I’m a writer from when I was little. I started stories by illustrating just a picture I’d coloured in. But I made mum cry one day when she was trying to teach me. Yes, sit under the desk and cry, I wouldn’t write but somehow she must have convinced me, because then I wouldn’t stop. Stories, poems, newsletters, articles and I still don’t stop even now, though I sit typing one handed with a baby nestled in my arms. I write in scrap moments on scrap paper, but once I start it just won’t stop coming and it’s good and fun. I write from my life, my journals and the view from my kitchen sink.  I write down memories that are precious and precocious, and I’m learning to practice hearing from God through writing.

But why is it important for you as a Christian to write? I’m here to give you 5 historic, spiritual & scientific reasons and I hope it inspires you to sit with pen and paper.

1. Writing cements things in your brain. If you need to rewire your brain from certain negative way of thinking you can do so by writing out thoughts of the opposite nature. This is why writing Scripture is particularly powerful.

When I was sick and could only eat three foods, God said to me, ‘What does it look like to rewrite this situation from victory?”  For me that looked like not only eating more foods, but also being able to drive around again to normal things like Bible studies, city shops etc without being afraid of anaphalactic reaction or having to plan the whole day around when I could eat or not.  I knew that one of God’s Name is Healer, and I knew from the life of Jesus that He healed everyone who came to him, and that healing, just like salvation is something He paid for on the cross, the Word says in 1 Peter that by His stripes we were healed. A wonderful book on this is God Wants You Well by Andrew Wommack along with his free audio series. 

We change our thoughts to match God’s Word, then we write Scripture and we also speak it.

Think: Write: Speak

We can build positive strongholds in our lives by rewiring our brains, or as the Bible puts it, renewing our minds.

As we eat the promises of God, they become part of us and begin to manifest

Historically God places value on writing.

In the children’s Bible dvd series, ‘What’s in the Bible With Buck Denver’ narrated by Phil Vischer, creator of the Vegie Tales, he brings out the fact that God was quite meticulous in having the Bible written down.

During the dark ages people handed down a lot of stories verbally and Bible stories got mixed up with these such as stories of the flood and Ice Age which were then thought of as just fairy tales, but later the dead sea scrolls were discovered and these predated the dark ages, and as time progressed science, has proven many of these Bible Stories.

I found it fascinating recently to discover while listening to a sermon by Joseph Prince that in the Old Testament when a king died and his son took the throne, the son was required to write the first five books of the Bible out by hand himself.  He could not pass it onto his scribe, he had to do this for three reasons

So that he would have the Fear of the Lord

So that he would gain humility

and therefore, so that he and his children would have long life.

2. Writing can also help us hear God better. We can ask God questions like, how much do you love me and my family? We can start by writing Scripture but then we can also write down what our love towards our children looks like and that can help build our mental picture of how God loves us.   Another way to get writing flowing is to join with a writing challenge. A good one is Five Minute Friday, where every Friday there is a one word prompt and everyone has to write unedited for five minutes just whatever comes out. It often brings out deep things within us that we hadn’t really thought of.

In Habukuk God tells His prophet to write down the vision and make it plain.

When we dream and write with God it can open up many possibilities to us.

3. Writing helps us build faith. When we remember God’s faithfulness towards us by writing out lists of past miracles, it helps us build faith for God moving in our current situation. This is like when David strengthened himself in the Lord, by remembering past miracles and future promises and was able to recharge before going into battle knowing God was with him and for him.             I have created this printable where you can write down past miracles God  has done, along with a list of promises He’s given you for your future.            Of course you can just write your own list down in your journal, but if you like something to pretty to look at you might like to print it.      Thankfulness also helps to build our faith so we can also write lists of things we are thankful for just like Ann Voskamp did in her book One Thousand Gifts which helped her to break out of depression.

4. Writing helps us to meditate on God’s Word. Often God will bring a Scripture to mind or drop a phrase into our hearts, or there might be a line that we remember from a dream. If we don’t write it down we may not remember it but writing it down allows us not only remember it, but therefore for it to rumble around in our brains where God can bring further revelation to it.   God often has more within a phrase or a Scripture than meets the eye at face value.

5. God also tells us to encourage each other.   You sometimes will never know how much a card with a Scripture, the line from a song or just something meaningful can change the trajectory of someone’s day or life.  Even if it doesn’t mean much to them in the moment, years later they could open it and it means something incredible to them.  I’ve shared a few thoughts on adding depth to your greeting card here.  This is a great way to practice hearing from God for other people which can lead into prophecy.  

Handwritten Scriptures on the topic of hope.

A good way to incorporate writing into your day could be to sit down for 5 minutes and write out Scriptures on a similar topic, the same one each day to memorise it or a different one on the same topic each day.

Write thankfuls, as simple as the way the sun shines through the window across the floor boards or the buzzing of bees in the flowers.  Scribble down Scripture as it stands out to you.  It doesn’t have to be a full on quiet time or anything, just writing that stuff down helps give you perspective and a better chance at memorising it.