APA General Format Summary APA (American Psychological.docx

APA General Format
Summary
APA (American Psychological Association) style is most
commonly used to cite sources within
the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th
edition, second printing of the
APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA
research papers, in-text citations,
endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page. For more
information, please consult the Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association, (6th ed.,
2nd printing).
Contributors: Joshua M. Paiz, Elizabeth Angeli, Jodi Wagner,
Elena Lawrick, Kristen Moore,
Michael Anderson, Lars Soderlund, Allen Brizee, Russell Keck
Last Edited: 2016-05-13 12:06:24
Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the
Purdue OWL in APA.
To see a side-by-side comparison of the three most widely used
citation styles, including a chart

of all APA citation guidelines, see the Citation Style Chart.
You can also watch our APA vidcast series on the Purdue OWL
YouTube Channel.
General APA Guidelines
Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized
paper (8.5" x 11") with 1" margins
on all sides. You should use a clear font that is highly readable.
APA recommends using 12 pt.
Times New Roman font.
Include a page header (also known as the "running head") at the
top of every page. To create
a page header/running head, insert page numbers flush right.
Then type "TITLE OF YOUR
PAPER" in the header flush left using all capital letters. The
running head is a shortened
version of your paper's title and cannot exceed 50 characters
including spacing and punctuation.
Major Paper Sections
Your essay should include four major sections: The Title Page,
Abstract, Main Body,
and References.
Title Page

The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author's
name, and the institutional
affiliation. Include the page header (described above) flush left
with the page number flush right
at the top of the page. Please note that on the title page, your
page header/running head should
look like this:
Running head: TITLE OF YOUR PAPER
Pages after the title page should have a running head that looks
like this:
TITLE OF YOUR PAPER
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/949/01/
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8F43A67F38DE3D5D
&feature=edit_ok
http://www.youtube.com/user/OWLPurdue
After consulting with publication specialists at the APA, OWL
staff learned that the APA 6th
edition, first printing sample papers have incorrect examples of
Running heads on pages after
the title page. This link will take you to the APA site where you
can find a complete list of all the
errors in the APA's 6th edition style guide.
Type your title in upper and lowercase letters centered in the

upper half of the page. APA
recommends that your title be no more than 12 words in length
and that it should not contain
abbreviations or words that serve no purpose. Your title may
take up one or two lines. All text on
the title page, and throughout your paper, should be double-
spaced.
Beneath the title, type the author's name: first name, middle
initial(s), and last name. Do not use
titles (Dr.) or degrees (PhD).
Beneath the author's name, type the institutional affiliation,
which should indicate the location
where the author(s) conducted the research.
http://supp.apa.org/style/pubman-reprint-corrections-for-2e.pdf
SAMPLE ABSTRACT FORMATTING

Begin a new page. The abstract page should already include the
page header. On the first line of
the abstract page, center the word “Abstract” (no bold,
formatting, italics, underlining, or
quotation marks). Beginning with the next line, write a concise
summary of the key points of
your research. (Do not indent.) An abstract should contain at
least your research topic, research
questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and
conclusions. The abstract should also
include the possible implications of the research and future
work that may be connected with the
research findings. An abstract should include single paragraphs
and should be double-spaced.
The abstract should be between 150 and 250 words. A list of
keywords may also be included
from the paper into the abstract. To do this, indent the paper by
starting a new paragraph,
type Keywords: (italicized), and then list keywords. Listing
keywords will help researchers find
your work in databases.

Reference
Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M.,
Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A.
(2010, May 5). General format. Retrieved from
Sample Quantitative Research Question
Scenario: What is the likelihood that consumers are willing to
pay higher prices for goods and
services based on product availability, product quality, or the
level of expertise of the sales
associated, if it means that the price paid is higher than what is
offered by the competition.
Question: Will a consumer pay a higher price for a good or
service based on product
availability, product quality, or the level of expertise of the
sales associated, compared to a
competitor price?
Sample Hypotheses
The hypotheses for the research question are:

H1. There is a negative relationship between price and the
likelihood of winning a bid
for industrial goods.
H2. There is a positive relationship between the importance of
lead time and the
likelihood of winning a bid for industrial goods.
H3. There is a positive relationship between quality /
specifications and the likelihood of
winning a bid for industrial goods.
H4. There is a positive relationship between the level of
knowledge and helpfulness of
the sales people and the likelihood of winning a bid for
industrial goods.
APPENDIX OF RESOURCES AND LINKS
• Sample Abstract
• APA Template (online)

• Academic Journals (Links)
• Sample Annotated Bibliographies:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/614/
https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa/annot_bib
http://library.southcollegetn.edu/course/view.php?id=27
• Sample Research Plan Paper (3rd week of class)
• South College Library Links
• Research—How to Find a Journal
AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
How to Avoid Plagiarism in Writing
Plagiarism is using other people’s words or ideas and not giving
them credit. Always give credit
for work that is not your own, and accurately cite your sources.
If you have any questions, please
see the Library staff, or visit the Writing Lab.
What is plagiarism?
What is plagiarism?
UCLA library with straight-forward explanations of what
constitutes plagiarism.

