the prospering power of prayer

TheProsperingPower

ofPRAYER

By Catherine Ponder

THE PROSPERING

POWER OF PRAYER

Catherine Ponder

DeVorss PublicationsCamarillo

,Cal ifo rnia

The Prospering Power of PrayerCopyright 1983 by Catherine Ponder

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproducedor transmitted in any form without permission in writing fromthe publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote briefpassages for review purposes.

ISBN: 0-87516-516-8Library of Congress Catalog Card: 83-70048

DeVorss & Company, PublisherPOBox 1389CamarilloCA 9301 1-1389www.devorss.com

Printed in Canada

Other Books by Catherine Ponder

A PROSPERITY LOVE STORYMemoir

THE DYNAMIC LAWS OF PROSPERITY

THE DYNAMIC LAWS OF HEALING

THE PROSPERITY SECRET OF THE AGES

THE DYNAMIC LAWS OF PRAYER

THE HEALING SECRET OF THE AGES

OPEN YOUR MIND TO PROSPERITY

DARE TO PROSPER

THE SECRET OF UNLIMITED PROSPERITY

OPEN YOUR MIND TO RECEIVE

THE PROSPERING POWER OF PRAYER

The Millionaires of the Bible Series:

THE MILLIONAIRES OF GENESIS

THE MILLIONAIRE MOSES

THE MILLIONAIRE JOSHUA

THE MILLIONAIRE FROM NAZARETH

CONTENTS

Introduction: LET'S PRAY AND PROSPERA Message From the Author vii

1 . The Simple Forms of PrayerThat Can Prosper You 1

The power of prayer to prosper. The first type ofprayer: general prayer. The Lord's Prayer. Call uponthe names Jesus Christ, Jehovah and Jehovah-Jireh."Thy Will Be Done." Let go and let God. The secondtype of prayer: prayer of denial. The third type ofprayer: "yes" prayers. How to use "yes" and "no"prayers. Prayers of denial work for your good. Affirmnew good.

An Advanced Form of PrayerThat Can Prosper You 16

The fourth type of prayer: meditation and silence.How to meditate. How meditation relates to yourproblems. Executive solves problems through medita-tion. Let prayer solve your problems.

Making The Right ContactFor Prosperity 24

How to have any good thing. Praying affirmatively byblessing. Affirmations of thanks prove powerful. Har-mony and prosperity in home and business. Affirma-tive prayers bring abundance. Praise as prayer. Theprospering power of confidence. A successful repairplan. Businessman affirms "nonretirement". Theright contact for prosperity.

4. The Potent Prayers ofPraise and Thanksgiving 36

The healing power of praise. How to release spiritualpower. Everything responds to praise. Praise starts usin the right direction. Be sure to praise others. Ourattitudes and words affect us: both positively and neg-atively. How to reap your harvest of increased good.

5. Prayer in Pictures 48

Wheel of fortune designed for individual prosperity.Developing confidence in God and yourself throughpicturing. How the wheel of fortune prayer methodtransformed his life. Suggestions for making a wheelof fortune. Plan your prosperity.

6. The Prayer of Increase 57

Part I: Attitudes of increase. Blessing others brings

increase. Bless yourself with the thought of increase.Success in your work. Part II: A deliberate action thatleads to increase. How they demonstrated enough tospare and to share. One problem and one solution.The brother who gave. The brother who withheld.The contrast in results. Where you give affects yourprosperity.

INTRODUCTION:

LET'S PRAY AND PROSPER

A Message From the Author

A Houston businessman once said to me, "Iam successful, yet I have never considered itnecessary to pray in order to prosper."

His statement was more one of skepticismthan of criticism. Like this man, people aresometimes puzzled at the idea of prosperingthrough prayer. Yet what more logical and nor-mal method is there for succeeding in life? Sure-ly it is easier and more natural to pray and pros-per than to fight, scheme, strain and strive to doso. Some authorities claim that what it usually

vn

Vlll INTRODUCTION

takes a person six hours to do could easily be ac-complished in only one hour by a person whoprayed and meditated first.

Perhaps this book is somewhat in answer tothat man's skepticism about the success powerof prayer.

In any event, another businessman recentlywrote from Europe:

The prospering power of prayer has helpedme find the courage to start a new business atan age when most people are already retired.After working twenty years in the executivefield in Europe, I am now into consulting work.

Today I am sitting in a train returning fromLugano, in the Italian-speaking part of Switz-erland, where I have just found the answer toone of my prayers: An apartment as a first stepto moving my home and business headquartersinto southern Switzerland.

Another prayer was answered yesterday: Fly-ing from Amsterdam to Zurich, I found myselfsitting next to a senior banker who is on theboard of a firm to which I had been seeking anintroduction for months! I am convinced thatthe poet was right: "More things are wroughtby prayer than this world dreams of."

A businesswoman in Indiana recently re-ported, "I met my husband six months ago. He

INTRODUCTION IX

is exactly what I had pictured in prayer forseveral years. We are very happy a matchmade in heaven."

Still another lady wrote from Arizona:

So many changes have happened in my lifesince I began using affirmative prayer, andprayer through pictures. I feel a much deepersense of peace in my soul. I look forward to mymorning meditations and daily periods of in-spirational study. Both inner and outerchanges are taking place.

I spent so long trying to run my life by my-self, and feeling frustrated over things thatseemed beyond my control. Now I've put mylife in God's hands and I am receiving moreriches than I had previously imagined possible emotionally, financially and physically.

Perhaps a fifteen-year-old said it best: "Thebelief that one can pray and prosper makes lifewhat it should be: exciting and full of enjoy-ment. God didn't put us here to be poor andstay on the ground. He wants us to reach for thestars and be prosperous."Amen!I invite you to join me and countless people

on a worldwide basis who are practicing theprospering power of prayer. As more and morepeople take up this soul -satisfying method for

INTRODUCTION

meeting life victoriously, it can become the an-swer to mankind's needs on every level of life.

So together let us dare to pray and prosper.

Catherine Ponder

P.O. Drawer 1278Palm Desert, California, 92261U.S.A.

THE SIMPLE FORMS OFPRAYER THAT CANPROSPER YOU

Chapter 1

You are prosperous to the degree that you areexperiencing peace, health, and plenty in yourworld. Prayer can help you experience peace,health, and plenty, because prayer is man'ssteady effort to know God, and God is thesource of all man's good. Thus, in prayer manmakes common union with God and His infinitegoodness.

It is wonderful, too, to realize that prayer isnatural to man, and not a strange, mysteriouspractice. Man has always prayed and alwayswill. In his primitive understanding, manprayed to the sun and stars, to fire and water, to

1

Z THE PROSPERING POWER OF PRAYER

animals and plants, to images and myths.Later, as the intellect of man evolved, his ideaschanged and he envisioned God as a personaldeity with sentiments and emotions a Godwith human traits, a God man felt had to be ap-peased by sacrificial offerings and assailed withpleas for favor. Many of the writers of the OldTestament had this concept of God. Still later,mankind began to come out of a primitive andintellectual understanding of God into a spiritu-al awareness that God is not a hostile being witha split personality of good and evil, but a God oflove, the unchanging Principle of supremegood, both within and around mankind.Methods of prayer that have evolved, expand-ed, and improved now make it easy to pray toand commune with God.

Brother Lawrence, sixteenth-century Frenchlay brother, who believed greatly in the powerof prayer, described his method of prayer as"practicing the presence of God." One biogra-pher has written that Brother Lawrence's onesingle aim was to bring about a conscious per-sonal union between himself and God and thathe took the "shortest cut he could find to ac-complish it." And what was his short cut toGod? Brother Lawrence described it thus: "Thetime of business does not with me differ fromthe time of prayer; and in the noise and clutter

THE SIMPLE FORMS OF PRAYER 3

of my kitchen, while several persons are at thesame time calling for different things, I possessGod in as great tranquility as if I were upon myknees at the blessed sacrament." At any mo-ment, in the midst of any occupation, underany circumstances, the soul that wants to knowGod can "practice the presence."

