Journaling to Hear God’s Voice
I extend to you a personal invitation into the ancient pathways of being a scribe.
Journaling is a strategic tool that has been used throughout the generations as a means of capturing and retaining special moments, special thoughts, special prayers, and special revelations in a personal manner.
Journaling is not a boring task. Oh no! Journaling is full of adventure and life. It has at least three different expressions: 1) Devotional; 2) Revelatory; and 3) Historical. So whether journaling is used to increase your personal devotional life with God or used as a tool to retain dreams and visions or recording lessons from life, each style and format is very important.
Receiving Revelation by Journaling
My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer (Psalm 45:1).
I absolutely love this verse. Before the psalmist goes into a task or a calling or an anointing, he talks about the heart—“My heart overflows with a good theme.” Then, “I address my verses to the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” Let me give a little understanding on this verse.
Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 state that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” I believe that out of the abundance of God’s heart, His mouth speaks too. Communication, prayer, and communion with God, is not a one-way street. Believers have a personal and a relational exchange with their heavenly Father. What goes up, comes back down. What comes down, goes back up. It is a relationship—not a give and take, but a give and receive bond of love.
Some people look at journaling as a dry, stodgy, old studious discipline. But years ago when I was discussing one of my books, I said, “By the way, this is a contemporary read about the spiritual disciplines.” Then, while I was still talking, the Holy Spirit interrupted me and said, “By the way, these are not as much spiritual disciplines as they are spiritual privileges.”
So, I ask you to come to this subject of journaling with fresh eyes, open ears, and a welcoming heart. This is not as much about your discipline’s capacity, although that’s very important, as it is about the Lord’s yearning and longing to communicate back and forth with His people.
“My heart overflows with a good theme…” Is your heart overflowing? When your heart is overflowing with God’s goodness, it is looking for a place and a people to impact. God will give you an assignment a theme—and when you fulfill that assignment, your heart will constantly rejoice in His presence.
“I address my verses to the King…” There are three dimensions of journaling: 1) devotional; revelatory; and historical. We will be examining each of these dimensions and you will discover that each one brings home the importance of addressing your verses, your life’s moments with your Savior and King of kings.
“…my tongue is a pen of a ready writer.” I pray that your spirit will awaken to the privilege of interchange and exchange with your heavenly Father through journaling—writing what’s in your heart and receiving what’s in His heart for you.
The Vision
Do you have a clear vision of the purpose of journaling? I admit I slip in and out of that clear vision, but I try to keep focused on it. Without a vision you will lose perspective and your intimate relationship with God will become hazy. But when you have a clear-cut vision of why journaling is imperative, you will continue to bask in His glory daily.
Five purposes for journaling your life are:
To encounter God, which is the primary purpose.
To record and retain revelation received from God.
To aid you in attaining your prayer goals.
To document instructions and guidelines from God.
To provide a space and place to reflect and evaluate your life.
The primary purpose of journaling is to encounter God. Do you want to encounter God in a more intimate way? Journaling accomplishes that goal. I journal because I want to hear His voice, know His heart, and walk in His ways. And I believe you do too. If so, you might just say right now, “Amen, count me in.” Great! I applaud your enthusiasm. So, having a clear vision of the purpose of journaling begins with acknowledging that you want to encounter God.
The second purpose of journaling is to record and retain the revelations He gives you—otherwise, it acts like runoff water. He provides living water of revelation but if you don’t record it, it’s like water that just runs off and away—it isn’t captured in a receptacle having a channeled use.
The third purpose of journaling is as an aid to your prayer life. Journaling helps you keep track of your prayers and your goals. When a prayer is answered and you record it, you are providing proof positive that God hears your prayers and they are important to Him. You can also follow along with prayers that have been heard but may not be addressed because He is waiting for the right time—His perfect timing. Journaling gives you a way to express your feelings and frustrations so you and God can work on them together.
Number four’s journal purpose is that it acts as a place to document guidelines and instructions God gives you to balance your life most successfully. Journaling is a place to record lessons you are learning as you travel along in life’s journey.
