How Prayer Journaling Strengthens and Transforms Our Spiritual Growth

 

How Prayer Journaling Transforms Us

Today, I want to talk about how prayer journaling can transform us.

I want to encourage you in the practice of prayer journaling.

I want to be open with you today and explain how I use my journal, the insights I gain from it, and how it helps me stay connected to what God is doing in my life. Of course, the reason I want to share this with you is that I hope if you aren’t already prayer journaling, you will see why this is such a foundational practice for our soul care and spiritual formation.

(Listen to the blogposts on our podcast :Faith and Soul Care:)

Before I jump into this, I want to remind you that the prayer journal I designed, which includes spaces for each of these practices that I teach and talk about, can be found on the books page of SherryElaine.com. If not, you can also go to Amazon and search for Prayer Journal Sherry Elaine, and it should come right up.

When you begin or continue in your prayer journaling, you will gain insights from it. You will start to see patterns in how God is working in your life, and it will help you stay connected with what He is doing.


Recognizing God’s Faithfulness Through Prayer Journaling

At the beginning of each week in the journal I designed, I include extra pages for notes. Personally, I use at least part of each note section for what tends to become a long list of continuing prayers—prayers that I know won’t be answered immediately. If I sense that a request will take more than a week or two to unfold, I write it down as a continuing prayer. That way, I can go back, review it, and intentionally continue to pray over it again and again.

Looking back at my journal over the last couple of months, I see that at the beginning of February, I had written down 18 continuing prayers. Now, as I go back and review, I see that 10 of those prayers have been answered in the way I had hoped.

The remaining eight are still unfolding. Some are long-term prayers, and I know I won’t have an answer for six months or more. Others are in progress—I’ve seen some movement but not a full resolution yet. And some are simply waiting for God’s perfect timing.

Among those 18 prayers, there were two that I did not expect to be answered so quickly or so affirmatively. Yet, God intervened in a way that was undeniably His doing. When I reflect on this, I’m reminded that God truly is paying attention to our prayers.

The importance of writing down our prayers is that, if we don’t, we often forget what we even prayed for. And if we forget what we prayed for, we don’t recognize how God has been hearing and answering us all along.

For example, let’s say I prayed, Lord, please protect me from getting sick this month. Life gets busy, and I forget that I even prayed that. A month later, I look back and realize, Wow, I didn’t get sick. That was an answered prayer! Especially if the flu was going around, and many people around me were getting sick, I would have completely overlooked God’s protection if I hadn’t written it down.

Prayer journaling helps us see patterns. You begin to notice that some prayers are answered quickly, some take time, and some are answered in ways you never expected. You also begin to see the truth of what the Bible tells us: If we pray according to His will, He hears us and answers us.

Trusting God When the Answer is No

So what about when God says no? Of course, not every prayer gets a yes. In the past two months, I’ve had about three prayers where the answer was clearly no. One of them involved an important decision I had to make. While I may not fully understand why yet, I trust that God’s no was for my good.

Because when I look at my journal, I can see how often God has been faithful. In so many prayers lifted up, I can trust that the few no’s are because He knows best. He is still being faithful, delivering the outcome He knows is best—even when it’s not what I had hoped for. This is why keeping track of our prayers is so powerful. It strengthens our faith and gives us confidence in God’s timing and wisdom.

All of this—prayer journaling, abiding in Christ, staying connected to God—are topics we’re going to explore together in my upcoming Women’s Connection Cohorts. These will be small groups where we will learn spiritual practices and grow together in faith. More details are coming soon!

If you want to be the first to know when we launch, be sure to join the email notification list at SherryElaine.com/cohorts. I can’t wait to see how God moves in your life as you grow in prayer and deepen your relationship with Him.

More Resources:

If you would like to learn simple, practical ways to walk with God every single day, then you would really enjoy Closer to God: Simple Methods, Starting Today


If you need motivation to eat healthier or lose weight while also growing 

closer to God, then you would enjoy Weight Loss for Christians, An 

Extraordinarily Simple Way to Conquer Cravings



If you want to learn more deeply and fully about what Jesus taught, then you would enjoy Words of Jesus - Bible Study on Christ's Teachings

 

New! Prayer Journal Designed! I love how the journal turned out! It has all I need for prayer tracking and reflections and re-setting my mind with struggles I am facing. 


The author also interacts with her readers on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GospelLifeBooks


Instagram: @gospellifelearning

                                                                                                                                 

Youtube: Gospel Life Learning

Find more of the author's books at Amazon here. 


