Sunday, January 10, 2016

JOURNAL

Today, Journey Church began a congregational pathway to greater spiritual health and hearing from God.

We gave everybody in the house a prayer journal and made a commitment to journal together as a congregation.

Some in our church have never done this before but I'm so excited about it.

There's no THOU SHALT JOURNAL commandment in the Bible.  But the Bible writers modeled it.

Many of the Psalms of David are him journaling his heart thoughts to God.

The book of Job is Job journaling about his struggles and personal pain.

Jeremiah's journal is called Lamentations as he records his deep agony over the fall of Jerusalem.

Solomon writes about his quest for purpose and fulfillment in a journal called Ecclesiastes.

So as Journey Church prays and spends time with God in 2016 we'll write out our thoughts and observations.  We'll write about what we glean from Scripture as we read.  We'll record an impression from the Holy Spirit as it comes to our minds and hearts.  We'll chronicle a vision or a dream God places inside us.

Remember, journaling has many purposes.

- Record your life journey
It's one thing to remember the generalities of life, but it's another thing to remember specific dialogue, thoughts and feelings.

- Have a tangible account of God's blessing
The Bible says after all God had done for them, Israel forgot God.  If we don't spend time reviewing what God has done, we shouldn't be surprised that God rarely seems near.  Journaling is a log of what God has done.

- Remind you of God's growth process in your life
Sometimes I think we just can't see our own growth with God.  Journaling will help you see you're becoming more like Jesus week-to-week.

- Develop the ability to hear from God
God wants to communicate with you.  As you write your thoughts, you train your ear to know His voice.

- Inspire your faith
One of the most rewarding aspects of a relationship with God is that He answers us when we call.  As you record thoughts and prayers that have been answered, your faith grows.  You develop a confidence that if God answered once, He'll answer again -- and again -- and again.

- Slow you down
Yeah.


So as you embark on a year of journaling, my friends, don't let the following happen in your life:

Don't make it a legalism.  You missed a day?  OK.  Get back on the boat.  Don't beat yourself up.

Don't become self-righteous.  You aren't better or more mature than everybody else around you just because you're journaling.

Don't get superstitious about it.  Just because you're journaling doesn't mean you now have a special open channel to God's approval.

Keep a right heart -- set a consistent quiet place and time -- make a commitment to stick to it -- write from your feelings, not just fact -- periodically review what you've written to discover your spiritual progress in your walk with God.

And have fun.

I'm so excited for you as you begin this amazing journey.

And be blessed.

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