The fifth reason to journal is that it gives you a space and a place to reflect and evaluate your life. I tend to be a contemplator; and contemplators, in particular, need time to process events and activities that they face; we search for a deeper spiritual life. Everyone needs to process things that happen to and around us—some react quickly, others strategize. Journaling invites God into your time of processing.
Retaining and Stewarding Revelation
Journaling is a tried and tested, natural and spiritual tool that assists you in recording life’s lessons and aids you in discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit. Journaling is a fundamental and clearly used biblical tool.
By the way, don’t get caught up in issues that journaling is writing new chapters of the Bible. No, that isn’t this, nor is this “automatic handwriting” or anything of that nature. This journaling is from a heart overflowing with the free will of a relational exchange of God with you, you with God, and this might sound a little unusual—you with yourself.
Journaling is a fundamental and clearly used biblical tool to help us retain and then properly steward what the Holy Spirit speaks to us.
During my life journey, I have discovered at least three valid expressions, or dimensions, of journaling. Some people become a specialist of one type, but there are at least three valid and distinct expressions of journaling. There are multiple expressions of journaling, each with a distinct purpose and each with a different style.
Three Dimensions of Journaling
The first dimension, which most people are familiar with, is devotional journaling or dialoguing devotionally with God. The second, which is my expertise, is revelatory journaling. The third is historical journaling, which is documenting lessons from your life’s journey.
Devotional Journaling
Devotional journaling has a lot to do with your Bible. It has a lot to do with your personal relationship with God. Devotional journaling creates a space to grow in deeper communion with God and allows fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit. This may mean praying in tongues and then just start writing. You may end up writing an interpretation to what you just prayed, or it might be an answer to prayer. We speak mysteries to God in the spirit, and what might be coming back down might be an inspiration of an interpretation or it might be the Holy Spirit giving you answers to your prayer.
Another way of saying it is growing in greater intimacy with Christ. That is what Jeanne Guyon would have taught in her understandings on the beholding the beauty of the Lord, and then writing it. This can get into a dimension almost of inspired poetry.1
A friend of mine went through a very dry spiritual spell, so he took the book of Romans and prayed and then journaled what he received from God through the book of Romans. So there’s many approaches to journaling, especially devotional journaling.
Recently I had the delight of sitting with some friends who live in California. I was so surprised when my friend’s wife brought out to the patio a stack of journals, about ten of them. It was so exciting to me because neither of them knew that I was actually researching this topic and getting ready to prepare a presentation.
She pointed to the journals and said to me, “This journal is my recorded prayers. This one is where I write my dreams. This journal is where I keep my life goals. This journal, get this, is where I am now recording what I eat.” Journaling can have many valid and helpful purposes, including accountability—but remember this, it is a privilege not just a discipline. So, journaling is all about growing in greater intimacy with Christ. Whatever you call it, just do it.
This approach in journaling is used by many in their devotional walk with the Lord. Let’s consider some of the classic books that have been written throughout the years that address this topic. A book I learned a lot from was written by my friends, Dr. Mark and Patty Virkler, Communion with God. By the way, I have the original manual they released. As I studied through it, the wisdom within helped superglue the pieces together that I already believed, completing the puzzle concerning communing with God.
If you’re more into church history, I recommend reading The Interior Castle written by Saint Teresa of Avila, first published in 1588. It is still one of the most widely read classics. This book is a record of devotional and revelatory encounters where the Holy Spirit leads her through the book of John, chapter 14 that says, “In My Father’s house are many mansions…” (John 14:2)—the interior castle. And, we are the temple of God. When reading this book, oh how I found peace in the first room in the mansion, the second room in the mansion, the third room in the mansion…. I didn’t know these places existed and I gave myself to it, it marked my life. Not only that, this book later impacted the life of my late wife, Michal Ann. She even dedicated a chapter to Teresa of Avila in her book, A Call to the Secret Place.
These people as well as thousands more have written books that touch people’s hearts, minds, and spirits—all most started as devotional journals of revealing their encounters with God. Maybe your writings will inspire your family, church, community, state, nation, and the world. This could be your expertise! Devotional journals are treasure chests. Writing your prayers, pausing, listening, and recording God’s answers are the beginning of lives changed. We’ll come back to that specific topic a little later.
