How Can You Use Color Coding to Study The Pursuit of God?

Short answer: Use color coding by assigning a small, fixed set of colors to different kinds of information—such as Scripture, teaching about God, conviction, application, and questions—and using the same system throughout the book. The value is not the colors themselves; it is the discipline of deciding what kind of statement you are reading.

Choose categories before you start

A simple five-category system works well:

Scripture/reference — biblical texts Tozer quotes or alludes to.
Truth about God — statements about God’s character, presence, authority, or worth.
Heart diagnosis — pride, possessiveness, distraction, self-rule, false dependence.
Response/application — surrender, prayer, faith, obedience, worship.
Question/needs checking — wording you want to investigate or compare with Scripture.

Choose any colors you can distinguish easily. The category names matter more than the specific color.

Mark selectively

Do not color entire pages. Aim to mark only sentences that genuinely fit a category. If a paragraph contains several ideas, mark the few words that carry the point.

Beside an especially important mark, add one word in the margin: God, heart, obey, check, or connect. That small label makes later review faster.

Let Scripture remain primary

A Scripture color does not mean every use of a verse has been interpreted correctly. When Tozer cites or echoes a passage, read the surrounding biblical context. Use the “question/needs checking” color whenever a devotional statement requires more careful biblical evaluation.

Review by category

After finishing a chapter, flip back through the colors and ask:

What did this chapter teach about God?
What heart problem did it expose?
What response did it call for?
Which statement still needs biblical checking?

This converts highlighting into review rather than decoration.

Use the colors to identify patterns across chapters

Color coding becomes more useful after several chapters. Review only one category at a time. If you scan all the “heart diagnosis” marks, you may notice a progression from possessiveness to self-life to pride and self-importance. If you scan the “truth about God” marks, you may see repeated emphasis on God’s worth, presence, voice, and rightful supremacy.

This kind of review turns the color system into a theme detector. It can also reveal imbalance in your own reading. If nearly everything you mark is “conviction” and almost nothing is “truth about God,” you may be reading primarily to analyze yourself. If nearly everything is “truth” and nothing is “application,” you may be avoiding response.

Keep a one-page color summary

At the end of each chapter, write one bullet under each category, even if one category remains blank. That produces a concise review sheet without turning the book into a complicated workbook. After all ten chapters, compare the summaries and note which categories dominate particular sections of the book.

Put It Into Practice

Choose your five categories and write the key on the inside cover or first page of your notebook. Apply it to one chapter. At the end, summarize the chapter using one marked item from each category.

Conclusion: Color coding works when it helps you classify and retrieve ideas. Keep the system small, consistent, and subordinate to careful reading and Scripture.