Exhort means “to spur on, build up and encourage… to reprove, rebuke and correct.” Some of us have trouble letting God encourage us, while some of us have trouble letting God correct us. Both are essential.
Here is a Scripture Journaling Prompt I developed for Journaling Workshops. You’ll need two pens: a black one to copy scripture and a colored pen to write impressions from the Lord and your own thoughts (Read more about journaling with two pens here).
I. ENCOURAGEMENT THROUGH PHILIPPIANS 4
Start your entry by writing in colored ink, “Lord, I believe that you delight in me. I choose to be vulnerable before you right now and I invite you into hidden places in my heart. What do you like about me?” Write down whatever comes to you for as long as words flow.
Next, turn to Philippians 4:4-9. With the same pen, write, “What in Philippians 4 am I living well?” Switch to a black pen and begin copying the verses, ready to be interrupted by God’s answer. When you sense an encouragement coming, even if it is midsentence, switch to colored ink. Write until the thoughts run out (whether two sentences or two pages), then switch back to black and resume copying.
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II. CORRECTION THROUGH JAMES 3
In colored ink, write, “Lord, I believe that your ways are better than my ways. I acknowledge your authority in my life. Right now, I choose to have a teachable heart, knowing that you are wiser than I am and you see my whole heart. I invite you to correct me now.” Again, write whatever comes to mind for as long as words flow.
Next, turn to James 3:13-18. With your colored pen, write, “Lord, what in James 3 do you want me to live out differently?” Begin copying verses in black ink, ready to be interrupted by the Lord. Copy and write and copy and write your way through the passage.
NOTE. When God convicts, He comforts. There is always a hopeful glow and an assuring peaceful stillness underneath His correction. Not so with shame. If you feel guilt, that’s Satan talking, not God.
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This post is part of the Journaling Scripture Series.
Use this exercise with other scripture passages like Romans 12:9-21, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Galatians 5:22-23, and the Beatitudes. Read the Bible ready to be interrupted by the Holy Spirit. When a verse stands out, stop and journal it.