Revelatory journaling
Revelatory journaling is the tool for recording revelatory experiences. I have a lot of experience with this type of journaling. The prophet Daniel’s revelatory encounters are revealed in the book of Daniel 7:1 (NIV). If it’s good enough for Daniel, it’s good enough for today’s believers as well: “In the first year of Belshazzar king in Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.”
I remember when my wife went through nine straight weeks of heavenly visitation and she said, “I can’t even keep up with all of this.” We had to learn how to record what she was experiences because each night was something different. These records became a treasure chest for us.
Your actual, physical journal might be a fancy, awesome, leather-bound booklet. My daughter, Rachel, made one like that for me. Or it might be a little spiral notebook, funky and weird, like one I have that says, “Go for It.” This is one of my treasures because that’s exactly what journaling can be—a just-do-it treasure chest of God encounters.
So what did Daniel do after he had his dream and visions? The Bible says, “…then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it” (Daniel 7:1 NASB). Don’t necessarily get all caught up in all the minutia of the dream and/or vision, just see the big picture, write it down, and then always go for the main and the plain and the major subject being addressed.
Let’s consider other relevant books highlighting our topic. Albert and Anna Rountree were a writing team and friends of mine for many years. Anna Rountree wrote a book titled The Heavens Opened: Revealing a Fresh Vision of God’s Love for You and The Priestly Bride: Revealing the Mystery of Our Betrothal to God. Her first book, The Heavens Opened, is an amazing read! It’s content comes from all the trances and visions that Anna Rountree experienced, and her husband would journal and record her prophetic experiences. Incredible. One of the things I absolutely love about that particular book is that about a fourth of the book is endnotes—biblical references as confirmation of the experiences.
Or, how about some of the early books, in particular, by Rick Joyner? I read The Harvest when it was first published and it rocked my world—and it rocked the charismatic world too because it was a vision of things to come. And how about Joyner’s The Final Quest, which is a revelatory journaling of his encounters with the Holy Spirit. The Vision, The Harvest, and The Final Quest were books leading up to The Call. Each are forms of modern-day revelatory journaling that were published to edify the Church.
Historical Journaling
Historical journaling is another dimension, but it isn’t emphasized in the Spirit-filled, evangelical, Pentecostal, charismatic arenas—it’s more popular in traditional churches. Historical journaling is documenting your lessons learned from life’s journey. These journals are often referred to as diaries and one of the most common forms of journaling throughout time. Diaries can be extremely personal and intimate in nature used to record historical events, wars, disasters, and well as romance and family matters.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl reveals what everyday life was like going into and during World War II. It’s an excellent example of journaling the way it’s supposed to be. This diary is written to someone named Kitty—but I think this diary could have been written to you and to me. Each time I remember reading this book that chronicles two years of hiding from the Nazis in an attic with her family, the Holy Spirit floods me with His presence. Sharing her experiences in her diary no doubt brought her some relief from reality.
I encourage you to journal about your life—or perhaps the life of a grandparent who touched you with God’s love or a miracle. This is historical journaling. Someone(s) needs to hear what you have to share. Whether praising God for all His blessings, or writing about your journey through the valley of the shadow of death, your own dark night, your encounters with God can later become a great encouragement to others not to sit in the valley, but to go through the valley.
Another excellent example of historical journaling is Life and Diary of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards. David Brainerd was one of the great apostolic statesmen missionaries in the United States to the First Nations people during the formation of the United States. All of his journaling, his daily diary entries, are included in this book. It’s just incredible. I received so much encouragement. For example, an excerpt of his writing says:
The Lord’s Day, December 19th. At the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, seemed strong in the Lord; and the world, with all its frowns and flatteries, in a great measure disappeared so that my soul had nothing to do with them. I felt a disposition to be holy and forever the Lord’s.
Do you want to be holy and forever the Lord’s? This is historic journaling. This is a diary—recording lessons from life.
Another historical figure who kept a diary is George Washington. During my research for a webinar, I discovered the book George Washington’s Diaries. I didn’t even know that he journaled and when I found this book, I was amazed. (By the way, all these books are listed in Recommended Reading for your reference.) I have all of the writings of Abraham Lincoln, too.
