Scripture journaling is not the same as keeping a diary, it is not keeping a log of facts and events of the day and is not just about a record of your feelings and thoughts.
It is a way of integrating Scripture with your thoughts and feelings, ideas and goals, and your experiences in a way that can enrich, not just your journaling but also your experience of Scripture, allowing it to have a deeper impact in your life.
There are many benefits to journaling in general. It helps with organising your thoughts, recording your ideas, helps with goal setting, relieves stress, allows for self-reflection, inspires creativity, to name a few.
So why should I do Scripture journaling and not just regular journaling?
Scripture journaling is a process that can slow us down from the busyness of our lives to take some time of reflection on Scripture and how it relates to ourselves and our lives. It can be an enriching experience that nurtures us spiritually as well as emotionally and mentally.
It will take your experience of reading the Scriptures to a whole new level.
It will also act as a record of your journey in your relationship with God that you can go back to at any time, reflect on, give thanks for, and be encouraged by as you see how God has been working in your life.
To get started all you need is the Scriptures, a book to journal in, a pen, and, if you feel creative, some coloured pencils, stickers, highlighters, paints, and anything else you may want to use to express yourself with.
It may seem a daunting thing to do, and you may not know where to begin, so here are 5 simple steps to help you work through as you begin your Scripture journaling journey.
Step 1 – Pray
Start with praying and asking God to reveal Himself to you, to guide, lead and teach you through His Word. Your prayer could be Psalm 119:18 “Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things out of Your law’.
Step 2 – Read the Scripture
As you read through the Scripture think about the words, look up words you may not understand, use the footnotes and cross-references, and any other resources you may have to help you understand what you are reading and it’s context.
Step 3 – Ponder
Take some time to ponder on what you have read, what is it saying about God, about you, and about how it might apply to your life.
Step 4 – Write
Begin writing. You may write out a verse, or some key words or phrases that stand out to you. You can highlight and circle words that stand out to you. You might use cursive writing for some words or phrases or use different styles of lettering and sizes to emphasise things.
If you feel like being a little more creative you can draw a picture or design that reflects what you have read, or how it makes you feel. You can be as creative as you want to be with this, use whatever medium you wish, stickers, paints, whatever you want. This is about your personal expression of the Scriptures, it doesn’t matter what it looks like, this is your expression.
You may even want to write a poem or a prayer to express yourself.
Step 5 – Reflect
Take a moment now to look at what you have read and what you have written and created. Reflect on what you have learned and thank God for it. There may be a special verse that you commit to memory and reflect on throughout the day.
As you practice Scripture Journaling you will develop your own unique style which will be personal to you.
You can download a FREE scripture journaling page below to get you started.
What is prayer? Prayer is simply communication between you and God.
It is a two-way relationship where we talk with God and listen to Him as He seeks to communicate with us. There is nothing complicated about it.
Whilst God wants us to bring our needs, desires, thoughts and feelings to Him prayer is not about coming to Him with our ‘shopping list’ of things we want Him to do.
As with any relationship, in order for it to grow it requires good communication, both talking and listening. So it is with our relationship with God.
There are many examples in the Bible of Jesus’ prayer life, how He prayed, and what He prayed for, here’s just a few.
He gave thanks (Matthew 15:36), He prayed for God’s will (Luke 22:42), He prayed for children (Matthew 19:13-15), He prayed for the church (John 17:20-23), He prayed for forgiveness for others (Luke 23:34).
He gave an example to His disciples of how to pray which included adoration to His Father, praying for God’s will, prayer of request, and of confession, and for deliverance (Luke 11:2-4).
As followers of Jesus we want to be guided by His example. Jesus prayed as an example to us and to demonstrate to us the need be in communication with God.
If Jesus did it then maybe we should take notice.
To grow our relationship with God
The act of communication helps us to be connected in our relationships, it strengthens relationships, builds positive emotions and builds trust.
This is also true in our relationship with God. Prayer can help us feel more connected with God, strengthened in our relationship with Him, helps us to trust Him and build positive emotions.
To overcome temptation
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus knows what it is to be tempted.
We see this demonstrated in Matthew 4:1-11 when, just after Jesus’ baptism, He goes into the wilderness to pray and commune with His Father. During this time the devil comes and presents Jesus with three temptations which He refutes by quoting Scripture. Jesus drew strength from His prayer life to face the coming temptations.
Jesus encourages us to ‘watch and pray’ so that we don’t enter into temptation (Matthew 26:41).
To know God’s will
Before Jesus chose His disciples He spent the night in prayer. Why? To know the Father’s will.
As we spend time in prayer, laying our questions, thoughts and desires before Him, it allows us to draw closer to Him where we can begin to see things more clearly and from His viewpoint.
To equip us for spiritual warfare
Ephesians 6 tells us that in spiritual warfare we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and spiritual forces. The passage encourages us to ‘pray on’ our spiritual armour to protect us in our fight against the unseen enemy.
