Faith Journaling Google+ Community

Do you journal?

Do you want to?

Are you a person of faith?

Check out this new community:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/112850694101585502010

(Image credit: Microsoft images online 2008-2014.) 

Daily Bible Reading: How I Do It

READING AND STUDYING MORE THAN ONE VERSION OF THE BIBLE

I am one of those people who finds it far more important to be in the Bible than read only one translation. After all, I read several versions (or translations) of the Bible. Each day, it depends on my mood as to which version of the Bible I read. 

However, with that being said, when a verse jumps out at me, I make sure to study several English translations of the Bible. I study the bare minimum of three versions at that point, more often five, and ideally, I will look at all English translations when something really jumps out at me and I think I should study it as much as possible. I do this in particular when God is really speaking to me through a verse. 

Why do I do all of this? The more versions of the Bible I read, the more I will understand the Bible. 

I hope all of that made sense. I needed to give that background so you can understand why I do what I do when I read my Bible each day. 

MY DAILY BIBLE READING

So, how do I read my Bible each day?

I read it on my Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9-inch 4G Tablet or on my PC and I go to:

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Next, on the left-hand side of the page, I click on: "READING PLANS."

Then, I decide which version of the Bible I want to read that day and click on it. 

At that point, I click on "GO."

Then, I copy and paste the reading into my online journal and then as I read, I will go to a new line after the verse that speaks to me and I type: "MY NOTE:" in big letters and write anything God says to me, what I say to God, what this means for my life, and what I want to apply to my life (when and how). 

I journal anything that God tells me to at this point.

WHY?

Why do I copy and paste the entire text into my online journal? It's because I want a record of what God is doing in my life and when. I want to see it and keep it in the order in which it happens. That way, when I go back later to see what God did in my life for whatever reason, or just to review, I can see the progression of things and God's hand at work. 

Also, this will be a wonderful journal for my future kiddo to have and they can save it and pass it on to future generations. 

JOURNALING THE BIBLE

Journaling about my daily Bible reading is everything. It's the most important thing in my life and is the most important thing I do. It's how I establish and keep a relationship with God and listen to Him since I am in His Word and He speaks to me through it. 

Who Am I? My Life and Aim as a Journalkeeper

Who am I?

I am a journalkeeper. I am a keeper of a journal and have been for over thirty years now.

My life is one of journalkeeping, as I try to live a life of faith. The two go hand-in-hand.

My aim and purpose as a journalkeeper is to get my life on the page and remember the blessings of my life and my moments with God. 

Welcome to Faith Journaling

Welcome to a blog about faith, life, journaling, and the Bible. In other words, this blog is about the most important things in my life.

I hope this inspires you and motivates you to live a life of faith and of journaling. 

Making Space for God: A Simple, Still, Silent Faith

Making Space for God: A Simple, Still, Silent Faith

God is bigger. 

He will meet us where we are at any time. 

All we need to do is open your hearts and minds to Him and He will meet us there.

Be receptive to Him and listen. 

Spend far more time listening thank talking. 

Do this every moment of every day and night. 

Be open.

Keep your faith simple.

Whatever you are doing, be receptive to Him being with you and You being with Him.

That's 'A Simple, Still, Silent Faith.'

Does He Know You or Just of You?

Does He Know You or Just of You?

1
Matthew 7:21-23 / Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’  
--  HCSB: Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.  

What a pointed passage of Scripture. 

Can you imagine Jesus not knowing you?

Lord, I cannot. This is troubling to think.

The people He talked about were those who had the check-mark faith. They did, did, did. But, they didn't be with Him. They didn't really know Him either. They did stuff to pat themselves on the back, and make sure others notice. They even filled their schedules with being busy in the name of the Lord. 

But, did they really know You, Lord?

Jesus didn't know them.

Talk about an in your face, eye-opening, life--transforming passage in the Word of God. What a wake-up call.

I want, Jesus Christ, the One who was brutally murdered on my behalf to not just know of me, but to know me. I want to spend the rest of my life ensuring this every moment. This is where a simple, still, silent faith comes to play.

I like to look at multiple versions of Scripture in order to gain the best, deepest, and broad understanding of what is trying to be conveyed. Hence, I try to look up several versions of the Bible. This is no different.