Paul Robeson Library's YouTube Channel
Rutgers University Library cartoons that cover plagiarism,
scholarly sources, Wikipedia, etc.
Plagiarism What It Is and How to Avoid It
Indiana University website gives tools for steering clear of
plagiarism.
Plagiarism / Copyright / Paraphrasing
Checklist for Fair Use
Read Write Think tool for evaluating fair use
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/614/
https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa/annot_bib
http://guides.library.ucla.edu/citing/plagiarism
https://www.youtube.com/user/paulrobesonlibrary
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/les
son1062/checklist.pdf
Quoting, Paraphrasing, Summarizing
Learn the differences between these three concepts, how to use
them, and how they benefit your
work.
Consequences of Plagiarism

Ethically Challenged
American Journalism Review article on the rash of journalists
being fired for fabricating facts
and/or plagiarism.
New Republic Fires Writer Over `Hoax'
Washington Post article on journalist Steven Glass' firing from
New Republic.
Plagiarism in Colleges in the USA
Ronald B. Standler’s essay covers the laws related to
plagiarism, cases and litigation concerning
plagiarism policies at colleges.
Technology Yields Plagiarism Bust
CBS News story on 122 University of Virginia students accused
of plagiarism.
CITE A SOURCE
APA Citation Resources
Please refer to APA styles Guides below:
EndNote
Register for a personal account in Web of Science for access to
EndNote. A personal EndNote
account allows the user to collect and organize references as

well as create reference lists and
bibliographies.
APA Style Guides
APA Style.org
A free tutorial on the basics of APA style.
APA Style.org
Frequently Asked Questions: Answers questions about APA
style.
APA from OWL at Purdue University
Using American Psychological Association (APA) Format:
Covers basic paper format and
provides citation examples for a variety of sources.
How to Cite Social Media
APA Style for citing social media post
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/
http://www.unc.edu/~haman/sglass.htm
http://www.rbs2.com/plag.pdf
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/technology-yields-plagiarism-
bust/
http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx?apaSessionKey=
1XV2IIEkxBUu4j0pJtC6RvJu

http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2013/10/how-to-cite-social-
media-in-apa-style.html
Evaluate a Website
Evaluating Websites – Cornell University Library
It can often be difficult to determine the quality of the
information found on websites. Cornell
University Library has compiled some of the best guides
available to help you determine what
kind of information a website contains.
Evaluating Websites – Lesley University Library
The Lesley University Library explains the criteria to use when
evaluating websites.
Website Credibility
Examples of credible, maybe credible, and not credible websites
from EasyBib.
FIND A JOURNAL ARTICLE:
How to Find Scholarly Journal Articles
Places to look:
Search the Periodicals
All library print journal titles and their holdings are searchable
in the Library Catalog. You may

search for journals by title or subject.
Print Indexes
Most periodicals provide an annual index in the last issue of
each volume, usually the December
issue. Each journal differs in the subject terms it uses so if you
cannot find the topic you are
looking for, try other similar terms.
Indexes/Databases
These sources allow you to search for citations and sometimes
full-text articles as well by topic.
Often the index or database is devoted to a specific subject area.
See the list of indexes and
databases here. If you need help in using these sources, please
see a librarian or use the source’s
built-in help features.
How can I tell if an article is a research article?
Many assignments require you to use research articles. Research
articles are peer-reviewed and
often contain bibliographies and information about the author’s
professions. Research articles are
often broken down into sections such as the abstract, methods,
and conclusion. Research articles

report on the results of an experiment of some sort. If you need
further assistance to determine if
an article is appropriate for a certain assignment, please see
your instructor or a librarian for help.
How to recognize peer-reviewed journals
A helpful resource from Angelo State University on identifying
peer-reviewed journals.
https://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/webeval.html
http://www.lib.umd.edu/tl/guides/evaluating-web
http://content.easybib.com/students/research-guide/website-
credibility-evaluation/#.UyduAfldXfI
http://www.angelo.edu/services/library/handouts/peerrev.php
HighWire
List of journals through HighWire from Stanford University
with full text access. Access varies
by title.
If you need help in using these sources, please see a librarian or
use the source’s built-in help
features.
TABLES AND FIGURES
Tables and Figures

