Original Post 3/22/13
Last updated 8/26/15
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Here are some of my own notes about journaling. I will continue to add to this list as I go. I would also love to hear your additions. Please feel free to comment below!
1. You and I don't realize how many things that we don't give to God on a daily basis. We mean to pray about them and intend to talk to God about them but we don't always manage to do so. When we take the time to sit down and write about it, we are not only more passionate about it but we're also more specific and in depth. Not to mention focused on seeking God in it!
2. By journaling, you and I can go back [later] and see how God answers our prayers. Then it can become a blessing book.
3. It's easier to identify the action items or things that we need to do in response to the situation.
4. Increase the impact of your journaling by making it a study tool. Pray, asking the Lord to speak to you. Study the Bible writing down any specific verse(s) that come to mind or that you look up. Then write down all of your little thoughts as you unpack the meaning of that scripture, or "ah ha" moments that you have when you feel like the Lord is speaking to you.
6. Seeing how much God responds to you gives you "evidence" that he is with you more than you think he is.
7. Since I have gotten serious about journaling, it has significantly helped me focus on my faith. I write almost every day, even if I don't share what is written. In order to do that, I am constantly listening (or at least trying hard to). -Which also means that it helps me stay in a more constant state of prayer.
8. Because of that, it also helps me gauge how much time I am spending with God. Sure, I read the Bible. I go to church. I attend Bible study. But am I really listening to God during those times and in all of the other moments in between??? For me, if I don't have time to write or if I don't have anything to write about, it most likely means that I have gotten too busy doing other things instead of spending time with him. I don't think that my faith would be the same if I didn't write or journal.
9. Consider the books of the Bible. Are they not journals kept by men and women before us? How powerful are their words? Look at how much the words affect the writers and the readers. How much does writing seem to support those that are strong in faith?
10. Get over your hang up about people finding out what you write. If we can't be honest about where we are because someone might find out, it's likely that we're also withholding from God. If you don't want to write it, type it up and hit save instead.
11. Many studies show that writing helps you remember. I'll let you do your own research for that but I can say that journaling about it has helped me remember scripture better than simply trying to memorize it. I just can't help but think of the verse:
Or checkout this page with other resources that I have come across.
Last updated 8/26/15
Here are some of my own notes about journaling. I will continue to add to this list as I go. I would also love to hear your additions. Please feel free to comment below!
1. You and I don't realize how many things that we don't give to God on a daily basis. We mean to pray about them and intend to talk to God about them but we don't always manage to do so. When we take the time to sit down and write about it, we are not only more passionate about it but we're also more specific and in depth. Not to mention focused on seeking God in it!
2. By journaling, you and I can go back [later] and see how God answers our prayers. Then it can become a blessing book.
3. It's easier to identify the action items or things that we need to do in response to the situation.
4. Increase the impact of your journaling by making it a study tool. Pray, asking the Lord to speak to you. Study the Bible writing down any specific verse(s) that come to mind or that you look up. Then write down all of your little thoughts as you unpack the meaning of that scripture, or "ah ha" moments that you have when you feel like the Lord is speaking to you.
- Proverbs7:1-3 My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
6. Seeing how much God responds to you gives you "evidence" that he is with you more than you think he is.
7. Since I have gotten serious about journaling, it has significantly helped me focus on my faith. I write almost every day, even if I don't share what is written. In order to do that, I am constantly listening (or at least trying hard to). -Which also means that it helps me stay in a more constant state of prayer.
8. Because of that, it also helps me gauge how much time I am spending with God. Sure, I read the Bible. I go to church. I attend Bible study. But am I really listening to God during those times and in all of the other moments in between??? For me, if I don't have time to write or if I don't have anything to write about, it most likely means that I have gotten too busy doing other things instead of spending time with him. I don't think that my faith would be the same if I didn't write or journal.
9. Consider the books of the Bible. Are they not journals kept by men and women before us? How powerful are their words? Look at how much the words affect the writers and the readers. How much does writing seem to support those that are strong in faith?
10. Get over your hang up about people finding out what you write. If we can't be honest about where we are because someone might find out, it's likely that we're also withholding from God. If you don't want to write it, type it up and hit save instead.
11. Many studies show that writing helps you remember. I'll let you do your own research for that but I can say that journaling about it has helped me remember scripture better than simply trying to memorize it. I just can't help but think of the verse:
- Luke 22:19 - Do this in remembrance of me.
- 1 Peter 4:10 - Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
- Psalm 45:1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
- 2 Corinthians 3:2-6 - You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
13. Blogging in particular has helped me share the Word not just online but in a personal setting as well. I have a terrible memory and I might not remember the exact scriptures while talking with a friend; but having it online and so easily accessible, allows me to quickly go back to my experience with the same subject and find that scripture again. It also helps YOU when you need the reminder. You don't have to wait until you get home to go look it up. If you're uncomfortable with a public blog you can use an app like Evernote (or one of these), which you can access from any pc, tablet or smart phone.
14. Journaling gives you a place to do something with that conviction or that thought. This item kind of turns into #4 after a little practice. But it starts by "I don't want to forget this" and so you put it into a file and come back to it later when you have more info about it. We don't always get the information at one time. Sometimes there is a process that we must go through to get the next step. Journaling gives you a way to organize those thoughts until you know what to do with them.
Journal resources and activities:
1. Get a timer. Set it for 15 minutes and just write a steady stream of words. Don't stop for spelling or corrections. If you don't know what to write, start with "I am holding a pen and writing on a piece of paper until I find something to say..." Then continue until the words flow. If it's a new habit then it will take time to get used to it. -But keep practicing!
14. Journaling gives you a place to do something with that conviction or that thought. This item kind of turns into #4 after a little practice. But it starts by "I don't want to forget this" and so you put it into a file and come back to it later when you have more info about it. We don't always get the information at one time. Sometimes there is a process that we must go through to get the next step. Journaling gives you a way to organize those thoughts until you know what to do with them.
Journal resources and activities:
1. Get a timer. Set it for 15 minutes and just write a steady stream of words. Don't stop for spelling or corrections. If you don't know what to write, start with "I am holding a pen and writing on a piece of paper until I find something to say..." Then continue until the words flow. If it's a new habit then it will take time to get used to it. -But keep practicing!
Or checkout this page with other resources that I have come across.
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