The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- UNITY WAY June 9, 2002 ------------------------------------------------------ Whatever You Shall Ask in Prayer By Andrei Yashurin So many people treat prayer as a random act of an appeal to God, or the Higher Power as they understand it, for an intervention into a certain situation, or meeting a specific need. My approach is different. I believe that prayer should be a spiritual exercise, the one in which we develop our relationships with God. Prayer is a lifting up of our consciousness to the spiritual level, the level of causes, from which we can successfully deal with anything at the level of effects. In prayer, we do not seek to change the will of God, or the mind of God. The will of God is settled forever, and it is our ultimate good. In prayer, we do not ask God to pay attention to our desperate condition and to display mercy. Jesus made it clear enough that the Father knows our concerns before we ask. He is Love, and everything that He does is an action of love. His love is constant and omnipresent. It is irrational to think that our petitions will move Him to extend us more love. But then, what do we seek in prayer? We seek to change our consciousness. When we approach to our prayer life this way, the act of praying will be more meaningful, and more rewarding than ever before. Since our world and our circumstances are being created by us through the power of our faith (our abiding state of mind), it is important that we would ask God not to give us desired things or to perform certain events, but to give us a state of consciousness that will create those things and events. For instance, it is better to pray not for healing of a sickness, but for a consciousness of wholeness. It is better to ask not for the finances to meet a particular need, but for development of a prosperity mentality. Of course, many people pray in a childlike way, in a wrong way, with wrong motives, and still get results. We can attribute it to the fact that God is truly merciful, and perhaps, there are other spiritual dynamics that are working in the lives of those people and producing good results. It is good to have in mind that the outcome of a situation depends not on a specific action, but on the sum of what we did and who weve been in the past. We reap what weve sown before, and each of us sows at all times and in many ways, whether for our good or for our ill. Children can be precious and sweet, but childhood is not meant to be permanent. Human beings are destined to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. At the same time, we dont need to feel guilty about praying in a wrong way, or not praying enough. There are many ways to be connected to God, not just one. When your heart is turned toward God, and you are determined to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness (rightness) above all else, every thought and every word of yours will have a quality of prayer. You will pray always, without even opening your mouth. You will be learning the art of prayer not from books and seminars, but from the best Teacher within you. You wont be concerned with meeting certain religious criteria of prayer, because you fill find the stream of the living and refreshing water within your heart; and nothing else will matter. You will ask, and you will receive. Sincere act of asking on our side implies that we are open to receive. We are saying to God: I know that it is Your good pleasure to give me the Kingdom. I know that every good and every perfect gift comes from You, the Father of lights. My arms are ready. My heart is ready. Here am I, God. Let us work together is shaping the world into what it is meant to be! And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive (Matthew 21:22). ------------------------------------------------------ You can read our current articles at the newly opened Web site, Positive Christianity E-zine: http://pczine.net ------------------------------------------------------ We invite you to share your prayer requests with us if you would like us to support you in your prayers. We will include your requests in this list (without mentioning your name and an address), or just pray privately if you want so. ------------------------------------------------------ Unity, or Unity School of Christianity, is a positive philosophy of life, based on teachings of Jesus Christ. Andrei, the publisher of this list, is a Truth seeker and non-denominational minister from Russia. You are welcome to visit his web site to find out more about him and how you can help him in his work. E-mail: admin@unityway.net http://www.unityway.net Please feel free to share this E-zine with your friends and loved ones. We grow best by word of mouth and appreciate your sharing this newsletter with others. THANKS FOR READING! "God is more willing to give than you are to receive, and you demonstrate what you are willing to receive by what you willingly give." Brad Jensen All messages (c) 2001 by Andrei Yashurin The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New King James Version Bible, copyright, 1980, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. This E-zine is being sended through Felist.com list server only to those who subscribed to it, either at Felist.com or at our site. In order to manage your subscription, you need to go to the list page. I cannot subscribe or unsubscribe you. Please, follow this link: http://felist.com/catalog/lit.unityway/ Our ministry is supported through love offerings from like-minded people over the world. We invite you to join us in our work. 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