Sometimes journaling can encompass all three dimensions: devotional, revelatory, and historical. You may journal about a book you read about Charles Spurgeon, or after attending a conference where the speaker was especially interesting. How you see the world that day or see the Lord through events of a given day is worth writing about. Each day is a gift worth saving in your treasure chest.
Matthew 13:52 Jesus says: “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
I have recorded treasures in my journals. I have my late wife’s recorded treasures. And someday somebody is going to inherit these treasures.
Years ago I read A Diary of Signs and Wonders by Maria Woodworth-Etter. This has become a classic written by an unusual woman in church history who moved in incredible signs and wonders. When I first read it, I didn't know that those kinds of God encounters still happened—but because she was faithful to record some of the most amazing revelatory encounters in her diary, we can encounter God too through her journaling.
A Personal Touch
I’ve carried a roller bag around with me for years. My Bible’s in it, my laptop, sermon notes, all kinds of stuff. And, a journal is always in it too. I may not write in it every day, but it is definitely part of my must-haves when I walk out the door.
Someone recently at the church I attend said, “I’ve noticed that you always take notes during the sermon.” He said it as though other people don’t—and most don’t in today’s church. In fact, a lot of people don’t even take a Bible along to church because Scripture is flashed onto a huge screen, so people don’t even have to open their Bibles. This can make lazy Christians. Does that sound harsh? Maybe it is, but it’s the truth.
Some Christians today don’t even know what books are in the Old or the New Testaments, let alone where they are located. Don’t be a spoon-fed believer. In fact, one of the great things to do is journal what you are reading from the Word of God—the Bible—and how it is speaking to you. Sounds good, doesn’t it!
Journaling has been part of my life for many years. I wasn’t always the most consistent, but when I heard from God, learned a valuable lesson or received a revelation, I wrote it down. I’ve written journals on the Journal of an Adventurous Man. After my wife passed away, I wrote a journal on a laptop and tried to call it The Journal of a Hopeful Man, but I wasn’t really there yet.
Even to the grocery store, everywhere I go, I have a journal with me—and believe me, one of these days, a glorious treasure chest of life overflowing from the heart will be complete and left behind.
Write Down Points That Matter
I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved. Then the Lord answered me and said, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run (Habakkuk 2:1-2).
From these two verses there are seven points that matter:
Take your place.
Be watchful.
Believe God wants to speak to you.
A pure heart motivation is everything.
Write it down!
Be ready to move into an appropriate application.
Preserve His word for the days to come.
First we are told to stand guard—to station ourselves on the “rampart”—a protective barrier. We are to be as soldiers dedicated to holding our ground in anticipation of hearing from our almighty Commander in Chief. We are told to stand still and listen for God to speak—He may have something to tell us, to correct in us. Maybe our character or lack of faith needs to be put right. When He tells us through a vision, we are to record it by writing it down.
One day I heard the Lord speak to me while I was journaling about taking a vacation. It was a word to me in a specific time that I needed for my soul to rest. I wrote it down and I obeyed—what a wonderful time of refreshment that was! He spoke to me as I journaled. Fascinating.
We are to be watchful too. It’s so very easy to be distracted these days—so many activities that want our attention. But when we’re watchful for the Lord to speak, we focus on what really matters. Believing that He really wants to communicate with us is crucial. Doubt may try and creep up the rampart, but stand firm on faith in Him. With a pure heart you will be motivated to keep a righteous life—and the Voice will be heard.
And remember, if the vision tarries, it’s because the appointed, specific time has yet to arrive. And if it arrive but seems not to be for you personally, it could be for those who read the vision later—and because you were faithful to record it, they become the ones who run with your call. That’s what these verses mean to me.
Other forms of Journalling
Often hymns are a form of journaling. Song writing, poetry, screenplays—there can be many creative dimensions that will open to you if you sit with Him for a while and write. Some of my assignments from the Lord on what I teach at conferences and in my webinars have come in a dream—which I wrote down immediately. This is revelatory journaling.
