How Would You Answer This Question?

It is now August – how can that be? It is time to reflect on the past month.

How was July? and What did you learn?

If you have been reading my weekly emails for a while you will know that I love to do regular life reviews. 

Sometimes weekly, usually monthly but most definitely yearly. They are like a mini spiritual retreat.

These mini spiritual retreats are putting into practice Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God”. I take time out to stop, settle down and be still. Then I reflect on the past week, month or year and see where God was working and what I learned from him.

Now, here is the question – How would you answer?

If someone came up to you and asked  “What is God teaching you right now?”, what would you say?

We are such forgetful beings (well I know that I am) and when put on the spot I find it hard to remember life’s lessons and what God has worked out in my life in the past month.

Check out this verse:

God is calling us to be prepared. 

Prepared to share what he has revealed to us with others.

Others maybe in a church/home group setting to encourage each other.

Others maybe in the street when you come across someone who needs prayer and you can share something from what God is teaching you.

The best way that I know to be prepared to give a ready answer is to take a mini spiritual retreat often to reflect on:

~What I have learned from regularly reading of the Word

~What I have learned from listening to others speak (conferences, sermons, podcasts, teachings etc)

~What events or circumstances I have gone through and what lessons God taught me through them.

~Promises that have been given to me by God

~Answers to prayers

~Explanations from God on topics or verses that I am unsure on (don’t be afraid to ask God to explain something – I will write my confusions down in a journal and watch how God will bring along an explanation!)

Journaling takes care of all the above. It’s the best reflection and learning tool that I use. It helps me to gain clarity on what God has been doing in and through me, in a way that I am able to take those words and speak them out when the time is right.

Here is a challenge – see if you can put aside 30 minutes, sometime this week, to review the month of July. (If you have more time, why not review the year so far!).

If you are a journaler – go back over your July pages and highlight topics, issues, lessons, verses that seem to pop up again and again – God is there speaking into your life.

If you aren’t a journaler – you can start right now! Grab a journal or even just a piece of paper and jot down what stood out to you in July.

• What verses seem to be on repeat in your mind?
• What do you think God is saying to you in this  moment?
• What questions have you been carrying? Maybe they were answered and maybe they are still questions for August.
• Was there something new or fresh that you learned about God, Jesus, Spirit?
• How were your prayers answered?
• What were your top 3 lessons learnt?
• What did you learn about yourself? fears? joys?
• Was there a new calling?
• Was there a new promise?
• Was there a confirmation?

Write it all down. In 30 days time you will be so thankful that you did!