Devotional journals have ranged from a child jotting down her daily thoughts about God in a notebook to sophisticated systematic undertakings containing structured Bible texts, disciplinary exercises, and other activities. It's simply “a written record of personal reactions to spiritual topics,” according to Dan Phillips. The most important aspect of keeping a journal is that it allows you to spiritually share yourself with God and yourself. You're pouring your heart out to God, but you're also part of the audience, as you revisit it to see how you've grown spiritually or shrunk. (It's not simply journaling; it's also keeping a journal.)
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How do you start a god's journal?
With scripture above, I've supplied some wonderful prayer journaling ideas (aka: bible journaling prompts), and below you'll find six Christian journaling topics:
- Ask God for help with all of the decisions you need to make this week, and write a list of them for him to consider.
Prayer Journal Ideas: Prayer Journal Entry Examples
Here's an example of a prayer diary entry from my own. I believe that God speaks to you when you begin writing and pondering with him, so don't feel obligated to follow this prayer diary template to the letter as you begin your own journey!
As you can see, I've included daily thanks, affirmations, and on this particular day, I was inspired by the book of Esther!
What happens when you have a spiritual awakening?
As Kaiser argues, this is the start of your spiritual journey, as you begin to doubt everything you previously believed. You begin to purge certain aspects of your life (habits, relationships, and outdated belief systems) in order to make room for new, more meaningful experiences. You may sense that something is lacking, but you aren't sure what it is. It's common to feel disoriented, confused, and down during this time.
How do I start a spiritual journey?
The spiritual journeyand the resulting “spiritual awakening” we seekalways appears to take place in some exotic location or following a spectacular incident.
Perhaps you believe you need to travel to Peru to drink ayahuasca or leave your spouse to get the spiritual awakening you seek?
From the comfort of your own home, you may connect with your spirituality and awaken to the lessons that are meant for you over and over again throughout your life.
How do you start journaling for mental emotional and spiritual growth?
Here are some of my top ideas if you want to start journaling or if you've tried before but never made it a habit:
Don't worry about the medium
Many people are unsure whether paper or digital diaries are preferable. My opinion is that none of them are better than the others; it all depends on the individual.
Writing in a classic paper diary may be the ideal option for you if you prefer to chew over your thoughts and take your time.
If you like typing and want to move rapidly with your thoughts, you might want to try an online diary or note-taking program like Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, Penzu, or another password-protected website.
Keep your journal private
Your journal should be kept private and not posted on your Facebook page, Instagram account, YouTube channel, or any other social media network.
The answer is that we prefer to censor our ideas and feelings before sharing them with others.
It's best to keep your journal private because it should be a place where you can write freely without worry of being judged or scrutinized.
No one is preventing you from sharing some of your private thoughts with people vocally, but try to keep what you've written to yourself.
You might also want to consider how to keep your journal safe. You could use a password-protected website like Evernote, or buy a lock and key (or hide it well) if you're using a physical journal.
The more assured you are in your ability to keep your ideas secret, the easier it will be for you to write freely.
Don't bother with spelling, grammar, and punctuation
It took me many years as a perfectionist to quit proofreading my journal entries for spelling and grammatical problems.
Yes, I realize that sounds foolish, but it can be difficult for us precisionists to just let go and write “Without remorse.”
I eventually recognized that trying to edit my diary entries was really stopping my flow of ideas and feelings because I was too preoccupied with trying to make them perfect “follow the rules.”
Try not to be anal-retentive when writing; instead, just let it all out it feels so much better!
When it comes to writing in my journal, I no longer follow capitalization or sentence structure guidelines. To hell with neatness, just blurt it all out!
Forget about being a “good writer
The objective of journaling is to self-reflect and record the ideas and feelings you've been having for self-growth, not to compose a literary masterpiece.
Don't worry about whether it sounds poetic or eloquent; just write whatever comes to mind.
Set a regular time of day
Setting aside time every day to journal is required to make journaling a habit. I prefer to write in the end of the day, but your preferences may differ.
Choose one time of day to focus on and attempt to stick to it. You could write first thing in the morning, after morning tea, after lunch, or last thing at night, for example.
