“Our persecuted brothers and sisters have learned that the best antidote to anti-Christ propaganda drummed into one’s ears for hours on end, is God’s holy Word. Hiding it in the heart, committing it to memory is a great way to keep from sinning and to cut to pieces lies with which the devil would want to invade our minds. A dear 88-year-old missionary friend wrote recently that she has again taken up Scripture memorization, after laying it down for some time. It can be done! How wonderful it is to think God’s thoughts after Him! His Word is truth. Truth is part of the armor by which we withstand the devil, and having done all, to stand. We are told that the most likely place to find fervent first love is where there is persecution. It is too risky there to be half-hearted. They know it is costly to be a Christian, but they are willing to pay the price. They value highly that which Christ has imparted to them. Their love for Jesus overflows.” A group of men were put in prison for the Gospel. They then decided to write a Bible for themselves, from memory. Each brother quoted verses he knew from the Bible. It started off with a flourish, as one wrote down all the verses on a piece of paper. Too soon they realized how limited their Bible knowledge was. Except for John 3:16, Psalm 23, the ‘Our Father’ and the Ten Commandments, they could remember only a few more verses. They stared at one another dejectedly; in an hour they had perhaps twenty verses. They kept on trying, only to discover that they were confusing one verse with another. It was obvious. The Word of God did not dwell in them richly. No matter how hard they tried, they could not quote any more verses correctly. “The Bible is a banned book in times of persecution. In the beginning of persecution in many countries such as China, Laos, Vietnam, the Communists either burned or confiscated thousands of Bibles. When these believers gathered they could not quote many verses at all. The reason was simple. While they lived in freedom they had not seen the need for Bible memorization. One cannot attempt to learn Bible verses once the Bibles have been confiscated or burned. It takes time and it must start while there is still freedom.” Memorize Scripture, it will prepare you for what is coming.