We talked in yesterday’s post about writing affirmations. And of course many people pray for things. So here’s a question for you…
Do you think you receive things from God or the Universe, by virtue of your prayers? What do you think when you hear a basketball player being interviewed after he sank the crucial basket in the championship game and he says that God made the ball go in?
Isn’t that something that God took time out from fighting mudslides, floods and earthquakes to make sure that Southern Cal beat Stanford? Or that Manchester United beat Real Madrid.
Do your religious beliefs include praying to a supernatural power, which rewards you by virtue of your plea? If so, do you think people who pray better get more? Do I get rewarded more, because I am a good copywriter?
“Dear God,
“I’ve wanted a red Lamborghini since I was twelve years old. Which is why I’m contacting you…”
I ask, not because I’m here to ridicule your religious beliefs, but to have you question them. If you see yourself as a hopeless, sorry sinner, who must prostrate yourself before your creator, that would certainly influence your prosperity consciousness, wouldn’t it?
I pray and make affirmations, not for my God, but for myself. I pray for others as well. In fact, I have a whole prayer list that I go through twice each day. When I signed all those prosperity maps for people, I also prayed for their manifestation.
Yet I don’t believe that because someone puts their dream home on a map, and because I hold that vision, that this is going to influence God to grant their wish.
So why do I do it? And if you pray, why do you do it? Please share your thoughts below, and we’ll pick up there on the next post.
-RG
Prosperity TV
Like you, I do not think of God as our personal valet.
If people really look to God as their Father, I do believe he asnwers our prayers. In fact, I know He does. Problem is, many people don;t have the patience for the answer. And often the answer is not what we want to hear so we think God is rejecting us.
I only have variations of one prayer: "Thy Will be Done." I want to follow what He has in store for me and have the peace in my heart and stillness in my mind to know what I need to do to follow his path. If I can achieve, this, it's going to be Ok.
Thanks so much for this post Randy.
Pax, Mark
@markwschaefer
Mark
Your viewpoint in obviously quite influenced by religion. What I find interesting about people like yourself is that although you seem very much at peace with where you are, you give the impression that you are like a boat at sea without a rudder and that you have no control over the outcomes in your life.
Carmen
I pray to connect to the peace within me & the universe around me. From there I can create positively even amongst chaos & uncertainty. I also pray to send love & positive energy out, and most of all, I pray out of gratitude for my blessings. I do it because it sustains me like nothing else. I believe it is one of the most powerful form of molding creative energy.
I pray because I beleive that inside us is god,I beleive that we are god in the sense that we have the power to create reality, if and only if, we contact with that part uf us where god live. That is why I pray Randy...
I pray to affirm my belief in an utterly benevolent universe.
I'm with Mark on this one. I simply pray for His will to be done through me as a vehicle.
God blesses all of us with unique gifts and abilities - athletics, copywriting, craftmanship, etc. - and it's our duty, I believe, to use those gifts effectively and for the greater good. When we do that, good things happen, not by chance but by divine direction.
Best to you,
Scott
I pray because I know Jesus Christ as my savior. My sin is what keeps me from God answering my prayers. Not that God will only bless those that are sinless. Only Jesus Christ was sinless. My point is, when we are in tune with God, we will then reap his blessings. We will live in a way that honors him and not out of selfish gain. God hates greed. If we pray, out of greed, then we are missing the point. A relationship with Him is what matters the most. Abraham was a man that followed God and listened to him. Abraham was a very wealthy prosperous man. Why, he followed God and acted upon what God wanted him to do.
Love this. It's wonderful that you understand the true meaning of prayer.
I would say he understands the true meaning of his belief, not the true meaning of prayer.
We all have beliefs about prayer, even an atheist.
In other words, we all have opinions about prayer, God, life, etc
There is a big difference between Jesus and Christ.
Jesus was a man who lived 2000 years ago. At the age of 30 the Holy Spirit or the Christ principle overshadowed him It is after the age of 30 that he started to work miracles and teach.
