I found an old quiet time journal of mine! I was using the S.O.A.P. method to study God's Word! Here’s a journal entry from when I was in 12th grade:
The Inner Battle
August 28, 2014
Romans 7
Scripture: Romans 7:19, 21-23
Observation: We are in a spiritual war. Paul is describing the war within us: to do God’s will (good) or fall to sin and our sinful nature (bad)? We all will sin, even after we’ve accepted Jesus or been baptized. Our sinful nature conflicts us. We need to learn combat skills for our minds so that we may do the right thing and bear fruit for Christ. (It also doesn’t help when you put garbage in your mind). Listen to worship, pray, READ GOD’S WORD & HIDE IT IN YOUR HEART! God’s Word is a double-edged sword that you can use at any time to fight off the temptations of sin and our sinful nature.
Application: I want to keep on reading my Bible everyday so I may start my day with healthy thoughts.
Prayer: Lord, protect my mind. Keep me strong so I don’t fall into the temptations of the world. Be by my side. Let me remember Your presence. Because when I feel Your presence, I don’t want to sin. Let me be a light today for my peers and teachers. Amen.
~~~
If you read My Testimony blog, you’ll know that I went from being raised in a private Christian school into a public school. I went from fellowship with almost only believers in Jesus to being immediately surrounded by lots of kids my age that didn’t know Jesus at all.
Because of my faith in Jesus and how I chose to live, I felt often like an outcast. I struggled with loneliness and feeling rejected. I was called the “goodie-goodie” or the “good girl” all the way through my years of public school.
So, when I go back and read journal entries like this, I can truthfully see God's divine protection. I can see how these prayers of a seventeen-year-old girl who was just doing her best to honor God and love people were answered. He protected me from so much, and probably so much more than I will ever know until eternity.
So, here is why I tell you all of this:
(Clink the links to view the verses 😊)
I don't know what life was like for you when you were seven, seventeen, or even thirty-seven... I don't know what you have walked through - the ups and downs. But, I hope this little journal entry and prayer from a 12th grade Tori encourages you today to love God and trust Him with all your heart.
God hears the prayers and petitions of His children. He hears you and loves you. He is protecting you and watching over you.
Activation
Write your prayers down in a journal, a spiral notebook, or digital journal. Read the Word and try out the S.O.A.P. method in your quiet time. Be sure to write the date so that you can go back and see how God has answered your prayers and how your understanding of God has grown!
Resources
Romans 7:19-23
2 Kings 6:15-17
Zephaniah 3:17
Ephesians 6:10-18