Join Me On the Journey

Journaling is a powerful tool to help you make lasting change in your life. There are many types of journals, but I think that the most important is what I call the quiet time journal.

I recommend that you keep your quiet time journal in a 3-ring notebook. You will have different sections in your quiet time journal and these sections will grow at different rates. Ideally, you should have tabs, but they are certainly optional. I have also found the using a 5½ X 8½ 3-ring binder works better for me. It is easier to handle because it’s closer in size to my Bible.

You will find the need for several different sections. Some of the sections in your quiet time journal, or notebook would include but not be limited to:

1. Prayer
2. Bible reading and Bible study
3. Application

How many times have you been asked to pray for someone? You soberly promise that you will pray. You have every intention of praying; and then you forget all about it. Later, when you see that person, they thank you for praying for them, and you feel badly. Having a prayer section in your quiet time journal helps keep that from happening.

The prayer section can be as simple as a list you jot down in random order. Make certain that you write down the date you add the request to your list. (I haven’t always been very good at this and I always regret it later!) Also, it’s fun to highlight your prayer request when it is answered and jot down the date of the answer as well.

The prayer section of my quiet time journal is subdivided into several sections. I have a section for my husband and myself; a section for each child; a section for my extended family; and a section for friends. You will probably find that you will have different sections. Just start somewhere and you can expand or change it as needed.

The Bible is God’s love letter to you. We all know the benefits of reading and studying the Bible.

However, reading the Old Testament is difficult for most of us. I recommend reading through the OT chronologically as it helps you to acquire an overview of the history. There are many chronological reading plans online.

I recommend using one of the modern translations when reading through the Old Testament. The modern translations are more like a story and it really helps you to get more out of your Bible reading. There was a time in my life when I would only read from King James Version, but now I use many different translations and use the KJV as my gold standard.

Something else that is interesting is a Harmony of the Gospels. Google it; there are great resources. It is enlightening to see the different perspectives of the same event.

Another great resource is the One Year Bible. This Bible breaks your daily Bible reading into an Old Testament reading; a reading from the New Testament; a passage from Psalms; and one or two verses from Proverbs. There are also several different translations of the One Year Bible.

Pick some kind of Bible reading plan—even a devotional book. There is no rule that says that you have to read the Bible cover to cover. Honestly, few people do. It takes a lot of discipline. Pray about it and ask God to give you the desire and discipline to read the Bible through.

There is a difference between Bible reading and Bible study. I was truly set free when I finally realized that. Bible reading is best done on a regular basis; for example, consistently reading three chapters per day. Bible study should be done when you have a chunk of time—at least 30 to 45 minutes or more.

Again, there are many different ways to study the Bible. Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word by Rick Warren is a wonderful book that introduces you to different Bible study methods. I have really enjoyed learning each different method and I highly recommend the book.

The last area that I would like to touch on is application: application of your prayer and application of your Bible reading and study. This is the part of your quiet time where you listen to your Heavenly Father and ask Him what He wants you to work on in your life.

There are numerous ways to make application in your quiet time. Focus on a verse that speaks to you during your Bible reading. Ask God to help you apply the verse. Listen for God’s gentle correction during your prayer time. Allow Him to reveal those areas of your life that you are trying to hide from Him and from others. Confession truly is good for the soul.

There are several systems that serve to pull all the above aspects together. One of the “oldies but goodies” is ACTS. In fact, I couldn’t find the original source of this system online. The acronym ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. There are many online sources to explain this system. Becky Tirabassi also has a complete quiet time system which you can read about in her book Let Prayer Change Your Life.

It is okay to pick and choose areas to focus on. There are seasons in your life and it is okay to focus on different aspects of your spiritual life during different seasons.

In the same token, it is not necessary to do the same thing every day. You can concentrate on different disciplines on different days of the week. You may have some days that you have more time, for example, on the week end. Your schedule may be more flexible on different days of the week. You may also break up your quiet time throughout the day if this works better for you. The important thing is to have your quiet time regularly.

Your quiet time journal is a personal record of your spiritual journey. Keeping this journal will help you to focus and it will also afford you the ability to look back and see how far you have come. I promise you it will become a priceless tool in your journey toward obedience and consistency.

Recommended Reading:

Let Prayer Change Your Life by Becky Tirabassi

Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word by Rick Warren

Popularity: 90%

Did you know that you are surrounded by television signals? It doesn’t matter where you are, there are television signals coursing through the air. You could say, “Well, I don’t believe they’re there because I can’t see them!”