Does it matter where we pray? What about when we pray?
No it doesn’t…or does it?
In John 4, when Jesus was speaking with the woman at the well, He said that it didn’t matter so much where people worshipped, or prayed, so long as they worshipped in spirit and in truth.
God desires us to commune, speak with, pray to Him, always, anywhere, anytime.
Ephesians 6 encourages us to pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and requests.
Daniel prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10).
Jesus often withdrew overnight to pray, possibly because He could escape the crowds at that time. He also got up early in the morning and went to a deserted place to pray (Mark 1:35).
There is no ‘right’ time to pray, nor is the a ‘right’ place to pray.
But, as the example of Jesus own life shows (Luke 5:16), it is important to set aside some time where we withdraw from the busyness and noise of life and take some quiet time to pray, where we can allow His Spirit to lead us and where we can hear His still small voice.
Ask the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth (John 14:16-17) to help you to pray (Romans 8:26-27). He has promised to help you pray, to guide you and lead you in your prayers.
Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
It can be hard to know how and where to start with studying the Bible. There are resources out there, but they still don’t always lead to a deeper relationship with God, or a deeper understanding of His Word.
I was blessed to have a Christian mum growing up and she did a great job at getting me to read my Bible most days, unfortunately I absorbed it as a ‘have to’ thing to do rather than a ‘want to’ thing to do, and as much as I loved the Lord, I struggled a lot in early days approaching my Bible from a legalistic ‘have to’ point of view rather than with joy and anticipation, and therefore I often missed out on getting the most out of spending time in the Word.
You may have had a similar experience, or a very different one. It may be that you used to love spending time in the Word, but the busyness of life and it’s circumstances have got in the way, making spending time in the Word more of a chore, something you don’t feel you have the time for, or maybe you just don’t know how to get back into it again.
The SOAP method is a simple way of spending time in God’s word. It not too full on that a beginner couldn’t do it and you can go much deeper with it if you’re looking for something more.
But before we get into the ins and outs of the SOAP method of bible study lets take a look at why we spend time in God’s word and why we study the bible.
We want to make sure we are not approaching it from some legalistic point of view, as we probably won’t get much out of it, and it more than likely won’t be something that brings us joy.
What stops me from spending time in the Word and why should I spend time in the Word?
The first question will possibly take a little soul searching on your part.
Only you can answer that one, it may be that you don’t know how to study God’s Word, it may be you don’t know where to start, it may be you don’t think you’ll get anything out of it, it may be that you struggle to find the time, you may not see the importance of it, or there may be another reason that stops you.
Whatever the reason, if spending time in God’s Word is something you want to do more of then the thing that stops you needs to be addressed. What follows may have answers for some of those things that hold you back.
Why should I study the Bible?
It’s a way of getting to know God Better
John 15:15 says that He (God) has called us friends. That’s a pretty amazing statement, think about it, friends, with God!
Take a few moments to think about your friendships, the people in your life who you are close to, who have your back, and you have theirs. How did those friendships start, how did they grow? Usually friendships grow by spending quality time with each other, getting to know each other, talking, listening, sharing interests.
As our friendships in the natural grow, so our friendship with God in the spiritual can grow. Spending time in His presence, getting to know Him and His character through the Word, communication through praise, worship and prayer, listening for His ‘still small voice’ (1 Kings 19:12).
As we get to know God better, and spend more time with Him, we will learn to hear His voice.
For Guidance, truth, right thinking and wisdom
God’s Word is alive and active, not dead and motionless (Hebrews 4:12).
God’s Word reveals truth (John 17:17). In a world where there can be untruth, confusion, deception and lies, its good to have a reliable source of truth, a yard stick to measure life against. The Berean church in the book of Acts knew that it was important to test everything, even the teaching of the great apostle Paul, against the Word of God to ensure that what was being taught was true. (Acts 17:11)
God’s Word provides guidance (Psalm 119:105). It can illuminate our path and give us direction. When we are not sure what to do, or which way to go, God’s Word can give guidance and help us in our choices.
God’s Word offers teaching, equipping and right thinking (2 Timothy 3:16). It teaches us about God, His plans for us, for His people, and for the world. It provides us with the necessary knowledge and understanding that, if appropriated, can equip us to tackle the things that life throws at us.
God’s Word brings wisdom (2 Timothy 3:14-15). Proverbs 2:6 says that knowledge, wisdom and understanding come from the mouth of God, God’s Word.
Ok, so, now I’m going to answer the question of ‘what does SOAP have to do with studying the Bible’.
SOAP…insert drumroll…is an acronym!
I hope that’s not an anti-climax, and don’t give up on me yet, the SOAP approach to studying the Bible is worth looking into, it’s simple, straight forward, and you don’t need to buy any expensive books or study tools.