Students are responsible for properly formatting Tables and
Figures in APA style tables and
figures. Examples are show below.
Sample Tables 1 and 2 illustrate correctly formatted tables. The
Insert Table feature in Word is
very helpful in constructing tables.
Sample Tables
To create Tables in APA style, include three horizontal lines:
one above the heading, one below
the heading, and one at the bottom of the table.
Table 1
Table 1 lists the average score assigned to each survey question
where all respondents
noted that a contract had been awarded to TEK and where all
respondents noted that a contract
had not been awarded to TEK.
Table 1
Average score for survey questions
Question Awarded a bid Not awarded a bid

1 3.92 4.00
2 3.92 3.40
3 4.15 3.65
4 3.38 3.25
5 1.46 1.95
6 4.46 4.15
7 4.38 4.10
8 4.15 3.60
9 3.92 3.45
10 3.85 3.80
http://highwire.stanford.edu/lists/freeart.dtl
Table 2 lists the correlational analysis for the survey questions
asked. Questions 2, 3, and
4 were taken together; questions 6 and 7 were taken together;
and questions 8, 9, and 10 were
taken together. The statistical correlation is listed for each
question; as well as statistical
significance of each correlation and the probability of statistical
significance.

Table 2
Correlational Analysis for Survey Questions
1 2-4 3 4 5 6-7 8-10
Correlation -0.06 0.28 0.31 0.07 -0.29 0.18 0.26
t = -0.33 1.62 1.84 0.41 -1.70 1.05 1.51
p = 0.63 0.06 0.04 0.34 0.95 0.15 0.07
Exceptions to this include a table that exceeds one full page. In
that case, see refer to examples
pages. This table illustrates the beginning of a table that
extends over more than one page. At the
bottom of the page, place a right justified (continued) note. At
the top of the following page,
repeat the table title followed by (continued). Table titles go
above the table (see, for
example, Tables 2 and 3).
Figures
Figures should be included to enhance the text, and they should
concentrate information.
The APA Manual defines types of figures and has examples
illustrating correct APA

format for differing figure types. The most critical information
covered in this section is the
direction to place your figure in the text, not at the end of the
document. The figure can appear
on the page where it is first mentioned or on the next page.
Figures are numbered consecutively
throughout your document. Figure captions are placed below the
figure. When looking at the
examples listed in the APA Manual, note that many of the
figures have footnotes listing the
reference for the source of the figure. Many of the examples are
figures that were used in
published material and are good examples of proper copyright
permission footnotes.resea
INDEX OF AVAILABLE LINKS & RESOURCES FOR
RESEARCH
APA Resources
APA 6th Edition Guide Online:
Owl of Purdue Online Writing Lab:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/
Online Scholarly Journals

Journal of Business Research:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-business-
research
Journal of Marketing Management:
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjmm20
International Journal of Business Analytics (IJBAN):
https://www.igi-
global.com/gateway/journal/67141
International Journal of Information Technology:
https://link.springer.com/journal/41870
South College Online Library: http://library.southcollegetn.edu/
Tennessee Electronic Library: http://tntel.tnsos.org/
General Databases (South College)
EBSCO/host:
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/search/basic?vid=0&sid=ce71
750b-03d3-40ff-
8981-d754d52f32e3%40sessionmgr102
ProQuest: https://search.proquest.com/index?accountid=30659
Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/
Sample Management and Leadership Topics for Research:

Management and Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
Leadership and Employee Perception
Ethical Leadership
Organizational Performance and Productivity
Customer Relationship Management
Customer Satisfaction
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/
research
research
https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjmm20
https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/journal/67141
https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/journal/67141
https://link.springer.com/journal/41870
http://library.southcollegetn.edu/
http://tntel.tnsos.org/
750b-03d3-40ff-8981-d754d52f32e3%40sessionmgr102
750b-03d3-40ff-8981-d754d52f32e3%40sessionmgr102
https://search.proquest.com/index?accountid=30659
https://hbr.org/
CHAPTER 3