THE POWER OF PRAYER TO PROSPER

The one who understands the true nature ofGod as a rich, loving Father soon realizes thatthe person who truly prays is bound to succeed,because he attunes himself to the richest, mostpowerful, most successfulforce in the universe.

Jesus knew this when He promised, "All thingswhatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, yeshall receive." (Matthew 21:22) Tennyson knewit when he wrote,"More things are wrought by prayerThan this world dreams of!"Many people have not employed the power of

prayer for prosperity and success because theyhave gotten the erroneous idea that it is wrongto pray for material things. However, as manyof the Biblical promises indicate, it is right andproper that we should pray for the things weneed. We live in a rich, friendly universe that

4 THE PROSPERING POWER OF PRAYER

desires to fulfill our needs; and prayer is but anact of faith that helps open channels for thefulfillment of our needs.

The Bible is filled with examples of prayersand requests for needful things. Abrahamprayed for a son; David prayed for his house-hold; Elijah prayed for rain; Ezekiel prayed forthe people; Hannah prayed for a son; Jehosha-phat prayed for deliverance; Jeremiah prayedfor freedom from a famine; Nehemiah prayedfor protection; Solomon prayed for wisdom. Ona number of occasions, Jesus prayed definitelyfor specific things.

Praying for things is not the only form ofprayer, but if we first begin to pray by prayingfor things (as most of us do), we will learn thepower of prayer; and we will then doubtless de-velop our prayer power further.

THE FIRST TYPE OF PRAYER:GENERAL PRAYER

Basically, there are four types of prayer: gen-

eral prayer, the prayer of denial, the prayer of

affirmation, and the prayer of meditation andsilence. At various times it is good to know anduse these four types of prayer to meet life's vari-

ous needs. The first three are simple methods

THE SIMPLE FORMS OF PRAYER

that can prosper you. The fourth type of prayer,described in the next chapter, is considered bysome to be a more advanced method of prayer.

General prayer is the act of praying to God asa loving, understanding Father, in your ownway. It can be done on your knees, or more com-fortably. It can be expressed through words, orsilently. You can have a prayer book before you,or you can browse through your Bible, dwellupon favorite passages and promises.

THE LORDS PRAYER

A simple, effective way to begin a generalprayer is to take the Lord's Prayer and pondereach line of it silently or aloud. The ancientsbelieved that the Lord's Prayer was all powerful,

and they often declared it over and over, fromtwelve to fifteen times, without stopping. At var-ious times in the past, at the shrine of Lourdes,some of those seeking healing were taught topray the Lord's Prayer fifteen times, while they

entered the waters. From my own experiences, Iknow that deep spiritual power is contacted,brought alive, and released when one prays theLord's Prayer over and over, either silently orverbally. I have known a number of instanceswhere "hard conditions" in business affairs,


human relations problems, and health condi-tions were adjusted when one or more personsprayed the Lord's Prayer from twelve to fifteentimes daily.

CALL UPON THE NAMES JESUS CHRIST,JEHOVAH, AND JEHOVAH-JIREH

Another powerful way to make contact withspiritual power in general prayer is to take thename Jehovah from the Old Testament or thename Jesus Christ from the New Testament,and verbally or silently declare the name overand over. A housewife told me that her husbandbecame very successful in business (after anumber of previous failures) when she begandaily to call upon and dwell upon the nameJe-hovah in her prayer times.A reader in Texas wrote:

A friend of mine was having financial prob-lems. I suggested she begin declaring daily theold Hebrew prayer for prosperity, "jehovah-JIREH, THE LORD RICHLY PROVIDES FOR ME NOW."She soon demonstrated $1,2001 It came from achannel through which she had expected toreceive only $300 at most.

THE SIMPLE FORMS OF PRAYER /

As for the power of calling on the nameJesusChrist, Charles Fillmore has written: "Themightiest vibration is set up by speaking of thename Jesus Christ. This is the name that isnamed 'far above all rule, and authority,' thename above all names, holding in itself allpower in heaven and in earth. It is the namethat has power to mold the universal sub-stance . . . and when spoken it sets forces intoactivity that bring results. 'Whatsoever ye shallask of the Father in my name, he may give it toyou.' 'If ye shall ask anything in my name, thatwill I do.' "

An immigrant once related to me how he wasreleased from a concentration camp, where hehad been badly treated, after he began dailycalling upon the nameJesus Christ. A Christianmissionary he met in prison suggested that hepray in this way. At the time, he was supposedto be near death from the many beatings he hadreceived, but instead he began to recover. As hecontinued dwelling upon this name in his pray-ers, it was as though a mighty power went towork for him. In a short time, he was released,without explanation, from the concentration

1. Charles Fillmore, Prosperity (Unity Village, Mo.: Uni-ty Books, 1936).


camp, even though many of his fellow prisonerswere still held and mistreated. As he continueddwelling upon the name ofJesus Christ, furtherevents occurred so that he was able to come toAmerica, where he has lived for a number ofhappy, grateful years.

'THY WILL BE DONE"

Another powerful way to pray is simply todeclare, as in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will bedone," since God's will for us is always un-limited good. A musician was out of work. Theband with which he worked had been asked togo to Florida. Upon arrival, the promised jobdid not materialize, and all the members of theband were stranded. This man prayed, "Father,let Thy supreme good will be done in this mat-ter." One day he and the other members of theband were at union headquarters, hoping thatsomething would turn up, when their agent tele-phoned from New York to say he had located ajob for them in Texas.

LET GO AND LET GOD

Another form of general prayer is the prayerof release, of letting go and letting God. Whenone has "done all," it is good to stand in faith

THE SIMPLE FORMS OF PRAYER y

through the prayer of release. A woman was inher farm home in a dense forest area, her hus-band away on a business trip, when a forest firebroke out. The fire raged all around her prop-erty; being surrounded, she could not leave. Sheprayed, "Father, it's up to You to save me, ourhouse and property. There's nothing more I cando." She then affirmed, "I let go and let Godhave His perfect way." With a feeling ofpeace, she released the matter and retired forthe night. The next morning she awoke early, tofind only a few stumps still burning. The firehad burned right up to her property lines, andstopped. It seemed a miracle. Later in the daywhen the forest ranger arrived, he said: "Thereis only one explanation for this. You must havebeen praying."You may feel that your prayer experiences

have not been particularly satisfying or power-ful, or that nothing much has ever happened asa result of your prayers. If so, perhaps it isbecause you need to develop the other threetypes of prayer, along with general prayer.

THE SECOND TYPE OF PRAYER:PRAYER OF DENIAL

The second type is one that all business peo-ple should know about, because they can use it


so helpfully as they go about their business. It isthe prayer of denial. Many people cringe at theword denial, thinking that its only meaning isrestriction or limitation. But the word deny alsomeans "to reject as a false conception." Andprayers of denial are for that purpose: to rejectas a false conception that which is not satisfyingor good in one's life experiences. Many hun-dreds of years before the time ofJesus, the Egyp-tians used the power of denial through the signof the cross, indicating a crossing out or blotting

out of apparent evil.

Prayers of denial are your "no" prayers. Theyhelp you to refuse to accept things as they are,

to dissolve your negative thoughts about themand thus make way for something better. Pray-ers of denial are expressed in those attitudes of

mind that say: "I will not put up with or toleratethis experience as necessary, lasting, or right. Irefuse to accept things as they are; I mentally

claim my whole good, knowing that even now itis manifesting." How much mankind needs touse prayers of deniall So many people lead apygmy existence of fear, compromise, and dis-satisfaction when they might be living lives ofgigantic good, if they only knew how to say noto less than the best.


