The Devil Wants You to Forget

The one word God repeated more than any other before Israel entered the Promised Land... and still speaks to every believer today.

Forgetfulness isn’t harmless. It’s the slow erosion of identity. Every fall (from Eden to today) begins with amnesia - forgetting who God is, what He’s said, and who we are because of Him. That’s why before Israel ever entered the promised land, God didn’t tell them to fight. He told them to remember. And he said it over and over.

The word in the Hebrew is זָכַר (zakar). This isn’t about mental recall only. It means “to bring to mind in order to act”.

In the book of Deuteronomy, the word remember is used approximately 14 times (give or take).

1. Deut. 5:15 — “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt…”
   → Remembering delivers humility and compassion.

2. Deut. 7:18 — “But you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh…”
   → Remembering builds courage for current battles.

3. Deut. 8:2 — “You shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you…”
   → Remembering anchors gratitude and dependence.

4. Deut. 8:18 — “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.”→ Remembering guards against pride.

5. Deut. 9:7 — “Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord…”
   → Remembering breeds repentance and awareness of grace.

6. Deut. 9:27 — “Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…”
   → Moses uses zakar in prayer, asking God to remember covenant promises.

7. Deut. 15:15 — “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt…”
   → Remembering inspires generosity and justice.

8. Deut. 16:3 — “That you may remember the day when you came out of Egypt…”
   → Remembering is ritualized through Passover.

9. Deut. 16:12 — “You shall remember that you were a slave…”
   → Remembering keeps empathy alive.

10. Deut. 24:9 — “Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam…”
    → Remembering warns against disobedience.

11. Deut. 24:18 — “But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt…”
    → Remembering calls forth compassion for foreigners.

12. Deut. 24:22 — “You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt…”
    → Remembering shapes economic mercy and ethics.

13. Deut. 25:17 — “Remember what Amalek did to you…”
    → Remembering becomes part of justice — not vengeance, but vigilance.

14. Deut. 32:7 — “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations…”
    → Remembering preserves wisdom and generational awareness.

The biological significance of memory

God hardwired the very biology of our brains to mirror His spiritual design. Just as our neurons strengthen through repetition, our faith strengthens through remembrance. Every time we rehearse God’s faithfulness, we’re training our minds and hearts to anticipate it again.

Biologically, we are built with a memory and the capacity to remember for the purpose of prediction and survival. If we are able to recall the past, it helps us anticipate what might come next in the future.

When a young child gets burned by a hot stove, he remembers the pain he felt and the next time he sees a stove, he does not touch it. This ensures his survival.

Memories also help build our sense of identity. It orients us in time and space. It helps keep things emotionally coherent. It protects us against manipulation. It also helps us grow.

Imagine what would happen if we didn’t have a functioning memory. This is effectively amnesia.

The consequences are profoundly difficult. Ask anyone who has cared for a loved one with a disease that brings amnesia.

• Loss of identity: You don’t know your own story, so your sense of self collapses.

• Disorientation: Time feels broken. You can’t place yourself in a coherent past, present, and future.

• Emotional confusion: You may feel fear, sadness, or attachment with no context for why.

• Vulnerability to manipulation: Without memory, others can rewrite your story for you.

• Inability to learn or grow: You can’t use past experience to make better choices.

Our ability to remember is imperative to physical health, and God shows us it’s imperative to our spiritual health as well.

Recall is something that happens in the brain, and we know memories can skew over time. But when you put recall and action together, you get זָכַר (zakar). This is how you are able to rewire or strengthen neural pathways.

Remembrance in scripture was rooted in writings, traditions, festivals, foods, and actions. God knows are thoughts and stories can skew over time. He knows that cognitive “knowing” isn’t strong enough to impact future behavior.

In other words, Zakar is God’s design for spiritual prediction and trust.

One of the most important things you can do as a disciple of Jesus is to remember (recall & act) based on the written word. Whereas Abraham and Moses and Noah didn’t have the scriptures, we do.

We have the most abundant evidence of the actions and faithfulness of God of any people at any point in time in all of human history. We are without excuse, which is both frightening and awe inspiring.

We can know the God of the universe.

What zakar looks like today

Here’s how it looks in the moments that actually test us:

When you are angry at someone who has sinned against you, remember the wrong things you’ve done, and remember the way God graciously forgave you. This remembrance will make a way for you to forgive.

When you’re facing a terrible financial crisis, remember all the ways in which God has provided for you throughout your life, and remember the scriptures that talk about God’s care for the sparrows and lilies; things that aren’t made in the image of God like you are. This will make way for peace and trust, which help you think more clearly about next steps.

When you’re sick or injured and feeling lost, remember that scriptures that promise God will resurrect every child of God into a glorified body and give you eternal life with Him without pain or suffering or weakness. This will make way for hope grounded in reality, which brings emotional and mental relief because you know it’s not permanent.

When you are bored, restless, and depressed, remember that God has given us all of creation in which to witness the majesty of His power. This will make way for you to see Him in small things, bringing pleasure and contentment without your circumstances changing.

When you’re feeling impatient, remember the length of time the people of God waited for His promises to come to pass. 400 years in Egypt. 40 years in the wilderness. 400 years between Malachi and Jesus. Patience is mercy and grace, and you might know why things are delayed. This makes way for you to rest in God’s timing vs. striving yourself.

When you’re confused or unsure or lost, remember the ways in which the people of God returned to Him. It starts with repentance. And God promises His Holy Spirit will direct you. Read the scriptures and cry out for deliverance from sin. He WILL show up because He is good and He is unchanging.

Remember.

The devil wants you to forget.

He’s been doing it since the garden. “Did God really say…?” he said to Eve. Gave her a question to try to erase her memory of what truly happened.

It’s the number one thing God told the Israelites before entering the Promised Land. He knew it was important.

Remember through scripture memory, reading, singing, praying, meals, holidays, and any other rituals you can come up with.

It may not feel super “spiritual” every day, but remembering is one of the most powerful ways we stay connected to God and inoculated from the schemes of the devil.

To remember is to resist.