There was only One Jesus, but there can be many Christs. If we live the life Jesus taught we can all start to manifest the Christ Principle.
Jesus himself said:' These things and GREATER things will you do because I go to the Father' It is the Christ principle that is part of God.
Everyone regardless of race, class, religion can manifest the Christ.
John
You make it sound like greed is evil. To quote Google, greed is: an excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves. Now, if someone does not have more than they need, how can they give it to someone else without causing themselves hardship? And as far as "excessive" or "more that they deserve", is that really for someone else to judge? It sounds like the kind of term someone jealous or religious would use. I think that these greed and sin issues are really just religious propaganda.
My take on this is as follows. In order for us to make our own assessments about what is good and evil, evil must exist, therefore I recognise the value and importance of evil. I don't wish that it didn't exist, nor do I wish, hope and try not to be evil. I don't believe that by having been 'evil' one day that I don't deserve something or that I am a sinner/have done something wrong. Also, I may or may not choose to repeat the behaviour. I see myself as the other side of the equation - the vehicle through which another living creature experiences the contrast between good and evil. To me, pointing the finger at another person and saying that their behaviour is evil and wrong is short-sighted. It's okay to not like it, but that doesn't mean that it shouldn't exist.
And as far as God goes, do you see yourself as separate from God, or do you see yourself as God? In my experience, religious folk seem to describe God as an entity separate from themselves, whereas I see myself as a part of God. I believe that what I want is what God wants and it's all completely okay with no judgement, ever.
Carmen
I pray to resource myself, to get calm and get some inspiration of what it is important. I do believe that prayers have power, but not the power to make the real madrid win, the power of the unverse to put everything in its place.
God is everywhere, including me and you, in all our parts. Thoughts also are from God. We have free will to choose these thoughts that help us to realise our potential, our growth.
I pray- God please help me to choose the thoughts and keep my focuss that lift me up and realise more my potential in all lines of my life.
Hey Randy,
I believe in praying, i think that God is uneversal to all
the humen being, and even to all the reatures,creation in the world.
I like Joyce Meyer's take on it. "Go to the Throne, not the Phone". Don't ask for answers from people who are not qualified to help or give your problems more power over you. The answers are inside and just need to be revealed. For me that is through prayer. It gives me a sharing outlet and opens me up for direction.
I pray in order to REMIND MYSELF where to focus.
I also think MYSELF is way bigger than just this mind body thing here typing....
All this supplication and "God will reward me for doing what He wants" stuff are the seeds of that mind-control dogma that enslaves people.
"You got a disease because you're a sinner, but if you do what I say, you'll be healthy"
We do NOT have total control over everything, and prayer "works" when you get what you want. When you don't, then saying "Oh, God didn't want me to have that" is just slavery and blindness.
I'm all for feeling "connected" and focusing on what you want as prayer, but the whole "asking" thing (which, I of course do anyway) is self-delusion.
Well said!
I use affirmation allot. I read from affirmation cards and I listen to affirmation audio
Hi Randy
I pray for God's truth and wisdom.
Prayer is very peaceful.
Peace and Blessings to All
Prayer and meditation are the most profitable things I do, for all areas of my life. I do it to recognize and experience the presence of God which helps me remember the truth of who I am, that I am (we all are) a holy child of God, worthy and deserving of all God's blessings. As Joel Goldsmith writes in his classic book, "Practicing the Presence," "God has nothing to give us. Everything that God is, we already are; all that God has, is already ours. Any attempt to tell God what our need is, indicates a distrust and a lack of understanding of the nature of God and acts as a barrier, keeping us from the very blessings that are rightfully ours as heirs of God." So I practice the presence of God and all is well.
i define prayer as meditation. It is a practice to realign our thoughts and beliefs with our goals. It is about spending time alone and focusing on what we want to create, reminding ourselves to be grateful, channeling our thoughts and intentions, fine tuning our vibrations to match the vibrations of that which we want to attract into our lives.