Just go with the flow if you're motivated to write at a time of day you're not used to writing. There are no hard and fast rules here.
Write your deepest thoughts and feelings
Journaling is an intuitive exercise because it needs you to listen into your emotions and allow them to flow onto the page.
Journaling is most helpful for me and many others when it is a place where we may communicate and ponder our deepest ideas and feelings.
In my journal, for example, I enjoy analyzing my most recent emotional insights, challenges, and existential epiphanies.
It all depends on how I'm feeling. Sometimes I'll write for a minute, and other times I'll write for up to an hour.
There's no need for time restrictions
Allowing your writing to flow is preferable to imposing strict time constraints.
Of course, in a perfect world, we'd all have ample time to journal, but that's not always the case. As a result, time constraints are sometimes necessary (i.e., if you have a dozen to-do items scheduled for the day).
Take as much time as you need if you have some spare time! Allowing your inner self to manifest on paper is a wonderful sensation.
There's no need to “set out ten minutes a day,” as many people suggest; I find that time constraints turn journaling into a duty rather than a fun self-development exercise.
But, as I previously stated, if you only have a limited amount of time or are having trouble getting into the habit of journaling, time constraints can be beneficial.
If you're struggling, ask these questions …
We all have days when we just don't feel like it “It's difficult to get into the “flow” of writing and share our thoughts.
This is something I hear a lot as an author and blogger: it's just part of life's natural ebb and flow.
If you ever find yourself in this situation, here are some thought-provoking questions to ask yourself:
I prefer to simply allow my ideas and feelings to flow “Some individuals prefer a more structured method, while others prefer to “vomit” onto the page (it's part of my shadow work practice).
If you're one of those organized folks, a list of questions like the one above might come in handy.
Don't be afraid to explore traumatic experiences
Write about what bothers you, what you're afraid of, and what you're afraid to say. Allow yourself to be split open.
Journaling is about growth, and part of that progress often entails processing difficult memories from the past.
Our past experiences could have been frightening, distressing, or upsetting at times. Don't be scared to dig deeper into these memories; they're a part of your story. However, avoid wallowing in negative emotions or triggering a trauma response. Take it easy and slowly.
Stop immediately if you feel overwhelmed at any stage. Also, if something comes up in your journaling that you're having trouble processing, seek out the help of a professional (such as a psychologist or counselor).
When it comes to processing past trauma, pre-formatted or guided notebooks might be helpful. If you need more help unpacking your unpleasant feelings, our Self-Love, Inner Child Work, and Shadow Work Journals may be of assistance.
Reflect on what you've written
Writing helps to break down the whole into components by distilling, crystallizing, and clarifying thought.
After you've done your diary post, you might want to go back over it to see if there's anything you missed.
Reflection is the process of incorporating your ideas and feelings into self-awareness, comprehension, action, and inner development.
As I already stated, don't nitpick your writing spelling and all other writing rules are useless here. What matters is that you get a broad understanding of your thoughts and feelings.
Try highlighting any thoughts, sensations, or realizations that stand out to you. If your journal is physical, you might want to make a table of contents at the end and jot down the page numbers that match to your mental breakthroughs.
If you're using a digital diary, try tagging your entries with words like “epiphanies” or “major realizations” so you can find them later.
Setting aside time for contemplation is an important part of my journaling process for me. It assists me in processing the most challenging things in my life on an emotional and mental level.
Write for the joy of it!
Also, journaling isn't for everyone, so don't worry if you don't enjoy it. There's almost certainly something else that can assist you.
However, if you appreciate and profit from this activity, stick with it! It's natural to feel flat and uninspired from time to time. These are things that we all go through. However, writing will rapidly teach you that everything within you ebbs and flows.
You'll discover so much about yourself and your inner workings over time that journaling will feel natural to you. It will be as important as drinking water or having a good night's rest!
Journaling can lead to a plethora of epiphanies, inspiration, and fascinating discoveries. Recognize these incredible moments and cherish them near to your heart: they'll inspire you to keep journaling, not as a “to-do” duty, but as a life-enriching passion!
