Maybe you’ve watched the hit Christian movie “War Room” based on the book “Fervent.” Today, I’m going to show you how to make a war binder – a mini war room from which to pray.
What is a War Binder
Hey friend. If you are here, you may be wondering, “what is a war binder and how do I make one?” Well, I’m here to tell you all about it. A war binder is a book, notebook, binder, or journal that you keep to use in prayer. It may contain your bible study, devotionals, prayer lists, inspirational quotes, bible memory verses, drawings and other artistic compositions, and any other thing you might want to add to it. The beauty of it is that it is very personal and yours to completely build.
The term “war binder” was inspired by the best-selling Christian book, Fervent. The movie War Room was later inspired by it. The book is about spiritual warfare. It suggests that when we enter into pray, we should think about it with a warrior mindset and be aware that we are fighting a very real enemy. In the movie War Room, the story follows a woman who literally fashions a room in her house to resemble a military war room. Instead of monitors, her walls contains photos and petitions of the people she prays for her. Instead of a cabinet of advisors, she has her bible and prayer books.
For those of us who can’t dedicate an entire room to our house as a war room, a “war binder” becomes our best option.
Supplies
- Travelers Notebooks
- A Traveler Notebook Cover
- Art Supplies (stickers, markers, highlighters, etc)
- Washi Tape
- Pens
A travelers notebook is a long notebook. It is typically a thin book and contains blank, lined, graph, or dot grid pages. A travelers notebook cover is just a cover designed to hold anywhere from one to six notebooks. Inside the cover are bands that hold the books in place like a spine. Travelers notebook covers can be found at Michaels craft store. However, I wanted something more personal. So I had someone make one for me on Etsy. It has a sewn cover and I chose an anchor theme because of all the sea and water references in scripture, but you choose whatever resonates with you. I’ve provided a few links below, but you can find them at other places both online and at craft stores.
Alternatively, you can use a Faith edition Happy Planner. The Happy Planner is a type of planner that is totally customizable. Its made for decorating and they have a Faith inspired edition that lends itself very well for a war binder. You can find faith Happy Planners at Hobby Lobby and on The Happy Planner site.
War Binder Subjects
Honestly, this is totally up to you. This is how you personalize it and make it your own. Your war binder should reflect your personal relationship with Christ. But to give you idea of what sections you can create, I’m going to show you what I do. Hopefully it will spark your creativity. I have six books:
- Scripture (memory verses, important scriptures, devotionals)
- Prayer & Gratitude (prayer lists, answered prayers, blessings)
- Book Notes
- Bible Study
- Sermon Notes
- Miscellaneous (anything that doesn’t fit in the above categories)
The inside pages are where the magic happens. The photo below is a page from my Book Notes notebook. I’m always reading and it’s here that I write down the main takeaways. You decorate it as little or as much as you want. Don’t worry if you aren’t artistic, there are lots of ways to fake that (more on that in a minute). I got these notebooks from May Designs.
Book Notes
Sermon Notes
As you can see below, I’ve written down my sermon notes. These are really helpful as I try to implement what I learned on Sunday, throughout the week. Personally, I like to scribble notes in church and then come home and organize my thoughts in the war binder. Remember, no one is going to see your war binder unless you want them to. Make sure to make it your own instead of copying others. Making a war binder is all about inspiration.
Scripture
My scripture notebook is where I keep memory verses I want to remember. I turn to these during rough times or during my prayer for praise. Personally, I prefer to decorate the pages with something the scripture inspires within me. I did this page with colored pencils, but you can use any art supplies you want to decorate your pages, if that’s the way you want your war binder to look. Remember this is YOUR war binder. It doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.
If you aren’t artistic there are other options. You can decorate with stickers and washi tape. Illustrated faith has lots of accessories like stickers and die cuts for those who don’t want to draw or need inspiration to get started. Washi tape is a Japanese masking tape. It is very colorful and comes in a variety of patters, colors and widths. It can immediately brighten up a page. Use it for creating borders and columns. You can cut it into shapes, ribbons and flags. Get creative!
Prayer & Gratitude
In my prayer book, I have my gratitude on the opposite prayer page. Some people dedicate a separate book for gratitude. It’s up to you. Personally, I love writing down my blessings and answered prayers in my war binder and thanking God for them before I ask for more. Again, do what feels comfortable to you. I love writing down answered prayers. When I feel like God isn’t moving in my life, I open this up and look at all He has given me and how he has answered me so many times before. If you aren’t sure where to begin, read my Gratitude Journal Prompts.
Miscellaneous
Finally, I keep a miscellaneous notebook for anything that doesn’t quite fit in some of my other notebooks. These might include prayer cards that someone gives me, devotionals, book lists and other types of things.
War Binder Support
Lastly, if you need additional inspiration, Facebook is a great place to look. The main war binder group has over 35,000 members. There is also a sister prayer group and pen pal group.
In closing, I hope I’ve help you get started with your war binder. I’d love to hear what you put in yours in the comments below.