Love this.
When imátkozom not financially in relation to God, but also emotional things.
The goals should I set my mind to focus for success. Success is the desire to take us on the path to reach my goals set in the ..
Many times I see people who pray constantly as if it is a gift exchange program. "I'll pray to God if He gives me all the goodies I want." I've never seen prayer like that. Sure, you can make supplications to God for things you feel you need, but I thing prayer is that part of your life where you actually remind yourself you have a relationship with God. It's a time to block out the rest of the world and simply concentrate on communicating with your creator. Often after praying, I sit down for maybe 10 or 15 minutes in a totally different state of mind than before I began. It's a blissful feeling that I get from nothing else but prayer. If prayer gave me nothing else but that feeling alone, where I feel connected and aware of my place in the world, that would be a great reason alone to pray every day.
I've been working on getting away from praying FOR stuff. Praying FOR stuff carries with it the negative presupposition that the thing you are praying for is not currently in your experience.
In "The Lost Mode of Prayer", Gregg Braden talks about feeling-based prayer, which allows us to pray about things we'd like to see in the future, without taking ourselves out of this present moment.
I used to regularly attend a Religious Science church, and will likely be returning to that practice soon. Back in 2006, New Mexico was in a tail end of a 7-year drought, and our minister (Rev. Gale Stewart) wanted to demonstrate the power of feeling-based prayer to us.
She took us through a meditation/visualisation of walking outside the building and seeing tons and tons of rain, and (the important part) imagining how the rain would feel falling on us, and the sound of the rain hitting the pavement and forming puddles, etc.
The very next night, I was working (delivering Pizza for Pizza Hut at that time), and it was raining so hard that my delivery times were doubled or longer, and the town of Belèn where I lived FLOODED SO MUCH that water was up at the level of my minivan's grill and seeping into my engine.
I now have a higher-than average success rate in making it rain. The trick is not to pray FOR rain, just to pray rain.
Great post Randy! I say prayers of gratitude, I like to begin & end each day this way & sometimes throughout the day when I feel blessed. I believe we receive things because of our thoughts. We live in a prosperous universe, a yes universe and whatever you focus on grows in your life. God delivers whatever you put your attention on. Practice gratitude!
I'm currently taking a Science of Mind Foundations course and it's amazing. I feel like things are really starting to click now. I thank you Randy for all you do.
to pray is a state of mind, you make prayers because it makes you feel good - I guess....
may the universe be with you in all times -this prosperity mission that God has "sent you on" is just great stuff
Klaus
I usually pray for my ability to satay in my heart, or Higher mind - for I know when I'm there I'm accessing God... so it will take me, where ever I need to go and the toys I just need to pick up on the way, if I so choose.
I do pray for other people, and usually it is prayer for them to open their heart to life, to everything - they will find what they need to find... I cannot know what it is.
I love one prayer what I heard from Alison Armstrong, she said it about relationships. We do get our hearts broken she claimed, but every time it happens I get on my knees and pray God for ability to keep my heart open - always! No matter how many times it happens. That is a good one!
Sunshine to all
i think that prayer is first of all a relationships with our creator, father.
And second is a relationship with own soul and heart.
if you put your dreams in the center of your heart it will inevitably come true.
Randy
Prayer to God is a way for us to open our hearts and mind to the possibilities that are endless. Our God does not give us things in the context of "ask and receive" as you describe above. However as you point out he does listen to our prayers for ourselves and others and within his "will" provides to each of us what we need by the faith or as you say the affirmation that you bring forth!
Yet I don’t believe that because someone puts their dream home on a map, and because I hold that vision, that this is going to influence God to grant their wish.
Randy - I'm one of your greatest admirer - but I do not agree to this point. I believe that Your attitudes , your mental concepts ,beliefs and outlook are your connecting link with God's rich substance and your access to it .God can only do for you what He can do through you, by means of your thoughts and ideas which lead to your reactions.Thus , prosperous thinking opens the way to prosperous results.