This is not just reading the Bible and then getting on with your day but rather taking a little time to dig a little deeper and get to know God, your Friend, a little better.
What will I need?
It’s simple, all you need to get started is a Bible, pen and paper, and a quiet space and time where you won’t be distracted, about 15 minutes should be enough to start with.
How do I do it?
As I said before SOAP is and acronym which stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Let’s break each one down.
Scripture – read a passage of scripture and then write it down. If it is a long passage then just choose a few verses that stand out to you and write them down. Writing things down enables a higher level of thinking which can result in a more focussed action.
Observation – think about the scripture and ask yourself, what stands out to you, what do you observe, who is the audience, is there something you see that you haven’t seen before, is there repetition, are there comparisons or contrasts. Write down your observations.
Application – now it gets personal. Ask yourself, how can I apply what I have read to myself, my life, and my walk with the Lord, is there something I need to do, or change. It may not always be something you need to ‘do’ or ‘change’ but it may be something you learn about God that changes your relationship with Him, or that you want to add to your praise and worship. Write down how you will apply what you have learned.
Prayer – pray through what you have learned, ask God to work in your life through what you have learned, it may involve praise, it may involve confession, it may be asking for help to act on something. (Matthew 13:23)
Example of a SOAP bible study
Let’s try an example of the SOAP method, I’m going to use Psalm 46 verses 1 and 2. (I’ve used the World English Bible)
Scripture
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas. Psalm 46:1-2
Observation
As I read this scripture, wrote it down, and meditated on it, I noted the word ‘is’. It doesn’t say might be or may be, it says is. It is a truth statement, a statement about God’s character that I can count on and depend on. He IS my refuge and strength.
Application
As I go through the troubles and testings of the day, and there’s always something that comes up in a day, I can KNOW that GOD IS my refuge and strength. Someone to go to when I need a safe place, someone to talk to who loves me unconditionally, and by turning to God as my refuge it can change my perspective on things and I know that He will give me the strength to face whatever the challenge might be.
Prayer
Lord, as I go through my day today may I be aware of your presence with me. When things get tough help me to remember what I have learned here, that I don’t need to be afraid, that I can come to you with my problems, no matter how big or small, that you will be there to keep me safe and to give me the strength I need to move forward.
And that’s it. Simple to remember, easy to do, and an effective way of spending time in the Word. If you’re not sure where to start the Psalms and the Gospels can be a great place to begin.
Remember, this exercise is not about your ability to write well, or whether or not you think you’ve done it ‘right’. It’s about you spending time with God and His Word, interacting with His Word and allowing it to change your life, and your relationship with Him.
Are you looking for fun, meaningful, and Scripture-filled resources to teach or reflect on the Armor of God?
Whether you’re leading a Bible study, teaching your kids, or doing personal devotional time, these 7 free Armor of God printables are perfect tools to help you explore Ephesians 6:10–18 in a hands-on and engaging way.
I’ve rounded up some of the best printables from around the web (including a few of my own!) to help you suit up in God’s armor every day.
Let’s take a look!
1. Armor of God Coloring Page
From: MyPrintableFaith.com
This fun and simple coloring page is perfect for kids and adults alike. Each piece of the armor is labeled with its biblical name and paired with an illustration you can color. It’s a great way to introduce the Armor of God in a visual and creative format.
These printable bookmarks feature the full Armor of God with Scripture references from Ephesians 6. Perfect for tucking into your Bible, planner, or journal for daily encouragement.
This minimalist wall art printable makes a beautiful and meaningful addition to your Bible corner, homeschool wall, or prayer space. It features each piece of the armor with its biblical name and reference.
This activity pack includes worksheets, coloring pages, cut-and-paste activities, and more—making it perfect for Sunday School, homeschooling, or family devotions.
This beautiful, kid-friendly printable artwork illustrates the Armor of God in a playful and engaging style. It’s great for framing in a child’s bedroom or using as a visual aid in your lessons.
This resource includes a 31-day Scripture reading plan and 35 verses to pray over yourself—focusing on spiritual strength, identity in Christ, and standing firm in truth.
This sweet coloring page features a young boy dressed in the full armor, perfect for introducing younger children to the spiritual concept in a fun and age-appropriate way.
The Armor of God is such a powerful and practical passage to study—and these free printables make it easy to teach, remember, and apply. Whether you’re coloring, crafting, reading, or praying, each of these resources points you back to the truth that God equips us for every spiritual battle.
If you would love to learn more about the armor of God and how it applies to your life Priscilla Shirer has an awesome book called The Armor of God as well as a bible study book that goes through it on depth.
Hi, I'm Steph! I want to equip you with faith resources to encourage a love of Gods word in your life.
DISCLAIMER
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TERMS OF USE
All our printables are for personal or free ministry use only.
If you wish to share our printables on your website, you may do so with a do-follow backlink to the blog page and credit. You may not share the files or images directly on your site.
