Free Prayer Journal Template and War Room Binder Printable

We say we believe in the power of prayer, but do we really spend quality time at the feet of Jesus? Or do distraction and busyness creep in and rob of us the rich prayer life we crave? Discover how using a prayer journal template is an effective way to become powerful prayer warriors and start praying with boldness.

The Bible tells us that we are fighting in a war, but it’s not a physical war. It’s a spiritual one, and the only way we can win is by fighting it on our knees. We don’t need a physical sword or spear. Truthfully, we only need the armor of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that only comes through prayer. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

Let’s unpack how to dedicate time each day to becoming “women who war” and fight for our families and friends on our knees using a war binder and prayer journal templates.

What is a War Binder?

In 2015, millions of Christians were inspired by the powerful movie War Room about an elderly Christian lady and her powerful prayer life. Miss Clara dedicated a whole room in her home as a “war room” where she fought the spiritual battles of her faith.

When a young struggling wife learned about the war room and the power of prayer, she turned an unused closet in her home into her own war room. As she used her prayer closet to pray intercessory prayers for her husband, marriage, and family, she began to see God do mighty things in her life.

Many of us wish we had the space to create our own war room, but that kind of space isn’t a reality in most homes. Even if you can’t have an entire war room, you can still use the concept by creating a war binder. (Or take a sneak peak at how I created a prayer wall in my office!)

War binders look different for everyone. That’s the beauty of it. You can completely customize your own prayer binder with powerful tools to help you make the most of your daily quiet time with God. You may choose to use your war binder as an outlet for prayer journaling, as a way to organize your prayer list, and even include Bible study pages.

You can create your own custom war room binder that fits your needs, just like mine below.

Best War Binder and Prayer Journal Sections

Using a war binder is much easier and more effective if you carefully organize each prayer journal section. What you include and how you organize it depends on your particular need. Here are a few prayer journal ideas you may want to consider in your own war binder:

Confession and Repentance

We recognize that we are sinners who have been saved by God’s amazing grace. But we still sin and do things that hurt our walk with God. Including a section in your daily prayer journal that reminds you to confess and repent of sin is a great way to start your prayer time with a clean, fresh heart.

Adoration and Praise

When we read Jesus’ model prayer in Matthew 6, we see that He began by worshipping His Father. You and I should do the same! This section in your war binder may be a list of the attributes of God or Bible verses of praise and worship. Praying with an attitude of worship is a wonderful way to bring your heart into God’s presence for prayer.

Intercession

Intercessory prayers are the ones we pray most often. Intercessory prayers are when we bring needs to God, whether our own or someone else’s. This section of your prayer notebook may include a list of things or people you are asking God to bless, heal or help.

Family

Your family is the closest people to your heart. When they are hurting or have needs, you want to do everything you can to make it better. Sometimes the only thing you can do is give the need to God. You can trust that God’s love is greater than yours, and He will always do what is best.

Self

Have you ever struggled with a need or a problem and felt as if it would never end? You knew there was no way you could fix it on your own.

Your Heavenly Father is standing and patiently waiting for you to bring your needs to Him. Add a section to your prayer journal that gives you space to write a list of prayers to pray for yourself–and make sure you record when and how God answers!

World

No matter where you live or where you fall on the political spectrum, you’re sure to see that our world is in a bad place.

Use this part of your prayer journal to list local, state, and national leaders who need God’s help. You may also want to include prayers for people you know are suffering, such as those who have gone through a natural or man-made disaster, the homeless, or those in third-world countries.

And don’t forget to pray for the military and law enforcement who do so much to keep us safe!

Health

Most of us know someone who is struggling with health issues. Prayer can bring healing, but also peace and hope to those who are sick or in pain.

Missionaries

There are some wonderful servants of God in the world who are working hard to share the Gospel with those who have never heard. They need our prayers that God will give them courage and strength to live in the power of the Holy Spirit as they serve God on the mission field.

Prayer requests

The world is full of people who have needs. Some of them do not have a personal relationship with Christ and don’t know how to pray for themselves. Keeping a list of people who have asked you to pray for them is a powerful part of your war room prayer strategy.

Daily Gratitude

Never forget all that God has done and the prayers He has answered for you! It’s essential to include gratitude and thanksgiving in your daily prayer time–even if you aren’t feeling particularly grateful at the time!

Make a list of things you can be thankful for. When you have bad days, you can look at your gratitude list and remember you always have something to be thankful for.

