Remember: Three Memories That Build Your Faith

Introduction

As the Easter season approaches, Brendan White invites us to open the Word around a word that Jesus himself placed at the heart of the Lord's Supper: "Do this in remembrance of me." Your spiritual memory is not optional, it is a territory the enemy targets to sow doubt. In this message, you are called to remember who God is, who you are in him, and what he has promised to do. Three memories that together build a faith that endures.

Message Outline

1. Memory is a battle

• Jesus left us communion so we would remember (1 Corinthians 11:24), memory is a spiritual act, not a reflex.
• From the Garden of Eden, the enemy attacks memory: "Did God really say?" Doubt seeks to erase the truth God gave you.
• We live in a world that distracts and fills your memory with secondary things, like an overloaded phone that needs to sort its photos.
• Deuteronomy 8:11 urges you: "Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God." Forgetting is not neutral, it opens the door to pride.

2. Remember who God is

• Psalm 103: "Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Forgiveness, healing, goodness, compassion, the list is already deposited in your life.
• As Passover approaches, remember that through the ten plagues, the Lord dethroned Egypt's gods one by one: the Nile, fertility, dust, livestock, health, weather, crops, light, life.
• The God who freed his people from slavery is the same today: God of provision, God of multiplication, God of health, God of light, God of life.
• "If he has done it before, he can do it again." What God accomplished yesterday builds your faith for today.

3. Remember who you are in Christ

• If you forget your identity in Jesus, you let circumstances, failure, culture, or comparison define you instead.
• You are an heir, called, chosen, loved, shaped by God for a glorious life and for a time such as this.
• You are seated with Christ in heavenly places: promotion does not come only from your efforts, there is a divine factor on your life.
• Surround yourself with people who remind you of who you are in God, especially when you yourself forget.

4. Remember what God is going to do

• Deuteronomy 7: when fear whispers "these nations are more numerous than me," remember what the Lord did to Pharaoh.
• Brendan tells the story of the church's early days in a hall in Paris' 13th arrondissement, with no air conditioning and only one working toilet, then God opened the Bobino theater. Remembering yesterday's Bobinos builds faith for tomorrow.
• Lamentations 3: in the midst of distress, the author chooses to meditate on God's compassions that "are new every morning."
• Your God has a hope and a future for you. Do not let circumstances erase the promise.

Key Takeaways

• Spiritual memory is a discipline: Jesus left us communion so we would actively choose to remember him.
• The enemy has targeted your memory since Genesis 3; doubt is his first weapon.
• The ten plagues of Egypt are a reminder that the God who dethroned yesterday's false gods still reigns over your situations today.
• Your identity in Christ is not negotiable with circumstances: you are called, loved, positioned, seated with Christ.
• Remembering what God has already done, in Scripture and in your own story, is the key to believing what he is still going to accomplish.

Personal Application

1. Which "benefit" from Psalm 103 do you tend to forget right now? Take time to name it before God.
2. Where is the enemy whispering in your heart today: "Did God really say...?", and what does the Word answer?
3. What circumstances are trying to define you in place of your identity in Christ? How will you respond this week?
4. What "Bobino story" has God already written in your life? Write it down, share it, keep it within reach of your memory.
5. Is there a command from God that you have let slip from your daily memory? How can you set it back before your eyes, like a post at the gate?

Cited Verses

• 1 Corinthians 11:24 · "Do this in remembrance of me"
• Psalm 103 · "Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits"
• Deuteronomy 8:11-18 · "Be careful that you do not forget the Lord"
• Exodus 2:24 · "God remembered his covenant"
• Deuteronomy 7:17-18 · "Remember what the Lord did to Pharaoh"
• Lamentations 3:19-23 · "His compassions are new every morning"
• Matthew 19:14 · "Let the little children come to me"

Further reading

• 20 Verses to Pray for Your Church
• Bible Verses on Teamwork: 20 Texts
• 20 Verses on the Unity of the Church

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is spiritual memory so important in the Bible?

Throughout Scripture, God reminds his people to remember: his deliverance from Egypt, his commandments, his benefits. Jesus himself left communion as a memorial: "Do this in remembrance of me." Spiritual memory is not a mere sentimental exercise, it is the foundation upon which your faith and obedience are built. What you retain about God shapes the way you will walk through the seasons.

How do you avoid forgetting the Lord in a culture that constantly distracts?

Brendan White takes up the image from Deuteronomy 8: when everything is going well, pride whispers "my own strength has gained this for me." Against this, the Word calls for active attention. Practically, this means writing down what God has done, sharing it in church, meditating on the Psalms like Psalm 103, and regularly returning to the biblical stories and your own journey. Memory does not maintain itself, it must be cultivated.

What does "if he has done it before, he can do it again" mean?

It is a simple pastoral key: the God who parted the Red Sea, who dethroned the gods of Egypt, who raised Jesus from the dead, does not change. Remembering his past works, in Scripture and in your own story, fuels your faith to believe he will act again, even in situations that seem stuck. The memory of the past opens up hope for the future.