Sallie Dawkins

When I sit at the table with my journal and bible, I don’t place limitations on how God will speak, I only come expecting that He will. First Thessalonians 5:17 urges us to pray continually. That doesn’t mean we’re bound to a single location while praying. What if we learned to see prayer as more of a continual conversation with God (perhaps as a bride speaks to her Bridegroom, or as a daughter speaks to her Father, or a sister to her Friend or Brother)? When we place ourselves in a position to hear from Him throughout the day or night, we grow both in sensitivity to His presence and the gift of discerning spirits.
 

I believe every Word from God is a gift to be treasured and opened. That’s why I love journaling. Journaling helps me steward and remember the details of conversations with God. It allows me to go back to those conversations to learn even more.
 

God speaks to us in many different ways, and it’s the primary topic explored in “You Can Hear the Voice of God Through All Your Spiritual Senses” (book one of The Awakening Christian Series).
 

God speaks to us through His Word, dreams, visions, nature, and our spiritual and physical senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Most often, He speaks to me through words and pictures.
 

Recently, during a time of worship, God showed me a set of keys on a key ring, plus a Master Lock; then I could see the keys opening the lock. Is this biblical? Yes, but I didn’t have the scripture references to test it. The first step is documenting our conversations (dreams, visions, etc.). The next step is to test the details of that conversation with His Word.

 

Days later, I often find that I’m still talking (asking, seeking, listening) with God about it, and He’ll validate these encounters with scripture references. Typically, I’ll go back and write out the verses in my journal. Then, I’ll often follow up with a prayer crafted from those scriptures. Isaiah 65:24 says that even before we call on God, He answers while we are still speaking.
 

During this time, people often call, email, or text prayer requests or questions God has already provided (through journaling and bible study). First Peter 3:15 says we should always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope we have. And if we’re actively communing with the Lord in prayer, we’ve already got “fresh bread” and oil for our lamps to share the light of God’s love with our neighbors.
 

On the days when I’m traveling, or too busy to sit at the table, or don’t have my journal handy, I’m still talking with God, but I may use the voice-to-text or speak-to-text feature on my phone to send myself an email to steward and preserve my encounters with God.
 

How do your experiences compare? And in what ways are you stewarding gifts from God?