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his delegates to step in. Even in praying for values and growth, such boons would not be easily forthcoming as an unearned gift for they are usually the result of many years of experience, contemplation, soul searching and often suffering. But if one feels that such treasures of the soul need to be granted, how can one proceed? What are the guidelines that would make such prayers effective? Here are some thoughts.
1. Prayer is not a substitute for intelligent effort. You must sincerely and courageously face the problems of daily life.
2. You must have tried everything. You must have given it all you've got.
3. You must have let your ego go and have surrendered your personal desires to the leadings of the spirit. You must have placed your focus on learning true meanings and appreciating genuine spiritual values.
4. You must choose to do the divine will wholeheartedly. Indecision must be obliterated.
5. Your choice to do the divine will must be undivided, unconditional, and a dynamic force that results in action.
6. You must acknowledge that your prayer will be considered by the Creator in relation to your eternal destiny, your entire career in the attainment of divine perfection.
7. Your prayer must be empowered by living faith.
Affirmations
Affirmations can be a form of prayer if God is involved. Many will agree that prayer certainly works when it comes to affirmations. Affirmations are wonderful, and it works best when it comes directly from the soul and is in the presence of the spirit. It is often not effective when it is used as a psychological tool using only the power of our mind, to program ourselves with desirable behavioral patterns. By allowing affirmations to reflect the desires of the soul, we follow the leadings of the spirit so that the affirmative thoughts penetrate deep into even the hardest and most inaccessible parts of our being. When we include God in our use of affirmations, we are entering his field of divine energy by sourcing his divine love and embrace.
By affirming with our souls, in the now, the fact and truth of our perfection in eternity, we displace the transient state of the present with the perfection of our eternal state. Whatever seeming imperfection you see now in yourself, realize that it is not the truth, it is but a shadow of the eternal perfection that is the real you. Affirm this to yourself all the time, regardless of how you feel, what the doctors say, what is in your pocketbook, how bad relationships seem to be. A materialistic atheist might say that it is denial based on idealistic dreams, but that is why he is a materialist. Spirit is a reality, and your faith in the higher truths must cast doubts in his mind, not the other way around. Do your inner work regularly, affirm your eternal status, and your loyalty to spiritual ideals will be majestically upheld.
More on affirmations later.
3. Connecting to others: Service
Service mobilizes our unified human vehicle in the performance range of breadth which is in the sphere of coordination, association and self-hood organization. Service organizes the self, coordinates people and things in time and space, and service makes for deeper and wider associations with other personalities.
The word service is used in many ways. There is military service, table service. servicing your car, etc. And of course there is social service. When we use the word service to mean the action of doing good to others, we think of it as an altruistic deed in which there is no thought of reward for ourselves. However, when we do deeds altruistically, there is a reward: we feel good. Service makes us feel wonderful because we are helping others, so service doesn't necessarily mean that there is no thought of benefit for ourselves. We do not have to suffer to be of service to others. The meaning of the word service as it is used here is to do things for the benefit of the whole rather than the part.
When we act in service to the body, we do things that are beneficial for the whole person. When we eat healthy foods, it is for the benefit of body, mind, and soul, and not just for the part of us craving junk food. When we educate the mind, it is for the good of the entire person, and not for the part of us that is lazy and doesn't want to study. When we service our ability to coordinate relationships, we do it for the whole of the community rather than for any one individual. Service is for the whole rather than the part.
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