PRAYER CHANGES ME
Prayer is the ultimate reality check. You can fool some of the people some of the time. You can fool yourself some of the time. You can never fool God.
Prayer is a place you go to find out how you are doing. If you are getting into trouble, you can probably get straightened out during prayer.
You bring many problems on yourself. So many mistakes seem like a good idea at the time. A scripture says, "There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the ends thereof are death." Those words summarize the disasters of countless lives. When your hormones are talking, there is a way that seems right unto a man. When you are consumed by greed, there is a way that seems right unto a man. When you want something you cannot afford, there is a way that seems right unto a man. The way that seems right gets you into trouble again and again. You need a periodic reality check if you want avoid the way that seems right, and prayer is that reality check.
Prayer clarifies your vision. Prayer isn't asking for a miracle or trying to make your problems disappear. You pray to discover the way things actually are so you don't fool yourself and follow the way that seems right, but ends in disaster.
ALIGN YOURSELF WITH GOD'S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE
Go out in a boat and toss a line to shore. After the line is made fast to shore, pull on the line. When you do this, you don't pull the shore to the boat. Instead, you pull the boat to shore. That's the way it works with prayer. When you pull on the rope connecting you to God, you don't pull God to your way of doing things. Instead, you pull yourself to God's way of doing things. You align yourself with God's program for your life.
Most of the time when people pray, they ask God to help them escape from trouble or to get something they want. While there is nothing wrong with praying when you are in difficulty, you would be better off if you would pray in a manner that prevents you from getting into trouble in the first place. Prayer keeps you from taking the way that seems right, but ends in misery.
PRAYER DOESN'T CHANGE GOD - PRAYER CHANGES YOU
Once you are in trouble, prayer won't change God. However, prayer will change you. When you stop trying to make God solve your problems, and get on with the business of finding out what He wants you to do about them, you have discovered what prayer is all about. The purpose of prayer isn't to change God. It's to change you. You need to pray until you have done an ultimate reality check and found out where you are and what you need to do.
You don't need to get God aligned with your program for life. You need to get yourself aligned with his program. Spirituality is a very personal matter. God has an agenda and direction for your life that no one else knows. Nobody can talk to God and find out his agenda for you. That's your unique privilege, and it forms the core of your life's adventure with God.
Some people carry an enormous burden of false beliefs about themselves and about their potential for excellence. They continually focus on their limitations rather than on their possibilities.
Prayer helps them detect and eliminate harmful false beliefs. They step higher and run faster without those burdens on their back. They discover the truth that sets them free.
Go ahead. Do an ultimate reality check and find out about God's plan for your life. Then hang on for the ride, because it's time to max out on God's love.
Excerpt from :
Maximum Strength Positive Thinking : What to Say When You Talk to Your Mind
