Fighter Verse App Support

This collection of verses is a work that began in 1976. God put it in the heart of Sally Michael’s sister, Linda (Fregeau) McIntire, to arm her 3rd-grade students with the Word of God. She encouraged them to memorize 120 verses which she called “Fighter Verses.” David and Sally Michael continued to add verses to Linda’s list as they nurtured the faith of their two daughters. It became the set of verses that they hoped their children would commit to memory by the time they reached adulthood. With the help of David’s ministry assistant, Connie Kopischke, the list became a set of cards that provided convenience and encouragement for other individuals and families to make the discipline of Bible memory a habit.

In the fall of 1996, when David and Sally Michael moved into full-time family ministry at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, preparations began to launch a church-wide Bible memory challenge. Char Ransom led a committee that helped prepare the congregation to take on the challenge of learning the first set of Fighter Verses in 1997. John Piper encouraged the congregation with his enthusiastic support and suggestions of additional verses. Kathi Westlund and Sally labored to refine the collection to its current form (now the Legacy verses). Carrie Zeman took on the monumental task of formatting, compiling the components, and getting everything to press on time. Partnering with Children Desiring God, the collection of verses was published, with a vision to encourage Bible memory in the wider church.

We rejoice in the grace of God and the love for his Word that is manifest in the people of Bethlehem—and now many others as well—who have joyfully committed themselves to memorizing the Fighter Verses. The experiences shared as the people of God learn these verses bears witness to the fact that the Word of God is mighty and that God is able to accomplish more than we could ever ask or imagine. May the Lord bless you, as we have been blessed, as you endeavor to hide the Word of God in your heart.

This latest revision to the Fighter Verse program was a cooperative effort between David and Sally Michael, Bethlehem Baptist Church, and Children Desiring God. While the vision for equipping believers to fight for faith remains the same, the revision incorporates suggestions and feedback from users to accommodate more memorizing styles. For a list of changes, see “What’s the Difference?”(pdf).

The Different Sets

Fighter Verses

The Fighter Verses focus on the character and worth of our great God, battling against our fleshly desires, and the hope of the Gospel. This five-year memory program is a revision of the original program, now the Legacy Set, and includes a number of the original verses as well as many new verses.

Extended Memory Set

The Extended Memory Set is designed for those who wish to memorize longer passages of Scripture. Still structured as a five-year program, this set will walk you through memorizing Philippians, James, Romans 5-8, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and one year of larger passages from various books of the Bible that are considered key to the life of faith.

Legacy Set

The Legacy Set is the original Fighter Verse collection as it was released in 1997, focusing on the fight of faith. Along with a number of short passages, this collection also includes the Sermon on the Mount (as the fifth year). The Legacy FV Collection will be available through 2011.

Foundation Verses

Foundation Verses are strategically chosen Bible verses for children preschool through age five. The pack includes verses designed to lay a firm scriptural foundation of basic Biblical truth that will pave the way for faith response.

Translations Used

The majority of Fighter Verse memory materials are available in two Bible translations: The English Standard Version (ESV) and the New International Version (NIV). Additionally, some electronic resources are also available in the King James Version (KJV) translation.

Please note: All materials marked as “NIV” are taken from the 1984 edition of the New International Version, and do not reflect any of the revisions of the 2010 New International Version.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (LBLA) are taken from LA BIBLIA DE LAS AMERICAS®, © Copyright 1986, 1995, 1997 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.LBLA.com)

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com