BIBLE INTAKE (PART 2) . . . FOR THE PURPOSE OF
GODLINESS
There is discipline involved in Christian growth. The rapidity
with which a man grows spiritually and the extent to which he
grows, depends upon this discipline. It is the discipline of the
means.
RICHARD HALVERSON
Because you are reading this book, it’s likely that you are a
person who, at least to some degree, already engages in hearing,
reading, and studying the Word of God as advocated in the
previous chapter. Despite this, there is also a strong possibility
that you do not perceive a great deal of fruit being produced in
your life from these Disciplines. Your experience does not
measure up to your expectation, so perhaps you conclude that
you are the problem, that maybe you are a second-rate
Christian.
The reality is that you may not be the problem at all. The
problem may simply be your method. I know, for example,
many people who read the Bible every day. They may even read
multiple chapters of God’s Word each morning. But as soon as
they close the Bible, on most days they would have to admit
that they can’t remember a thing they’ve read.
“I just don’t have a good memory,” they conclude with a sigh.
Or they may believe that they can’t remember what they’ve read
because they don’t have a high IQ, or didn’t have a good
education, or they are just too old. Well, I’ve had some twenty-
two-year-old geniuses in my seminary classes who have the
same problem. So I would contend that in most cases the reason
people can’t remember what they read in the Bible is not their
age, mental ability, or training, but their method.
Moreover, does anyone want to argue that ordinary people—

people with no more than an average intellect or education—are
unable to profit satisfyingly from the Bible on a regular basis?
Surely not, especially since observation confirms that what the
apostle Paul said of the Christians in Corinth is true of
Christians everywhere: “For consider your calling, brothers: not
many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not
many were powerful, not many were of noble birth”
(1 Corinthians 1:26). In other words, since the majority of those
God calls are not “wise according to worldly standards,” does
that mean most Christians can’t benefit much from Scripture on
an individual basis? No, for doubtless God wants all His
children to grow in grace and in their knowledge of Him
through His Word.
So what’s the problem? Why is it that the words of Scripture
can go through our ears or eyes and then out of our minds so
quickly and commonly, despite the depth of our devotion to the
Bible? The problem is that hearing and reading the Bible, by
themselves, usually aren’t sufficient for remembering what
we’ve received. They are invaluable and irreplaceable
Disciplines, but they are incomplete without other Disciplines
of the Word. While hearing and reading plant the seed of
Scripture into the soil of our souls, other Disciplines are the
water and sun God uses to bring the growth and fruit of
Christlikeness in our lives. As the previous pages have
indicated, studying the Bible is one way to water and warm the
seed planted by hearing or reading. In this chapter are three
more important Disciplines for the intake of God’s Word that,
when rightly practiced, promote the increased knowledge of
God and closer conformity to Christ.
MEMORIZING GOD’S WORD—BENEFITS AND METHODS
Many Christians consider the Spiritual Discipline of
memorizing God’s Word as something tantamount to modern-
day martyrdom. Ask them to memorize Bible verses and they
react with about as much eagerness as a request for volunteers

to face Nero’s lions. How come? Perhaps because many
associate all memorization with the memory efforts required of
them in school. It was work, and most of it was uninteresting
and of limited value. Frequently heard, also, is the excuse of
having a bad memory. But what if I offered you one thousand
dollars for every verse you could memorize in the next seven
days? Do you think your attitude toward Scripture memory and
your ability to memorize would improve? Any financial reward
would be minimal when compared to the accumulating value of
the treasure of God’s Word deposited within your mind.
Memorization Supplies Spiritual Power
When Scripture is stored in your mind, it is available for the
Holy Spirit to bring to your attention when you need it most.
That’s why the author of Psalm 119 wrote, “I have stored up
your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (verse
11). It’s one thing, for instance, to be watching or thinking
about something when you know you shouldn’t, but there’s
added power against the temptation when a specific verse can be
brought to your mind, like Colossians 3:2: “Set your minds on
things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
When the Holy Spirit brings a definite verse to mind like that,
it’s an illustration of what Ephesians 6:17 can mean when it
refers to “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” A
pertinent scriptural truth, brought to your awareness by the
Holy Spirit at just the right moment, can be the weapon that
makes the difference in a spiritual battle.
There is no better illustration of this than Jesus’ confrontation
with Satan in the lonely Judean wilderness (see Matthew 4:1-
11). Each time the Enemy thrust a temptation at Jesus, He
parried it with the Sword of the Spirit. It was the Spirit-
prompted recollection of specific texts of Scripture that helped
Jesus experience victory. One of the ways we can experience
more spiritual victories is to do as Jesus did—memorize

Scripture so that it’s available within us for the Holy Spirit to
bring to our remembrance when it’s needed.
Memorization Strengthens Your Faith
What Christian doesn’t want his or her faith strengthened? One
thing you can do to strengthen it is to discipline yourself to
memorize Scripture. Let’s walk through Proverbs 22:17-19,
which says, “Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if
you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.
That your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known
to you today, even to you.” To “apply your heart” to the “words
of the wise” spoken of here and to “keep them within you”
certainly pertains to Scripture memory. Notice the reason given
here for keeping the wise words of Scripture within you and
“ready on your lips.” It’s so “that your trust may be in the
LORD.” Memorizing Scripture strengthens your faith because it
repeatedly reinforces the truth, often just when you need to hear
it again.
A church I pastored sought to build a new worship center. We
believed that in our situation we would most honor God if we
built the building without going into debt. There were times
when my faith in the Lord’s provision began to sink. More often
than not, what renewed my faith was the reminder of God’s
promise in 1 Samuel 2:30: “Those who honor me I will honor.”
Scripture memory is like reinforcing steel to a sagging faith.
Memorization Prepares Us for Witnessing and Counseling
On the Day of Pentecost (the Jewish holiday being celebrated
when the Holy Spirit came in great power upon Jesus’
followers), the apostle Peter was suddenly inspired by God to
stand and preach to the crowd about Jesus. Much of what he
said consisted of quotations from the Old Testament (see Acts
2:14-40). Although there’s a qualitative difference between
Peter’s uniquely inspired sermon and our Spirit-led

conversations, his experience illustrates how Scripture memory
can prepare us for unexpected witnessing or counseling
opportunities that come our way.
Recently, while I was talking to a man about Jesus, he said
something that brought to mind a verse I had memorized. I
quoted that verse, and it was the turning point in a conversation
that resulted in him professing faith in Christ. I often
experience something similar in counseling conversations. But
until the verses are hidden in the heart, they aren’t available to
use with the mouth.
Memorization Provides a Means of God’s Guidance
The psalmist wrote, “Your testimonies are my delight; they are
my counselors” (Psalm 119:24). Just as the Holy Spirit retrieves
scriptural truth from our memory banks for use in counseling
others, so also will He bring it to our own minds in providing
timely guidance for ourselves.
Many times when I have been trying to decide whether to say
what I think in a given situation, the Lord brings Ephesians 4:29
to my mind: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion,
that it may give grace to those who hear.” I’m sure that
sometimes I misunderstand the leading of the Holy Spirit, but
His guidance could hardly be more clear than when He brings to
mind a verse like that! When it happens, it’s the fruit of
disciplined Scripture memory.
Memorization Stimulates Meditation
One of the most underrated benefits of memorizing Scripture is
that it provides fuel for meditation. When you have memorized
a verse of Scripture, you can meditate on it anywhere at any
time during the day or night. If you love God’s Word enough to
memorize it, you can become like the writer of Psalm 119:97,
who exclaimed, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation

all the day.” Whether you’re standing in line, taking a walk,
driving the car, riding the train, waiting at the airport, cleaning
the house, mowing the yard, rocking a baby, or eating a meal,
you can benefit from the Spiritual Discipline of meditation if
you have made the deposits of memorization.
The Word of God is the “sword of the Spirit,” but if there is no
Bible physically accessible to you, then the weapon of the Word
must be present in the armory of your mind in order for the
Spirit to wield it. Imagine yourself in the midst of a decision
and needing guidance, or struggling with a difficult temptation
and needing victory. The Holy Spirit enters your mental arsenal
and looks around for available weapons, but all He finds is a
John 3:16, a Genesis 1:1, and a Great Commission. Those are
great swords, but they’re not made for every battle. How do we
go about filling our personal spiritual arsenal with a supply of
swords for the Holy Spirit to use?
You Can Memorize Scripture
Most people think they have a bad memory, but it’s not true. As
we’ve already discovered, most of the time memorizing is
mainly a problem of motivation. If you know your birthday,
phone number, and address, and can remember the names of
your friends and family, then you have a functioning memory
and can memorize Scripture. The question becomes whether you
are willing to discipline yourself to do it.
When Dawson Trotman, founder of the Christian organization
called The Navigators, was converted to faith in Christ in 1926,
he began memorizing one Bible verse every day. He was driving
a truck for a lumberyard in Los Angeles at the time. While
driving around town he would work on his verse for that day.
During the first three years of his Christian life he memorized
his first thousand verses. If he could memorize over three
hundred verses a year while driving, surely we can find ways to
memorize a few.

