Establishing a relationship with God

Some simple suggestions about prayer and meditation.

1. At some level I must believe, feel, or know I have the right to ask for what I need, want, or desire. I believe this Higher Power has placed the need, want, desire in my heart, mind, or soul, but I perceive this as filtered through my personal 'reality'. However, I am confident He knows what He placed there and knows how to fulfil it, if I let Him.

2. Next, I ask this Higher Power for what I need, want, or desire. I must give this some thought before I ask, e.g. ‘What is the purpose of this?’ Always I add the disclaimer: ‘If it is Your will, please give this to me. If it is not Your will, please do not give it to me.’

3. I thank Him knowing it will be done.

4. I let it go and stay out of the way of the process.

At some point I realized that these ‘good’ things were what I wanted my mind to be filled with instead of the negative stuff. I would memorize a few affirmations at a time. Once these became a habit, I would find myself thinking and/or saying one of these affirmations instead of automatically responding with something negative.

Three spiritual gifts are:

1. The awakening to the presence of our Higher Power and to be in conscious union with this presence.

2. The awakening to the love that we are, that all of us are.

3. The awakening to the individual self we were created to be, with purpose, and meaning. In other words, to consciously live our heart's desire—God's will.

We believe that these three spiritual gifts are our true nature, and we shall never be whole until these have been fully realized.

AFFIRMATIONS

As I awaken this morning, I turn my consciousness toward your presence, God, the love that I am, and the individual I was created as. I am filled with gratitude for what You have in mind for me today. I now visualize, and realize I am in conscious union with all three spiritual gifts. These are my heart's desire, which are also your will for me, God. I begin this day with a short review of yesterday and the willingness to be shown corrective measures. I now choose to be non-judgemental. I am awakened in Your light, in that spiritual flow, in Your consciousness and presence—and darkness disappears.

I know Your voice is directing me very specifically, telling me what to do, say, think, and feel in a way I can currently hear, understand, and follow. I am given all I need to consciously experience Your loving will for me, God. I am—we all are—created in Your image and likeness. I consciously practise these characteristics: higher purpose, focus, preparedness, conviction, faith, trust, perseverance, creativity, risk-taking, curiosity, resilience, independence, commitment, and courage.

I choose once again my life's goal to be consciously and consistently that individual You created, God. I choose to be in direct conscious union with Your divine will, to be that Individual at all levels: spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, and social. By Your loving grace, God, I am warm and loving, kind and understanding, wise and intelligent, enriched and empowered, forgiven and forgiving, healed and healing, loved and loving. I am totally committed to Your will, God, and I am assured that You are using me, as You wish, to my fullest. I practise all forms of love: love of God (agape), friendship (philia), affection (storge), and being in love (eros).

I practice patience: my love is passive, waiting to begin, not in a hurry, calm, and ready to do its work when the summons comes. Love understands and therefore waits.

I am kind; my love is active. I enjoy the doing of kind things for their own sake. Any kindness that I can share with any being—let me do this now in a wise and loving way. I shall not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

I share my generosity. I am your child, God, and a loving brother to all. I bestow all my goods, my gifts, and my talents. I share freely with all of my heart, mind, and soul, out of the abundance I am receiving, as I am directed. My sharing enriches, enlightens, heals, awakens, and transforms those I share with.

I live in a conscious state of humility as I have the gift of knowing that You, God, are my/our only true source. Each time I share, I put a seal upon my lips and go back into the shade again and say nothing about it. I wait for the next gift to receive and share. I am but a channel, an agent of Your will, God.

I express courtesy, this form of love, in little things, thoughtful things, with a gentle heart filled with Your loving grace, God, expressing love at all levels, with all beings, in conscious union with Your will, God.

I am unselfish out of enlightened self-interest. By giving of myself I truly am a master receiver. I give but little when I give of my possessions. It is when I give of my self that I truly give.

I have a good temper and a good sense of humour. I envy no other person, as I have no competition with that individual You created them to be, God. I do not make capital offences out of faults, my own or those of any other person. I quickly seek correction. Better, yet, I am non-judgemental of the ‘sins’ of the physical world (external) and the ‘sins’ of the disposition (internal), so there is no need for forgiveness.

I realize the innocence in others and myself—that higher self and the presence of God. I encourage everything that chips away all that is not our true, higher self. I co-create an atmosphere of love and wisdom wherever I am and whomever I am with. Our innocence is beyond the human condition, yet it is ever present.

I am truly sincere in all I do, say, think, and feel. I search for the truth and a consciousness of Your attributes, God (life, love, truth, reality, wisdom, spirit, consciousness, soul, intelligence, omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience), with a humble and unbiased heart, mind, and soul. I rejoice in what I find, and I freely pass it on. I bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things, for love never fails.

‘When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man I put away childish things.’ Until then I could see only my little reflection in that limited mirror of my personal ‘reality’, hearing only the hum of my little voice as this limited ‘reality’. But now, face-to-face with Your attributes, God, I live, move and have my being in and through universal principles. Just for this instant, I intuitively know, just as I am known.

I now abide in Your reality, God, with faith, hope, and love, as You wish me to be, to do, to see this perfect instant. With each new beginning, being, and ending I seek conscious union with You, God.

I only need to say, ‘God,’ silently, and that centres my consciousness. When centred for a moment, I experience the presence, love, and purpose in that spiritual flow. In that moment, I silently extend to others the spiritual gifts which will be the most fulfilling for that moment. This is my perfect gift: to give and to receive. I silently say, ‘Come and let me forgive you, heal you and love you, in and through our God's loving grace, even for this instant, it is now done, it is complete. Thank you, God.’