2
Matthew 7:21-23 / Expanded Bible (EXB)
21 “Not all those who say [to me] ·‘You are our Lord’ [‘Lord! Lord!’] will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do ·what my Father in heaven wants [the will of my Father in heaven]. 22 On ·the last day [judgment day; that day] many people will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, ·we spoke for you [Did we not prophesy in your name…?], and ·through you we forced out demons [cast out demons in your name…?] and did many ·miracles [mighty works in your name…?].’ 23 Then I will ·tell them clearly [declare to them; publicly announce to them], ‘I never knew you. ·Get away [Depart] from me, you who ·do evil [break God’s law; practice lawlessness; Ps. 6:8].’ 
--  EXB: Scripture taken from The Expanded Bible. Copyright © 2011 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

3
Matthew 7:21-23 / The Message (MSG)
21-23 “Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’ 
--   MSG: Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

4
Matthew 7:21-23 / GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who does what my Father in heaven wants. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we force out demons and do many miracles by the power and authority of your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them publicly, ‘I’ve never known you. Get away from me, you evil people.’ 
--   GW: Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.  

How to Live

I have come to realize in the last twenty-four hours that every single time I use the word, 'I,' I also need to think of and/or mention You. The purpose of my life is found in You alone. My plans don't matter. Your plans and purposes alone matter for me and my life. It is all about You and not about me one iota. My life is Yours. 

Every moment of every day, I want to focus on You God and live Your will alone. I want to listen to You every moment for Your guidance. Help me to learn to live in this manner, moment by moment, for the rest of my life. 

How simple this is to live. It can be at the same time as I do everything else in my life. I will try to sneak in one-on-one moments, though, of just You and me all day and night long.

John 5:19 / New American Standard Bible (NASB)
19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 
--  NASB: Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.  

I have not lived in this manner much in my life. I have fallen terribly short, including lately--until Sunday or Monday. This is a way of living. It's how to live. Could anything have a more profound influence on me and in my life?

It's about living an intentional life where I focus and open myself and my life on the will of God each moment, at least once every thirty minutes for the next year, then every fifteen minutes, then I strive to do this every minute. When I sleep, it will be as I fall asleep and every time I wake up,even to roll over. I will accept the times I am awake longer than a minute or two to spend with You, God. 

I shall call this way of living, 'the silent, simple, still faith.' The S-cubed faith. The triple S faith. 
It is a sweet surrender of me and my life to You, Lord. After all, You know far better than I how I should live and be. You know Your will for every single moment of my life. Hence, what a sweet surrender, as I allow You to work in me, through me,and around me--and as I join You in Your work. 

It is all about You, Your will, and Your glory and is not about me.

Galatians 5:16 / The Message (MSG)
16-18 My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?  
-- MSG: Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.   

Romans 8:5-8 / The Message (MSG) / 5-8 Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.   

I choose to live Your way. I will continue to choose each and every minute of my life. I surrender to Your will. 

How easy it is to do this when I reflect on my life and realize how much I have stepped off Your path for my life, how I have fallen and stumbled, and how missed the mark far more than I ever hit it. Yes. I deserve death. But, it's all good. 

Isaiah 1:18 / New American Standard Bible (NASB)
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool. 
--   NASB: Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.    

Jesus Christ died so I am forgiven and my missteps are wiped away. 

Therefore, I want to live a life, moment by moment, surrendered to You and Your will, my Redeemer and Savior. You have already forgiven me. It's the absolute least I can do and I know how much it will be to bring You glory. 

(Image Credit: Miscrosoft Images Online 2008-2014.) 

 What is a simple, still, silent faith? 

It's one that consists of intentionally (that's the doing) being with God (which is the being). 

Intentionality requires purpose and drive. It requires focus and effort all day and night long. 

This simple, still, silent faith consists of being with God and in His Word, the Bible. It's hanging out and being in the presence of. It's enjoying the company of God and His Word.

There are two spiritual disciplines we are to do at all times as we live a simple, still, silent faith. It's being in the Word of God and in prayer. To keep a simple, still, silent faith, combine them both in one. Pray the Word. That's it. Pray the Word night and day. Keep bringing your attention to God and His Word. 

Moreover, this simple, still, silent faith listens far more to God than it ever speaks to Him.  This is the silence part.

The still part is every day at one point or another, we still ourselves and spend a longer time of just being with God and not doing something else. However, we can also still the chaos in our lives, as we are busy, by focusing on God and bringing Him and His Word to our attention throughout the day and night.

