Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Faith’

Praying With A Feather

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 12, 2009| Leave a Comment »

           Years ago many devoted preachers and Sunday School teachers were fond of telling people to “pray hard.” Well-meaning as this advice was, it was mistaken. I often tell people to pray “soft,” which of course, means gently.
 
          I do this because I know that the more quietly and gently we pray, the better results we get. In prayer, as in many other activities, effort defeats itself. More than once I have said to my congregation, “Pray with a feather – not with a pickax.”
 
Always pray gently, and especially if you have a good deal of fear, or if your difficult y seems to be a very important one.
 
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee (Psalm 86:5).

The essence of prayer and in fact all communion with God is not physical. Think of it this way. If one grips a golf club too tightly it will lower your score, or if one presses too hard on a writing instrument it will make their handwriting worse. Also, both tend to indicate an insecurity or lack of  practice and confidence. So it is with spiritual matters. The harder we pray the more we grip the club. When our we practice our faith each day, do the spiritual exercises of prayer and communion and become comfortable with our spiritual selves, our faith is strong and prayer becomes effortless. It is when we lack faith or when we try to force God into our limited physical understanding that we tighten and grip and feel the need to swing harder. To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, “pray softly and carry a big faith, and you will go far”.

Touching him softly,

Z gardener

Read Full Post »

Shack or Palace?

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 9, 2009| Leave a Comment »

          There is no use in merely saying that everything will be all right. Thinking rightly, of course, means putting God into all your affairs and expecting him to change them. For example, if you are living in a shack it is not any good pretending that it is a palace. Cheap optimism is never spiritual. Realize that you are living in a shack, but claim the Presence of God to guide you to something better.

 
Teach me the way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path … (Psalm 27:11).

         Cheap optimism, besides not being spiritual, actually blocks us from understanding our true state of affairs. If we do not have a clear-eyed view of our reality, then what we seek from God will be wrong. We will be unable to ascertain the things for which we need help. We will not be able to confess and ask forgiveness for the real issues that cause our problems.  It is like the man with a blindfold touching an elephant’s tail and thinking it was a snake. 

         When we understand our true reality and face the facts of our lives with uncompromising clarity, then we are in a position to seek and get God’s help. So, let us look around ourselves and take an accurate accounting of our reality. Then, God will open a path for us to the “something better” he has planned. Then we can seek forgiveness, experience repentance and think rightly. Then God will deliver us to a better place of joy and peace.

In clarity,

Z gardener

Read Full Post »

An Experiment

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Try this experiment today. Select one particular thing in your life that is not going well and you wish to make right. Next consider the matter in the light of your knowledge of God and of prayer. Realize that this thing cannot remain inharmonious or negative once you know the Truth about it. Realize that you are now knowing the Truth and claim that the divine Power in you is now healing the condition completely and permanently.
 
Then give thanks. Remember that praise and thanksgiving are the most powerful prayers of all.
 
The next day, repeat your thanksgiving, until the answer comes.
 
In between prayers you must keep your thought right concerning the problem. This is vital. All-day-long guiding of your thought cannot fail to bring your demonstration.
 

My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord (Psalm 104:34).

Believing that God is answering our prayers is easier when things are going well in our lives. Unfortunately, it is precisely when things are not going well that faith is most important. In such times, it is much harder to exhibit joy and gladness and to accept that he is working for our best good. The key to overcoming this problem is to count our blessings, thank God for them and adopt an “attitude of gratitude”. This creates in us a pathway to faith through the thickets of fear and doubt.

When we express our thankfulness and adopt a grateful spirit, we recognize and affirm all the blessings God has already given us. We also remind ourselves that we have a basis for faith. This also creates a mindset that under-girds and reinforces our faith. Even in the toughest of circumstances, if we lean of God for our strength and surrender to God’s will, the Almighty will give us peace and open our eyes to the joy and gladness in our lives. Then we can more easily believe and accept that God is answering our prayers.

Faithfully,

Z gardener

Read Full Post »

When –

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 7, 2009| Leave a Comment »

             When your knees are knocking together, and you do not know which way to turn – think of God and His goodness.

 
When prosperity seems out of the question – give thanks for God’s abundance.
 
When you want peace of mind – dwell upon the Presence of God.
 

When your health is under par – speak the healing Word.
 
When you need inspiration – browse through the Bible.
 
When the situation seems to need a miracle – remember that nothing is too difficult for God, and the He is performing miracles every day.
 
