Record your personal encounters with God (Key 1)

Recording your personal encounters with God is easier today than ever before. Immediately after having a moment with God, just whip out that smartphone, open that audio recording app, and tap record]. In less than 10 seconds, 85.74% of people in the world today can record both audio and video 1.

What I mean by record

To clarify, I’m using the term “record” here to mean create an audio recording.
You are free to use whatever method of recording you like, for example, your journal, but I don’t know a single person who has been able to easily locate an entry when desiring to revisit it, especially as time passes.

To further complicate matters, if you are like many well-meaning people I know (myself included), I write in one journal, then I switch to another, and yet another. Before I know it, I’ve got 5 journals with scattered entries.This is not including electronic systems.

In my nearly 20 years of stewarding my personal encounters with God, I have proven to myself I could never entrust this process to my journals. I needed something more robust, which is why I created my own.

Authors of bible books recorded their encounters

It is true that the authors of the bible did not have cell phones with recording apps. So, when I talk about the authors of the bible having recorded their encounters, their process would be to have the encounter, then actually write it down, which is part of the next key in my process called 2. Key – Document and organize your encounters

Let’s go through a few highly curated examples out of the 367 references to writing down God’s communication. Keep in mind, I’m capturing the idea of recording here, not so much writing or organizing.

‘“Record the vision
And inscribe it on tablets,
That the one who reads it may run.
3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:1-3

And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Exo 24:4

Now go, write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may serve in the time to come As a witness forever.

Isaiah 30:8

it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;

Luke 1:3

Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

John 20:31

These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

1 John 1:4

Since the bible is a curated collection of ancient writings, these references serve to inform us that recording God’s communication and interaction with us is a foundational practice for all followers of God for all time, not just for the ancients.

Recording immediately vs. later

1. Accuracy: Recording information immediately can ensure that details are captured accurately while they are still fresh in your mind. Waiting to record something later may result in forgetting important details or inaccurately recalling them.
2. Clarity: When you record something immediately, you’re more likely to capture the nuances and specifics of the moment. Waiting to record later may result in a loss of clarity or understanding, particularly if the event or information is complex.
3. Efficiency: Recording immediately can save time in the long run. You don’t have to spend additional time trying to remember or reconstruct details later. It also reduces the risk of procrastination, ensuring that the task is completed promptly.
4. Reliability: Recording immediately can increase the reliability of the information. Memories can fade or become distorted over time, so capturing information promptly reduces the risk of inaccuracies or biases creeping in.
5. Documentation: Recording immediately provides timely documentation of events, conversations, or ideas. This documentation can be valuable for reference, analysis, or sharing with others.
6. Preventing Loss: By recording immediately, you minimize the risk of forgetting important information altogether. Waiting to record later increases the chances of losing valuable insights or details.You many say to yourself, “I’ll definitely remember this,” with the intent to record it later, but then find yourself struggling later to remember this.
7. Productivity: Immediate recording helps maintain momentum and productivity. It allows you to quickly move on to the next task or activity without the mental burden of trying to remember something for later.
8. Accountability: Recording immediately provides a clear record of your experiences or observations at a specific moment in time. This can be beneficial for accountability purposes, whether in personal or community contexts.

Why you should record your personal encounters with God

Personal encounters with God are touch points in our relationship with God. When you are reading the scriptures and some word or phrase jumps off the page at you, that’s an encounter with God. Dreams (while asleep) often carry communication from God. I’m convinced that God communicates to us in many ways and often.

That’s great to know but the sad part is that we may often completely miss that God is communicating to us at all! Job’s friend put it this way:

“Indeed God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.

Job 33:14

Recording your personal encounters with God will strengthen and deepen your relationship with God over time.

I wrote more extensively about this topic in my article 10 reasons to record your personal encounters with God.

Resources:

1. https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world