But, I could prove to you they are there by taking a television set, plugging it in, and tuning it in. Then you would hear and see that the waves are there whether you perceive them or not. The broadcast was there before the set was turned on and tuned it; it didn’t start when you turned on the TV, it originated whenever that station opened its doors and began broadcasting. However, you only began receiving that broadcast when you began to utilize a device designed to receive that signal.

Now, if you’re watching TV and all of the sudden, the channel you’re watching goes dark, what do you think? Do you automatically think that the station stopped broadcasting? No, probably the first thing you’ll do is turn to another station. If all the stations are black, you know that there’s something wrong with your receiver, but the signal is still being broadcast.

We can apply this analogy to God. God has the transmitter. He built the transmitter. He is broadcasting. He is the giver of all earthly and spiritual blessings. Everything comes from Him.

He has already transmitted those blessings and if you aren’t seeing them manifest in your life, it’s not time for you to pray and ask God to fix His transmitter. It’s time for you to fix your receiver.

Most of us, when we’re not feeling the joy of the Lord, we go to Him and we say, “Oh God, where’s my joy? What’s wrong?” We may lament, as David did,

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Psa 51:10-12 (KJV)

There’s a song that many of us have sung in church that is based on this passage of scripture written by King David; and it is a beautiful song. But, it is based on the Old Testament covenant.

When you or I pray this prayer, it makes what Jesus came to do for us on the cross of none effect (as it says in I Cor. 1:17). David did not have a New Testament covenant that God would stick with him through thick and thin. There were times when God took His hand of protection off the Old Testament man. The Old Covenant was based on performance (sacrifices, etc). Old Testament believers were not born again as we are today.

What we have is infinitely better. Jesus said:

…lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Matt 28:20b (KJV)

This is a covenant promise of the New Testament and if you’ve been born again but you don’t feel the presence of God, there are a couple of possibilities.

1. you may not truly understand the benefits of the covenant that you have with Jesus
2. or, you may be in unbelief

Instead of praying, “Where are you, God?” try praying,

“Father, I don’t feel Your presence. It seems like You’ve left me. There’s no indication of Your presence in my life…But…I know that You are here with me. I know that Your Word promises that You will never leave me or forsake me, so I know that You are here. Whatever is causing me to feel this way, I know it’s not You that’s forsaken me.

So, Father, I’m not going to pray the prayer of David and say, “Don’t leave me! Don’t cast me away! Don’t take Your Holy Spirit from me! Restore unto me the joy of my salvation.” Father, I know it’s already here. And if I’m not feeling it, it’s not Your transmitter, it’s my receiver.

Help me to fix my receiver and release the blessings that reside in me…in my spirit.”

This is a prayer of faith.

Now, what do you do if you aren’t receiving the signal from God; if you aren’t receiving His blessings? What do you do if your receiver is broken?

You go to the owner’s manual and figure out how to fix it. Can you guess what the owner’s manual is?

When we pray and read and study God’s Word, we are studying the owner’s manual.

If you’re struggling to receive the signal from God, spend some time studying the owner’s manual and learn how to repair your receiver. God is so faithful.

God Bless You on Your Journey!

Popularity: 93%

You have most likely heard the saying, “Confession is good for the soul.”

One of the things that I am focusing on in my life is keeping a short account with God; admitting to God, and more importantly myself, that I sin…regularly.

So, what is sin? If you’re like me, you have heard the definition that sin is “missing the mark.” It’s a term used in shooting. In other words, you shoot for something and you don’t hit the bullseye.

There are also sins of omission…things we don’t do.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:17 (KJV)

This means that I always have plenty to confess.

But, rather than just tell you that confession is important, I would like to show you how to practically implement a time of confession into your quiet time.

Sometime during your quiet time, turn your heart inward and ask God to show you what  in your life you need to confess. My favorite passage that speaks specifically to this is Psalm 139:23-24.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (KJV)

I like this passage because it talks about knowing my heart and my thoughts. Heart here is another word for soul, which includes mind, emotions, will, and conscience. And that’s where you want God to be at work…in your mind (thought-life), your emotions, your will, your conscience. Actions follow beliefs. If you submit your thoughts to God and allow Him to work in your thought-life, your actions will change.

When your ask for God’s revelation, take a moment to listen.  Things will begin to come to mind; things you need to do; things you need to stop doing; attitudes you need to change; people to whom you need to make amends. God will speak to your heart; write down what He says.

