I Don't Have Anyone to Share My Two-way Journaling With

Answer from Mark: The above email was the fourth time this week I have received communications from people who are not sharing their journaling with others. In most of the cases, this resulted in them being stymied in their ability to move forward in clearly and easily hearing from God. So it is time to answer this question in a blog.

The Bible tells us that we are to encourage one another (1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 3:13; 10:25), comfort one another (1 Thess. 4:18), build up one another (Rom. 14:19; 1 Thess. 5:11) and stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24).

All of this is possible if we can open up our lives to those around us and share. This is especially true as we share our journaling. When I shared my journaling with my wife Patti, her constant encouragement that it was from God inspired my faith and pushed me onward. I shared with Patti about five times during the first day, as I journaled for several hours that day. Those who do not share and receive this encouragement to believe often flounder with fear and doubt, asking, “Is this me or God?” Satan then steals this precious gift of God’s voice, as they are no longer coming to God in faith (Heb. 11:6).

The Bible also says that in the multitude of counselors there is safety (Prov. 11:14). Far too many have blown up their lives by functioning without spiritual advisors or counselors. I have seen it numerous times. The thing that keeps us safe is receiving confirmation through “the mouth of two or three witnesses” (2 Cor. 13:1).

So, yes, I believe it is crucial to live in relationship with others in the body of Christ and ask them to speak into your life and to prayerfully honor what they speak. I am not suggesting slavish obedience to what they say, but that you honor it and take it to God and ask Him what He wants to say about how you are to incorporate their input. Also, when you ask for input, never ask people what they think, but instead, ask them “if their heart bears witness that what you have written came from God.”

I suggested to one person this week that they utilize their 20-year-old daughter as an advisor. This daughter was active and serving in ministry. They were concerned for their daughter’s spiritual growth, so my suggestion was, “Why not go through the 4 Keys book together and share your journaling one with another?”

Another lady with whom I spoke was afraid to share her journaling with her adult daughter, as she was journaling and seeking inner healing about some very messy things that had taken place in her life. She did not want to divulge all the details of such things to her daughter. My advice was, “When you do inner healing, you don’t write down in vivid detail the pain and the hurt and the violence you have been through. You simply say, ‘Lord, I invite Your presence into this memory.’ Then you record what Jesus is saying and doing… so no need to wander around in squalor or share horrendous tidbits with anyone, including yourself, God or your daughter.”

Another man was currently reading his sixth book of mine, but he still did not have a breakthrough in two-way journaling, and sure enough, he had never established spiritual advisors or shared any of his journaling with anyone. So I told him to go back to the 4 Keys book, and begin again and don’t skip any parts, because every part is important.

One suggestion to obtaining spiritual advisors is to ask the Lord, “Who would You have me introduce the four keys to hearing God’s voice to?” Tune to flow, and record the names and faces which come to you, and then contact them and ask if they would join you for a weekly group gathering in your home for 10 weeks where you watch the DVDs together on 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice. They would also read the 4 Keys book, fill in the LEARN workbook, and share journaling together.

Another option is that this can be done over the internet. Your friends can purchase the DVDs or e-learning module on Hearing God, and you can email your two-way journaling back and forth. I do this often with people from all over the world, including a missionary friend in Russia who shares a lot of his journaling with me.

Obviously, if you are married and/or have a family, then consider doing the DVDs together as a family and sharing your journaling together. I bounce my journaling off my wife and my two adult children, Joshua and Charity.

We encourage you to take advantage of the room on our social network site where you can post your journaling. We also have Personal Spiritual Trainers who function as coaches who you can hire for $1 a day to coach you through the course and share your journaling with.

And for the most in-depth application of the training on hearing God, we highly recommend you take the college level course REN103 Communion With God through Christian Leadership University. Students have an assigned instructor whom they can share their journaling with as well as the answers to the assignments, and any questions they have along the way.

• So don’t walk alone. Journal and ask God which option will work best for you at this time and pursue it. We were created to live in fellowship one with another. Enjoy the gift of your family in Christ!