Freedom in the Word

June 12, 2017  - By Rachael Milner

Can I just be honest? I love bible journaling. I love painting an image to connect my mind to a verse and getting to share my heart through the process. But the enemy has snuck into what should be an act of worship and spoken comparison, insecurity, and pride into the nooks and crannies of my praise to the Father. He’s sneaky like that. Taking something intended for good and twisting it to look almost right but just a little off.

Last week I started rethinking how I can dive into the word. I started digging, connecting, highlighting, noting every little thing that stood out or spoke truth. And all of a sudden, my time in the Word was brought to light. I realized something big. 

It’s not about my illustrations or how well I can watercolor. It doesn’t matter if I highlight or watercolor or paint or add stickers. It’s about his living, breathing, active Word coming to life in my heart and changing how I interact with the world. I can keep illustrating like I’ve been doing whenever he sparks an image in my mind, and that’s great! Or I can simply jot down a thought he lays on my heart, without it having to look perfect, and that’s awesome too. There doesn’t have to be one right or wrong way. But it does have to be about the Word, and not about the approval. It has to be about the Gospel, and not about the likes. That’s the only qualifier. 

I’ve been asked a handful of times the last few months to share about bible journaling in various group settings. And as I’ve been sorting out my thoughts on this process I’ve let the enemy tell me I should stay quiet, pipe down, because I don’t know what I’m talking about, someone else is more qualified, I’ve wrestled with pride and doubt in that area, (insert laundry list of reasons here). BUT. Satan is a liar, a thief of joy and just flat out wrong!

The enemy says you’re unqualified and confused, so keep it to yourself.
Wisdom says you can talk about bible journaling with freedom in Jesus’ name because it’s a way to love the Word of God more. 

It’s a way to grow in my faith and knowledge of scripture, therefore pushing me toward my Creator. I can share my heart and my confusion and thoughts freely because there’s space in this big messy world to work it out honestly with the help of the Holy Spirit in the context of community!

I may not have all the answers, and I may still be figuring out this process in my life. But any time in His good Word never returns void and it is never wasted. The only thing wasted could be an opportunity to preach the truth that changes lives and sets us free!

Don’t let the enemy win this battle. Don’t shrink back in sharing your heart because it may look different from your sister’s. Don’t compare because God made you uniquely you, not to be her, but to be confident in His fingerprints all over your life!

Illustrate your faith however you wish and be bold in sharing it with conviction, not to impress but to inspire and to uplift and to share Jesus with a dark and lost world!

Satan profits while our sisters struggle and we suffer in silence when we fail to speak things from darkness into light. The light sheds truth and clarity that only comes from God, so we must take those thoughts of doubt and worry and insufficiency and hold them up to the Word, asking for our gracious Dad to redeem them and restore them to glorify Him.

May there be freedom in our relationship with God and truth in the overflow of our faith. To God be the glory, always and forever!

digging freely,

rachael

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  1. glenna.hunt@xplornet.com says:

    Love your wisdom and words. Every time I come to your site, and Instagram, I am so encouraged. Step out and just be surrounded by His words instead of being engaged in the likes and acknowledgement of this world. You make it ok to throw our hearts on the pages of His Word. To scribe our thoughts in little notes to "self" to encourage and make this way a little brighter. Thank you and keep your thoughts coming girl!!!!!!

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