THE THIRD TYPE OF PRAYER:"YES" PRAYERS

Usually, prayers of denial should be followedup by prayers of the third type: prayers of affir-mation or "yes" attitudes. It is good to follow upthoughts of what you do not want with thoughtsof what you do want; to follow up, "No, I willnot accept this" with, "Yes, I will accept this or

something better."Jesus said, "Let your speech be, Yea, yea;

Nay, nay." (Matthew 5:37) Prayers of denialand affirmation are as much attitudes of mindas they are formal methods of prayer. We canexpress them silently or verbally wherever weare, either as formal prayers or informally, asattitudes of mind. Charles Fillmore has writtenthat "concentrated attention of the mind on anidea of any kind is equal to prayer, and willmake available the spiritual principle that is itssource in proportion to the intensity and con-tinuity of the mental effort." 2 In other words,our attitudes are forms of prayer.

2. Fillmore, Prosperity.


HOW TO USE "YES" AND "NO" PRAYERS

The prophet Hosea went into more detail toshow how to use denial and affirmative prayerpower. He advised, "Take with you words, andreturn unto Jehovah: say unto him, Take awayall iniquity, and accept that which is good."(Hosea 14:2) In any situation that is dissatisfy-ing we can deny its power by declaring to a lov-ing Father, "Take away all iniquity." Weshould then follow up with the affirmation, "IWILL ACCEPT ONLY THAT WHICH IS GOOD."To dissolve especially troublesome problems

or hard conditions, it is necessary to concentratefully upon prayers of denial before giving muchattention to affirmative prayers. I once knew avery negative, disagreeable, complaining per-son with whom I had to work. As far as she wasconcerned, nothing was right in her world or inthe world generally. She was in ill health; shewas always battling out things with her family;she was not properly appreciated or compen-sated on her job; life was "a mess." I offered hersome literature on successful living. She liked it,she said. Sometime when she felt better, gotthrough fighting with her family, had schemedproperly to get a raise, she planned to read it.In the meantime, she did not care to be dis-tracted from her practice of negative thinking.


The prayer of denial I used was: "There isNOTHING BUT God's LOVE AND HARMONY AT WORKhere." I hoped that she would subconsciouslyattune herself to these ideas of love and harmo-ny and let them work for her. In a short timeshe decided to take another job, and left. Thesecretary who replaced her was one of the mostjoyous, harmonious people I have ever met, anddelightful to work with. Thus, love and har-mony appeared when all else was denied.

PRAYERS OF DENIAL WORK FOR YOUR GOOD

So many persons get the erroneous idea thatsomebody else can keep their good from them;they go through life thinking this. Prayers ofdenial can dissolve this false belief and the lackthat it causes. Declare: "I dissolve in my ownMIND, AND IN THE MINDS OF ALL OTHERS, ANYIDEA THAT MY OWN GOOD CAN BE WITHHELD FROMme. That which is for my highest good nowcomes to me through God's grace, and I wel-come it." This prayer of denial can also clearup old conditions of the past, where one's goodseemed to have been taken away or withheld.

Another prayer of denial that is helpful whenthere seem to be barriers or obstacles on yourpathway is: "All barriers and obstacles to my


DIVINELY GIVEN GOOD ARE NOW DISSOLVED, WITHGods help." After using this statement for atime, you will find that whereas before, people,situations, and conditions seemed to workagainst you, everything will shift; everythingwill begin workingfor you. Still another power-ful prayer of denial for clearing away negationis: "The power of God is working through meto free me from every negative influence.Nothing can hold me in bondage. All power15 GIVEN unto me for good in mind, body, andAFFAIRS, AND I RIGHTLY USE IT HERE AND NOW."

If people only knew to say no to unhappy ex-periences, rather than to bow down to them!The Hebrews were warned not to bow down toor worship false idols or gods. The gods ofunhappiness, dissatisfaction and limitation areamong the major heathen gods of today. Todissolve their appearance in your life, declareoften: "There is nothing for me to fear. God'sSpirit of good is at work and divine results arenow coming forth."

AFFIRM NEW GOOD

When you use denials you erase, dissolve, un-do. You should then make firm new good,through affirmative prayer. A traveling salesman


who was heavily in debt attempted to get a loanfrom a bank to pay off his debts. Because helacked adequate collateral, he was not able to getthe loan. He began to affirm: "God prospers menow." Within a few days he made a large sale andwas able to pay off all his debts, with ample moneyleft over. A businesswoman who was greatlydepressed went to a mental hospital for treatment.While doctors were still taking tests to determinethe proper treatment, a relative began to affirmdaily: "Perfect love casts out fear and depres-sion." Within a short time, this woman's de-pression had dissolved, and she was released andwent back to work.

Several years ago a retired sea captain toldme that he was healed of alcoholism after hebegan using the power of affirmation. He af-firmed daily: "I am being healed, with God'shelp." After a time, he began affirming, "PraiseGOD, I AM HEALED."

AN ADVANCED FORM OFPRAYER THAT CANPROSPER YOU

Chapter 2

A friend commented, "It takes self-disciplineto succeed." How true. Then she added, " AndI am getting better at it." What some consideran advanced form of prayer, the practice ofmeditation and silence, is a form of self-discipline that can help you to succeed in everyphase of your life.A businessman said, "Getting in tune with

God, through the daily practice of meditationand silence, is a lot more fun than I expected."

Another friend reported:

This is my seventieth birthday and the bestone yet such a contrast to my life only a few

16

AN ADVANCED FORM OF PRAYER 17

years ago. After being deserted by my formerhusband, I was financially destitute and veryhurt. Through my practice of daily prayer,meditation, and inspirational study, I happilyremarried within a year.

My husband has provided me with abeautiful home and both financial and emo-tional security. What a change from thoseyears that were filled with so much unhap-piness and uncertainty. It is true that "thelonger your good is in coming, the greater itwill be when it comes," so persevere in yourpractice of prayer, meditation and inspira-tional study.

THE FOURTH TYPE OF PRAYER:MEDITATION AND SILENCE

The fourth type of prayer is that of medita-tion and silence. It is often in silent, con-templative prayer that we feel the presence ofGod's goodness most strongly. In this form ofprayer, we take a few prayerful words and thinkabout them, silently. As we think about them,they grow in our minds as expanded ideas, mov-ing us to a feeling of peaceful assurance andright ideas (and perhaps later, to right action).If nothing seems to happen in meditation, wehave nevertheless made our minds receptive toGod's good, which may manifest later.


The Psalmist knew the power of the prayer ofmeditation and silence when he declared, " Bestill and know that I am God." (Psalms 46:10) Abusinessman recently stated that a restless,sleepless night turned into restful sleep after hebegan meditating upon the Psalmist's words.Dr. Alexis Carrel has described the power ofmeditation: "When our activity is set toward aprecise end, our mental and organic functionsbecome completely harmonized. The unifica-tion of the desires, the application of the mindto a single purpose, produce a sort of innerpeace. Man integrates himself by meditation,just as by action." 1

Jesus was constantly going "up into the moun-tain to pray." After much activity, He oftenretreated for a time of silent prayer and medita-tion, to reintegrate Himself. The prophet Hag-gai pointed out the power of prayer and medita-tion to the Hebrews after their return fromBabylonian exile. They found the Holy City inruins, poverty-stricken, and surrounded byhostile tribes. Haggai pointed out the futility oftrying to produce outer results without firstmaking inner contact with God: "Consider yourways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye

1. Carrel, Man the Unknown (New York: Harper &Brothers, 1935) p. 146.


eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but yeare not filled with drink; ye clothe you, butthere is none warm; and he that earneth wagesearneth wages to put it into a bag with holes."Then Jehovah told them: "Consider your ways.Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, andbuild the house; and I will take pleasure in it."(Haggai 1:5-8)

In metaphysical language, the word moun-tain means a high place in thought, feeling, andprayer. When one gets back to that high placeof peace and power in silent prayer and medita-tion, one accumulates "wood" the substanceof new thought, new energy, new power, new

ideas and is then able to "build the house," orproduce the outer, visible results of good.

Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, among others, provedthe practical, result-getting power of silentmeditation. It was at the conclusion of Moses'forty-day period of prayer in the wilderness thathe went forth and supervised the construction ofthe tabernacle, the Hebrews' first building offormal worship. Moses even received specific in-structions about the rich, beautiful furnishingsfor this tabernacle from Jehovah, during hisforty-day meditation period. At the conclusionof Elijah's forty days of prayer, he knew thatElisha was to become the next prophet of Israel;he also anointed a new king over Syria and one


over Israel, to clear up the political confusion ofthat era. And it was after Jesus had prayed si-lently and meditated for forty days that hebegan to preach, heal, and teach.

HOW TO MEDITATE

In her book, Lessons in Truth, 2 H. EmilieCady has described the power of meditation:"Every man must take time daily for quietmeditation. In daily meditation lies the secret ofpower. . . . You may be so busy with the doing,the outgoing of love to help others (which isunselfish and godlike as far as it goes), that youfind no time to go apart. But the command, orrather the invitation, is 'Come ye yourselvesapart . . . and rest a while.' (Mark 6:31) And itis the only way in which you will ever gaindefinite knowledge, true wisdom, newness of ex-perience, steadiness of purpose, or power tomeet the unknown, which must come in all dai-ly life."

She also tells how to meditate: "When youwithdraw from the world for meditation, let itnot be to think of yourself or your failures, butinvariably to get all your thoughts centered on

2. Published 1894, revised 1953, by Unity School ofChristianity, Unity Village, Missouri, 64065.


God and on your relation to the Creator andUpholder of the universe. Let all the little an-noying cares and anxieties go for a while, andby effort, if need be, turn your thoughts awayfrom them to some of the simple words of theNazarene, or of the Psalmist. Think of someTruth statement, be it ever so simple. No per-son, unless he has practiced it, can know how itquiets all physical nervousness, all fear, all over-

sensitiveness, all the little raspings of everydaylife just this hour of calm, quiet waiting alonewith God. Never let it be an hour of bondage,but always one of restfulness."The Psalmist described meditation and si-

lence as the "secret place of the Most High."(Psalms 91:1) Jesus spoke of it as going into thecloset and shutting the door (Matt. 6:6). Carlylewrote: "Consider the significance of silence; it isboundless, never by meditating to be ex-hausted, unspeakably profitable to thee! Ceasethat chaotic hubbub, wherein thy soul runs towaste, to confused suicidal dislocation and stu-por; out of silence comes thy strength.

"

HOW MEDITATION RELATESTO YOUR PROBLEMS

After meditating upon God's goodness andbeing renewed, uplifted, and inspired with new


ideas, there is an effective way to utilize medita-tion and silence in relation to your problems:Take any problem or question and meditate onthis thought: "There is a divine solution toTHIS SITUATION. I ACCEPT AND CLAIM THE DIVINEsolution in this situation now. m The mentalenergy spent in worry and battling with theproblem will then be used constructively to giveyou the right ideas and right solution. Whenyou have a problem, if you will go into silentmeditation and contemplate its solution from adivine standpoint, you will be shown what todo.

EXECUTIVE SOLVES PROBLEMSTHROUGH MEDITATION

An engineering executive has told me of hisuse of meditation as a problem -solver. When hisemployees run into difficulty on an engineeringproject, he goes into his office, silentlymeditates on the problem from a divine stand-point, and inevitably gets the right ideas for itssolution. One of his junior executives once askedhim how he managed always to have the rightanswer just when it was needed most. When heexplained his simple method, the junior ex-ecutive skeptically asked, "You mean you just


meditate on the solution, rather than fight theproblem?" The engineering executive believesthat the world is full of harried, tense peoplewho have become that way through trying tosolve problems in outer ways.

LET PRAYER SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS

Let the practice of prayer, in one of the four

forms described in these two chapters, help yousolve life's problems in inner, true ways.

Let communion with God and His goodnessopen the way for greater peace, health andplenty in you and in your world. The writer ofthe Third Epistle of John might have been de-scribing the prospering power of all of theseforms of prayer when he declared, "Beloved, Ipray that in all things thou mayest prosper andbe in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3John 2)

MAKING THE RIGHT CONTACTFOR PROSPERITY

Chapter 3

In this era when success is sometimes consid-ered to be the result of knowing the "right peo-ple" or having the "right contacts," it isrefreshing to read these words of Charles Fill-more: "What we need to realize above all else isthat God has provided for the most minuteneeds of our daily life and that if we lackanything it is because we have not used ourmind in making the right contact with the su-permind. . . . The spiritual substance fromwhich comes all visible wealth is never depleted.

24

MAKING THE RIGHT CONTACT FOR PROSPERITY 25

It is right with you all the time and responds toyour faith in it and your demands upon it." 1

True prosperity, then, is the result of makingcontact with the spiritual substance within theGod-mind of man. Furthermore, that substancewill respond to our faith in it and our demandsupon it.

Perhaps the most powerful method of makingthis contact, and yet one of the simpliest, isthrough affirmative prayer one of the meth-ods mentioned in Chapter 1 . I am devoting anentire chapter to affirmative prayer because it isone of the easiest forms of prayer for many peo-ple to use, and it is a favorite form of prayerthat has worked miracles in my own life over theyears.

HOW TO HAVE ANY GOOD THING

We can have any good thingfor which we arewilling to pay the price of daily, consistent affir-mation. But knowing "about" the power of af-firmative prayer isn't enough; we have to prayaffirmatively, personally and constantly. Our

1. Fillmore, Prosperity.


words are loaded with power, and every wordwe speak goes out and returns as a multipliedresult. Knowing this, I like to affirm often, "MyWORDS ARE CHARGED WITH PROSPERING POWER."

PRAYING AFFIRMATIVELY BY BLESSING

There are various types of affirmative prayersthat we may speak in making the right contactwith the God-mind within us. To affirm is sim-ply "to make firm," and affirmative prayers dojust that they make firm our good and help usexperience it. One type of affirmative prayer isthat of blessing. By blessing the substance athand, we increase its flow and its immediatemultiplying power. If a purse seems empty, weshould take it in our hands and bless it by af-firming, "I BLESS YOU AND BLESS YOU FOR THE RICHESof God that are now being demonstrated in andthrough you." As we eat our meals, it is good tobless our food. When we dress, we should blessour clothes.

AFFIRMATIONS OF THANKSPROVE POWERFUL

Here are some of the affirmative prayers that

I have used daily for perfect clothes: "I give


THANKS THAT I AM APPROPRIATELY AND DIVINELYCLOTHED WITH THE RICH SUBSTANCE OF God"; fora perfect home: "I give thanks that I am ap-propriately AND DIVINELY HOUSED WITH THErich substance of God"; for perfect transporta-tion: "I GIVE THANKS THAT I AM APPROPRIATELYAND DIVINELY TRANSPORTED, WHEREVER I WISH TOGO, WITH THE RICH SUBSTANCE OF GOD."Many businesswomen particularly like this af-

firmation: "I GIVE THANKS FOR EVER-INCREASINGHEALTH, YOUTH, AND BEAUTY, IN THE NAME OFJesus Christ." Other affirmations of thanksthat have proved powerful for many people arethese for increased income: "I give thanksTHAT MY FINANCIAL INCOME INCREASES MIGHTILYNOW, THROUGH THE DIRECT ACTION OF God"; forpayment of indebtedness and financial obliga-tions: "I GIVE THANKS FOR THE IMMEDIATE, COM-PLETE PAYMENT OF ALL FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS,in the name of Jesus Christ"; for increasedsuccess along all lines: "I give thanks thatEVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY I AM GROWING RICHERAND RICHER."