I adore how much inner clarity and spiritual illumination I get from journaling, and it's those sentiments and discoveries that keep me continuing (for the past 20 years).
If you're looking for more ways to get started journaling, check out our list of 100+ journaling ideas.
What is a manifestation Journal?
Are you seeking for a step-by-step approach to getting started with a practical, enjoyable, and helpful journal? Why don't you begin with a manifestation journal? A manifestation diary is a place where you can record your ideas, ambitions, goals, plans, and other desires. It can assist you in gaining clarity about your life goals and the steps necessary to achieve them.
All you need is a notepad or journal, as well as a broad aim, to begin manifesting journaling (no specifics needed at this point). We'll walk you through the process of starting a manifestation notebook.
Step 2: Set SMART Goals
Despite the fact that science is suspicious of “Law of Attraction” manifestation tactics, research suggests that setting fairly ambitious objectives can help us achieve more. To begin, we might utilize a manifestation notebook to help us figure out what goals we want to achieve. The SMART system is one way to accomplish this (Lawlor, 2012). Examine the SMART system below and use it to help you write about your objectives.
Step 3: Find Meaning
You might want to spend a bit more time thinking about the purpose behind your goals once you've defined them. To begin, write down the following questions in your journal:
What spirituality means?
Spirituality is defined as the awareness of a feeling, sense, or belief that there is something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater total of which we are a part is cosmic or divine in nature. True spirituality necessitates the opening of one's heart.
How do you talk to God in a journal?
You can use these 10 simple prayer notebook ideas as inspiration to start your own prayer journal now, no matter how you want to arrange your prayer journal.
Write a letter to God
Simply putting down your prayers is a fantastic way to begin a prayer journal. Write it as a letter to God instead of merely chronicling your day or thoughts as you might in a personal journal.
Begin by addressing God by name, and then pour out your heart to him. Discuss your day's troubles, your questions, your anxieties, and your needs.
Words pour out of my fingers faster than my mind can handle certain days, and I am more free to express my heart with God through writing. By keeping a prayer journal, I can observe how my prayers evolve and grow through time, as well as look back and see how God has responded to my requests.
Make sure your entries are dated. Examining your journal entries over time to discover how God has been at work in your life and how your prayers have changed can be very enlightening.
Keep track of prayer requests
How often do you promise to pray for a buddy and then fail to do so? I try to come to a halt and pray for them right away, but keeping a journal of prayer requests and continuing to pray for them is also beneficial.
To keep track of prayer requests, make a page (or more) in your prayer journal. I'll sometimes just write down a name, and other times I'll write something about the prayer request. I'll pull out my list and pray for the people whose names I've written down as I pray. If a prayer is answered, I'll make a note of it and thank God for His wonderful mercy.
Record God's words to you
God may place words on your heart as you pray or read scripture. Perhaps a Bible verse leaped out at you. My friend refers to these as a “flashing neon Bible verse.” Perhaps it's words or a picture that comes to you when you're praying. Even a subtle nudge as you go about your daily routine. God communicates with us in a variety of ways throughout the day.
Keeping track of things in your journal is a good idea. Make a list of what you believe God is trying to tell you. Examine your journal to see if any themes emerge. These are the most important words I have in my heart, and I don't want to forget or miss what God is saying to me.
Perhaps in your journal, write His words in a different color. One color for your prayers and thoughts, and a another color for God's responses.
Pray through a verse
I frequently begin my prayer journals with a verse. Some days, I'll just write out the scripture, doodle or draw around it, and pray over it, letting God's words pour into my soul.
Other times, I'll scribble comments in my journal about the scripture, what it means to me, and what it says about God. I'll then create a prayer from there.
This journal of the verses that have been speaking and ministering to my heart during each season is one of my favorites.
Pray through quotes or notes from a study
In my prayer journal, I also keep track of notes and quotes from devotionals, studies, and books. I have a prayer journal and put down any chapters or quotes that touch my heart. I might jot down some thoughts on how it speaks to me or what I'm learning. Then I'll spend some time praying about it.