More Resource Channels:

Gospel Life Learning Facebook

Gospel Life Learning Instagram

Gospel Life Learning YouTube

Sherry Elaine - Books Authored



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How to Find Joy and Purpose in God | Greek Word: Meno for Abide or Abiding | John 15:11 Teaching | Abide in Me Meaning

Abiding in Christ: The Gateway to True Joy

We’ve now reached part three of our series on living intentionally and finding purpose in God. In previous discussions, we explored the Greek words peripateo and phroneo. Today, we’re focusing on another key word: meno, which is deeply connected to abiding in joy through Christ.

Jesus said in John 15:9-11:

Listen to this article with the audio:

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love."

That word remain is also translated as abide—the Greek word meno. He continues:

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

There it is, directly from the words of Jesus. How do we find joy in our daily lives? Jesus tells us: Remain in my love. Abide in me.

What Does It Mean to Abide?

The Greek word meno means to stay, dwell, or continue. It is an active and ongoing process. However, it’s not about striving harder to be with Christ or trying to accomplish more for Him. Instead, it’s about resting in His love and staying connected to Him in our daily lives.

Notice that Jesus connects abiding with joy. He doesn’t say, “Try harder, do more, and you’ll eventually find joy.” Instead, He tells us that true joy is a natural outcome of abiding—of remaining—of staying close to Him.

Think about how often we seek joy in fleeting ways—through accomplishments, comfort activities, or even experiences we believe will bring lasting joy, like a vacation. But the joy Jesus offers is different. It doesn’t require striving. You don’t even have to leave your living room to experience it.

This joy isn’t based on circumstances, location, or possessions. It’s found in the steady, unshakable relationship we have with Christ.

Practicing the Act of Abiding

One of the most powerful ways to abide in Christ is through praying in the Spirit.

What does that mean? For me, it’s a time when I set aside my own thoughts, words, and agenda, simply resting in God’s presence. I quiet my mind and ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for me—to pray for the things I don’t even know to pray for.

This isn’t about striving to find the right words. In fact, I’m not speaking or even forming words in my mind. It’s about surrendering and allowing God’s Spirit to move within me, aligning my heart with His will.

I often lie down or get into a peaceful posture, quiet my thoughts, and say:

"Holy Spirit, I’m giving You this time. As I rest, intercede for me. Pray for what I don’t even know to ask for—the challenges ahead that I can’t yet see."

Then, I simply rest and remain aware that the Holy Spirit is working within me. In these moments, I feel the Holy Spirit’s comfort like a warm embrace. And you can experience this, too.

This is meno—remaining in Christ. It’s not about effort. It’s about quieting and surrendering.

If joy feels distant, perhaps the answer isn’t to do more but to rest more deeply in Him—to create space for Him to linger, to simply be with Him, and to trust that He is interceding for you when you ask Him to.

Abiding is the gateway to true joy because it keeps us connected to the very source of life, peace, and joy—Jesus Himself.

So today, ask yourself: Am I abiding or striving? Am I making space to rest in Christ's love, or am I caught up in striving and all the turbulence that's naturally present in life? If you are longing for more peace, comfort, and joy, start with abiding. Let go, be still, and trust that as you remain in Him, His joy will remain in you.

At the end of this three-episode series on finding purpose in God and living intentionally with Him toward your purpose, here are a few questions to reflect on.

Oh, and I want to mention again—in the prayer journal, there are note pages where you can do these reflections and write notes. There are plenty of pages for each week, with extra space for any reflections you're doing, goal setting, sermon notes, or Bible studies. It's all in there, as well as the common pages for your prayer requests and praying pages.

Reflection Questions

So here are a few questions to reflect on:

  1. Where am I walking without awareness? Are there routines that I'm stuck in that lack purpose? A few months ago, I surrendered my routine of scrolling news—doom-scrolling. I limited it to 20 minutes a day, and now I'm maybe at 20 minutes three times a week. I don't even feel the compulsion to do it anymore.What routines are we just doing? Some people call it buffering. We're buffering life with these routines in an unhealthy way. We're stuck in routines that don't have meaning or purpose.

  2. What simple gifts in my day am I not recognizing? Am I overlooking them? What can I do daily to practice gratitude for the small joys? The prayer journal has a place for this—every day's prayer page includes sections for thankfulness, confession, requests, ongoing prayers, answered prayers, and a place to write down something good that happened in the day, even if it's something teeny tiny—something you can view as a gift in that day. There's also a section for something good that you accomplished, no matter how small. This practice is proven to help keep our minds and perspectives right. It also helps ward off depression. Taking time to notice the little gifts in each day is psychologically proven to help prevent you from falling into a depressive spiral, especially if you do it when you start feeling the blahs—that depression creeping in. If you know, you know what I'm talking about.

