Although COVID situations lingered into 2022, 2022 was in fact quite delightful for many. In fact, you may have read 11 Things That I’m 111% Grateful For or 30 Things That Made Me The Happiest This Year.
In 11 Things That I’m 111% Grateful For, I shared that I am 111% grateful for my journaling and scripting habits. In the latter post, I shared that going to my uncle’s church which he started this year has certainly made me happy.
Together, these have brought me to write this post and share with you how I have decided to keep up with my thoughts, prayers, faith, and scriptures in my new #NotConsumed Prayer Journal.
#NotConsumed Prayer Journal
If you are unfamiliar with the #NotConsumed Prayer Journal, it is an elegant prayer journal that can be used for journal lovers or even newbies to journaling and is recommended for teens and adults.
It is an invaluable tool that allows you to record your short-term and long-term prayers along with other thoughts, scriptures, and goals that you may have. I appreciate that it has enough pages to last an entire year.
If you are new to the idea of prayer journaling, you may want to learn by using the ACTS prayer format. ACTS is an acronym that stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Using the guidance given, you will learn how to align yourself with prayer journaling and connect deeper with God.
Although I am not a newbie to prayer journaling, I do appreciate the ACTS prayer format because it is a new technique for me to explore.
How to Use the ACTS Prayer Format
The Adoration section includes 18 names of God and their meanings. I love that you can journal ways that you’ve seen God’s attributes both in Scripture and in your own life.
The Confession section allows you to journal out anything that you may not be satisfied with and would have considered yourself acting wrongly. You can then reflect on ways you could have approached things differently.
The Thanksgiving section is perhaps my favorite section because it is a place where I can keep my gratitude lists, no matter how big or how small.
The Supplication section lists 22 categories of people and struggles to pray for. This section in my bible has always been a favorite section of mine that I visit frequently.
Lastly, this beautiful prayer journal is packaged in a simple yet elegant box and includes a detachable bookmark, a beautiful gold pen, and stickers to use throughout your journal.
Sunday Evening Journaling Routine
While some people tend to journal daily, I have added journaling in my prayer journal to my Sunday planning routine where I set an hour or so aside to plan for the upcoming week and journal in my prayer journal.
Doing this adds structure and routine to my habits, and also allows me some quiet time to connect with God, reflect on my past week, and prepare for the upcoming week – all of which I enjoy.
When Using This Prayer Journal Would Have Beneficial in the Past
I believe this prayer journal would have been extremely beneficial to me in various chapters of my life. For example, a few years back when I was taking an online bible study course.
This prayer journal would have allowed me to take a deeper dive into what I was learning throughout the online bible study course and allowed me to note additional thoughts, prayers, and learning.
At another time in my life, I was working through my Certified Empowerment and Motivational Professional (CEMP) certification and was required to read Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom which tells the eight-year story of Rabbi Albert Lewis, a preacher by the name of Henry Covington, and Mitch Albom, himself, who is seeking life’s purpose.
In a Nutshell…
In a nutshell, the story was about how changing beliefs can lead to miraculous outcomes. Throughout various situations, as readers, we were taken through difficult things and how to endure them when they happen, the forgiveness of self and others, and the importance of having faith.
Sometimes it feels like there are so many negative things in our lives that we begin to lose sight of what little light there may be left, but have to remember that we have to have faith and believe in something bigger than ourselves.
I learned so much going through that chapter of my life and wish I would have taken the time to record my experience in a prayer journal.
Final Thoughts
From these experiences, I would highly recommend having this prayer journal in general, but even more so as a part of any bible study class (or any course in general) that you are taking or plan to take. It allows you to have an organized way to record your short-term and long-term prayers along with other thoughts, scriptures, and goals that you may have.
This post is in collaboration with Not Consumed Ministries and contains affiliate links.
