Journaling is the final point and a crucial one. As God told Habakkuk to write his vision, so did God lead all writers of the Bible to do. Without journaling, there will be no way for us to know God as we do today. We owe our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to those who yielded to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to write the sixty-six books in the Bible(2 Timothy 3.16, 2 Peter 1.21). Learning to write down what God is saying to us in our thoughts, visions and impressions of our hearts are very important for the following reasons:

 

SPONTANEITY. We have established that when God speaks, His voice often comes in the form of spontaneous thoughts to our minds. These thoughts which appear to intercept our logical reasoning are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Writing puts us in the ‘flow’ of the Spirit as the gift of prophecy is activated by faith(Romans 12.6). The act of writing in itself is a demonstration of faith in God for direction which positions us for an activation of the spirit of prophecy. As we start out in faith to speak in tongues and then enjoy a spiritual ‘flow’ of inspiration, so is it for us in times of journaling what God has said. We actually get to hear more what He is saying to us.

 

REMINDER. Spiritual things can be lost just as they are gained. We are warned to take heed to the things which have heard so they don’t slip from us(Hebrews 4.1-2). Revelations therefore can be lost if not rehearsed, acted upon or deliberately put into remembrance. Going over our journals from time to time keeps us reminded of what God has spoken to us.

 

DISCERNMENT. Journaling helps us carry our sufficient reviews of our experiences in order to discern more accurately what God is saying to us as we separate consistent patterns from inconsistent ones and as we draw understanding from the connectivity between what we received from the Lord at different times.

 

DISCIPLINE. Journaling helps to discipline our minds and keeps us focused on the Lord and what He is saying while we are writing down or typing what He is saying to us. The human mind tends to wonder and in the midst of distractions lose track of divine inspiration. Journaling helps us to focus our minds on the Lord and to crowd out other thoughts out of line with the divine ‘flow’ of thoughts.

 

Two vital keys will help you and I make a success of journaling. One is to write down questions in our journals that we are praying about. You might not get immediate answers but as you stay in an attitude of faith expectation, God will eventually bring the answers.

 

Three, spend time with your bible and fill your mind with the Word of God. The more we fill our hearts with the light of the Word, the more we discern the voice of God. Communion with the Holy Spirit through the Word will position us to hear His voice more clearly. Thirdly, ask God for confirmations through other godly people in your life. You can share details of the request or purposely not do so in order to further proof that He is the one speaking to you. God has spoken once, twice I heard it(Psalms 62.11). Hearing it twice, dreaming the same dream twice, seeing the same vision several times like Peters’s trance are examples of how God delights to confirm His directions to us. He is patient and willing to lead and guide us. Concluded.