What Is Bible Journaling & 6 Tips For How To Do It

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In this post, I am legit going to tell you how to have the most productive and successful Bible journaling experience ever (according to me). BUT I am sure that you will agree with me once you read this post. Now as a disclaimer there are many ways to do Bible journaling, I am not going to teach you EVERY way, I am going to teach you my way and I think that my way is pretty freakin AWESOME if I do say so myself.

When it comes to Bible journaling, some people doodle, write, or journal in the Bible and some people use a notebook. I tend to use a notebook, an outside journal, or even type and place my sheets in a binder and feel this is the best way and let me tell you why. (The picture below is an example of some of my typed Bible journaling pages that I place in a notebook)

Bible Journeling ~ Why I feel this way is the best way (and keep in mind you can combine them with other techniques):

• My goal is to always get something from the Bible, and this is the best way to learn and absorb the information.

• I tend to read the books of the Bible over and over and over again and each time I get something new out of it. If you journal in the Bible, then it will be hard to add more notes as times goes by.

• As I Bible journal, I feel as if this can turn into a two-way conversation between God and myself. I often talk about how writing is a way to talk to God. For me, I can write and write and not have to worry about running out of paper.

• Using a separate source and writing something down allows a very easy way to go back and cross-reference weeks, months, or even years down the line. Every time I journal, I will date it, you can also categorize it, and it is a lot easier to refer back to over time as you grow and change.

• Overall, when it comes to Bible journaling you have to uncover your intent. As someone who enjoys Bible-based teaching, my intention is to get something from the scripture and apply it to my life. It is alot easier to do that when you have space to write and explore what God is telling you through the written word.

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8

Other people may want to use Bible journaling as a way to decorate their Bible so that when they open it, it provokes colorful emotions. I am not going to teach you this. But this is just an example of other types of Bible journaling aside from the one I practice.

I also recommend that you watch my video below where I talk about ways to hear from God and I feel that journaling is a great way to do this. I mean when you think about it that is what the Bible is. The accounts of men who wrote down what they heard from God. Don’t forget to click here to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Step 1: Bible Journaling ~ Get A Journal

I know that this seems like common sense and you probably don’t need me to tell you this BUT this goes beyond getting a journal but rather getting a journal that works for you.

For beginners, you may need something that is a little bit more guided. You can look at the examples below, all you pretty much have to do is fill in the blanks. Bible journaling such as these are great for beginners when they don’t know where to start, all you have to do is follow the prompts of the journal and it takes the guesswork out of it. (Click this affiliate link, to buy the journal below). 

For the creative-minded. Having something colorful that you can write, draw, or create in it may be beneficial for those who still want that lively and creative feel. There are times when I set to Bible journaling that want to draw something out, write a song, or even poem. As you saw from the pictures above I even add pictures of myself. So if you know that you are of the creative type of mindset then having these creative looking journals may be a better way to keep you engaged. (Click here to get the creative journal below). 

Also, there are specific supplies, stickers, etc that you can decorate the pages of your journal if that is your preference.

You can get basic. This is my preference just because I tend to write so much. It is just better for me to have blank pages.

You can get techy: This is another option that I tend to use, just because I can type faster than I write, plus I can add pictures and clip art. You can choose to keep your journal online, somewhere like Google Docs so that you can access it anywhere even from your phone. Or you can choose to print the pages out and put them in a binder. This can be a great method if you want to categorize your Bible journaling sessions. You can put tabs for each paper, you can categorize them so that it is easy to refer back to later. You can click here to join my email list and get my prayer journal worksheet for free.

Step 2: Bible Journaling ~ Set Your Intention On What You Are Bible Journaling On

When you set your intention on the Bible verse you want to focus on, remember the following Bible verse:

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8

The reason why I am telling you this is because one of the reasons for Bible journaling is to “meditate” on the actual scripture.

The definition of mediate according to the dictionary is to engage in a mental exercise for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness and to make a change in your life.

Journaling can be fun, decorative, but don’t forget the point is for you to have a deeper understanding of the Bible so that you can be able to actually make a change in your life. Therefore, when you obtain a specific portion, verse, verses, or chapters from the Bible, remember to have that goal in mind.

What I recommend: If you have never read the Bible from front to cover before I recommend starting the Bible from the very beginning. The reason for that is because how can you get a full context of the Bible unless you read it from front to back. You would never get a storybook and pick it up from the middle, and then pull a few paragraphs from the back, and then the beginning and expect to know what is going on?

