A Look In My War Book

What is a war book, you may ask? Based off the movie “War Room,“ a war book is essentially a portable prayer closet. And, today, I’m excited to give you a peek into mine!

In the movie, which I highly recommend if you haven’t seen it, the main characters practice quiet time with God by returning daily to a closet they have set aside for prayer and reflection. Scriptures and handwritten prayers are posted on the walls. It’s called a war room, because prayer is our weapon against the enemy in spiritual warfare.

Well. I don’t exactly have a leftover walk-in closet in my house to repurpose, so I took a hint from many women who have crafted their own portable versions.

What I Use For My War Book

Some people prefer to use a binder with color coded tabs, others keep their spiritual musings in a regular notebook. What I found works for me is something of a combination of those two things: a traveler’s notebook.

(I find that a binder is just way too bulky for me and a regular notebook doesn’t effectively segregate the different sections. Also, neither one is as attractive as a leather cover!)

I have to highly recommend Paper Geek Co. on Etsy. This pretty leather piece came with its own little cloth pouch, which I use to keep the notebook from getting too roughed up. It’s also super handy cause I can just throw my Bible, any other reading material or papers, and any writing utensils in it, too! Ta da! A whole Bible study package in one pouch!

The cover comes with four elastic bands inside so you can insert four notebooks right off the bat. I use the classic Moleskine Cahier lined journals. If you wanted to add more notebooks (which I do), you can simply take another loose piece of elastic, slide into the centerfold of two notebooks so that they are spine to spine, and then slide one notebook through one of the loops attached inside the traveler’s notebook cover.

Also, if you go the traveler’s notebook route, make sure you order a WIDE cover. Otherwise, as you add notebooks, they will be sticking out the side instead of neatly nestled.

What’s In My War Book

There are many many ways to customize your own war book. So far, mine has 4 sections, though I plan to add two more in the future. Mine includes separate notebooks for the following:

A Prayer Notebook

My prayer notebook is divided into two parts. The first part is where I write out my own prayers by hand if I feel the need to pray in a focused and specific way. This is where I usually write prayers about things I pray about repeatedly.

The second part is where I record prayer requests for others. I date all of the prayer requests and leave enough space to write the outcome at a later date.

Keeping a record of requests and personal prayers is so important for seeing how God moves and remembering that He, in fact, does move. Often we forget about the prayers God has answered because we don’t keep a record.

A Journal of Directives

This is an invention, in a way, of my own. Since taking my faith more seriously, which started around the time my first son was born, I’ve kept what I call a “journal of directives.” This is basically a log of things I believe God reveals to me through prayer, scripture reading, or other means. Any time I believe God has directed me to act, I write it down and, as with my prayer notebook, leave enough space to go back at a later date to record the outcome.

An example would be as follows: one morning I woke up and out of seemingly nowhere, a random person I hadn’t thought of in a while came to mind. Believing it to be by the Holy Spirit’s prompting, I prayed for that person and for whatever it was they were struggling with at the moment. A little while later I texted that person to let them know I had prayed for them. Result: it turns out they were having a terribly hard time that morning and prayers were needed!

Any time I feel God’s prompting, I write down what I believe he is leading me to do and then work to obey as quickly as possible. I then write the result. As my prayer log, the journal of directives is another way to keep track of and see how God works in a very intimate way in my life.

Sermon & Book Notes

This notebook is where I keep notes from outside sources. Another notebook I’ve divided in two, the first half is for sermon notes, whether that be through my church, podcasts, or other events, and the second half is for notes and quotes from Christian books and Bible studies I read. Simple as that!

Personal Bible Study Notes

This notebook is where I keep notes from personal study time I’m doing outside of organized classes or books. That is, I try to keep a personal study going with the use of commentaries. Currently, I’m in Deuteronomy, though it has taken a backseat in recent months. Note to self: really need to get back on that.

Other Ideas For Your War Book:

A gratitude journal
A notebook for copying scripture
A joy book (a collection of promises and uplifting thoughts or quotes)
A spiritual bucket list

And there you have it! A look inside my war book. I hope this will inspire you to get your prayer and study life organized. It really makes all the difference when you are trying to make the practice of quiet time a daily habit.

How Do You QT?

Do you have a different method for practicing your quiet time? Perhaps you have found a binder more useful or a notebook to be a simpler solution. Or maybe you do something entirely different. I’d love to know how your wield your weapon!