What is SOAP?

I like to start my day by getting cleaned up and closer to God with a little SOAP. (Didn’t your grandmother say that cleanliness was next to godliness?)

The SOAP I’m talking about is more than just a surface clean, though…  it is a way to get into God’s word and grab my nugget every single time I read.

So, what is this SOAP? Well, I’m glad you asked…

It is a simple way to read through the Lord’s word, pray and reflect on just what He might be telling you in that passage.

All you need for your study/ journaling time is a Bible, notebook, pen and about 20 minutes, depending on the length of your passage.

Here’s what I do:

Pray, asking God to guide me through His Word and clear my mind of distractions.

Read the passage and find the one thing I believe God is telling me that morning. Then I journal about it using the acrostic SOAP as a guide.

S: Scripture-Write the ONE scripture that I feel God is using to speak to me in today’s reading

O: Observation-What might He be telling me with that scripture?

A: Application-How can I apply it to my life?

P: Prayer-What is my prayer to ask God in helping me to make that application?

When I am finished, I look back over the entry and come up with a short title and write it on the top of the page. Then I go back to the front of my journal and log the title. This way, I can easily look back and find the messages God has sent me.

As you try this out, feel free to get as detailed as you like, but simple answers are perfectly acceptable. This journal is only between you and God and whomever else you may want to share it with, no need to try to impress. Just write from your heart. And try your best to really listen to Him. Clear your mind and listen. Then write.

I typically use a Bible in a year reading plan, but you could apply it to any study or reading format to go one step deeper and really listen to what God might have to say to you through your reading. And by logging your entries, it will be a snap to look back later on and see what you have learned.

If you’d also like to use the same one year plan, you could follow the link to the schedule or send me an email and I’d be happy to mail you a quarterly bookmark to keep you on track. And then, after you journal your own SOAP observations, you could check in on Momstoolbox and we could compare notes in the comments!

SOAP has definitely helped me to grow my relationship with my Father.

I hope you grow to enjoy it, too.