Overview The HEAR Method HEAR Journal Example

Pastor Dale Gooding recommends giving each H.E.A.R. Journal entry a title as you will see below. After that, you will find the four sections for Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond. Another thing he recommends is to include a personal prayer in your response.

Title: Grace and peace grow with knowledge of God and Jesus
Hightlight

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” - 2 Peter 1:2

Explain

God’s grace and peace grow as we grow in knowledge of Him. Knowledge as information, we know more about Him, and knowledge as in awareness, or acknowledgement of Him resulting in a submission to Him.

Apply

Peter seems to be making a prayer of sorts in verse 2, no doubt as one who cares for their souls this is his desire. As a Pastor I have the same feelings/desires for the people I’m given charge over.

But this word “knowledge” seems to be more than merely accumulated information of or about God but an acknowledgement of carrying the idea of a submission to Him. It seems we could say “acknowledge(ment)” of God and of Jesus.

From a Pastoral perspective I want this for the people I Pastor. Their increased information about God and acknowledgement of that information resulting in a submission to Him, an assimilation of His character and qualities into ourselves, worked out in our lives results in an increased likeness to Jesus which is what Paul taught in Romans 8:26-30.

But I need this personally first and also I need to acknowledge, as in repenting (= seeing something the same as God does), so that I am humbled by it, assimilate it, and grow from it. Knowledge discarded is useless, if anything it only makes me more accountable.

Respond

“Father, as noted before one of my greatest concerns coming before you is the lack of stewardship of the resources you have given me - education, experience, resources, etc. I am lazy & selfish and that is proven by my lack of stewardship. I am sorry but I’m afraid I am not sorry enough. Help me, move in me to genuinely grow in knowledge and acknowledge the truth of the information You give me. Please cause me to use these resources as tools to grow more and more into the likeness of your Son Jesus as the perfect God-man. Thank you for your patience and mercy toward me in not making the most of what you have given me but may I not lean on your mercy as reason or justification for continuing to be remiss in the stewardship of your knowledge.”

How can I grow in knowledge resulting in grace and peace?

  • Read Scripture more
  • Intend to understand Scripture better
  • Apply Scripture more intentionally
  • Resist the natural carnal man
  • Walk in You The Spirit - Galatians 5:16
  • Abide in Jesus - John 15