Man's soul is his subconscious mind ,and whatever he feels deeply,good or bad ,is out pictured by that faithful servant .His body and affairs show forth what he has been picturing .The sick man has pictured sickness , the poor man , poverty , the rich man,wealth.
However the divine pattern is the only safe pattern to work by . Man should always demand only that which is his by divine right.Desire is a tremendous force ,and must be directed in the right channels , or chaos ensues. The subconscious , being simply power without direction can be destructive also.
Many of Prosperity consultants like Catherine ponder or florence scovel shinn says that ... Anything forced into manifestation through personal will , is always “ill-got,” and has “ever bad success.” . God's will be done , not man's ; God's pattern , not man's pattern , is the command .The individual is a channel for Infinite Intelligence to express itself through . “My way , not your way !” is the command of Infinite Intelligence. Like all Power , be it steam or electricity , it must have a nonresistant engine or instrument to work through , and man is that engine or instrument.
A sample affirmation which I use for my dream house - “If this house ,I desire ,is mine ,I can not loose it, if it is not ,give me its equivalent.Divine intelligence now works in me and my life and affairs, to will and to do whatever for my highest good, and divine intelligence cannot fail!I give thanks for the immediate, complete, divine fulfillment of this desire. This or something better comes forth with perfect timing, according to God's rich good for me.Nothing but good can come into my life, for God is in charge."
I believe prayer is our one recourse here as we journey from out of the thought of the Divine Mind and go through the "strange eventful history" of life on earth. I believe we can pray anywhere, and anytime, to the God of our understanding. I also know that prayer is not the same as a petition or wish-list, but the true desire of our hearts, and that it is always granted. It is of things bigger than we can conceive, and has nothing to do with whether or not a ball goes through a hoop or we win or lose an election-God's will for us is always for our good and harmonious unfolding-It's always o.k. to pray for his will to be done on earth, as it is in Heaven-and as we are so constructed as to mirror this "Heaven-Earth" pattern, if we listen, his will is being done. I don't claim to know what it is I just said, but it's what I have in my heart at this moment about "prayer." Wayne
Case 1:
Why do I pray daily to my Heavenly Father?
Why do I ask him for things, although many times He does not give me what I ask?
Why do I tell him things, share my victories and sorrows, plans and dreams, although I have never heard Him respond to me audibly?
Case 2: I have 2 boys (8 and 11).
Why do they so want to talk to their dad every day?
Why do they ask their dad for many things, even though sometimes they do not get what they ask for (eg. having fried chicken 3 meals a day for the whole year)?
Case 3: Singapore's Minister Mentor Mr. Lee Kuan Yew recently lost his wife to a long battle with cancer. Her final 2 years was the most difficult, totally bed-ridden and unable to speak due to a stroke. Yet, Mr. Lee will every night without fail, come back from work and tell her about his day and read her favorite poetries until she slept. Why?
Why? Because,
in Case #1, I love my God, and He loves me.
in Case #2, my sons love me and I them.
in Case #3, the husband is devoted and loves his wife and she must have and still love him too.
Your posts are interesting and thought provoking as always, Randy. And thanks for letting me share.
And thanks for sharing!
-RG
Pray-As-You-Go
I remember going to a mini-seminar given by Terry McBride. He told us that prayer, affirmations and visualisation don't actually do anything other than change our beliefs.
Since beliefs are what lead to our manifestations, by just changing your beliefs right at the core, things in the outer world will reflect that change.
Randy, so why do I think that you affirm other people's dreams? Because I believe that this strengthens and speeds up the manifestation process, particularly if the other person is also lined up with their desires.
I don't pray in the religious sense of the word, but I do visualise the things that I desire, (which I think is pretty much the same thing anyway). I 'pray' because I understand the power of focus. Taking my attention away from what I don't want and directing it towards what I do want is a key factor in how quickly my dreams will manifest.
My belief is that there is no need to ask God for anything. Read: "A Prayer of Thanksgiving."