Although I have authored several dozen books, I don’t have a background in writing. During my life journey, though, I had kept notes, a form of journaling. One time in a dream, the Holy Spirit showed me the front cover of a book. Then I saw the Table of Contents. It was so exciting! In this dream I saw the cover and could read the contents page. (This only happened once, but, Lord, do it again!) Next I remember reading the first page of the second chapter. When I woke up, I remembered all that I saw in the dream and I quickly wrote it down. If I hadn’t, it would have been a fleeting memory.
Then what happened? The first page of the second chapter became the basis of my book Kneeling on the Promises, which became my The Prophetic Intercessor book, that is today Praying with God’s Heart—all written as a result of revelatory journaling. Yes, I did.
This is my story. I journaled sermon notes of others, as well as dreams and visions in the night. My wife recorded portions of her nine straight weeks of angelic visitations. As mentioned previously, I have journaled on my laptop. I’ve written in inexpensive spiral notebooks as well as penned in beautiful leather-bound journals. I also have photo albums with commentary added and home-recorded videos that serve as journals. I take notes on my phone, too. Each of these journals holds a distinct, appropriate, and special place in my life journey.
In fact, one morning I had a raw dream about journaling that took me through some of my life’s experiences. I was shown some of the trauma and hurt and pain and rejection I had gone through. I was actually weeping in my dream. It wondered, “Why are You doing this, Holy Spirit?” It was fascinating because the dream was interactive—the revelatory dimension; a divine exchange.
I woke up with a new assignment from God. One that I am just getting started on. It came to me the next morning. He told me, “I want you to journal as a tool of healing, to journal your recovery from trauma.” That’s devotional. That’s revelatory. And it may be historical—a very intimate diary.
Journaling can lead to writing a memoir or your autobiography. Frances “Fanny” Crosby was a writer of more than 8,000 hymns, including “Blessed Assurance.” She also wrote poems, a memoir, Memories of Eighty Years, and eventually penned her autobiography. Although she was blind from shortly after birth, she was an American mission worker, composer, lyricist, teacher—and journal writer.
Christian classics include The Journal of John Wesley, which spans fifty years of his life and includes his thoughts, feelings, and devotion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and The Prayers of Susanna Wesley, which is a compilation of beautiful prayers of the mother of John and Charles Wesley, important Christian men in the 1700s who no doubt benefited from her prayers and that they were recorded to bless others as well.
Charles Finney, the leader in the Second Great Awakening in the United States and called the Father of Modern Revivalism, also wrote of his life journey. Others who kept journals include Marie Curie, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein. And some well-knowns who wrote autobiographies include Billy Graham, Ronald Reagan, Michelle Obama, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Andre Agassi, Dick Van Dyke, and Lucille Ball.
Which Form Is Best?
You may ask, “Which dimension of journaling is the best?” Well, that’s like asking which of the gifts of the Spirit are best—healings, knowledge, revelation, prophecy, miracles? The answer: the one that is needed at the moment.
So, in your walk with God, you need to be flexible in His hands. Journaling should not be a rigid set of rules, but rather a tool in the Master’s hand. As the dream that I have journaled states, “Do what matters. Just do it.”
Empowering Prayer
As you begin your journey into journaling, I hope and pray you will do so with an open mind and heart. Journaling can change your relationship with your heavenly Father for the better. Please take ownership of the following prayer and pray it from your heart and spirit:
Father, in the great name of Jesus, I present myself to You. May the Holy Spirit touch me right now with His peace and comfort and wisdom. Sometimes I feel stuck in my spiritual life, almost like my heart has been clogged or even some of it has been shut down. And Father, I want to grow in greater communion with You. I want to be a wise steward of Your revelatory ways, and I want to learn lessons from my life’s journey. Therefore, I submit myself to You—Your will and Your word and Your ways. I am asking that You lead me into the right application of journaling that fits into the current season of my life. I want to record the dreams You have for me—big dreams. I need to dream with You, God. So, please lead me into the right application of journaling that fits into the current season of my life. I’m excited and looking forward to encountering You, God, through my journaling. Give me the pen of the ready writer as my heart overflows with a good theme, and I address my verses to You, the King above all kings.