  1. What is my mind set on? Am I focusing on eternal truth, or am I letting my mind get caught up in temporary distractions?

  2. Am I abiding or striving? How can I create space to rest in Christ's love this week?

Tools to Help You Abide

I’ve mentioned a few resources that I have to help you --

The Gospel Life Learning Prayer Journal – It has sections for you to write down and keep track of these practices so that with each quick notation you make in the journal, you are engaging in small. You can find this on Amazon. It's new—it was just published last month. Go to Amazon and search for "Prayer Journal Sherry Elaine" or "Prayer Journal Gospel Life Learning," and it should come up as the very first result. reflections that will lead you to experience more purpose and joy in each day and week. 

Upcoming Women’s Connection Cohorts –  Another upcoming resource is the online Women's Connection cohorts and course that we will be going through together. Get on my email list at either sherryelaine.com/cohorts or gospellifelearning.com to get first notification when it launches.

Final Thoughts

Living with intention isn't about perfection. It's about alignment—mindfully aligning your steps with focus and keeping your heart on God's purposes. That way, you're not just existing through the day, not just surviving, not just coping, not just going through the motions—but truly living with joy, purpose, and peace.

Thank you for joining me today on the Faith and Soul Care podcast. If this episode encouraged you, I'd love for you to share it with a friend. Until next time—walk intentionally, savor the simple joys and gifts from God, and abide deeply by praying in the Spirit and abiding in Christ's love.

Get those hugs from the Holy Spirit. 

Until next time, Gratefully, 

Sherry 


More Resources:

If you would like to learn simple, practical ways to walk with God every single day, then you would really enjoy Closer to God: Simple Methods, Starting Today


If you need motivation to eat healthier or lose weight while also growing 

closer to God, then you would enjoy Weight Loss for Christians, An 

Extraordinarily Simple Way to Conquer Cravings



If you want to learn more deeply and fully about what Jesus taught, then you would enjoy Words of Jesus - Bible Study on Christ's Teachings

 

New! Prayer Journal Designed! I love how the journal turned out! It has all I need for prayer tracking and reflections and re-setting my mind with struggles I am facing. 


The author also interacts with her readers on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GospelLifeBooks


Instagram: @gospellifelearning

                                                                                                                                 

Youtube: Gospel Life Learning

Find more of the author's books at Amazon here. 


More Resource Channels:

Gospel Life Learning Facebook

Gospel Life Learning Instagram

Gospel Life Learning YouTube

Sherry Elaine - Books Authored



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Your subscription has been successful.

Free Online Studies and Women's Online Faith Cohort Information

 I want to be notified when Free Bible studies and the online cohorts open for registration for Summer 2025 and Fall 2025!

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Finding Purpose in God: How to Set Your Mind & Rewire Your Brain Weekly as a Christian | Greek word for "set your mind" | phroneo | Colossians 3:2 | Spiritual Growth

 How do we find purpose in God? How do we pray in the Spirit? And how do we abide and set our minds in Christ?

In our last episode, we explored what it means to live intentionally and find purpose in God. We looked at how intentional living isn't about trying harder or going after big goals but about being more mindful of the small joys and opportunities that God has for us within our normal, everyday living—right where we are.

We talked about how small daily choices and habits, like how we spend our free time or downtime, shape our lives in powerful ways. We reminded ourselves that our purpose in God is not something we have to actively do or create. Rather, our purpose in God is to stay close to Him, and then the rest we discover along the way.

This aligns with the verse: "Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these other things—all your needs—will be added unto you as well."

Welcome to Faith and Soul Care! I'm Sherry, your host, and whether you're listening to this podcast or reading the transcript on the blog, welcome!

Listen to this blog post on the podcast here:

I want to remind you that my women's online connection cohorts will be starting soon. Be sure to visit my website at SherryElaine.com, go to the Cohorts tab, and sign up for the notification list. This will be a facilitated time where we will have weekly live teachings and interactive discussions online to learn more and go deeper into topics related to drawing closer to God, living with more intention, overcoming stress, and finding purpose and joy in each day.

Setting Our Minds with Focus

Today, we're continuing this conversation by diving deeper into two powerful biblical concepts: setting our minds with focus and abiding in joy through the practice of praying in the Spirit.

