of the first multi-racial schools in our Province under the appalling apartheid era in South Africa.
He would often have us memorize passages of Scripture together as a small school. We would read the passages out loud together every morning for about a month or so.
I remember being so proud of us when after a few weeks, so many of us weren’t even looking down at our Bibles anymore, and you could hear the unified humming of the Scriptures flowing off our lips.
I was about seven years old when I memorized my first passage, Psalm 1. As I’m about to release a Bible study on the Psalms called As For Me; it feels like the Lord planted and weaved this psalm into my heart many decades ago.
It has acted as a beautiful anchor and boundary for me that when I choose the ways of the Lord over the ways of man, my heart will flourish, and I will be deeply rooted in streams of living water.
In Hebrews 4:12 it tells us,
“For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Scripture is a treasure to our souls. We need to savor it, digest it, memorize it, and ask the Holy Spirit to work it into the deepest things we know until it becomes the fabric and filter of how we live our lives.
The goal isn’t just to have passages memorized but for them to lead us toward God’s heart in each circumstance. We need this guide to help us adjust our desires and ways to His. To some, it might be easy to memorize verses, but we need to ask ourselves how we apply them to our lives. The goal isn’t just to know them but to live by them.
I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve been in situations while someone might be talking to me and the Holy Spirit has brought to mind Scriptures I have memorized or read repeatedly. Sometimes I find myself in a difficult situation, and Scriptures come to mind that give me wisdom and direction on how to move forward or respond.
Take, for instance, a Scripture like Romans 12:9-21 (NIV):
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Years ago, I memorized these verses with my girls. We read them together every night before bed, and I also used a window marker to write them on my bathroom mirror. We discussed them, practiced them, and they became the framework for so many areas of our lives. The directives in these verses gave us wisdom for various situations, and as we followed them, we learned to trust more and more in God’s pure character than in following our own whims and desires.
These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
There is a danger in knowing Scripture but not asking the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth to us and looking to see how we can measure our lives against them. They are too great a treasure not to be lived out and talked about. God longs for us to know Scripture in order to know Him. It is ultimately for us to have unhindered fellowship with Him and live in beautiful communion with Him.
Here are some ideas to help with Scripture memorization:
- Make a verse the lock screen on your phone.
- Use window markers to write it on your mirror and read it aloud repeatedly while you’re brushing your teeth or getting ready.
- Listen to a verse repeatedly on an audio Bible.
- Write a verse on an index card and carry it around with you; read it whenever you have a free minute.
- Say a verse every time you stop at a traffic light while driving your car.
Most importantly, don’t check it off as a “to-do” list, but remember the joy we have in love and following Jesus.

Adrienne “Adie” Camp, a South African singer and songwriter, was the lead singer of the Christian rock band The Benjamin Gate before launching her solo career. She is married to fellow musician Jeremy Camp, whom she met on tour in 2002. They have been married since 2003 and have two daughters, Bella and Arie, and one son, Egan. Adrienne is deeply passionate about her marriage and her family. She homeschools her children as they often accompany Jeremy on tour.
She has authored three books—Even Me, an illustrated children’s book about her daughters’ adventurous trip to Uganda, In Unison, which she coauthored with her husband, Jeremy, about navigating their marriage and relationship, and As for Me: Life Through the Lens of the Psalms, a Bible study book with Lifeway Women. So far, she has traveled to twenty different countries and is motivated by a desire to see people encounter God’s love all around the world.