Scripture Prayers

God’s Word is a powerful, living Book. It’s much more than just words to read. One powerful way to pray is to choose a Scripture verse and pray it to God. He gave us His Word for a reason, and praying Bible verses is a fantastic way to memorize Scripture and meditate on His Word.

Types of War Binders

There’s no one right way or wrong way to create your own prayer journal or war binder. There are so many ways from using a blank notebook, to downloading printable prayer templates.

Not sure which one will be best for you? Here are a few war room prayer journal ideas:

Bullet Journal

Bullet journals have risen in popularity over the last several years as more and more people have realized how easy and practical they are to use. It’s essentially a blank journal with dot grid pages, so you can write as little or as much as you’d like.

If you want to simple write lists, it’s the perfect space for that. But if you like colorful pens, washi tape, and stickers, a bullet journal is a creative way to keep a prayer journal.

Bullet journals come in many different colors, and you can get one with stitched binding or spiral bound. They’re super-easy to personalize however you like!

DIY War Binder

A war binder gives you the perfect opportunity to make a prayer plan that works best for you. Your prayer and faith journal should help you develop your prayer life and grow your faith. You can use a printable prayer journal template or simply create your own journal pages from scratch. Mix and match to get the perfect homemade prayer journal for you.

When you go the homemade way, you have several options for creating your simple prayer journal.

Three-Ring Binder

This might be the most budget-friendly and simple way to make your war binder. There are a ton of binder options available, including pretty patterned covers or blank ones that you can customize yourself. to

Then, you can grab printable templates from different places and combine them to make your best prayer journal. Three-ring binders give you practical ways to plan, organize and pray.

Disc-bound system

While there is a bit of extra cost involved in using a disc-bound system to make your war binder, it’s my favorite way to create DIY journals and planners!

This is a great option if you’re looking for a custom size or something you can create to use for years to come. I personally love that I can add to one journal throughout the years, and all I have to do is insert new pages.

The two main disc-binding systems are the Happy Planner and the Tul Discbound Notebooks. Either system is a simple solution to set up a guided prayer journal with free printables or printable prayer journal templates.

Getting started with a disc-binding system is easy.

First, print the pages you wish to use just use for your war binder.
Then, laminate the front and back covers for durability. You may also wish to laminate the divider pages as well.
Next, use the special punch designated for each brand to hole punch your pages.
Finally, use the discs to bind your journal and add or subtract pages as necessary. (I love these discs).

As you begin, note that while the hole punches look similar, they are not interchangeable and don’t line up exactly. Also, I prefer the Tul Discbound System since their hole punch is easier to use than the Happy Planner, in my opinion.

Creating a DIY war binder can be easy with these popular binding systems since many printable prayer list templates are available in these formats. Use my finished DIY war binder as inspiration and give it a try!)

Digital Prayer Journal

Most of us are never very far from our mobile devices, so using them to keep a prayer journal just makes sense. The great thing about having a digital prayer journal is that it’s never very far away, and you can easily sync it between devices.

You can add prayer requests to your list on the fly and make notes from Bible studies or passages you love. Digital planners and journals are becoming more and more popular, so you can find many different designs and templates to use.

Traveler’s Notebook

If you’re looking for a way to divide your prayer journal into the ultimate sections, check out a traveler’s notebook. Instead of being one single journal, a traveler’s notebook is a portfolio with bands that hold multiple small journals inside.

Using a traveler’s notebook as a prayer journal would be a great option if you need it to be portable. It’s also a great way to separate your prayer list by day. Each day of the week has its own small journal for that day’s prayers.

How to Use Prayer Journal Templates in Your War Binder

Now that you’ve seen a few of the options for making a war binder, let’s talk about exactly how to use your war room prayer journal templates. No matter which method you choose for creating your prayer journal, templates are a great resource for making it easy and doable.

Create a simple template, and use prayer prompts with your war binder to help you remember the things and people you want to pray for. It doesn’t have to be the exact words you’ll say but as a jumping-off point for powerful, effective prayers.

Another amazing way to use your war binder is for journaling prayers to God. Sometimes writing your thoughts and prayers to God can help you grow a more intimate relationship with Him.

If you struggle to organize your thoughts into prayers, prayer journaling is an effective way to make your prayer time more meaningful to you. Journaling your prayers can also help remind you of your past prayers, and help you to see God’s work in your life.

Finally, a war room binder is a wonderful resource for reflecting on what you’ve read and learned in Scripture. After all, prayer is how we talk to God, and His Word is how He speaks to us. They are two sides of the same coin, and we need both to draw closer to the Lord.