Let’s explore how the Greek words phroneó and ménō reveal the key to living intentionally with a heart anchored in God’s truth and joy.

1. The Greek Word Phroneó—Setting Your Mind with Focus

Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

That phrase, set your minds, comes from the Greek word phroneó, which means to have a mindset or to direct your thoughts intentionally. This isn't a passive practice. It’s an active, deliberate focusing of our mental and emotional energy on eternal truths rather than on the temporary distractions or upsets that occur throughout our day.

I love how Priscilla Shirer describes these distractions as daily turbulence in one of her studies. If we don't have a strategy for dealing with this turbulence, we will find ourselves fighting misguided battles.

It is so important, especially in those moments of turbulence, to engage in the act of phroneó—to intentionally focus and take a moment to sharpen our minds. Think of it like a professional photographer adjusting the lens on a manual camera.

Or, if you wear glasses or contacts, think about how the eye doctor adjusts the lenses during an eye exam. At first, the letters on the chart may be blurry. But with the right adjustment, suddenly, everything becomes crystal clear.

Imagine trying to take a picture of a beautiful landscape, but when you look through the camera lens, everything is blurry. You could just leave it that way and accept it as reality. Or you could take the time to adjust the focus, sharpen the image, and bring every detail into view.

Our minds work the same way. If we allow distractions, worries, and turbulence to remain unchecked, our thinking becomes clouded. Over time, both small and big problems will keep us in a fog, stuck in a rut, and drained of our energy and joy.

Then, we feel lost, overwhelmed, and disconnected from our true purpose.

But when we intentionally adjust our focus—aligning our thoughts with the deep truths of God’s Word—we begin to see problems and solutions more clearly.

And what else happens when we see life through the lens of God's truth?

We begin to see His hand at work in our lives. We recognize His guidance and experience greater clarity and focus in our purpose.

Just like a photographer must continually refocus depending on the lighting and movement of their subject, we too must regularly reset our minds—phroneó—on God’s truth, especially in the areas where we struggle.

The world will constantly shift and pull at our attention, but we have the ability—through prayer, Scripture, and intentional reminders of God’s truth—to bring our focus back to Him.

A Practical Way to Refocus

One way I implement this practice is through weekly reflection. I write down what I’m struggling with—whether it’s a difficult situation or a negative thought pattern. Then, I find a Scripture verse that directly speaks to that struggle, and I make it my verse of the week to meditate on and pray over.

In the prayer journal I recently designed, there’s a weekly page dedicated to this type of reflection.

Here’s an example:

During the week of March 2nd, I was struggling with the thought, I’m not doing enough. I am disappointing God. That was the underlying belief running in the background.

The verse I chose to meditate on was Romans 5:1—

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

The truth I took from this verse is: I can never do enough—but that’s not what God asks of me. I have peace with God because I am justified through faith in Jesus Christ. I am called to rest in Him and allow Him to work through me, rather than striving to please Him through my own effort.

If you’re interested, my prayer journal is available on Amazon. You can search for "Prayer Journal Sherry Elaine Gospel Life Learning."

Final Thought

The clearer our focus on God’s truth, the clearer our path to purpose becomes.

In our next episode, we’ll continue this discussion by exploring the practice of abiding in Christ and praying in the Spirit as key strategies for living intentionally.

I originally planned to cover it in today’s episode, but this one has gone longer than expected! So, be sure to join me next time as we dive into what it means to abide in Christ and experience true joy through the power of prayer.

See you then!

Sherry 

More Resources:

If you would like to learn simple, practical ways to walk with God every single day, then you would really enjoy Closer to God: Simple Methods, Starting Today


If you need motivation to eat healthier or lose weight while also growing 

closer to God, then you would enjoy Weight Loss for Christians, An 

Extraordinarily Simple Way to Conquer Cravings



If you want to learn more deeply and fully about what Jesus taught, then you would enjoy Words of Jesus - Bible Study on Christ's Teachings


The author also interacts with her readers on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GospelLifeBooks


Instagram: @gospellifelearning

                                                                                                                                 

Youtube: Gospel Life Learning

Find more of the author's books at Amazon here. 



More Resource Channels:

Gospel Life Learning Facebook

Gospel Life Learning Instagram

Gospel Life Learning YouTube

Sherry Elaine - Books Authored


With Grace, 

Sherry 

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Free Online Studies and Women's Online Faith Cohort Information

 I want to be notified when Free Bible studies and the online cohorts open for registration for Summer 2025 and Fall 2025!