Seems to me that there may be only two prayers worthy of praying. One prayer is to know God better. The other prayer is a prayer of thanksgiving.
Pray a prayer of self-discovery and one of gratitude, and know God is listening.
It is useless and wastes God's time -- and our mental energy -- to pray for things. God has given us the ability to choose. Our greatest power is choice. To use this power to choose to pray for things that God has already given us the power to create may not be an effective use of our time.
I can imagine God being amused. I can hear him saying, "Why don't they get it? I have given them everything and yet they insist upon asking me for the same things, over and over again."
It may not seem logical that you should only pray a prayer of thanksgiving. If you are someone who has always used your prayers for asking, this may sound strange to you. This, to some, may appear to be an arrogant way to speak to God. Hardly.
Celebrate Love!
Larry James
Scottsdale, AZ
You have to make your requests known to him even though He knows what our needs are.
Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
I always pray in thanksgiving. I thank God for my blessings before they arrive because I know this is showing that I trust him to provide for my needs and fulfill my desires!
Matthew 21:22 "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
http://yolandaallen.blogspot.com/
We do it to put those goals into our subconscionus mind to then manifest it in our lives.
When we see it every day we feel like we already have it and this makes our mind find paths to acomplish it.
I do have a manifestation map in my room, it is on the closet door. The issue is I still do not believe that I can have all that. I do not make more progress, personal growth.
But when my parents want me to do smth, and they repeat the same thing a lot of times I begin to crave for it and I achieve it for example I successfully entered the university this summer. I think when my parents repeat the same thing lots of times these goes into my subconscious mind and rules me from there.
Thank you, Randy.
Salaams,
Allah is Lord of All Bounty and Sustenance, and it is mentioned enough times in The Holy Quran to seek our Lord's abundance that knows no limits! A Muslim can " Make Doa" , which is to ask Allah for what we want, and that is like afirming and manifesting. We are also told by our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, to recite the Surah of Wealth everyday. Here's a prosperity tool, given by our beloved prophet, 1400 years ago! The Surah of Wealth refers to Chapter 56 in the Holy Quran.
Peace be with you! 🙂
Being raised Catholic I was taught that only 'Catholics' go to heaven, (or purgatory- which is a form of 'hell limbo', but can be 'prayed out' of). I prayed endlessly and sacrificed what little money I had access to. (We were so poor we couldn't even pay attention)! I had sincere plans to be a nun, until I was mercilessly abused at the hands of a few nuns. It caused me to look at other forms of worship. I still adhere to my roots and am in no way against any religion. I had an encounter with the Holy Spirit with a friend of mine. He freaked me out while 'speaking in tongues'. I was driving at 2am to a local burger joint. Nice guy, but he was beating people over the head with God. I said that it was wrong to tell kids that their friends are going to hell because they weren't 'Catholic'. Cold air stirred between us and I heard words come from him that were very foreign but familiar all the same.. I specifically remember the word 'Shalom'. It happened so fast. He was in a trance. I was intimidated to say the least. When he came out of it, he didn't remember it, saying that he has been told that he has a 'beautiful prayer language". Randy have you ever encountered this? I believe Spirit exists and I Pray for understanding. I am not wealthy, but when I pray for what I need it arrives. Not always in the way or form I've asked. I am seeing now that I have blocks from the past. But I want to excell, not just get by. So many choices. What to do?
Praying for me is just a reassurance of what God promised me, a way to stay positive despite my circumstances, a way to communicate with my Heavenly Father, a way to express my gratitude for things seen & unseen, things I have & will have. Prayer for me is just a conversation with God (myself, because he lives within me) about my family friends and myself, speaking life over our situations, praising Him for bestowing upon us his mercy and his grace, affirming what I already know to be true for my life, and that's wealth, abundance, peace, joy, prosperity & all the greater good the world has to offer!
http://yolandaallen.blogspot.com/
Hi
I read your blog and found it very informative and helpful to me .Thanks for such an effort