Discussion»Questions»Life and Society» Some believe prayer can change things. Can "thinking makes it so" make it so? How powerful is the combined mind of humankind? Why?
I don't think it does based on the personal experiences of some people close to me. My husband and my brother were both raised as Christians and they both grew up going to Christian schools and they're both no longer believe in Christianity pretty much for the same reason. They prayed and prayed and never received so eventually they both gave up on asking Invisible Guy in the Sky for things. Invisible Guy in the Sky is what my husband calls God.
After dumping Christianity my brother just became an atheist. My hubby went a different route. He tried Positive Thinking and the Law of Attraction. He had just as much luck with Positive Thinking as he did praying to God so he gave up on Positive Thinking and the Law of Attraction also.
My mom is a Christian and she has found the formula for getting prayers answered. She says that if you pray for just one big thing like my husband and my brother did them there's a chance your prayers won't get answered but if you pray for lots of different things then some of those prayers will be answered. So yeah, I guess it's basically a numbers game but mom's method doesn't really convince me of anything.
Our consciousness has a mainframe connected to the Source. If you pray, you are instantly connected to that Source. It doesn't mean you get everything you want, it will show you how closely God listens. Your effort to succeed is also powerful medicine. If you put your energy behind your prayer and focus on everything you are encouraged to do to get to your goal, you probably will be shown a way to get what you are praying for. If you pray for abundance and are expecting a Lotto ticket to come through and look at nothing else, you may be sorely disappointed.
Meanwhile, God probably is showing you many ways to succeed in this request, but you don't hear or see the signs you are getting to achieve your goal. Maybe a great job is on the horizon. Maybe you will get something else that will save you a bundle. So, you need to be grateful and focused on your goal as well as praying to God. And also, God listens to everything, and sometimes the answer is NO. I believe it means that is the best possible answer for your own welfare. Even if it seems cruel at the time.
Many stop listening before that because they think the answer God gives is going to come in a certain package they are expecting. Nope.
This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at June 20, 2017 9:20 AM MDT
Thank you for your very thoughtful reply Liv and for sharing some of your life experiences with us. I think that's a tough one though. We're all wired differently. Intellectually/emotionally/physically/spiritually. All we can do is our best to figure out this thing called life. It isn't easy. I think it's good if we can find a path through life that makes sense to us. I also think we need to cut others some slack as I would hope they cut us some slack too. What makes sense to me may not make sense to you and vice-versa. We're both right so we shouldn't be judging how others cope PROVIDING they don't harm others or themselves. Is there one CORRECT path in life all should follow? I don't know and probably never will. I think if you can find peace in your life, do good for others, be kind as often as you can and be grateful/appreciative your life will have had meaning/purpose. Whether you believe in God or not. I will never understand why some people who believe in God have such contempt for those who don't AND vice-versa. It doesn't bother me one way or the other because both true believers and Atheists can be very good people and also they can very bad people. It isn't belief or disbelief in a Supreme Being that shapes character in my opinion. It's just part of the tapestry of a life. Happy Wednesday! :)
This post was edited by RosieG at June 21, 2017 2:39 AM MDT
Our consciousness has a mainframe connected to the Source. If you pray, you are instantly connected to that Source. It doesn't mean you get everything you want, it will show you how closely God listens. Your effort to succeed is also powerful medicine. If you put your energy behind your prayer and focus on everything you are encouraged to do to get to your goal, you probably will be shown a way to get what you are praying for. Many stop listening before that because they think the answer God gives is going to come in a certain package they are expecting. Nope.
Intention is generally viewed as a pit-bull kind of determination propelling one to succeed at all costs by never giving up on an inner picture. In this view, an attitude that combines hard work with an indefatigable drive toward excellence is the way to succeed.
However, intention is viewed very differently by Dt. Wayne W. Dyer, who has researched intention as a force in the universe that allows the act of creation to take place. Hr explores intention—not as something you do—but as an energy you’re a part of. We’re all intended here through the invisible power of intention. Mankind needs to look at intention as a field of energy that you can access to begin co-creating your life with the power of intention.
In the book The Power of Intention, Part I deals with the principles of intention, offering true stories and examples on ways to make the connection. Dr. Dyer identifies the attributes of the all-creating universal mind of intention as creative, kind, loving, beautiful, expanding, endlessly abundant, and receptive, explaining the importance of emulating this source of creativity. In Part II, Dr. Dyer offers an intention guide with specific ways to apply the co-creating principles in daily life. Part III is an exhilarating description of Dr. Dyer’s vision of a world in harmony with the universal mind of intention.
The two words: I AM are the name of God. As Dr. Wayne W. Dyer explains, “they are associated with the name of God found in the Old Testament, translated from the original Hebrew as 'I am that I am.'
Livvie 