HARMONY AND PROSPERITY INHOME AND BUSINESS

Recently a group of Truth students wereasked to affirm the following prayer for har-


mony in their homes and businesses: "LetTHERE BE PEACE WITHIN MY WALLS AND PROSPER-ITY within my palaces." They reported happy,peaceful results.

This same group was asked to affirm for newbusiness and new customers: "I love the high-est AND BEST IN ALL PEOPLE AND I NOW DRAW THEHIGHEST AND BEST PEOPLE [CUSTOMERS, CLIENTS]to me." This prayer seemed to "click" with theentire group and produced exciting experi-ences. A salesman discovered that by speakingthis prayer, he attracted into his departmentonly people who really intended to buy and whodid buy. Consistent use of this prayer alsohelped him to make a number of sales that hepreviously thought he had lost.Another member of this group, a saleswoman

who is employed in a store with more than ahundred employees, prayed this prayer withsuch great success that she led the entire store in

sales. She was honored by her employers forhaving sold $44,000 worth of merchandise with-in a given period. Only three other salespeoplein that store (all men) sold more than $30,000worth of merchandise during the same period.This woman's department was one of the lower-priced merchandise areas, which necessitatedher making more individual sales.


AFFIRMATIVE PRAYERS BRING ABUNDANCE

Another affirmative prayer that this groupfound helpful was: "Everything and everybodyprospers me now." A government employeewho spoke this prayer daily was soon informedof an inheritance that had been available butunclaimed for a number of years. Another Uni-ty student who was praying this prayer was oneof eleven heirs who inherited a gravel pit inanother state. Because of the number of heirs,the amount of money she received from this in-heritance had been small. After faithfully af-firming, "Everything and everybody prospersme now," her income checks from the gravelbusiness began arriving monthly in larger andlarger amounts. During the winter months,when this business was supposed to "slump," shereceived the largest income of all. She now hasan increasing monthly income from her inheri-tance.

The owner of a modeling school formed achain of charm and modeling schools as a resultof her successful use of affirmative prayer. Shediscovered after using this same prayer that shefelt led to teach fewer classes than in the past.However, class attendance was larger and herclasses were comprised of prosperous-minded


students who paid for their courses on time oreven ahead of time. Consequently her incomesteadily increased.

One housewife had long hoped to make a tripto Hawaii, to visit relatives stationed there withthe armed forces. After affirming, "EverythingAND EVERYBODY PROSPERS ME NOW," not Only didthe way open for her to make the trip but herhusband, a businessman, was also able to ar-range a month away from his job. Togetherthey flew to Hawaii and had a glorious monthwith their family.

After using this same affirmative prayer, asecretary felt led to sell and reinvest some secu-rities she had inherited several years previouslybut which had not brought adequate compensa-tion. After reinvesting them, she received imme-diate financial return on her securities.

PRAISE AS PRAYER

Still another form of affirmative prayer issincere praise. We should praise what we have,and in our thoughts and words we should insistthat it is constantly expanding into greatergood. We should also praise God for His good-ness that is always at work in our lives. GeorgeMuller, who has been described as "the man of


faith to whom God gave millions," once said:"Expect great things of God and great thingsyou will have. There is no limit to what He isable to do. Praise Him for everything. I havepraised Him many times when He sent me tencents and I have praised Him when He has sentme sixty thousand dollars. I have trusted Himfor one dollar and I have trusted Him forthousands, and never in vain."A wonderful way to express praise is to begin

the day by affirming prosperity and success, in-stead of facing it with dread, fear, or tense anxi-ety. Praise has a happy, relaxing effect upon usand our world. In the early morning hours,send praise ahead of you into the day and insureits success by affirming: "With praise andTHANKSGIVING, I SET THE RICHES OF GOD BEFOREME THIS DAY TO GUIDE, GOVERN, PROTECT, ANDPROSPER ME. All THINGS NEEDFUL ARE NOW PRO-VIDED. MY RICH GOOD BECOMES VISIBLE THIS DAY!"

THE PROSPERING POWER OF CONFIDENCE

A stockbroker recently brought to my atten-tion another type of affirmative prayer thathelps him make the right contact for prosperity:affirmations of confidence. He stated that hehas studied the prosperity law from every angle,


observed the many prosperous-minded peoplewho buy and sell stock, and read many biog-raphies of the lives of prosperous-minded peo-ple. He has come to the conclusion that if pros-perity could be described in one word, thatword would be self-confidence; that is, con-fidence in one's abilities and talents, and inGod's help in developing them.

Affirmative prayers that express confidencehelp us release our prosperity powers. Psycholo-gists tell us that there is tremendous power inhaving self-confidence. They say that confi-dence doubles our powers and multiplies ourabilities. We may more fully develop the pros-perity power of confidence by affirming often,"I AM CONFIDENT THAT GOD IS MY INSTANT, CON-STANT, ABUNDANT SUPPLY OF HEALTH, WEALTHAND HAPPINESS," Or, "I AM THE RICHLY ILLUMIN-ED CHILD OF God, FILLED WITH DIVINE LOVE ANDWISDOM, BY WHICH I AM GUIDED IN ALL MY WAYSAND NOW LED INTO THAT WHICH IS FOR MY HIGH-EST GOOD."

A SUCCESSFUL REPAIR PLAN

A railroad employee was asked to repair a lo-comotive that no one else had been able to ad-just. When he heard of the various mechanics


who had attempted to repair this engine with-out success, he was almost overwhelmed. Butthen he remembered the power of affirmativeprayer. Before beginning work, he went aside toa quiet place and from his wallet he took this af-firmation and spoke it silently: "I am a child ofTHE LIVING GOD. I AM ONE WITH HlS WISDOM;THAT WISDOM NOW LEADS ME IN PATHS OF RIGHT-EOUSNESS, PEACE, AND TRUE SUCCESS." As he Wasthinking of these words and letting them fillhim with confidence, another employee passedthrough the shop and asked what he was doing,to which he replied that he was "going over aplan" that he intended to use in repairing thelocomotive. Shortly thereafter, he returned tohis work and quickly repaired the troublesomeengine. Later the other employee asked him fora copy of the "plan" he had used with suchquick success.

BUSINESSMAN AFFIRMS "NONRETIREMENT"

A certain executive was within a year of re-tirement, yet he did not feel that he was readyfor a rocking chair. So he began praying thatother divinely satisfying work would open tohim. Since he did not know just what outer con-tacts to make to help bring forth such a result,


he made none. Instead, he made the inner con-tact by spending a lot of time quietly affirmingthis prayer of confidence: "The Spirit of theLord goes before me, making easy and suc-cessful MY WAY."One day he received a telephone call from

someone he had never met, offering him workin Florida, of the same type he had been han-dling. Within a week, he received a similar offerby mail. Prayers ofconfidence multiply not onlyour powers and our abilities, but also our op-portunities. Within a short time, this man re-signed his job, sold his home, and made thechange into a new position that holds a limitlessfuture for him because he dared to affirm con-fidently, "The Spirit of the Lord goes beforeME, MAKING EASY AND SUCCESSFUL MY WAY."

THE RIGHT CONTACT FOR PROSPERITY

If you have a prosperity need, be assured thatyou can make the "right contact" for prosperity.God has provided for the most minute needs ofyour daily life. If you lack anything, use your

mind to make the right contact with the super-mind of God within you. A postal employee whohad to take an efficiency test affirmed, "Divine


Mind knows and Divine Mind shows." His testproved him most efficient.

Affirmative prayers that express praise,thanks, blessing, confidence, and rich ideas ofgood are powerful yet simple channels for mak-ing the right contact with the supermind of Godwithin you for prosperity.

THE POTENT PRAYERS OFPRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

Chapter 4

Most of us have not realized the potent powerthat lies in prayers of praise and thanksgiving.They are miracle workers.The secret of harvesting our good is to begin

to praise God and to give thanks before our joyand other forms of good actually appear. If wewait for things to happen before we praise andgive thanks, we may wait indefinitely.