Have a Plan
There are many good prepackaged Scripture memory resources
available in print and digital formats. But you might prefer
selecting verses yourself on a particular topic where the Lord is
working in your life right now. If your faith is weak, memorize
verses on faith. If you’re struggling with a habit, find verses
that will help you experience victory over it. One man told
Dawson Trotman that he was afraid that following his example
of Scripture memory would make him prideful. Trotman’s reply:
“Then make your first ten verses on humility!” Another option
is to memorize a section of Scripture, such as a psalm, rather
than isolated verses.
If you are using a digital resource to help you with Scripture
memory, it probably provides you with plenty of guidance on
how to utilize it. But if not, or to supplement your use of that
digital guide, the following tips will be helpful.
Write Out the Verses
Make a list of the verses on-screen or on a sheet of paper,
leaving an inch or so of space between each one, or write each
verse on a separate index card.
Draw Picture Reminders
Nothing elaborate is needed here, just a few lines or stick
figures beside each verse, or some sort of picture or clip art if
done on-screen. This makes the verse “visual” and puts the
picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words principle to work for you.
One simple image can remind you of a couple dozen words.
This is especially true if the drawing illustrates some action
described in the verse. For instance, with Psalm 119:11, you
might make a crude drawing of a heart with a Bible inside to
remind you of treasuring God’s Word in the heart. For
Ephesians 6:17, a sketch of a sword is an obvious reminder.
You’ll find this method particularly helpful when memorizing a

section of consecutive verses. I realize that you are probably no
more of an artist than I am, but no one else has to see the
pictures and they can certainly make Scripture memory easier.
Memorize the Verses Word-Perfectly
There’s a great temptation, especially when first learning a
verse, to lower this standard. Don’t settle for just getting close,
or getting the “main idea.” Memorize it word for word. Learn
the reference, too. Without an objective standard of
measurement, the goal is unclear and you may tend to continue
lowering the standard until you quit altogether. Moreover, if
you don’t have the verse memorized exactly, you lose
confidence in using it in conversation and witnessing. So even
though memorizing “every jot and tittle” is harder in the
beginning, it’s easier and more productive in the long run.
Incidentally, verses you know word-perfectly are easier to
review than those you don’t know so accurately.
Find a Method of Accountability
Because of our tendency toward sloth, most of us need more
accountability on Scripture memory than on other Disciplines.
And the busier we are, the more we tend to excuse ourselves
from this commitment. Some, as Dawson Trotman did, develop
personalized means of accountability to this Discipline that
keep them faithful. Most Christians, however, are more
consistent when they meet or talk regularly with someone else—
not always another Christian—with whom they review their
verses.
Review and Meditate Every Day
No principle of Scripture memory is more important than the
principle of review. Without adequate review you will
eventually lose most of what you memorize. But once you really
learn a verse, you can mentally review it in a fraction of the
time it would take to speak it. And when you know a verse this
well, you don’t have to review but once a week, once a month,

or even once every six months to keep a sharp edge on it. It’s
not unusual, however, to reach a point where you spend 80
percent of your Scripture memory time in review. Don’t
begrudge devoting so much time to polishing your swords.
Rejoice instead at having so many!
Integrating Scripture memory review into one or more of your
life routines leverages the regularity of your habits to
strengthen your grip on Scripture. Thus you might want to
incorporate a few minutes of review into your daily devotional
time. Or you might find that you can review your verses while
you are brushing your teeth, working out, or making your daily
commute. A great time to review your better-known verses is
while going to sleep. Since you don’t need a written copy of the
verses before you, you can repeat them and meditate on them
while dozing off or even when you have trouble sleeping. And if
you can’t stay awake, that’s okay, since you’re supposed to be
sleeping anyway. If you can’t go to sleep, you’re putting the
most profitable and peaceful information possible into your
mind, as well as making good use of the time.
As we finish this section on the Discipline of Scripture memory,
remember that memorizing verses is not an end in itself. The
goal is not to see how many verses we can memorize; the goal is
godliness. The goal is to memorize the Word of God so that it
can transform our minds and our lives.
Jerry Bridges said in this regard,
I am very much aware that Scripture memorization has largely
fallen by the wayside in our day. . . . But let me say as
graciously but firmly as I can: We cannot effectively pursue
holiness without the Word of God stored up in our minds where
it can be used by the Holy Spirit to transform us. . . . I know it
requires work and is sometimes discouraging when we can’t
recall accurately a verse we have worked hard to memorize. The

