As covered elsewhere in this message, you and I are one. There is no separation between you and I. You only think there is. As you grow to understand this essential Truth, your idea of how to communicate with Me will also change. Your idea of prayer will change.
For many of you, prayer is a single action. It is something you do when you want something or need something. You call out to Me in Heaven, which many of you think is in the sky, or in space. You want Me to come down there and fix whatever is wrong, give you whatever you want. So you say your prayer, often quickly—a few seconds, a few minutes, maybe longer. Then you get up and go on about your business.
Now, there is nothing wrong with this type of prayer. But it is not the most powerful way to pray, mostly because it reinforces your belief that I am away from you, that I am not a part of you.
Here is a simple way to remind yourself where I really am when you pray. Instead of focusing your prayer outward—to the sky, to space, whatever—place the palms of your hands over your heart. Imagine they are My hands (and in fact, they are). Focus your prayers on your physical heart, which is the center of your being. This may feel weird at first, but that is only because you are not used to thinking of Me as being right here where you are. But trust Me—this tiny action will begin to tear down this notion that you and I are separate.
The important thing to remember in prayer is that you are not asking Me to change the world to suit you. You are asking Me to CHANGE YOU. This is called humility—and it also multiplies the power of your prayer.
When you humble yourself, you are admitting to yourself that in some part of your life, your way of doing things isn’t getting the results you desire. It is only when you admit this that you become open to hearing My Voice showing you another way. In this regard, humbling yourself is essential for a powerful prayer.
Humility is NOT something I demand of you. In essence, it represents you getting out of your own way.
Another way to increase the power of your prayer is to add an attitude of gratitude. In other words, be thankful.
Contrary to popular belief, I do not require your gratitude. I love you without condition, regardless of whether you thank Me or not. The reason you should be grateful in prayer is for your OWN transformation.
Many of you focus your prayers on getting something you do not already have—money, a job, health, romance, and so on. There is nothing wrong with this kind of prayer, but notice that you are still focusing on what you do NOT have. Put it this way: How will you ever be happy with anything if you continuously remind yourself of what’s missing from your life?
A prayer of gratitude attracts more of what you are grateful for. You are focusing on things you DO have, and you become even more aware of how abundant these things are in your life.
If you are ever at a loss for what to be grateful for in your prayers, start with the things you usually take for granted—clean air and water; a hot meal; shelter and clothing. And of course, your loved ones. You may add to your “gratitude list” as you desire.
Yet this also works in attracting things you desire into your life. Saying thanks in advance, with a sincere sense of gratitude, sends a message that you are ready to receive what you desire. But this is not a magic trick and it cannot be faked. You MUST have and maintain a sense of gratitude to attract things into your life. Fortunately, this only requires a little imagination. Act as if you already have what you desire, and then give thanks for it.
Still, there is an even more powerful way to pray. As stated earlier, for many of you prayer is an action. Yet the most powerful way to pray is to let your actions become your prayer.
Pray with your actions. Pray with your whole being.
It is a common statement on your world: “Actions speak louder than words.” This is a true statement, for even a child knows that people can say one thing and do another. By the same token, those same people take you more seriously when they can see that your words and actions are lined up. You are not just “talking the talk,” you are “walking the walk.”
When your words and actions are in disagreement, you will find yourself stuck in some sort of way, because your mind is literally pulling in two different directions. However, when your words and actions are in harmony, you become “single-minded” and there is nothing you can’t do.
These are incredibly powerful tools to use in life. Now let Me show you how to use them when it comes to prayer.
When you pray with just your mouth, you focus your energy on Me for a few seconds, a few minutes, however long it is. Afterwards, you usually go back to thinking the same old thoughts, doing the same old things. It is like you are asking Me to change something, but you are unwilling to change how you do things. It snatches all the power out of your prayer, and makes your prayer hollow and weak.
On the other hand, when you pray with your actions, you multiply the power of your prayer. Your words and actions are in harmony. You are praying to Me with your entire being.
So what does that look like? Put simply, after you complete your word prayer (or even instead of it, if you choose), take actions that support what you prayed for.
The pace you choose is up to you. What matters is the passion and enthusiasm you bring to your living prayers. Your passion and enthusiasm are incredible forces for attracting the things you desire into your life—mostly because the things you are passionate and enthusiastic about are things you will act upon. In short, passion and enthusiasm breathe life into your living prayer.
For instance, in areas of health, praying with your actions would include exercising, eating healthful foods and dropping unhealthy habits like smoking.
In areas of money, praying with your actions would include saving money, avoiding debt and investing wisely.
In areas of relationships, praying with your actions would include being forgiving, generous and grateful for your loved ones.
In areas of work and career, praying with your actions would include being excellent, enthusiastic, service-minded and genuinely happy with your work.
In relationship to Me and the rest of humanity, praying with your actions would include serving others and being a source of love, peace and hope.
In any living prayer, take action cheerfully, joyfully, lovingly and with great expectations. Do not be bitter or angry about pursuing your prayer request. It saps the power out of your prayer, because your mind and body are not in sync.
So, to recap: Focus on your heart as you pray and pray with your actions. Whenever you pray, be humble, cheerful, loving, grateful, enthusiastic and passionate. Expect great things.
As you use these simple tools to empower your prayers, you will move away from thinking of prayer as a single event. It will become something you do continuously, with each passing breath. You will find that there’s never a time I’m not communicating with you, pointing you in the direction of your heart’s deepest desires.
Prayer will no longer be something you DO.
Prayer will become what you ARE.
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To read about how the image above was taken, check out the blog post: “Blessed Are The Pure In Heart…”