As spiritual beings, we should gain control ofcircumstances, events, and our own reactions topersonalities. As spiritual beings we have thepower to create our own circumstances, events,and environment. The secret is to sing, to re-

36

PRAYERS OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING 37

joice, to praise, and to give thanks even beforethere seems to be anything for which to givethanks.

A housewife, who had been a chronic grum-bler, said that she stumbled on the potent powerof the prayer of praise through the trial-and-error method. Her use of praise not only healedher body of pain, it healed her mind. She said:

I have proved to my satisfaction that praisewill work along all lines. I have known praise tochange even the face of nature, and to workwhat the ignorant call a miracle.

Most of us have seen the effect that praise hason animal and plant life. My mother talked toand praised potted plants that were everywherein her house. I always considered this one ofmother's little habits, but now I know that heruse of the spiritual principle of praise and bless-ing was her secret with her flowers. This secretcaused her neighbors to often say that she had agreen thumb.

THE HEALING POWER OF PRAISE

We can harvest our good through prayers ofpraise, because words that express praise,


thanks, and gratitude release energies withinour minds and bodies. When we release energythrough praise, we can be strong in body in-stead of weak. We can have peace and trust in-stead of fear, and we can have poise and powerinstead of shattered nerves. Myrtle Fillmore,wife, mother and former school-teacher, whobecame the co-founder of the Unity movement,talked to, blessed and praised her body templeconstantly for two years. She finally broughtforth health where there had been diagnosis ofan incurable disease.From South Carolina a reader has reported:

I had had back trouble for twenty years.Then I learned of the miraculous power ofpraise. I began to declare, I praise God I amhealed now. After five days of affirming thesewords, the soreness and pain left my back. I amashamed to admit I was surprised.

In addition to the freedom from pain, I alsostill have the $60 to $70 that it would have costme for doctor's bills. What blessings praisehath wrought!

Our thoughts and words of praise can also domuch to help others.A housewife from Illinois wrote:


I stayed last night with a friend whose hus-band had been taken by ambulance to thehospital a few days ago in a comatose state.Three physicians stated his symptoms indicateda brain tumor of a malignant nature. All threedoctors predicted he would not live longenough for tests to be made.

Before going to bed around midnight lastnight, his wife and I studied an inspirationalpamphlet which described the miraculouspower of praise and thanksgiving. Together wespoke words of praise and thanksgiving for herhusband's immediate healing.

At 3:30 A.M. she telephoned the intensivecare unit at the hospital to inquire about herhusband. The nurse reported he had openedhis eyes, that he had answered her questions,and that he had moved his arms and legs uponrequest.

This morning the nurses reported that ox-ygen was no longer needed. The patient wasbreathing naturally and was to be moved out ofintensive care this afternoon. Meanwhile, theirson who believed the three doctors' previousdiagnosis had completed the funeral arrange-ments! All of us are now giving thanks for the

miraculous healing power that praise hasreleased.


HOW TO RELEASE SPIRITUAL POWER

Praise and the giving of thanks enable us torelease the spiritual power that is within us. Weare all filled with a dynamic force, whether weare aware of it or not. This dynamic force isspiritual power, and this power is constantlyseeking release.What the modern world often calls tension is

nothing but man's spiritual power that has notfound proper release and expression. Tense,nervous, and high-strung persons would haveincreased spiritual power and could do greaterand more wonderful things if they consistentlypraised their minds, bodies, and affairs, forpraise releases the inner spiritual power that lieswithin each of us.A nurse from Pennsylvania wrote:

I have found the concepts of praise andthanksgiving especially beneficial to my emo-tional and intellectual states of mind. Oh! ThatI had had this knowledge years ago to help meovercome a most bleak existence.

However, in my present psychological state,maybe I can in contrast better appreciatethe lessons learned now. Perhaps this is thedivine timing for my enlightenment, at a peri-od when I can see things in a clearer light.


Although there has been vast improvement,outwardly my life has not changed as much as Iwould like. But my 'life of the Spirit' is rich. In-stead of feeling at the mercy of events and peo-ple, I feel more in control of my life now.

This Thanksgiving holiday I was off from myregular job. Instead of sitting home alone whileeveryone else seemed to have someone to bewith, I decided to accept some "moon-lighting"assignments. I created a place to go by workingwhen other nurses wanted a holiday. It hasbeen a much happier time for me than it wouldhave been had I remained at home remember-ing past hurts and feeling forgotten by mychildren. I am grateful for having learnedabout the power of praise and thanksgiving.This prayer practice has done wonders for me.

EVERYTHING RESPONDS TO PRAISE

Praise increases that to which it is directed.Praise draws and accumulates spiritual sub-stance, and continual praise can bring forthprosperity. Praise draws and accumulates spiri-tual life, and continual praise can result in heal-ing. Praise draws and accumulates knowledge,and it can bring forth guidance and help forany problem. Praise can open a new, wonderfulworld to us, because praise draws and accumu-lates good and gives it power for expression.


A businesswoman in California wrote:

Here's how quickly the power of praiseworks: Last week we received two checks forwork done, plus the gift of three days off. Theweather is perfect, I have been healed, and allis beautiful again.

I work with senior citizens and many comewith pains and problems. But how wonderfullythey respond to praise and thanksgiving. WhileI was finishing this letter, the mailman broughta letter which announced a pay raise for myhusband. I praise God for all these blessings.

The whole creation responds to praise and isglad. We can praise our own ability, and ourvery brain cells will expand or increase incapacity when we speak to them words of en-couragement and appreciation. When we feeldiscouraged, it is good to give ourselves a treat-ment in praise. This treatment changes our "Ican't" attitudes and feelings so that they become"I can and I will" attitudes and feelings.

PRAISE STARTS US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

I recently heard someone compare an affir-mation to a steering wheel in an auto. The


steering wheel helps us to go in the right direc-tion. Affirmations of praise also do this. Theygive us the desire to get started in the right

direction and then they guide us on our way.When we praise the riches or opulence of our

loving Father, our mental atmosphere is greatlyincreased to receive these riches. Our widermental outlook on riches opens the way for aricher supply. Through a persistent use ofpraise, a failing business can become a suc-cessful one, for even inanimate objects seem torespond to praise.A woman once used the power of praise on

her sewing machine, which was out of order.After she used words of praise, her sewingmachine gave her no more trouble.

Another woman had a rag rug on her livingroom floor. For years she had been hoping for anew one. She heard of the law of praise andbegan to praise her old rug. Within two weeks anew one appeared from an unexpected source.One of my associates recently related how the

power of praise and blessing worked on a watchhe was trying to repair. After he had done allthat he could to repair the watch, my associateplaced it on a shelf, blessed it, praised it, andleft it for several days. When he inspected itlater, he found that the watch ran perfectly.


BE SURE TO PRAISE OTHERS

We should praise the qualities we would liketo see in others, declare that others possess themalready, and then watch how quickly these per-sons will respond.

A housewife said, "Since I have adopted thepraise method, there has been a great change inall my household. I no longer censure my helpfor apparent carelessness and for accidents, butI excuse the accident in some pleasant way andpraise help for their good intentions, their faith-fulness, and their goodness. Thus I call into ac-tivity the very qualities that I recognize, and Imake them strong and potent and abiding."A person often thinks, " When I have this or

when I am able to do that, then I will behappy." But happiness does not come in theseways. Happiness already exists as a part of ourdivine nature. Through praise and thanksgivingwe release this happiness.

OUR ATTITUDES AND WORDS AFFECT US:BOTH POSITIVELY AND NEGATIVELY

All of us are surrounded by a pulsatingenergy which Jesus called the kingdom of theheavens. Out of this universal energy we can


form and make whatever we want. We can usethis universal substance all the time to form andto make our world. When our thoughts are notthe highest, we have to live with results that arenot the best. But each of us has the spiritualpower to form this pulsating, radiant substanceinto good in his mind, body, and affairs.