God is so faithful and He honors your efforts to change.  If you are faithful to ask, He will reveal areas of your life that need change.

God Bless You on Your Journey!

Popularity: 11%

How can I know God?

This is an age-old questions, isn’t it. On the one hand, most of us would probably say that we know about God, but do we really know God?

How do you get to know someone?

Well, one of the best ways to learn about someone is to spend time with them. However, it’s not that easy with God because it’s not like you can physically sit down with Him and have a two-way conversation across the dinner table; or with the two of you sitting in an easy chair in the front room; or even walking side-by-side down a country road enjoying the scenery.
(read the rest of the article…)

Popularity: 4%

Sometimes, I think of my heart (or soul) like a huge house with many rooms. There is a beautiful sitting room where I allow company to come when they visit. Only the best furniture is there and the most beautiful decorations. That room is always kept clean and dusted. It’s where I put on “my best face” and it’s very formal. When people are only allowed in this area of my heart, they don’t know the real me.

Next is the main living area. I’m much less formal there. That’s where I let my family and friends come. It’s a little more lived in. People who are allowed in this area see more of the real me, my thoughts, my hopes, my dreams, my attitudes. They see how I really live, but they only see what I allow them to see.

There are, however, some rooms that are closed up and dark; full of clutter, cobwebs, and dust; the windows covered with heavy drapes so that no light comes in. Those are the areas of old baggage, bad attitudes, and hurt. No one is allowed in those areas of my house. I don’t even go there very often.

But…

God goes in there. I don’t like to think about it, but He’s there. He’s everywhere at all times. And, He beckons me to come in with Him and clean those rooms out.

The first thing He does is open the drapes to let the light come it. Then, I truly see the disarray. I find old reminders of hurts from the past and they have to be grieved over and healing received.

It’s hard work. Sometimes it’s scary, and sometimes it is painful.

But, when it is finished…it is worth it.

Popularity: 5%

I finished up the 21 Day Reformation with my new friends this past week end. My area of focus was on prayer.

There were several things that I took away from that time. First of all, I remembered that the time I was most consistent in my prayer time was after I had read Becky Tirabassi’s book, Let Prayer Change Your Life, so I dug out the copy that I had and reread it.

One of the things that she recommends is that you think of your prayer time as if it were an appointment with God.

What an awesome thought!

Imagine for a moment, if you were able to make an appointment with someone that you truly respected…the CEO of the company you work for (unless that’s you, LOL), your favorite Bible teacher (Joyce Meyer or Beth Moore, for example)…the President (or other government official). If you were given that opportunity, do you think you would be late? Would you ever think, “I would really rather sleep in this morning” or “I’m just too busy to meet with President Bush”?

Thinking of my prayer time as an appointment with God has really made me more purposeful in prayer. I actually imagine God sitting down with me at the dining room table and I write a letter to Him as if I were talking to Him. I ask Him the questions I have as I’m reading the Bible. I ask Him what He wants me to do with my life. It’s been just awesome!

Now, this may not effect everyone the way that it has effected me, but I would challenge you to make an appointment with God and see if it doesn’t make you feel a little differently about your prayer life.

Popularity: 3%

This morning, I was reading the book of I Samuel and there was a verse that really struck me.

Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. I Sam 3:1b (NLT)

I got to thinking that “those days” are these days…present day in our lives. We’re not hearing from God. Messages from the Lord are very rare, and visions are quite uncommon. Why is that?

I believe there are two reasons: we don’t give God the time to speak and we don’t get quiet enough to hear Him speak.

First of all, many of us do not give God the time. It takes time to get to know someone…even God. Knowing God is like knowing another person here on earth. How do you get to know your husband or know your friend? You spend time with them. Time listening. If you have a friend and whenever you get together, you only talk and never listen, how long do you think that friendship is going to last?

Think of your relationship with God as more like a friendship and think about how your friends would feel if you treated them like you treat God. That can be an eye-opening experience. (Of course, our relationship with God is different because God isn’t fickle. He will “never leave you, or forsake you.” (Heb 13:5) But, it is helpful to think of our relationship with God in these terms sometimes.)

Secondly, we have so much noise in our lives. Who among us takes the time to truly sit in quiet with God on a regular basis? Even during our quiet time, we have the radio on or praise music on. Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t listen to praise music. That can be a vital part of our quiet time, but I am saying that there is a benefit to “quiet” during our “quiet time.”