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Living Intentionally and Finding Your Purpose in God | Greek word peripateo | Hebrew word simchah | Ephesians 5:15-17 | Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 Exegesis

Have you ever found yourself going through the motions, maybe days or even weeks just blurring together—routines and obligations making you feel like you're in a rut with no sense of purpose or joy in your days? Today, we're going to explore what Scripture says about living intentionally. And I'm not just talking about being productive or setting goals, but about intentionally seeking and finding the joy in life that God wants for us.








Listen to this post here, and subscribe to the podcast:

Today, we are diving into the topic of living with intention—living with intention to find joy in life and to enjoy each day. And we’re looking at this from a biblical perspective.

Starting in Ephesians 5, it reads:

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."

Are we living like that—making the most of every opportunity of the day? And what does that really mean? A lot of us have jobs, responsibilities, and obligations. We may not always find joy in them. Some of us are lucky if we do. But are we just supposed to give all that up—all that security—so that we can "make the most of every opportunity"?

Let’s come back to the word live. "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise." In the Greek, that word translated as live is peripateo—which literally means to walk or to walk around. It implies how we are going about our lives, how we're walking through our reality, how we are conducting our lives—the way we approach our habits, our decisions, and our daily choices.

Paul, in Ephesians 5:15, is urging us to walk carefully—to do it with wisdom, not as unwise, and with awareness and intention. He’s talking about noticing the opportunities in our day and making use of them. It’s not about rushing through life, chasing after opportunities, or just grinding toward goals. It’s about pacing ourselves with purpose and being aligned with God’s will.

So, the first key from a biblical perspective is that intentional living begins with mindful walking. This is the way of the wise, and it is the opposite of the way of the unwise.

Then, Paul goes on to say, "because the days are evil." I believe what he is saying here is that if we are not intentionally careful with the way we go through life—our habits, our decision-making, our perspectives—then the days themselves will just take us along. They will pull us away from what is good. Some of us naturally lean toward the worst-case scenario. We focus too much on problems and on fixing things, instead of being mindful of the joy that God has for us in each day.

We want to look for the bits of good—the joy that God has for us in each day—because He is with us in and through each day.

Next, the Bible carries a theme that life itself is a gift, and we are to enjoy life as a gift. For this, we’re going to look in Ecclesiastes at the Hebrew word simchah—spelled simchah (s-i-m-c-h-a).

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 says:

"I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy (simchah) and to do good while they live, that each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil. This is the gift of God."

Are we eating, drinking, going about our days, doing what we normally do—but also finding satisfaction in it? I can't always say yes to that. But Scripture says that’s the gift of God! Finding satisfaction in the toil—in the hard things—that is His gift to us. Are we looking for it? Are we living for it? Are we finding both small and big purposes in our daily lives?

The Hebrew word simcha means joy, gladness, or delight, but it's not just surface-level happiness. It’s not just about having a good time. It’s a deep-rooted sense of joy that comes from recognizing life as a gift from God.

And interestingly, this verse in Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon—a man who experienced both the heights of success and the emptiness of chasing after meaningless pursuits. He went after things he thought would bring him joy, but they ended up leaving him empty—sometimes even in despair.

So, what was Solomon’s conclusion? The simple joys—the everyday eating and drinking, going to work, doing good, and looking for the good—those things are not to be overlooked or taken for granted. They are sacred gifts.

It reminds me of the saying, Happiness is the journey, not the destination. Living intentionally means that we pause to savor the blessings in life. And I promise you—they are there, every single day. We don’t rush past them in search of something more, something bigger, or something better to fulfill us. True happiness comes when we recognize the little joys right where we are.

And as I mentioned earlier, this is one of the things we’ll be doing together in the Online Women’s Connection Groups—helping each other practice this and holding each other accountable. Just to give you a little more information, each cohort will last for two to three months. We will go through this together, learning spiritual practices, prayer practices, and mindset shifts—practices that help us overcome depression, anxiety, and stress. Practices that help us keep the right perspective and thrive in our relationships.

If you’re living day-to-day feeling blah, feeling fearful, feeling anything but purposeful and joyful—if you’re not getting enough of that—then you’ll want to be part of this group. It is going to be transformative, and I cannot wait to start it.

So if you’re not on our email list, get on it! My websites are SherryElaine.com and GospelLifeLearning.com.

This was Part One of this topic on living with intention. Part Two will be coming out within the week.

Bye for now!

Gratefully, 

 Sherry

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