truth is, however, all forms of discipline require work and are
often discouraging. But the person who perseveres in any
discipline, despite the hard work and discouraging times, reaps
the reward the discipline is intended to produce.[1]
MEDITATING ON GOD’S WORD—BENEFITS AND
METHODS
One sad feature of our contemporary culture is that meditation
has become identified more with non-Christian systems of
thought than with biblical Christianity. Even among believers,
the practice of meditation is often more closely associated with
yoga, transcendental meditation, relaxation therapy, or some
New Age practice than with Christian spirituality. Because
meditation is so prominent in many spiritually counterfeit
groups and movements, some Christians are uncomfortable with
the whole subject and suspicious of those who engage in it. But
we must remember that meditation is both commanded by God
and modeled by the godly in Scripture. Just because a cult
adopts the cross as a symbol doesn’t mean the church should
cease to use it. In the same way, we shouldn’t discard or be
afraid of scriptural meditation simply because the world
engages in something it calls meditation.
The kind of meditation encouraged in the Bible differs from
other kinds of meditation in several ways. While some advocate
a kind of meditation in which you do your best to empty your
mind, Christian meditation involves filling your mind with God
and His truth. For some, meditation is an attempt to achieve
complete mental passivity, but biblical meditation requires
constructive mental activity. Worldly meditation employs
visualization techniques intended to “create your own reality.”
And while Christian history has always had a place for the
sanctified use of our God-given imagination in meditation,
imagination is our servant to help us meditate on things that are
true (see Philippians 4:8). Furthermore, instead of “creating our
own reality” through visualization, we link meditation with

prayer to God and responsible, Spirit-filled human action to
effect changes.
In addition to these distinctives, let’s define meditation as deep
thinking on the truths and spiritual realities revealed in
Scripture, or upon life from a scriptural perspective, for the
purposes of understanding, application, and prayer. Meditation
goes beyond hearing, reading, studying, and even memorizing
as a means of taking in God’s Word. A simple analogy would be
a cup of tea. In this analogy your mind is the cup of hot water
and the tea bag represents your intake of Scripture. Hearing
God’s Word is like one dip of the tea bag into the cup. Some of
the tea’s flavor is absorbed by the water, but not as much as
would occur with a more thorough soaking of the bag. Reading,
studying, and memorizing God’s Word are like additional
plunges of the tea bag into the cup. The more frequently the tea
enters the water, the more permeating its effect. Meditation,
however, is like immersing the bag completely and letting it
steep until all the rich tea flavor has been extracted and the hot
water is thoroughly tinctured reddish brown. Meditation on
Scripture is letting the Bible brew in the brain. Thus we might
say that as the tea colors the water, meditation likewise “colors”
our thinking. When we meditate on Scripture it colors our
thinking about God, about God’s ways and His world, and about
ourselves. Similarly, as the tea bag flavors the water, so through
meditation we consistently “taste” or experience the reality
taught in the text. The information on the page becomes
experience in our hearts and minds and lives. Reading the Bible
tells the believer, for example, of God’s love. Meditation is
more likely to convince him or her of it personally and, in
biblically appropriate ways, to cause a person to feel loved by
God.
Joshua 1:8 and the Promise of Success
A specific scriptural connection between success and the
practice of meditation on God’s Word is found in Joshua 1:8. As

the Lord was commissioning Joshua to succeed Moses as the
leader of His people, He told him, “This Book of the Law shall
not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day
and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that
is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success.”
We must remember that the prosperity and success the Lord
spoke of here is prosperity and success in His eyes and not
necessarily in the world’s. From a New Testament perspective
we know that the main application of this promise would be
eternal riches and Christ-centered success—the prosperity of the
soul and spiritual success (though some measure of success in
our human endeavors would ordinarily occur as well when we
live according to God’s wisdom). Having made that
qualification, however, let’s not lose sight of the relationship
between meditation on God’s Word and true success.
True success is promised to those who meditate on God’s Word,
who think deeply on Scripture, not just at one time each day,
but at moments throughout the day and night. They meditate so
much that Scripture saturates their conversation. The fruit of
their meditation is action. They do what they find written in
God’s Word, and as a result God prospers their way and grants
success to them. Why? For striving “to do according to all that
is written in” God’s Word is just one of the biblical ways of
describing what the New Testament would characterize as the
pursuit of Christlikeness, and God loves to bless conformity to
His Son. From eternity past, God predestined that all those who
are in Christ will be made like Christ (see Romans 8:29). For all
eternity future, all those in Christ will be glorified (see Romans
8:30), that is, “we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2)—sinless,
perfect people reflecting the glory of God forever. So during
our earthly pilgrimage, the more we obey God’s Word—the
more we become like Jesus—the more we are fulfilling God’s
eternal plan to make us like His Son. That’s why God loves to

