Written by Aaron Collins
After you have finished memorizing word-for-word a set of about 10 verses, one way of learning references is to do the following.
- If you have not already, purchase the quote cards from the Gospel Publishing House.
- Divide the box up into chapters.
- Take out the cards with the 10 verses you have just memorized on them.
- Mix the cards up so they are not in order.
- Looking only at the back of the card, quote the verse corresponding to the reference.
- Do this with all the cards until you are back at the first card you started with.
- Use a stop watch to time yourself.
- Set a goal. At first, a goal might be to complete the stack of cards in an average of 5 seconds each. After more experience, a goal might be to finish each verse in an average of 4 seconds each. There are some, who are experienced, who set their goal at finding the verse and quoting it in an average of under 2 seconds a verse.
- After you have accomplished your goal, mix the cards up again and attempt to beat that goal a second time. Mix the cards up a third time and do the same. You should now know the references to those 10 verses.
- After memorizing the next 10 verses, repeat the process. Then combine the two “sets” of ten quote cards. Mix these cards up and set a goal for yourself that gives you a little bit more time per verse. This could be from .5 seconds to 1 second of added time on average per verse. Learn these combined 20 references by doing the same thing you did to learn the first 10.
To learn a chapter, say Luke Chapter 1, which has 80 verses, you would do this:
- Memorize and learn the references for verses 1 - 10.
- Memorize and learn the references for the 11 - 20.
- Combine and learn the references for verses 1 - 20.
- Memorize and learn the references for verses 21 - 30.
- Memorize and learn the references for verses 31 - 40.
- Combine and learn the references for verses 21 - 40.
- Combine and learn the references for verses 1 - 40.
- Memorize and learn the references for verses 41 - 50.
- Memorize and learn the references for the 51 - 60.
- Combine and learn the references for verses 41 - 60.
- Memorize and learn the references for verses 61 - 70.
- Memorize and learn the references for verses 71 - 80.
- Combine and learn the references for verses 61 - 80.
- Combine and learn the references for verses 41 - 80.
- Combine and learn the references for verses 1 - 80.
Remember, the more you follow this pattern, the faster you will become at naturally finding verses by their reference and quoting them. So after you have done this for a while, decrease the amount of time you give yourself to find and quote a verse. The faster you can find the verse, the better you know the Scripture you are studying, and the more time you have to think of the question and give the answer.