What God Has Told Me…

Posted On July 3, 2022

“Call to me, and I will answer you.
I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know.”

Jeremiah 33:3 GW

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”

1 Peter 5:7 NLT

I have a journal I write in most days that I call my Spirit Journal. It’s the method I use in my quiet time with God. To begin each entry, I write out a prayer to H. S. (for Holy Spirit), laying out all my concerns and everything on my mind, thanking Him for His presence, and asking Him to guide me. Then I take notes on my daily devotionals, Scripture readings, and any other Christian books I may be reading. I also record any other ways I have felt Him speak to me. Then I try to figure out what God is telling me through all of it. I prayerfully read over everything, underline what stands out to me, make notes in the margins, and then try to summarize it all in a few statements, which I use as the title of that day’s entry. Being the journaling nut that I am, I then record these summary statements in another journal that I call, “What God Has Told Me…”

Now, I realize that my method may not be for everyone, but it works for me. So in case it may be helpful for you, I thought I’d share a recent example. This time, instead of just writing a few summary statements, I decided to write out what I felt God was telling me in the style of Sarah Young: In her devotional book Jesus Calling, she writes “from the perspective of Jesus speaking, to help readers feel more personally connected with Him.”

First, a little bit of background information is probably needed. I will spare you the details, but God has been doing a lot of work in my marriage lately, healing past hurts and helping us to grow in our faith. I also feel a calling He has placed in my heart to help others. I’m eager to do what He’s calling me to do in all of this, but the work is hard and painful, and my spiritual progress sometimes feels very slow. I have tried to follow God’s promptings to reach out to others, but it doesn’t always turn out the way I hoped. I often struggle with doubts or discouragement, and I have filled many pages asking God for help.

In fact, the featured image for today’s blog post is a photo I took of all my Spirit Journals so far. I began the first one almost three years ago, and I’m currently on Spirit Journal #17. So, yeah, I’ve been writing a lot! I’m just grateful I finally discovered a way to organize my thoughts and hear God’s voice. It’s been an incredible journey, sometimes filled with questions and struggles, but also filled with promises for the future and amazing encounters with God. He’s stretched my faith, transformed my life, and blown my mind more than once, and I can’t wait to find out where He’s leading me next! I pray the same is true for you, too. So, in case this inspires you to begin (or continue) your own adventure with God, here is how I sensed Him speaking to me on June 25…

“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

Hebrews 13:5 NLT

H. S.,
I just reviewed my last journal entry. Thank You for Your reassuring words. I confessed how tired I was of fighting the confusion and sadness that threaten to overwhelm me sometimes. But I can see that You are working on healing my broken heart, and the reason it is so painful is that I have had to tear down the walls I spent years building to try and protect it. I will be overwhelmed if I don’t trust You now — I have no more walls to protect myself. Thank You for reminding me to keep pressing forward, to keep coming to You, and to keep holding on to Your promises.

Your faithfulness is my shield. I can trust You to fight for me while I rest in Your words. You have given me a calling and You are working to help me fulfill it. You are healing my heart so that it will be capable of living vulnerably and loving fully. So I will keep doing what I’m doing. I will focus on my journaling and trust You to do the rest.

Please speak to me today…

Notes & Quotes:

“Perhaps your life is not what it should be at the moment. Maybe you’re discouraged, feeling inadequate, or defeated by the circumstances of your life. But remember that Jesus fuels your lamp — He is the One who shines through you and reminds you, ‘All is well.'”
(Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life)

“Our dark moments can also be times for deep prayers — seeking the light and life only God can bring.”
(Arthur Jackson, Our Daily Bread: “Dark Moments, Deep Prayers”)

You weren’t created to deal with worry on your own. Journal your prayers. Coming to God in prayer gives Him access to do what you cannot do for yourself. Stay connected to God’s power through prayer, petition, and praise.
(My margin notes for the June 25 Verse of the Day Story on YouVersion Bible App)

“Because He loves you, He gathers you close and carries you when you are too weary to walk. . . . remember that God is the Supreme Ruler of all creation, and everything you’re experiencing has already been factored into His great plans for you.”
(Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life)

“Everybody needs the Lord — even people who seemingly resist all your godly overtures. But keep on expressing the love and grace of God through your words and deeds. The Lord will work through you to change other people’s lives in a wonderful, eternal way.”
(Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life)

“If God has you in a season of waiting, trust that He’s doing an important work in you. . . . you can have all the gifts of the Spirit in the world but if you lack fruit of the Spirit, your life is going to be a mess. . . . The growing of fruit is not easy or fast, but it is a beautiful work.”
(Kayla Ferris, First 5: “Gifts of the Spirit Can Be Messy?”)

Driving to Starbucks today I passed a “Faith Hope Love” sign while “Don’t Stop Believing” was playing on the radio. It felt like an encouraging Godwink.

