Six Key Tips
Sometimes, you may go for weeks without feeling any special inspiration or inner glow. If you don't give up, eventually, you'll make phenomenal...
We continue on the topic of questions relating to Personal Prayers.
* * *
Six Key Tips to Helping Personal Prayer Work for You:
1. Be consistent; don't wait until you're "inspired" – your soul needs daily Personal Prayer just like your body needs food and drink. Without it, forget about real inner peace.
2. Don't be discouraged if you're suddenly tongue-tied. The fact that you set aside time to be alone with God is a beautiful declaration of faith. To "untangle" your tongue, start thanking God for the simple, taken-for-granted blessings in life – your functioning heart and lungs, your eyesight, your hearing, etc. Once you begin thanking God, your soul will pour wide open with beautiful thoughts and words.
3. Give thanks for the past and submit your requests for the future. Nothing is too small or too big to ask from the Almighty. Leave no stone unturned.
4. Don't lose heart if your request isn't fulfilled immediately. In time, you'll see that God always provides whatever you need when you need it. When our request isn't fulfilled for the time being – that is, if we're not asking for something that's detrimental to our welfare – our faith is being tested.
5. Persevere! Sometimes, you may go for weeks without feeling any special inspiration or inner glow. If you don't give up, eventually, you'll make phenomenal spiritual growth.
6. Carry a little note pad in your pocket or purse. During the course of the day, all types of subjects will pop up in your mind that you'd like to discuss with God in your next Personal Prayer session. Write these subjects down, and refer to your note pad during your talk with God, in order to remind yourself of the topics on the day's agenda. When something troubles you or causes you excessive concern, write it down immediately. When you throw your problems in God's lap, you maintain a low anxiety level.
Remember! Nothing benefits your soul, brings you so close to God, and paves the way to genuine inner peace like Personal Prayer. Therefore, your evil inclination will go to extreme lengths to prevent you from Personal Prayer. Why? If you persevere, your Divine soul will eventually subjugate your evil inclination. At that point, you'll have the spiritual status of a righteous person, and you'll enjoy an anger-free life with genuine tranquility of the soul. So, don't listen to that itty-bitty nagging committee in your head that's trying all kinds of tricks to keep you from talking to God. Your evil inclination wants you to continue to be nervous, anxious, angry, smoking cigarettes, drinking booze, spending your money on analysts, popping pills, worrying, biting your nails, and in debt. That way, your soul is stifled and the evil inclination remains the boss.
Personal Prayer as Your Emotional First Aid Kit
1. Did you have a rough day at school or at work? Don't go home angry; it's unfair to vent your frustrations on your family. Call home, say that you'll be an hour late, and find the nearest place to collect your thoughts and to talk to God. You'll come home a new person. (This ploy has saved dozens of marriages!)
2. Are you reaching for the tobacco, the drugs, or the alcohol again? You know that substances are destroying your health, but it's hard to kick the habit. Run out to the back yard or down to your basement and yell to the top of your lungs, "Please help me, God!" It works! Cry your heart out to God, and amazingly enough, the urge goes away (tens of people have told me that this ploy played a crucial part in helping them overcome substance habits.)
3. Are you depressed for no apparent reason? Start talking to God as soon as possible, preferably in beautiful surroundings. Wait and see how you feel sixty minutes later.
4. Insomnia? Start talking to God. You'll fall asleep in a few minutes.
5. You've been humiliated or insulted? Something seemingly bad has happened to you? Talk to God, and He'll console you; He'll help you understand how things are actually for your own good, or what you need to change to improve your life.
6. You're suddenly under extreme stress. Don't react! A winning football or basketball coach under extreme stress calls for a timeout; you can do the same. Politely ask for a timeout, excuse yourself from the room for a few minutes, take a deep breath, and ask God to help you think. Suddenly, the stress melts away and your mind gains clarity.
* * *
Dear reader, every single clause in this chapter has been clinically tested and proven under extreme high-stress settings, such as the military and prisons. If Personal Prayer can help a soldier under fire or a prisoner behind bars, it can help you too.
More than anything, not a single word you say to God goes to waste. You'll taste the rewards both in this world and in the world to come. Daily Personal Prayer will gold-plate your trail to tranquility.
We now move on to Chapter Ten, where we'll make our final ascent to our goal of lasting inner peace and a life free of anger.
To be continued . . .
(The Trail to Tranquility is available in the Breslev Store.)
Tell us what you think!
Thank you for your comment!
It will be published after approval by the Editor.