Last week I mentioned that I was going to start a prayer journal (click here to read the full post) and I am proud to say that I have written consistently in my journal at least once a day for seven days straight *pats self on the back* I used to journal, I but I’ve never written consistently for seven straight days. I would go three days here, two days there, and on the weekends you can forget about it. I can also say that this week I have been feeling extremely light. My spirit, heart, and mind were really heavy and I’ve written down almost everything that I was feeling. If I didn’t write it down I had a deep conversation with God about it all. This journal allowed me to focus my thoughts, devotionals, and prayers. I have created my own little system of how I organize and track my thoughts.
My Method
Section 1: Devotionals-I write based on my morning’s scripture reading
Section 2: Prayers-I write down my prayers for everyone and everything
Section 3: Thank You (Gratitude) I make a list of everything that I am thankful for (the good, the bad, and the ugly)
Section 4: Declarations- I write down things that I declare I will do or will not do
Section 5: I Ain’t Got No Worries- yes that is a line from a rap song, but it fits so I went with it. I write down everything that I need to stop worrying about and pray for. So this section is written in the form of a prayer as well
I don’t have a specific order in which I write things down. I find myself flipping through my book at any given time to write something down so I won’t forget. I always start with my devotional, but end where ever the spirit leads me. I write for at least 30-minutes. I average about 45-minutes to an hour on most days because I have a lot to say. I wake up pretty early before I want to actually start my day because that is when I’m most focused. I only wrote at night once.
I haven’t felt this good spiritually in a very long time because I know that my prayer life was suffering. I have seven days down and 14 days to go as my goal is to write consistently for 21 to build a positive habit. In church this past Sunday my pastor once again challenged us to be the priests that God has called us to be . He gave us a list of five sacrifices of the priest
- Presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice Romans 12:1-2 living holy lives
- Sacrifice of Praise- Hebrews 13:15 praising God despite what you are going through
- Sacrifice of Substance-Romans 12:13 Hebrews 13:2 Being hospitable
- Sacrifice of Service- Sorry no focus scripture Appreciating God’s calling upon your life
- Being an Intercessor- Colossians 4:12 praying on the behalf of others
I am definitely a work in progress, but I just thank God that I have an opportunity to change.
Have any of you started your prayer journal? If yes have you noticed any changes in your life?