All of that sounds quite complicated, if you ask me. But, it isn't. Notice, not one program was mentioned previously. There is nothing to do and no checklist to follow.  This simple, still, silent faith is just about being with God intentionally all day and night through focusing your thoughts on Him and His Word as you carry on with life as normal. 

Human beings are made to do think about more than one thing and do more than one thing at once. We can focus on God as we work, drive, wait, talk with others, clean the house, exercise, plan, read, and so on. Everything we do in life, we can do as we focus on God and on His Word. 

That's it.

This is a simple, still, silent faith. 

Would you care to join me in learning how to apply this to our lives? 

Would you like to simplify your life over the next year? 

More to the point, would you like to learn how to live a simple, still, silent faith?

What is a simple faith?

What is a simple faith?

What is a simple faith?

It is one which meets me where I am, as I am, and how I am.

I know I have eternal life. Do I take it for granted? I try not to do so, but it happens. 

I am a sinner and deserve death, but Jesus died so I can have eternal life. Jesus died so the sins I make now are forgiven. I do everything I can to avoid sin, but it occurs. When I realize it, I do everything I can to turn and not repeat it again. I also do what I can to avoid temptation. A simple faith keeps this in mind at all times and lives this as truth. 

This is why I say a simple faith is one which meets me where I am, as I am, and how I am. It really is that simple. 

Worship on One of Those Days

Today is one of those days I will hurt beagle's, cat's and turtle's ears--by listening to praise and worship music all day a little louder than normal. (It's not really that loud, fyi.)

The turtles love it when I sing at the top of my voice (or quietly), so today will be a day they enjoy.

Music soothes the savage beast inside when things haven't gone the way you wanted, so you are worried and disturbed. Anxious and grieving. Confused and grasping at straws.

Worship is always to be our response. 

God is greater.

God's got this. 

Now, more than ever, I feel the call to ceaseless prayer for the USA.

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online.)

Stacy Duplease
Thriller Historical Fiction Writer

The Storykeeper of Roanoke: The Family Treez of the USA Series, Book #1

Email: familytreezusa@gmail.com

NaNoWriMo: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/familytreezetc

Bookstore: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hisfiction

dba Remembering Your Present, LLC & Family Treez USA

A Watered Down Faith

Do you water down your faith? Do you hold back? Are you afraid of being viewed as a wacky Christian? (You know... One of 'those.')

Why?

How can you be more bold in your faith?

How can you be more bold in your prayers?

A Watered Down Faith

Do you water down your faith? Do you hold back? Are you afraid of being viewed as a wacky Christian? (You know... One of 'those.')

Why?

How can you be more bold in your faith?

How can you be more bold in your prayers?

Stacy Duplease
Prayer Warrior and Faithful WriterUSAGC 2026

Email: usagc2026@gmail.com
Blog for USAGC 2026: http://usagc2026.blogspot.com
Find my books at/store: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hisfiction 

A toned down faith?

Should Denver Broncos Quarterback Tim Tebow tone it down--when he talks about this faith?

Check out this article. It is a good one--and the very last section gives us advice regarding the Great Commission. 

http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=36831

Stacy Duplease
Prayer Warrior and Faithful WriterUSAGC 2026

What Have You Done This Year? How Have You Been?

My last blog post was about remembering what the Lord and you have done for Jesus over the last year. This blog is about what you have done for, and how you have been with, Jesus this year.

This is another Christmas tradition I have. It's analysis of the past year (and all my Christian life), review, and of my faith.

Before I continue, let me stress that it's far more important to be with the Lord. It's having your mind and heart focused on him--than to do any action for him. That's what matters most and above all. After all, we can do all sorts of what we would call godly acts, and never have our hearts and minds focused on him. They are rote acts for a checklist. 

Or, we can be focused on the Lord and his Word all the time. That's the being component of our faith and is what matters above all else. After all, we have to work for a living--in order to have shelter and food. So, while we work, we can be focused on the Lord and his Word. That goes for all the things we have to do: housecleaning, showering, driving, exercise, etc. We can be with him while we do other things. 

That's not to say acts of faith aren't important. They are necessary. The book of James reminds us of this. However, as we do those acts, our minds and hearts must be on him do they are not just for a check-mark to sign off on our to do list. 

