Want to get more benefit out of your Bible journaling time? And do more with less supplies? Check out these ten Bible journaling tips, tricks, and hacks.
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I’ve been a craft-a-holic for pretty much my entire life, y’all. I blame it on the Girl Scouts! LOL. 😂 All those beaded keychains, popsicle stick art projects, and friendship bracelets…little did I know, that was just the beginning!
But still… who knew that one day, I’d be painting in my Bible? Only God!
Seriously, though, Bible art journaling has proven so beneficial for my relationship with God, and my spiritual growth. If you’ve never tried it for yourself, there are so many reasons to get started!
“How can I journal in my Bible?”
If you want to start Bible journaling, or grow your Bible journaling practice to a new level, there is one thing you should remember. And that is, don’t let Bible art journaling intimidate you…there are so many ways to journal, and you don’t have to be an “artist” to do it!
No two people will journal in the same way. One may write more, another might create more Bible artwork. Some people record what God is teaching them, while others may also write about what’s currently happening in their life and how a particular Scripture helped them. Someone might create elaborate illustrations, but someone else may just draw a few doodles here and there to adorn their writing.
There is no right or wrong way to Bible journal, as long as you’re using it to enhance and deepen your study of God’s Word. Let His Word and the time you’re spending with him be the focus, and the rest is gravy.
That being said, I’ve found that there are several techniques, that make the Bible journaling process (and the finished pages) even more beneficial. And in some cases, easier! Whether you’re a newbie looking for Bible journaling tips for beginners, or you’re been journaling for a while and just looking for some hacks to get more out of your supplies, there is something here for everyone.
10 Tips, Tricks, and Hacks for Better Bible Journaling
I hope you’ll find these 10 Bible journaling tips to be helpful, as you dive deeper into the Scriptures and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
***BIBLE STUDY TIPS***
1) Before you start creating in your Bible, it’s essential to spend time actually studying God’s Word.
I’m definitely guilty of rushing into the creative process, without doing this step. And I can tell you, you’ll get so much more out of the Scriptures if you take time to study them first. That means, read different translations (the AMP (Amplified) and MSG (The Message) are two of my faves), mull it over, and ask God to help you see or learn whatever it is he wants you to learn. Bible.com is a great place to read different Bible translations for free. You could also use the notes in a study Bible (like the NIV Life Application Bible, which is what I have), to help you understand the Scriptures better.
2) Even better, if you use a study technique such as verse mapping.
This is one of my favorite Bible journaling methods for deeper study. You simply spend some time fleshing out the verse…look up definitions of words, the original Greek or Hebrew words and their meanings, think about the symbolism of the verse, and how you can apply it to your life. Write down what you discover, and then record that through writing or art in your journaling Bible.
***ART JOURNALING TRICKS TO TRY***
3) Drawing not your strong suit? Try using stamps, stickers, or stencils.
Add-on items like these can give you a great source of simple Bible journaling ideas… you can be inspired by the imagery in the stamp set, printable, or washi tape, and go from there. Not to mention, it makes it so easy to create art in your journaling Bible, without actually drawing or painting from scratch!
Sweet’n’Sassy Stamps has a huge selection of Bible journaling stamps; most of the stamps I own are from them. You can also find lots of stamps and stencils on Scrapbook.com, and Daypsring.com has a great assortment of paste-ins, washi tape, and other goodies for Bible journaling.
Excited to start using stamps in your Bible journaling? Check out my stamping-for-beginners tutorial!
4) Don’t own any highlighters? Colored pencils make an excellent alternative!
In fact, I never use highlighters in my journaling Bible. Anytime I want to highlight a verse, I just use whatever Bible art journaling supplies I’m already working with. If I’m coloring, I just color over the verse lightly with a colored pencil. If I’m painting with watercolors, I paint a light wash of color over the verse. Sometimes, I also use gel pens or markers to outline the verses. Works like a charm!
5) Made a mistake? Deal with it creatively!
This is such an important point to make, especially for Bible journaling beginners: Mistakes are normal! Whenever they happen, you have plenty of options as to what to do about it. If it’s a large mistake, you could just cover it with washi tape, and start over in a different area of the page. If it’s something very small, use a white gel pen to correct it. Or, be creative, and turn that mistake into something beautiful!
BONUS: You never know when your “mistake” might be something God uses to show you an aspect of his character or something he wants you to understand about His Word.
***FINISHING TOUCHES FOR EASY REFERENCE LATER***
6) Add a date, holiday, or milestone to each journaling page you create.
This way, you can look back on it and see how far you’ve come since then, or reflect on what God has brought you through. A date stamp, such as this one from Illustrated Faith, makes it easy!
7) Add tabs!
Of all the Bible art journaling ideas I’ve tried, this one may be the most handy. I simply couldn’t get by without tabs to mark each journaled page in my Bible. It just makes it so easy to find what I’m looking for! And it reminds me that, with every tab I add (and it’s getting a bit crowded at this point), I’m growing in my knowledge of God’s Word, and building up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).
To create your own tabs, you could use post-it flags, pre-made tabs or bookmarks, or cut your own tab from a scrap of colored or decorative paper and use double-sided tape to attach it. (I like Scotch removable scrapbooking tape, because I know it won’t damage the Bible pages, and if I need to remove it later, I can).
Want to create a habit of Bible journaling at least once a week? In the same way that a daily Bible reading plan holds you accountable, the Bible journaling prompts in my Ultimate Bible Journaling Resource Book will help you stay on track and take time for journaling each week. Plus, it comes with tutorials and traceables as well!
8) Keep a chronological record of your journals.
I do this on the back page of my Bible, but you could also create a digital version. Or, you could keep a digital record of your journals in Biblical order (Genesis, Exodus, etc.) for easy reference. Anytime you do a new journaling page, just insert that Scripture in your list—organized by book, or even by topic. And if you have more than one journaling Bible that you use, it could be especially helpful to keep a digital record of all your journals across different Bibles. It’s just one more way to make it easy to refer back to it later.
9) For a few days afterwards, leave your Bible open so you can review what you learned or meditated on.
Set it open on your desk, or even on a book stand, so every time you pass by, you can reflect on the Scripture and what God is teaching you through it. (I also love doing this with sermon notes, so I can keep thinking about the message of the sermon throughout the week).
10) Or, you could snap a photo of your journaling page, and set it as the wallpaper/lock screen on your phone.
You could make your latest journaling page your phone lock screen, and change it up every week or however often you Bible journal. (Or, do the same when you’re wanting to memorize a specific verse…keep it as your phone’s wallpaper until you have it memorized, and then put a new Bible verse on there). Just one more way you can keep meditating on God’s Word, even after your dedicated Bible study time is over!
“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.”
Deuteronomy 11:18 (NIV)
Which of these Bible journaling tips are you going to try? Remember, there is no right or wrong way to Bible journal…do what works for you, and what will help you to study God’s Word more in depth and grow in your relationship with Him.
Hi! Thank you so much for visiting Divine Creative Love. I’m a Jesus-lovin’ girl, lettering artist, designer, and general creative-at-heart. And, I have narcolepsy. I blog about faith in God, overcoming challenges, and creative topics such as Bible journaling. If you’re new here, be sure and subscribe to my list so you won’t miss anything!