And, during the day, how much quiet is there in your life? Do you have the TV on? the radio on? your iPod stuck in your ears? your kids running pell-mell through the house? Can you take a few moments and turn everything off? It takes practice to hear the voice of God.

When Elijah wanted to hear the voice of God, do you remember what happened?

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. I Kings 19:11-12 (NLT)

I want to encourage you that it doesn’t take long for you to receive the blessing of hearing from God. He is so happy when we begin talking and listening to Him an a regular basis.I can say that I have had a regular quiet time for several months now. (It was about time, considering that I have been a Christian since I was a small child!) I cannot even begin to list the blessings that I have received in the last months as I have begun to learn to listen to God. He is so faithful.

Won’t you begin to take the time and get quiet before God? I promise that you too can hear His voice.

Popularity: 4%

Did you ever stop to think that most of us treat prayer like a spare tire? After all, what is a spare tire? It’s our back-up plan. It keeps us on the road if we have a flat. So, how does that relate to prayer?

Most of us are driving down the highway, speeding toward our own plans and dreams and wants. As long as things are going well, we don’t really take time to pray. We are, often unconsciously, saying, “God, I don’t need You right now. I’ve got everything under control. But, thanks for being there just in case I need You.”

But then, we hear that familiar noise and feel the slight pull on the steering wheel. Our plans fall apart; our dreams fade; and our wants dance tantalizingly out of our reach. What do we do then? “God, I need You!” “God could You work this out for me?” “God, go get it for me…pleeeeeeeeease!” “God, show me what to do.”

I am so grateful that God is there for me when I call. I’m so glad that I never pull Him out from the back of the car to find that He is flat.

My desire is to make Him the steering wheel instead of the spare tire. Won’t you join me?

Popularity: 6%

I have admitted to myself that I don’t have a good prayer habit. I know that the first step toward change is admitting that I need to change.

Part of that is examining whether making a habit of prayer is truly important to me. It is, by the way, okay to admit that prayer just is not a priority in your life. This applies not only to having a regular prayer or quiet time, but with everything that requires discipline in your life. There are seasons of life, and no one can do everything at every point of their lives.

I would contend that prayer is a vital part of the believer’s life and shouldn’t be ignored, but if you aren’t truly committed to praying every day, the fact is, you are not going to do it. You will do one of the things that I have done in the past. You may mentally assent that you need to pray and then promptly forget about it (except for the times that it comes up and nags you). You may decide that you are going to pray regularly, but not form a solid plan and so it doesn’t last.

The second step is to get a plan. The plan for praying regularly is to ask yourself questions.

1. Why do you want to pray?
2. When are you going to pray?
3. Where are you going to pray?
4. How are you going to pray?

(read the rest of the article…)

Popularity: 4%

I don’t understand prayer.

It seems so strange to admit that. I have been a Christian since I was a little girl and you would think that prayer would be such a natural part of my life by now, but it isn’t. I have to work at it. And I really don’t understand it.

So, I’m embarking on a journey…a journey to understand prayer.

To understand something means to to perceive the meaning of; grasp the idea of; comprehend; to be thoroughly familiar with; apprehend clearly the subtleties of; to grasp the significance, implications, or importance of.

I can give a definition of prayer, but I don’t really perceive the meaning of it, or grasp the full significance of it. I can read about other people’s experience in prayer, but I cannot say that I have truly experienced prayer in my life.

I have been very sporadic in prayer over my years as a Christian. There have been times in my life, when I was walking my own way, when I would go days without even thinking about God, let alone praying. Now, I have a prayer notebook where I write down the prayer requests that I have, but it’s hard for me to sit down and really concentrate on those requests. I end up just listing them off, and I just don’t think that is what God has in mind.

I do, however, keep a running conversation with God. When I journal, I am talking to God. My journals are like a letter to Him. And I call on Him many times a day when I feel overwhelmed with life or impatient with the children.

So, I am going to focus on prayer for the remainder of the 21 Day Reformation.

I am going to be rereading the book Let Prayer Change Your Life by Becky Tirabassi. It is a book that I read many years ago and I followed the principles at the time and I had a lot of success in my prayer life, but I wasn’t committed and it slipped away.

I’m determined for it to “stick” this time! So, I’ll work toward that these 21 days…and beyond.

Does anyone want to journey with me? We could form an accountability group…wouldn’t that be fun????? Let me know in the comments or by e-mailing me if you are interested. I would really like some company.

Popularity: 4%