How To Set Up A War Notebook

"To win the fight, you've got to have the right strategy and the right resources, because victories don't come by accident." - from the film War Room

Last month, I was given another privilege of speaking to my sisters in faith at our local church for our monthly women fellowship. When I was invited, I immediately knew what I will discuss to them this time. I want to share with them something that had tremendously help me with my faith journey: my War Notebook. And today, let me also share it with you. 

I started bullet journaling last year to keep my schedule, thoughts, and other things organized. If you had been following me over on Instagram (@inspiredandintentionalliving) and on my Facebook Page, you will notice that I usually share two aspects of my bullet journal repeatedly: my gratitude log and my scripture writing/lettering. But aside from those two, my bullet journal also serves as my notebook for my devotionals and discipleship classes, my prayer log, and it is also where I jot down my Sunday sermon notes. Unconsciously, I was already creating my War Notebook. 

So what is a War Notebook? 

A War Notebook which can also be called Faith Journal, War Journal, or War Binder, is a way to keep track of one's spiritual markers and to prepare for spiritual warfare. It is inspired by the 2015 movie War Room. In the film, a closet is used by the main character to pray and fight for her loved ones. But since not all of us can dedicate a whole room or even just a closet for such uses, a notebook takes its place as a compact, practical, and mobile version of a War Room. 

Spiritual Marker

“And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and  took up twelve stones out of the midst of  the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua.” - Joshua 4:8 (ESV)

During the Reality: 7 Truths From Experiencing God discipleship class I have joined early last year, I encountered the term spiritual marker. According to Henry and Richard Blackaby, a spiritual marker identifies a time of decision when you clearly know that God has guided you. Just as how the twelve stones that the people of Israel took from the Jordan River represented God's faithfulness, guidance, and protection to them, our spiritual markers will also represent God's faithfulness, guidance, and protection to us. But instead of stones, we can write about our experiences in our War Notebook as a way of immortalizing those important moments.  

Spiritual Warfare

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 (ESV)

As believers of Jesus Christ, we are at war: with evil forces (spiritual battle), with the world (worldly battle), and with ourselves (battle within us). We know that the Lord has already won the war when he died on the cross and rose again after three days but as long as we are still on earth, we are still susceptible to the damages this war can cause so we must then continuously protect ourselves. A War Notebook can then represents the armor of God we must put on. 

What do we need to start a War Notebook?

Basically, you will only need two materials: a notebook and a pen. My War Notebook is now separate from my bullet journal. 

Since it is your War Notebook, it can be as simple or as decorative as you want. Personally, I enjoy decorating my notebooks so I also use colored pens, colored pencils, highlighters, washi tapes, decorative stickers, and watercolor. 

So what should we include in a War Notebook?

There is no definite rule in what you can include in your own War Notebook. It will really depend on your current spiritual need but here are some ideas:

• Gratitude Journal
• Prayer Journal
• Scripture Writing Journal
• Bible Study Notes
• Sermon Notes
• Devotional Notes
• Word Study
• Books and Other Resources List

So to start, divide your notebook into the number of divisions you want. The number of pages for each division will entirely depend on you. You can divide it equally or you can dedicate more pages on the portions you think you will be using more often. 

Some, instead of a single notebook, use binders with thinner notebooks for each division. This is a great idea especially if one aspect of your War Journal will be used more often than others. 

Currently, my War Notebook has five (5) components: a Gratitude Journal, a Prayer Journal, my Scripture Lettering Journal, and devotional notes for two discipleship classes/group I'm currently attending. 

Gratitude Journal

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)

A gratitude log or journal is an ongoing list of things one is thankful for. My initial gratitude logs were daily - every day I write something which can be an event, a person, or a blessing I am thankful for that day. 

As a stay-at-home mom, most of my days are pretty routinely so I admit there are times I'm at a lost with what to write down in my gratitude log. This is when I am reminded that we don't need "big" or significant things to be happy. I learned how to be thankful for even the simplest events like my little Queen B enjoying the meal I prepared or me having a good afternoon nap. So when there are days that I am plagued with problems, I am still filled with joy - a joy that I know came from training myself to be happy at the smallest things and of course, by knowing I am loved by God. 

My current gratitude log (though I still have a daily one) is a weekly one which has this format:

• 10 things I'm grateful for which can be events, blessings, or persons that made me happy this week
• The highlight of my week
• 3 obstacles I'm facing this week and what I have learned from them
• A reflection question. Example: Who thanked you today? How did it make you feel?

There are still other formats you can use for your gratitude log, choose something that you believe you can religiously follow. Just remember that the purpose of a gratitude log is to help you develop a grateful heart and attitude in life. 

Prayer Journal

"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." - 1 John 5: 14 (ESV)

A prayer journal in its simplest form is a log of your prayers which may include requests, answered prayers, confessions, thanksgiving, and a Bible verse. I must admit that of all the sections of my War Notebook, this is the least used of all. I believe I still haven't found the format that works best for me and my needs but I do want to improve my prayer life so this is something I intend to really work on. 

According to theprayingwoman.com, there are four benefits in keeping a prayer journal and these are:

• Prayer journals help you keep track of your spiritual progress. 
• Prayer journals help you release the pain in memories of hurtful events. 
• Prayer journals help you develop hearing from God. 
• Prayer journals inspire your faith. 

The format I currently follow contains:

• Praise - where I praise God for His character or roles in my life like His mercy, faithfulness, patience, His being my Deliverer, Counsellor, Friend, Protector, etc.
• Confession - where I write my transgressions to Him
• Personal Requests - my prayers for His guidance in my being a wife, a mother, a friend, and in my endeavors and ministry
• Thanksgiving/ Answered Prayers - where I give thanks to Him for all the blessings I have received
• Prayer Requests for Others - where I write prayer requests I received from family and friends as well as my prayers for my loved ones, our local church, and even our country. 

Scripture Writing Journal

“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, so that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.” - Deuteronomy 17: 18-20 (ESV)

When God allowed the Israelites to appoint a king over them, He gave this rule for a king to follow - that the king must write for himself in a book a copy of God's laws which he then should commit to memory and keep all the days of his life. We, also, can benefit from doing the same. 

Scripture writing is simply writing out word-for-word passages from the Bible by hand. It is an activity that forces one to slow down the process of reading and encourages a more reflective engagement with God's Word. It is also a good tool when memorizing Bible verses.  

As I write my chosen verse or passage, I reflect on what the words mean and how it should be applied. It has been a way for me to go deeper to God's Word. And to make the process more memorable, I embellished my scripture writing with artworks or doodles. It is also a period of relaxation for me as I just think of God's Word during this process. 

I hope that my experiences with my War Notebook inspire and encourage you to make your own. It is a way to chronicle your journey with Him as you grow deeper and be more obedient to His Word. 

Yours, 

Lady