All our words and attitudes affect us. Everytime we sing, pray, or praise, we are carryingout the creative law. If we would be successfuland happy, we must be very careful how we talkor listen to others talk about failure. This cankeep us from experiencing success. In like man-ner, if we want to experience health, we mustpraise health and bless it until it becomes ap-parent in our body temple. We should talkhealth to our children and to our associates.

It is by man's word ofpraise and blessing thathis world is restored to its perfection.A businessman in California wrote:

At a time when I was having financial prob-lems, I faithfully declared words of praise andthanksgiving. Here were the results: The re-quested assistance of restitution for temporarylosses in financial investments has been comingby leaps and bounds. Forgotten loans havebeen repaid. Investment returns have multi-plied without interruption. I even have money


left over now at the end of the month! We areusing this to help pay for our daughter's educa-tion.

The Children of Israel were shown that theirsufferings and afflictions came not because Godwilled them but because they were disobedientto the law of praise. In Deuteronomy we read:"All these curses shall come upon thee, andshall pursue thee, and overtake thee ... Be-cause thou servedst not Jehovah thy God withjoyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reasonof the abundance of all things." 1 (Deuteronomy28:45-47)

HOW TO REAP YOUR HARVESTOF INCREASED GOOD

The Bible records many instances where Jesusgave thanks. Before He multiplied the loavesand the fishes, He gave thanks. (Matthew15:36) At the grave of Lazarus, He said,"Father, I thank thee that thou heardest me."

(John 11:41) Note that He gave thanks beforethe answer appeared.

1. See the book The Millionaire Moses by CatherinePonder, published (1977) by DeVorss & Co., Marina delRey, Ca. 90291.


We can harvest our good through prayers ofpraise and thanksgiving, too. Our good awaitsus, and through praise we make divine connec-tion with it at just the right moment. Day byday we experience more and more of God's richgood through harvesting it with our thoughtsand declarations of praise.The way to have an abundant harvest of good

is to render praise and thanksgiving for thegood we are entitled to as spiritual beings, evenbefore there is any sign of it. Another way to in-crease our harvest of good is to praise and givethanks for the good we already have. Try itlSuch expressions of praise and thanksgiving canbe among the most potent forms of prayer avail-able to mankind.

PRAYER IN PICTURES

Chapter 5

An engineer once shared with me his own pri-vate success formula, which brought forth greatgood for him.

This man began his study of the spiritual lawsof prosperity and how to apply them in a prac-tical manner at a time when he had just beentold of a job transfer. The transfer created a se-ries of problems. He realized from his Truthstudy that it would be necessary for him todevelop and apply confidence and faith in God,in the spiritual laws of prosperity, and inhimself, in order to work out all the details ofhis change successfully.

So he began to compile his own success for-

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PRAYER IN PICTURES 49

mula. His first step was to regard God as a rich,loving, all-providing Father. He wrote God a se-ries of letters listing his various problems andstating his human inability to handle themalone. Every time a new problem arose concern-ing the job transfer, he wrote God another letterand, as the solution to each problem unfolded,he wrote God letters of thanks. In this way hedeveloped faith in God's goodness, and con-fidence in his own ability to work with God'sprosperity laws of increase.

At this point he heard a lecture on the use ofprayer in pictures. He became fascinated withthis method as both practical and spiritual.However, he felt that something definite shouldbe developed to inspire the average businessperson to use this powerful technique of prayerin pictures.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE DESIGNED FORINDIVIDUAL PROSPERITY

So he prayerfully designed a "wheel of for-tune" which he also used in solving his own pros-perity problems. On a large piece of cardboard,he drew a circle. In the very center he placed apicture of Jesus Christ. This formed the inner-most part of his wheel of fortune.


Then he divided his circle into six parts: Spir-itual growth, health, work, possessions,finances, and vacation. In each of the sectors heplaced pictures of the results he desired toachieve in those activities.

For instance, in the business sector he pasteda picture concerning the perfect job he hoped tofind as a result of his forthcoming transfer. Inconnection with his pictures he used this affir-mation: "I AM STIMULATED BY DIVINE INTELLI-GENCE, IMPULSED BY DIVINE LOVE, AND GUIDED BYDIVINE POWER INTO MY RIGHT WORK, PERFORMINGIT IN A PERFECT WAY FOR PERFECT PAY. THE DI-VINE PLAN OF MY LIFE NOW TAKES SHAPE IN DEFI-NITE, CONCRETE EXPERIENCES, LEADING TO PER-FECT HEALTH, HAPPINESS, SUCCESS, AND PROS-PERITY."

In the possessions sector of his Wheel of For-tune, he pasted a picture of his present home,and with it, this affirmation: "Divine intelli-gence directs the right buyer to this property.Everyone concerned is blessed by a just and or-derly exchange of values." Then, in the samespace, he placed the picture of a new home,with the words, "Infinite Mind knows ourNEED, KNOWS WHERE THE RIGHT HOUSE IS, ANDKNOWS HOW TO MANIFEST IT TO US AT THE RIGHTtime." To help his wife through the transition


period of moving and readjustment, he placedher picture in this area too, in connection withthis affirmation: "My wife is now stimulatedBY DIVINE INTELLIGENCE, IMPULSED BY DIVINELOVE, AND GUIDED BY DIVINE POWER, MANIFESTINGIN HER EVERY EXPERIENCE PERFECT HEALTH, HAP-PINESS, abundance, and success." For theirability to go forth to new experiences in faith,there was a picture of a door, and the affirma-tion, "AS ONE DOOR CLOSES, A BIGGER AND BETTERDOOR OPENS."

In the vacation sector he attached the pictureof a sandy beach and ocean background, withthis prayer: "I give thanks for a divinelyPLANNED VACATION, UNDER DIVINELY PLANNEDCONDITIONS, WITH DIVINELY PROVIDED SUPPLY."For his over- all prosperity he also added the af-firmation, "I AM GUIDED BY INFINITE WISDOM,AND DIVINE ORDER IS ESTABLISHED IN MYFINANCES."

In the spiritual growth sector of the wheel, heaffixed the picture of a church, in connectionwith which he wrote: "I am grateful thatFAITH ABIDES IN MY HEART, GROUNDED IN MY BE-LIEF THAT MY LIFE IS ONE WITH THE LIFE DIVINE. IAM DIVINELY GUIDED TO SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDINGand development." Nearby, he also placed apicture of the Bible.


DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE IN GODAND YOURSELF THROUGH PICTURING

As this man's confidence in God and in him-self developed, through daily letters to God,and through daily viewing his Wheel of Fortuneand affirming the various prayers in connectionwith it, his problems gradually turned into hap-

py solutions. He soon received an engineeringappointment to a multi-million dollar construc-tion job, with complete freedom of action, andresponsibility only to the vice-president of thecompany.He became so confident that their present

home would be sold on time that he and his wifevisited the new job location in a distant stateand immediately found the ideal place to live.They set a date to return to the old home andmove their furniture, a date by which they con-fidently expected the former home to be sold,and even went so far in faith as to make planereservations for that date.

Everything worked out just as they had stipu-lated. Their house was sold on time and theirfurniture moved to their new home on the datethey had set.

Then, after getting settled, they took a vaca-tion in a lovely tropical area where there weresandy beaches and miles of ocean. When they


returned, they were guided to a metaphysicalchurch in their new location, as they had pic-tured it on their Wheel of Fortune.

This engineer truly proved the words ofGoethe: "What you can do, or dream you can,begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magicin it." He further proved to himself, in workingwith the spiritual laws of prosperity, a fact thathe already knew to be true in his engineeringprofession from working with blueprints: resultshave to be planned. Prosperity is a planned re-sult, just as is every bridge that is built, everybuilding that is constructed.