bless obedience. And so as meditation leads to obedience,
obedience results in God’s blessing. We are not told how much
of that blessing is material or spiritual, or how much of that
blessing is in this world or the next, but we know that God does
bless obedience.
How does the Discipline of meditation change us and place us
in the path of God’s blessing? David said in Psalm 39:3, “As I
mused, the fire burned.” The Hebrew word translated “mused”
here is closely related to the one rendered “meditate” in Joshua
1:8. Analogous to David’s musing that caused the fire of his
anger to burn higher, whenever we hear, read, study, or
memorize the fire of God’s Word (see Jeremiah 23:29), the
addition of meditation becomes like a bellows upon the fire of
what we’ve encountered, causing it to burn more intensely in
our experience at that moment. And just as when a fire blazes
with more intensity it radiates both more light and more heat, so
when we apply the bellows of meditation to the fire of God’s
Word, we see more light (insight and understanding) and feel
more heat (passion for obedient action). And as a result of this
growth in Christlike obedience, “then,” says the Lord, “you will
make your way prosperous, and then you will have good
success.”
Besides a bellows on a fire, meditation can also be compared to
lingering by a fire. Imagine that you’ve been outside on an icy
day and then come inside where there’s a hot, crackling fire in
the fireplace. As you walk toward it, you are very cold. You
stretch out your hands to the fire and rub them together briskly
during the two seconds it takes to walk past the glow and the
warmth. When you reach the other side of the room, you realize,
I’m still cold. Is there something wrong with you? Are you just
a second-class “warmer-upper”? No, the problem isn’t you; it’s
your method. You didn’t stay by the fire. If you want to get
warm, you have to linger by the fire until it warms your skin,
then your muscles, then your bones until you are fully warm.

The failure to linger is the reason why many fail to remember or
find their hearts warmed by the fire of God’s Word. It takes
their eyes about two seconds to go past the fire of verse one in
the chapter they are reading for the day. Then it takes their eyes
two seconds or so to read over verse two. And then another two
seconds as their eyes go past verse three, and so on until
they’ve finished reading. It doesn’t matter how many of those
two-second episodes you have; you will rarely remember or be
moved by something you look at for two seconds. Thus the
problem is probably not your memory or the coldness of your
heart, but your method. So why don’t you remember what you
read in the Bible? Could it be that you simply do not let your
mind linger over something you’ve read? And why does the
intake of God’s Word often leave us so cold and seem to
produce so little success in our spiritual lives? Puritan pastor
Thomas Watson has the answer: “The reason we come away so
cold from reading the word is because we do not warm
ourselves at the fire of meditation.”[2]
Psalm 1:1-3—the Promises
God’s promises in Psalm 1:1-3 regarding meditation are every
bit as generous as those in Joshua 1:8:
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
We think about what we delight in. A man and woman who have
found romantic delight think about each other at all hours.
When we delight in God’s Word (because it is the revelation of
God) we think about it; that is, we meditate on it, at times all
throughout the day and night. According to Psalm 1, the result
of such meditation is stability, fruitfulness, perseverance, and
prosperity. One writer said it crisply: “They usually thrive best
who meditate most.”[3]
The tree of your spiritual life thrives best with meditation
because it helps you absorb the water of God’s Word (see
Ephesians 5:26). Merely hearing or reading the Bible, for
example, can be like a short rainfall on hard ground. Regardless
of the amount or intensity of the rain, most runs off and little
sinks in. Conversely, meditation opens the soil of the soul and
lets the water of God’s Word percolate deeply. The result is an
extraordinary fruitfulness and spiritual prosperity.
Consider that again. Many who read this book are folk who hear
much of the Bible at church and perhaps again in a midweek
Bible study. You may often listen to recorded Bible teaching
and Christian music as well. You may read the Scriptures
almost every day, and possibly other Christian books like this
one. As a result you encounter a torrential amount of God’s
truth (not to mention the river of all the other information that
rushes through your eyes and ears) each week. But without

absorbing some of the water of the Word of God you encounter,
you will be little better for the contact. Hearing and reading the
Bible is the exposure to Scripture—that’s needful, but it’s only
the starting place. After the exposure to Scripture we need to
absorb it. Meditation is the absorption of Scripture. And it’s the
absorption of Scripture that leads to the experience with God
and the transformation of life we long for when we come to the
Bible. Yes, we want to hear and read the Bible—often and
much—but without the addition of meditation, warned the great
man of prayer and faith George Müller, “the simple reading of
the Word of God” can become information that “only passes
through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe.”[4]
The …

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