🙏 📖 Many Christians use an easy method called SOAP. The origin of SOAP journaling is from The Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro. First, surrender your heart to listen. Begin and end with prayer. Maybe you have read Scripture, listened to a sermon, or a watched a YouTube video. Ask God to help you notice one verse that is especially important for that day.
· S = Scripture
· O = Observation
· A = Application
· P = Prayer
✍️S is for Scripture, the Word of God. Be aware of an “aha” moment that catches your attention. Then, write down that verse and reference. (See the example that follows.). Capture that thought. Write down that verse. When a verse stands out, stop reading and write it in your Bible Study journal. Writing the verse is an important step. When God speaks to you through His Word, write it down so that you can remember it, think about it, and obey it.
🔍 Next, O, Observe any of these questions: who, what, when, where, why, how. Who was writing? Who was this written to? Why was this important?
❤️After writing a short paragraph concerning observations, write down A for your Application. Is this a command to obey or a promise to remember? How does this affect my heart motives? What actions do you need to apply to your life?
🙏 Last is P for Prayer. Write out your prayer. The practice of writing out your prayer reveals the truth to our hearts. That summarizes your commitment to follow God’s instructions as you give thanks.
Limit your writing to one page so that this daily exercise is simple and easy to continue. Your goal is to discover the verse God wants to speak to you that day. When that verse is clear, you do not need to finish the entire reading. Stop and focus on what God is teaching you. Over time, I learned to recognize how God was speaking to me through His Word. This changed my daily time with God. I wanted to take time to meet with Jesus. He was waiting to meet with me. I was listening. He was talking. I was talking through my thoughts and writings. He is listening.
Soon “SOAPing” became one of the best parts of my day. I look forward to hearing from God through the Bible. During the day, I often remember the verse I had written. Sometimes that verse helps me in a situation I face. At other times, God’s Word encourages me and helps others when I share God’s Word with them.
Example
Scripture: Psalm 95:7-8 Date:
Title: God Leads Me
Topic: Listening Daily
S
"We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to His voice today! The Lord says, 'Don't harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness." Psalms 95:7-8
O
Psalm 95 is a song of praise, thanksgiving and worship describing our great and powerful God and how He watches over us like a caring shepherd. But it contains a warning that we should listen to His voice daily and we dare not harden our hearts. Meribah and Massah are names that recall the murmuring against the Lord.
A
The correct response is to humbly ask and listen daily for his voice. The Shepherd will guide us where we need to be. Hardening our hearts, not listening and obeying daily to His instruction is the cause of many problems. Spending time every day in His written Word and listening faithfully for His Holy Spirit's voice brings peace to my human spirit.
P
Father, thank you for all your provision and the reminder to listen carefully and faithfully for your daily instruction.
By spending time with God in His Word, we receive spiritual food. Swallowing and digesting Scripture by Observation, Application, and Prayer is essential for growth. By being actively present, He is leading us to become the people He created us to be.