So, that being said, it's important to reflect upon, and analyze, the past year of our walk with the Lord and the Word of God. This is where prayer journaling comes in to the equation. If you just answer these questions in your mind, you won't remember in 6 months, let alone in a month, what was said between you and God. 

PRAYER JOURNALING

A What did I do that worked well over the last year?

B What didn't work well?
C What all did I do to bring God glory this year?

D How close did I come to praying without ceasing?

E How close did I come to praying the Word, and meditating on it, morning, noon and night?

F How much time did my calendar literally reflect I spent with my Lord and his Word?

Now, answer questions A-F about the last two years, three years, five years, and every 5 years thereafter.

(Photo is from: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/)

Stacy Duplease
Prayer Warrior and Faithful Writer
USAGC 2026

Retrain self

We need to retrain ourselves regarding our lives.

The lives we live on earth are temporary. We are here shortterm. However, we are given the time on earth to prepare for heaven.

We are to live for heaven today.

We need to retrain ourselves as we realize fully every word we read before this sentence in this blog post.

We need to remember we can't take it with us...however we define 'it'.

The only thing we will take with us is our faith, along with our crowns. The more loyal we are in our faith, the more crowns we will have in heaven. But, that is not why we should act and be stronger and more loyal to our faith each day. Rather, the crowns should be accidental.

We need to quit saying God and his Word come first. We have good intentions whenever we say it. Rather, we should live lives which reflect this principle. If we do everything mentioned up to now in this Bible study, we are off to an incredible start.

~ Stacy Duplease

Sent from my Kindle Fire

Panera Bread and learning about unfaithfulness

As you might have guessed, I am at Panera Bread. And this proves the Amazon Kindle Fire is wonderful for writing and for Bible study. (Yay!)

As I sit here and write, I am learning a great deal about unfaithfulness. It is making me pause and think. I cannot help but realize how there is a great deal I need to learn about faithfulness.

I cannot help but hear the conversations around me since we are packed like sardines.

How often do we talk just to talk? And do we ever listen to ourselves? Do we honor the Lord with every word we utter? Do we choose our words carefully? Do we waste our words and say more than necessary?

I think if we prayed at least as much as we spoke, our lives would be drastically different.

Do we talk others like we would to Jesus? Or do we condescend, yell at, complain, and get frustrated?

Honor God with every word you say. Every.

Grab your journal workbook.

# Write your thoughts.

# What did God say to you about this blog post?

# What did you say to God?

# List a few ways you will apply this to your life:
A
B
C

--Stacy Duplease
Sent from my Kindle Fire

Christlikeness

Another sign of being more loyal to your faith is your search to learn what it means to be more Christlike. In addition to searching for the meaning, you will also try to apply what you learn to your life. You will then try to grow more Christlike every day.

How do we become more Christlike? You might ask.

You will do what he did while he was here on earth. That is the short answer. How can you learn what he did? Read the gospels: the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Write notes as to what he did with the word and with his Father. Also keep notes about what he told other to do. Then, apply all of that to your life. That is the more thorough answer.

Another way we can learn to be more Christlike is through reading the Word, doing what it says, and pray without ceasing.

Let Christlikeness be our goal as we strive to have a more loyal faith.

Grab your journal workbook and answer the questions below.

# Write your thoughts.
# What spoke to you as you read this post?
# List at least three ways you will use as you strive to become more Christlike:
A
B
C

-- Stacy Duplease
Sent from my Kindle Fire

The Word and Faith: Psalm 119:105

Please read Psalm 119:105 at this time in your favorite Bible and in your favorite version. Don't forget to pray before you read, as you read it, and afterward.

You might want to read it a few times and allow the words to sink in deeply. For one of your readings, read it very slowly and pause between the words.

This is one of my favorite verses. After all, it describes how precious the Word of God is supposed to be in our lives. This is the attitude we should have all the time as we go through life. This verse describes a person of an extremely deep and loyal faith.

Re-read it a few more times after you pray again for the Lord to speak to you through this verse and for help understanding it in the way he desires.

Please grab your journal workbook at this time. Then, pray before you answer these questions.

# Write your thoughts about this verse.

# What did God say to you about the verse?

# What did you say to God?

# How will you apply this verse to your life?

-- Stacy Duplease


Sent from my Kindle Fire

Are you taking care of yourself inventory (template)?

If you are like everyone else in this world, you are busy. So, let's be honest with ourselves and analyze some things we need to keep in mind from time to time.

Grab your journal workbooks and answer the following questions. theya re not emant to make you kick yourself or make you feel uncomfortable. They are for awareness only. If you want to make some changes after you complete this inventory, make sure they are small. Do not tackle them all at once. Be kind to yourself. No stress. One bite at a time.

259 Do you exercise at least 5 days a week? If not, how many?

260 Are you fit? 

261 How is your weight? Where the doctor says? Over or underweight?

262 How is your eating lifestyle? Do you eat healthy? Just the right amount? 

263 Do you get 8 hours of sleep per night?

264 When was the last time you took a vacation?

265 When was the last time you took a Sabbath? 

266 Are you healthy?

267 How are your moods?

268 How is your thought-life? 269 Do you focus more on the negative or the positive? 270 How much do you think/focus on God and his Word?

271 What can you do to live a healthier lifestyle? Make a complete list. Then, number them in priority order. Then, for the next three weeks, work on that. Then, add #2. Continue with #1, but also do #2. Then, continue with the rest using the same ratio.

272 What did God say to you?

273 What did you say to God?

Stacy Duplease
Bible Study Writer & Blogger
A Loyal Faith

Prayer Monday #1: Introduction to Prayer

ONLY PRAY ON MONDAYS?

No. Do not only pray on Mondays. Monday is when we look at the theme of prayer and when we give prayer extra attention. 

We are to eventually learn to pray without ceasing (stopping, halting, pausing, etc.). But until you are able to do so, pray daily and pray several items a day. 

WHAT IS PRAYER?

SIMPLEST DEFINITION: Prayer is both talking to God and listening to him. (The latter mentioned is most important.)

The more loyal to him we become, the more listening we will do. However, at first and when you begin to intentionally pray, you might pray 75% of the time and listen 25%. In time, intentionally move to more and more listening. Nevertheless, with that being said, if you have a lot to talk to God about--and it's NEW, then talk away. He welcomes it. He would rather you babble than never talk to him at all. But, if you are repeating yourself over and over, listen more. This is a general rule of thumb.

HOW DO WE PRAY?

First of all, we need to remember that we are not talking with a buddy. Although, God can be your friend. We are talking to God, the Father, the Author and Finisher of our faith, the Amen, the I AM, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Jehovah, Abba, Father, Lord. He is holy, holy, holy. He is perfect. He knows all.  He is all powerful. Do not ever forget who you approach. 

In other words, show him respect and give him the respect he deserves. At ALL times.

Whenever you start your prayer, acknowledge who he is. Call him one of your favorite names. then, pause. Remember he is GOD. He is above all. He is holy, holy, holy. Then, move into your prayer--whatever style of prayer you are doing. 

TIP: I highly recommend journaling before, after, and sometimes during your longest prayer sessions of the day. If you are limited on time, journal at the end and make sure to at least write a summary of what God said to you. If you have more time, write what you said to God. 

HOW CAN I PRAY SEVERAL TIMES A DAY?

Whenever you wake in the middle of the night and/or toss and turn, pray.

When your alarm goes off in the morning, rather than grumbling, pray. I highly recommend hitting snooze at least once so you can devote the first 10 minutes or more of your day to prayer--before your feet even hit the ground running. Make him your priority. 

When you are going to sleep, pray.

When driving, turn off that radio and pray. Pray at stop lights.

Pray when on hold.

Pray when standing in a line.

Pray during your breaks at work--rather than getting caught up in gossip. 

When on errands, pray. 

When exercising, get rid of the music or the TV and pray. 

Every time you take a bite of food or a drink, pray. 

Find cues to remind you to pray. For instance, when you drink and eat, whenever you look at a clock, etc. 

Tip: At some point in your day, do at least one longer session of prayer.

PRAYER MONDAYS

We will look at the different types of prayer on Mondays, by the way.

WHAT TO TRY TODAY:

Pray your prayer requests for yourself, your family, your friends, the nation, your church, you state, your city, etc.

These are the ones you want to make sure you write down. Write every single one of them. Then, make sure to journal about when they were answered (time and date) and how. 

YOUR TURN

Give the prayer request prayer a try at this time (or whenever it's most convenient today). 

Stacy Duplease
Bible Study Writer & Blogger
A Loyal FaithFind my books at/store: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hisfiction