I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (Joshua 1:5).

Here is a brief recipe for a wonderful day in the garden God gave us. Each day let us wonder in God’s goodness, be thankful for God’s blessings, accept God’s presence, speak healing words, read the Bible and expect God’s miracles.

In expectation,
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

How Much Can God Do?

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

           The Bible tells us that God can heal us, that He can deliver us from our destruction, that He lifts up the weak, that He leads and guides us. But just how much can God do? Well, God can do almost anything. That may sound strange to those who have been taught that with God all things are possible. But there are some things that God cannot do, and it is fortunate for us that this is true.
 
God is a God of love and rules by principle, and because this is so, He cannot change His nature. He cannot break divine law. He cannot bring disease, or suffering, or lack.
 

He is always the loving Father, ready to hear and answer prayer.

 
How much can God do? He can bring heaven here and now – not by breaking the law, which is impossible to God – but by fulfilling it.
 
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law (Psalm 119:18).

God could do anything, but because God is a just and loving creator, there are some things God won’t do. Just as a responsible parent disciplines their children, God will not let us wander from the path without trying to correct our wandering. God will not abandon us, put more on us than we can bear or break his promise to us. God will not grant our prayers that would harm us, nor deny prayers essential to our welfare. God will never forsake or abandon us. God also will not forgive our sins until we confess them and repent. Yes, we play a part in our relationship with God. Just as any child plays a role in their relationship with their parent, we have a job to do in manifesting God’s will in our lives. And just a a child, when we obey, love and respect God, all things become more harmonious and filled with God’s love, power and potentiality.

God can,

Z gardener

Read Full Post »

Stake Your Claim

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on January 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »

            In the gold rush days, prospectors went out in the mountains in search of the yellow metal. Often the task was long and arduous with little to show for days of struggle and privation. But when a find was made, the prospector would stake his claim so that others would know that that particular discovery belonged to him. Of course, some claims turned out to be shallow veins of ore and worth little, while other claims eventually made their owners fabulously wealthy.
 
In metaphysics, we often speak of claiming our good, and it is one of the surest ways of bringing the good we desire into our lives. If we want health, then we have to claim every day that divine Life brings well-being to every part of our body. If we want prosperity, then we claim every day that God is the giver of every good gift, ready to supply our every need.
 
Whatever it is we wish to bring into our life, we stake our claim to it.
 
Of course, we often claim negative things for ourselves without fully realizing it. Every time we say, “My cold,” “My headache,” “My indigestion,” we are claiming those things for ourselves. What one claims for himself he will eventually bring into his life.
 
Affirm your divine kinship. All that the Father hath is ours – if we will stake our claim to it.

Let us today claim our divine kinship to God along with all the joy and gladness that goes with it. Let us look forward to “our” success, health, peace, communion and strength this year. Let us remember that God has ordained a wonderful life for us, and that  life is waiting on us to to make it a reality. Let us be ever mindful that out thoughts and feeling are our choice, and that what we say, do and think expresses itself in our lives. Let us love fully, feel intensely and worship joyfully to the God from which all blessings flow. Then we will all experience the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Claim staked,
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

The Sunshine of God’s Love

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on December 31, 2008| Leave a Comment »

           Behind every problem or difficulty lies the Truth of Being. This means that in spite of the appearance, you must believe that divine Mind is already healing the situation. Jesus said that when you pray, believe that you have received. Often we are so close to a problem that, spiritually speaking, we accept the cloudy day as a permanent state of climate, forgetting that the sunshine of divine Love and Power has never ceased to shine, although obscured for the moment.
 
In prayer we remind ourselves again that, no matter how bleak or overcast the picture may be, we believe that in divine Mind there is nothing but good and therefore only good can express itself in these circumstances. The important thing is to raise your consciousness above the level w here the difficulty seems to be, and put God there instead.
 
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43).

Sometimes, the problems and difficulties we face seem intractable or they are of long duration. In these circumstances it is harder to believe that God has already healed the situation which is causing us to pray. In these circumstance, it is critical to believe that God is working for your best good regardless of how the situation appears. We must remember that God knows everything we need even when we don’t. Our job is to believe this, to trust that God is working for us and then seek his wisdom to understand and accept with joy that which he sends to us. Even when our own actions or inactions are the source of our problems or difficulties, God is working on behalf of those who believe in God and accept his will. When we live this way, we shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of God and we shall experience peace and joy whether facing difficulties or triumphs.
 
