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How to Revolutionize Your Devotional Life Through the Discipline of Journaling
Laurie Snyman, LMSW
Journaling with Jesus
Š 2011 by Laurie Snyman, Lansing, Michigan
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by recording or photocopy without written permission of the author.
Photos by Melissa S. DiLernia, MSDphotography.com, Fenton, MI Layout and Design by Jim Winslow, Nvisionet.com, Grand Rapids, MI
Printed in the USA
Journaling with Jesus
Contents Chapter
Subject
One
Be Still While Journaling
11
Two
Getting Smart While Journaling
17
Three
Benefits of Journaling
19
Four
Secure in His Love with Journaling
25
Five
The Difference Between a Diary and Journaling
27
Six
Keep Your Journal Safe
31
Seven
Persistence in Journaling
33
Eight
Journaling Can Change You
39
Nine
A Journaling Plan
47
Ten
Equip Yourself for Journaling
51
Eleven
Discerning The Voice of God
55
Twelve
Prayer and Journaling
59
Thirteen
The Bible and Journaling
65
Fourteen
Writing in a Journal
69
Leaving a Legacy for Your Family
75
God Makes You Beautiful
79
Fifteen
Final Notes
Page
Journaling with Jesus
Chapter One Have you ever wondered why some people talk about their religious experience with God in loving, passionate ways when your own experience is as cold as a wintertime walk in bare feet? Why do certain people seem so excited about God? Have you wondered, ‘what is wrong with me?’ Most Christians desire a closer walk with God. For me, I didn’t start to discover that warm experience for myself until I started journaling. I’m excited to share the concept of journaling with you. You can revolutionize your devotional life through the discipline of journaling.
BE STILL I am afraid of silence. It seems I constantly turn on background noise on constantly while at home or in my car with a radio on or iPod. Right now, as I am writing, I am listening to a sermon. The idea of being quiet seems more like a idle state of mind. I have always tried to avoid inactivity, fearful I will get more behind. I feel uncomfortable if I am not in a state of perpetual motion. I have often forgotten that getting to know God means closing my mouth, stopping the background noise and being still. Sometimes I just have to shut my mouth (when my mouth is open, it feels most comfy to me) and simply sit before God. I had to make an intentional effort to change this. But, what a great benefit it has been to my spiritual walk with God. In Psalm 46:10, God bids me to, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ I need to do what God wants and not what my human feelings tell me to do. Perhaps you, too, feel best when you are active or talking. But as that text reads, being still will give you an opportunity to learn of God and His individual plan for your life.
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Journaling with Jesus
In a world littered with technology, noise and constant movement, stillness can seem like a forgotten pastime. In the busyness of life, one of the ways that you can take time to simply be with God is through the process of journaling. It is a discipline you can attempt. If you would just try it, journaling can allow you to reflect and connect with Christ in an intimate and personal way. It can be an exciting tool to grow your personal relationship with Jesus that, perhaps like me, you may have always wanted. Journaling, by its very nature, provides a written record of a set period of time in your life. Through the good and bad times of your life, journaling can be useful. It allows you to experience God within all aspects of your life: the past and the present, and your hopes and dreams. Journaling can be an effective way to track your growth in Christ as you see areas of maturity and areas of hidden immaturity, sin struggles and repetitive habits that you have yet to allow Christ to redeem. And, you don’t have to share them with a human who can exploit you or tell your secrets. You get to share this with your Creator who has your back. Journaling allows you to review your walk and see your growth. You need reassurance you are moving forward. It keep us from getting discouraged, something that happens to many Christians. It provides a written record of our days, months and years, revealing intimate aspects of your relationship with God and those around us. It is an opportunity to record your prayer requests and His answers, and feel joy as you become aware of how God is working in your life. Your faith can’t help but grow, like mine, when you see how God has been taking care of you. Keeping a journal has been one of the most satisfying and 14
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