Thought for Today

Prayer

One of my spiritual teachers once told me, “When you get tired of struggling, you stop. Then things change.”

Every thought you think, every word you speak, is a form of prayer. Why? Thoughts and words are an expression of your life force. When this force is released into the universe, your environment, it will take shape and form. How many times have you said, “You make me sick?” Notice that by the end of the day you have a headache, are nauseated, or feel exhausted. How many times have you prayed for something good for yourself--realizing, hoping sometimes wishing something negative for someone else? Those negative thoughts and words cancel out the positive energy of prayer. Careful monitoring of your thoughts and words is required to yield positive prayer results.

Frustration, fear, disappointment, unworthiness, hate, greed, jealousy, and self stand in the way of your prayers. Very often when we pray for something, evidence that we cannot or will not get it will manifest in our lives. My grandmother always told me, “Don’t believe your lying eyes.” If it is good for you, if it will not cause harm to you or anyone else, if you believe, then it is yours! If you pray for it today, don’t pray for the same thing tomorrow. Just give thanks, deny all evidence to the contrary, and stand firm.

Prayers are always answered. You don’t have to beg or make deals with the Creator when you pray. What you get in answer to your prayer is the direct reflection of what you expect, not necessarily what you pray for. You can pray endlessly and never see the manifestation. The challenge is to pray, knowing that you will se results. If you pray, doubting what you want is possible, you are canceling out the request. The key is to pray with faith, knowing and believing that, what you ask for, you already have!

by Iyanla Vanzant