What God Has Told Me…

I know you’re struggling right now. You’re dealing with worries, fears, loneliness, and questions that feel too big for you to handle. They are too big for you, My child. You weren’t meant to carry these burdens alone. Give them to Me. Let go of all of this darkness that is trying to overtake you, and receive My light. Receive My peace. Make room in your heart for joy.

I am right here with you, and I am telling you all is well. Everything you are facing has already been factored into My plans for you. You are right on track. You feel like you’re not getting anywhere, like you’re not accomplishing anything, but you are — more than you realize! I am doing a beautiful work within you right now. I am growing good fruit in your heart — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This takes time. I know it feels slow to you, but trust Me. This work is more important that any other because without it, your life will be a mess.

You won’t be ready to receive the gifts of My Spirit until you have developed the fruit of My Spirit. I know you are eager to do My work in the world. You feel the calling I have placed in your heart to reach out to others, to share your story with them, to help them grow closer to Me. But your godly overtures seem to have driven some away, and you’re worried you got it wrong. You’re afraid you misunderstood My leading. You’re doubting yourself and the promises I gave you. Stop doubting, My child! Hold on to My promises for you. Don’t stop believing!

I know you can’t see it, but I am working in others’ lives right now, too. I promised you that you would be able to help Me in this work, and you have. By obeying My leading, even when you didn’t understand it, you have planted some seeds in their lives. And just like the fruit I’m developing in you, seeds take time to grow. So have faith! I am working through you to change their lives in a wonderful, eternal way.

Come to me when you are feeling overwhelmed or confused and I will give you the wisdom, strength, and courage you need to keep moving forward. Hold on to the hope I gave you. Look beyond your present struggles to the future I have promised you, and don’t be afraid to embrace these trials as part of the journey. Just keep holding on to Me and taking one step at a time. Trust Me to do the rest!

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.”

Psalm 34:4 NIV

This is just one example of how God has spoken to me, comforted me, and encouraged me. But if I didn’t actively seek Him and listen for His voice, I would have missed out on all of it. In fact, I did miss out for years. I didn’t make an effort to reach out to God in prayer and spend time in His Word. I didn’t know how to listen for His voice, and I didn’t actively try to learn. I just went through life defeated by my troubles, depressed, hopeless, confused, and wondering where God was. Well, what I discovered was that He was right there with me the whole time, waiting for me to reach out to Him. If you are facing similar struggles, don’t wait any longer! Seek God with all your heart and make it a priority to develop a close, personal relationship with Him. Ask Him to speak to you and reveal His plan for your life. When you do, you will be blessed in ways you can’t even imagine!

By the way, in case you’re wondering about the note I recorded above which mentions a “Godwink,” this is a reference to a book I read a couple of years ago called When God Winks by SQuire Rushnell. I’ve been noticing and recording Godwinks ever since. As the author explains, a Godwink is “a mysterious event that’s not coincidence, but of divine origin” or “another term for answered prayer.” Godwinks are “little messages to encourage you on your journey through life, nudging you along the grand path that has been designed especially for you.” They’re basically God’s way of keeping you on the right path and letting you know that He’s thinking about you!

I hope reading all of this has been helpful. My goal with this post was to offer some encouragement in case you’re facing struggles similar to mine and to inspire you to reach out to God to discover the amazing plans He has for you. Maybe journaling isn’t the method God will use to speak to you (or maybe it is), but no matter how He chooses to speak, when you call out to Him, He promises to answer you and tell you “great and mysterious things”! (Jeremiah 33:3 GW)

This week’s Scripture passages remind us to seek the Lord and listen for His voice. The Holy Spirit is our guide for this journey. He speaks Christ’s truth to us and leads us into God’s plan for our lives. God will achieve His purposes through the words He speaks to us. So let’s pay attention — we’ll be amazed at what we hear!

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

References:

• Ferris, Kayla. “Gifts of the Spirit Can Be Messy?” First 5 Daily Bible Study App, Proverbs 31 Ministries, 25 June 2022, https://first5.org/.
• Jackson, Arthur. “Dark Moments, Deep Prayers.” Our Daily Bread App, 25 June 2022, https://ourdailybread.org/mobileresources/.
• Rushnell, SQuire. When God Winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life. Kindle ed., Howard Books, 2001.
• Stanley, Charles F. God’s Purpose for Your Life: 365 Devotions. Thomas Nelson, 2020.
• Young, Sarah. Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions with Real-Life Stories. Thomas Nelson, 2019.
• YouVersion Bible App, Life.Church, https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/.

Images:

• My Spirit Journals featured image by me
• Scripture Journaling image by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash (edited)
• Journal Entry image by me
• Faith, Hope, Love Journal image by Emily Park on Unsplash
• Holy Spirit Journal image by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash (edited)