Shine on,
Z gardener

PS – The author prays that you have a happy, safe and blessed New Year. May this entire year bring you closer to God and find you each day living in the Eden he gave to us. And may these morning thoughts be as much a blessing to you as they have been for the author.

Peace

 

Read Full Post »

Capitalize Your Disability

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on December 30, 2008| Leave a Comment »

             Success consists in the overcoming of difficulties. All men and women who have made a success of any kind have done so by overcoming difficulties. There was a time when laying a telegraph line from New York to Boston presented many difficulties. Then there was a time when doing that was easy, but laying the Atlantic cable presented difficulties. Later on, marine cable laying became a routine business, but radio across the ocean presented problems that for a time were insuperable.
 
If you have a personal disability that seems to keep you from success, do not accept it as such, but capitalize on it and use it as the instrument for your success. H. G. Wells had to give up a dull underpaid job because of ill health, so he stayed at home and wrote successful books and became a world-known author instead. Edison was stone deaf and decided that this would enable him to concentrate better on his inventions. Theodore Roosevelt was a sickly child, very shortsighted and nervous. However, he worked hard to develop his body and became, as we know, a strong husky open-air man and big game hunter.
 
The owner of a fashionable dress business in London was the wife of a struggling clerk, who was stricken with tuberculosis. She had never been in business, and had no training, and found herself having to support a husband and two children. She started with nothing but good taste in clothes and a belief in prayer.
 
… To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life (Revelation 2:7).

Whatever is holding us down, keeping us from our god-given purpose or robbing us of our peace can be turned into a springboard by which we catapult ourselves over any obstacle. When we honestly face a disability of body, m ind or spirit and ask God to help us overcome it, he will turn our frailty into our glory and use it to crown us with success.

A paraplegic friend of the author has been using a wheel chair for decades. Yet from that chair, this person has risen in spirit and action to dramatically improve the entire landscape for persons with disabilities. From that chair one person has risen to answer God’s call to become a nationally recognized voice for all people with disabilities. May we all face and use our challenges with such grace and power. When we do, God will enable us to over come them and turn them into mighty blessings.

Being enabled,
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

Prayer Is Always The Answer

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on December 19, 2008| Leave a Comment »

            Prayer is always the solution. No matter what kind of difficulty may be facing you, no matter how complicated your problem may seem – prayer can solve it. Of course you will also take whatever practical steps seem to be indicated, and if you do not know what steps to take, prayer will show you. Prayer is constantly bringing about the seemingly impossible, and there is no conceivable problem that has not at some time been solved by prayer.
 
When we remember that God really is omnipotent, untrammeled by what we call time or space or matte r, or the vagaries of human nature, it is easy to see that there can be no limit to the power of prayer. You can pray about a problem and solve it at any stage, but of course, the earlier you tackle it the easier will your work be.
 
… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16).

When we pray, ask God to remove all barriers and separation between us so we will be one with God as God is with us. Ask God to relax our  body and release all our tensions and earthly concerns. Ask God to lift our spirits and open our hearts, minds, consciousness and will to demonstrate in us God’s universal consciousness, Holy Spirit and divine will so we may express these realities in our lives. Then give God thanks for all our spiritual and earthly blessings, confess our shortcomings, forgive others and ask others to forgive us. Then ask God for those things we need and those we wish to resolve for ourselves and for others. If we pray this way each day and do our best to live a righteous life, then God will answer our prayers and our lives will improve every day.

In communion,
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

Mental Drudgery Is Not Prayer

Posted in Good Morning, tagged , on December 18, 2008| Leave a Comment »

            Expect more from you prayers. The power of your prayer depends upon the amount of faith that you yourself have in it. To pray in the spirit that “even if this prayer does not do any good at least it cannot do any harm,” is not, really, to pray at all.

 
Have enough faith in the love of God to believe that a short heartfelt prayer is just as good as a long one. Too long a session of prayer usually means the in your heart you really doubt the love of God, and think that a great deal of effort and toil will be necessary to move Him. Pray quietly and sincerely for a reasonable time – and then leave the matter, expecting success.
 
O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou has done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth (Isaiah 25:1).

The length of a prayer is not what makes it work. It is the expectation of fruition that strengthens prayer, the fervent emotion that quickens it and the action after it  that assures it. So, let us believe our prayers are being answered, invest them with all our hope and confidence while we act as if they are already true. Then God will do wonderful things.

Expecting answered prayers,
Z gardener

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »