God Gave Me A Spirit of Power, Love, and A Sound Mind

East Hill Church Family in Gresham, Oregon, the church I attend, has this great tool that I use in my quiet time with the LORD. The church calls it a journal. It starts with a reading plan that covers one entire year. So, any given day, there is prescribed reading.

This is so neat because it not only cuts down on search time for material to read, it also places you exactly in the same passages in the Bible that the rest of the church is any date of the year.

The journal has a simple but extremely useful structure that guides the user in their quiet time. It follows the acronym S.O.A.P. To quote from the journal's instruction page:

When you have chosen your Reading Plan, begin your reading time with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you from His Word today. Then, prayerfully and thoughtfully read today's passage from the Old Testament or New Testament.

SCRIPTURE - Write down a verse or verses that seem to stand out to you from the day's reading.

OBSERVATION - Write an observation of how these verses affected you or how God seemed to be speaking to you from His Word as you were reading.

APPLICATION - Write one or more points describing how this Scripture applies to you and your situation. You may want to write some action points of how you intend to apply this to your life.

PRAYER - Write a brief prayer to God that expresses how you are feeling about the Scripture you've read and how it applies to your life.

For me, the streamlined discipline of this structure brings my daily reading to a very personal level. I keep finding that the very issues I am dealing with at the time of my reading are directly addressed by God's Word in a very intimate and personal way. In Christianese, I hear the LORD speak to me through this journal.

Here's an example from today's reading:

SCRIPTURE - "Therefore I remind you to inflame anew the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore you should not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner. But be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace given us in Christ Jesus before the eternal times." (2 Timothy 1:6-9)

OBSERVATION - Paul reminds Timothy of the gift of God which is in him by the putting on of Paul's hands. The gift is the Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind---not the spirit of fear. Of this, the believer is not to be ashamed. It is the testimony of God. Instead, by the power of God, we are to share in the sufferings of the gospel. Before time was created, the believer has been called to this holy calling, not by our own works, but by God's own purpose and grace given us in Jesus Christ.

APPLICATION - I am not to fear the Goliath that comes between me and God's promise. God's Spirit lives in me, and He is powerful. He is of love, causing me to love; and He is of a sound mind, causing me to think clearly and arrive at sound decisions in spite of the conflicting noise of spiritual war around me. In God's power, I can take the hits that come because I testify according to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

PRAYER - Thank you, God. I may, indeed cast my cares on You (Psalm 55:22). You will never let those whom You made righteous by Your blood to fall. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

To tell you exactly what current issues of my life this reading addresses is a whole 'nother posting. Suffice it to say that the reading is just spot on. It made my day!

Funny that this blog actually began as an attempt to publicly journal my walk with my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. Yet, in time, it became more like a roundabout walk in the wilderness. I believe this is due to my lack of a structure to follow for consistency.

To the LORD's praise, He has provided for this lack. Perhaps, now, I may be able to proceed with this blog more frequently. I'm still unable to promise daily publications but it will no longer take me months before each posting.

(UPDATE on the paragraphs below: I guess I underestimated the enthusiasm journaling has given me. I seem to be posting almost on a daily basis after this. I have even revealed my real name. God bless you all,---Victor Antonio, July 21, 2007)

I have been so humbled by my failure to sustain this blog on a regular basis. A more realistic estimate of how frequently I could come out is probably once a week or two, occasionally more often.

I know I want to share my journaling experience so you will find me writing more about it. For those that would find that to be a blessing, check this site often and enjoy.

To God be all the glory!