So why do so many people do that for the Bible? Is it is okay to pull verses and journal from them, yes? BUT I think that should come after you have gone through the Bible at least once. YOU DO NOT have to journal every single Bible verse of the entire Bible. that would be excessive. But rather have a particular Bible study for the day (it can be a book of the Bible, X amount of verses, chapters, or whatever makes you feel comfortable) and then journal about it.

I recommend the above books that will help you read the Bible. Do not feel the need to rush through the Bible just to say that you have read it from cover to cover. You are not reading the Bible backward and forward for bragging rights. You are doing it to mediate and to get understanding. So as you choose this method, do not choose too many verses or books in the Bible to journal on because you will forget things. And allow yourself to take however long you need to get through the Bible and grasp the information.

Get Some Cards: Get a set of cards full of Bible verses and pick them randomly or just pick one that calls out to you. Look up the Bible verse in your actual Bible, feel free to read the verses and/or chapters before or after the Bible verse and then that will be your journal focus. You can tape or add the card to your journal entry for the day if you are feeling creative. You can check out some of my card suggestions below that I used.

Loving Words From Jesus Card Deck

Pray for a verse: This is the direction that I normally do as I am fairly familiar with the Bible. If I want a focus for the day then I will just pray God to reveal to me, certain Bible verses, Bible characters, a topic, or books of the Bible that He would like for me to focus on.  This is better for those who are familiar with the Bible because if you are not then you are just going to go to the Bible verses or stories that you know thus missing the opportunity to learn and journal on the parts of the Bible that are not as familiar to you.

Step 3: Bible Journaling ~ Gain Insight

As a Christian you have the Holy Spirit in you and that spirit will give you guidance on how to interpret scripture that is specific to your own life. According to the Amplified Bible, the function of the Holy Spirit is:

But the [a]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. John 14:26

Which brings me to my first point about gaining insight. The Holy Spirit is going to give you direct guidance for your life and can reveal verses of the Bible that pertain to you in a way that no one else can. Not your pastor, not me, and anyone outside of yourself. Because you and I (and anyone outside of yourself) are two different people with two unique sets of wants and needs and what the Holy Spirit wants to guide you on may not be the same thing it wants to guide me on.

And the second tip to gaining insight is to get a Bible that you can understand. My personal favorite is the Joyce Meyer Amplified Bible (click here to buy). The Amplified Bible breaks down scripture in an understanding way and over explains words in a way that other versions would not, and picking the Joyce Meyers Bible (since I am a fan of hers) getting the additional commentary from her perspective regarding certain Bible books and verses can add to your Bible journaling experience. Click here to read my blog on ways to read and understand the Bible.

Step 4: Bible Journaling Check List

For me personally, there are certain things that I like to ensure is on my Bible journal sheet because I have journals from years and years ago and as you are not going to remember every detail of that moment, it is very helpful for you to have some basics in your journal so that if you were to refer back to them later can read what you wrote and have a clear mindset of what the entry was about. The following is a must:

• The date
• The Bible verse
• Any specific focus areas that you intended for that Bible verse ( for example: looking for encouragement, a direction in your life, you wanted to know what to do).
• Your current life circumstances: Were you experiencing a job loss, breakup, in a depressed state, just getting married, or pregnant.

All of these things can help give your entry context if you were to go back and read it in the figure. You can watch my video down below where I read journal excerpts from the time I was depressed to see exactly what I am talking about.

Step 5: Bible Journaling ~ Set Your Environment

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Matthew 6:6

I do not expect you to literally go into a closet of course but it is helpful if you have a private area free of distractions so that you can hear from the Holy Spirit. Consider setting up music, candles, crystals, a waterfall machine, that machine that makes nature noises, or anything that you feel will get you in a peaceful mindset and will assist you in being open and receptive from hearing from the Holy Spirit.

Step 6: Bible Journaling ~ Pray

And last but not least before you get to writing just pray, it does not have to be some long drawn out prayer or perhaps it can be if you want. Whatever gets you there. Simply talk to God in a way that is befitting to you inviting Him into your heart and your mind and allowing Him to give you understanding.

One prayer that seems to work pretty well is the one that Joel Osteen says at the beginning of his services:

This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess: My mind is alert, My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, Ever-living seed of the Word of God. I will never be the same again. Amen.

Short sweet and to the point and most importantly notice it has the key points you need in a prayer before your Bible journaling session:

• You ask to be open to receiving the information that is in the Bible.
• Pray that you stay focused and that you do not get distracted, and that you are receptive to what God is going to tell you.

Because Lord knows sometimes reading the Bible and coming across a verse telling you that you MUST change is not always easy but you must be receptive. You do not have to say this specific prayer, but try to make sure your prayer has these elements.