HOW THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE PRAYERMETHOD TRANSFORMED HIS LIFE

Later, a friend of this engineer in Ohio re-ported to me how this same method led himfrom tragedy to happiness. He wrote:

Having been a tool and machine designermost of my life and having dealt in mathemat-ics and cold facts, there is nothing of much useto me if it does not work. I have found and pro-ven to myself that having unshakeable faith, adefinite purpose or desire, and the willingnessto abide with these principles plus the faith


that God will work all things out for your good,are just as sound a formula as any mathemati-cal, chemical or physical law. We do not stopto figure out why two plus two equals fourevery time we want to work a mathematicalproblem. We accept it with unmistakablefaith. We also have to accept the laws of life inthe same way.

I was first introduced to prayer through pic-tures by the engineer who was in Dr. Ponder'sfirst prosperity class in Alabama in 1958 theclass on which she based her best-selling book,The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity. This manwent from a million-dollar construction job inAlabama to a fifteen-million dollar construc-tion job in Ohio, as a result of the prayer-in-pictures method. He designed the Wheel ofFortune about which she has written in severalof her books. It is a prayer method that hashelped thousands.

When tragic experiences had brought me tomy knees mentally, physically and financially,he suggested I, too, make a Wheel of Fortune.

The results?

I am now the most happy, contented, inde-pendent and prosperous of any time in my lifelMany things began to happen right out of theblue that I previously wouldn't have believedwere possible. Positions opened up at just theright time. Money began to flow my way. Peo-


pie became more helpful. Even parking spacesopened up at the right time. The prayer in pic-tures method works!

SUGGESTIONS FOR MAKING AWHEEL OF FORTUNE

Although you will find specific instructionsfor making a Wheel of Fortune in my books,The Dynamic laws of Prosperity, The HealingSecret of the Ages, The Millionaires of Genesis,and Open Your Mind to Prosperity, here aresome suggestions that have been helpful tomany people:

1. Use big, colorful poster boards for bestresults.

2. Use certain colors to obtain certainresults: Green or gold for financial in-crease; orange for health; blue for in-tellectual achievement; pink for love andhappiness; yellow for increased spiritualunderstanding.

3. Use colored pictures on your coloredWheel of Fortune since the mind respondsquicker to color.

4. Do not clutter your Wheel of Fortuneunless you want cluttered results. Instead


make several for the various phases of yourlife.

5. On your financial Wheel, place some pic-tures of money, not just the things youwant so that you may obtain themwithout indebtedness.

6. Place a spiritual symbol on your Wheel fordivine protection.

7. Look at your Wheel daily and often forobtaining best results quicker.

8. Keep quiet about what you are picturing,so that you will not talk your good away.

PLAN YOUR PROSPERITY

Your good can also come forth as a plannedresult if you will write daily notes to God con-cerning your success, and then prayerfully con-struct your Wheel of Fortune and use it daily.When we visualize with the help of a Wheel ofFortune, we are really praying and imaging ourgood; we are changing the current of our think-ing from negative to positive, from despair tohope, from discouragement to encouragement.You can picture a thing and bring it throughrather than trying to reason it through orforceit through. You can hasten your good throughpicturing! This is prayer in pictures at its best.

THE PRAYER OF INCREASE

Chapter 6

Along with the use of definite verbal, silentand pictured prayers for increase (as describedin previous chapters), the prayer of increase alsoworks through: (1) attitudes of increase; and(2) a deliberate action that leads to increase.

PART I: ATTITUDES OF INCREASE

The use of attitudes of increase is simple andpleasant. It requires first the establishment andmaintenance of an attitude of rich increase to-ward everybody and everything. Let your first

57


thoughts, when thinking of others or contactingthem by mail, by telephone, or in person, bethoughts and blessings of increase. Just thinkingof a rich increase of good in connection withothers helps them become more prosperous.They may not be consciously aware of your pros-perous thoughts and blessings, but they will sub-consciously receive them and be richly blessed.

Attitudes of increase are what all people areseeking to invoke in one way or another. Theuniversal desire for increase is nothing morethan man's innate divinity seeking expression asfuller good in his life. Every man instinctivelyfeels it and instinctively responds to some ex-tent. All people are seeking more or better food,clothes, homes, beauty, knowledge, leisure,pleasure, luxury increase in something. Andrightly so! A normal desirefor increased good isnot to be condemned or suppressed. It is divine.

BLESSING OTHERS BRINGS INCREASE

We should also convey the impression of in-crease with everything we do, so that others willreceive that rich impression. The thought ofblessing is the thought of increase. The prayerof increase releases it. Give this silent thought ofincrease, at every opportunity, to your family,

THE PRAYER OF INCREASE 59

social acquaintances, business associates, spiri-tual friends, world leaders, and all people every-where: "I BLESS YOU AND BLESS YOU WITH A RICHINCREASE OF God's ALMIGHTY GOOD."

When you bless people, inanimate objects,situations, and appearances with the thought ofincreased good, then that person, object, situa-tion, or appearance unconsciously receives thegood of your blessing. You are richer for havinggiven it; it will come back to you as a richlymultiplied blessing. And the recipient is richerfor having had your attention and your prosper-ous thought. This practice is much more satisfy-ing than the reverse, which too many peoplepractice: thinking of things and people asfailures.

BLESS YOURSELF WITH THETHOUGHT OF INCREASE

Another way to employ the attitude of in-crease is by blessing ourselves with an equalthought of increase. We can do this just byfeel-ing that we are getting rich and that we aremaking others rich. Our every act, tone, andlook should express a quiet, rich assurance.Words to convince others of our prosperity arenot necessary when we get the feeling of richness


implanted in our subconscious. The feeling canbe radiated from us and communicated to oth-ers. They will then want to be associated with usin business transactions and otherwise, so as tobenefit from our consciousness of prosperity.A businesswoman said, "Prosperity started

coming to me after I began to declare daily, "ICARRY MYSELF AS ONE WHO OWNS THE EARTH, FORI DO!"

Another businesswoman, who had moved outof state on faith, found work, then got laid off.Instead of panicking, she told her children todress up in their best clothes so she could takethem out to dinner to celebrate the good thatwas on the way to them. As they all dwelled onthoughts of rich increase, she found a better jobwithin two days.

Just by working quietly to attain a feeling ofrichness, we can draw to us prosperous-mindedpersons we have never seen before, who will be-come our customers and business associates.People unconsciously go where there is a con-sciousness of increase. It is thus that business in-creases rapidly, and many rich blessings flow tous. If we give the thought of increase to othersand entertain it quietly in the deep recesses ofour own minds, others are attracted to us andautomatically help to prosper us.


SUCCESS IN YOUR WORK

Another way to invoke the attitude of in-crease is in regard to our work. We should do allthat we can do every day, and we should do allof our work in an efficient manner. But the ac-tual amount of work we do is not as importantas our attitude about our work. Let us put thethought of success in everything we do.

If you do not feel that you are in your rightplace or in congenial work, practice using theattitude of increase anyway. As you bless others

and yourself with the thought of increase, peo-ple, ideas, and opportunities will be attracted toyou, and new channels of success and advance-ment will open to you.

PART II: A DELIBERATE ACTIONTHAT LEADS TO INCREASE

All of these mental attitudes are very impor-tant to prosperity. There is also something thatwe need to do in order to expand our faith inGod as the source of our prosperity. Thisdeliberate action leads to increased good on alllevels of life: We should make Him our finan-cial partner. When we touch upon this par-


ticularfacet of the law of increase, our prosperi-ty is constantly and divinely assured.

This facet of the prayer of increase is the spir-itual act of tithing. Any practice that has beenhanded down through the centuries, as tithinghas been, must have great importance. Somepersons may study other prosperity laws and beprosperedfor a time; but accomplishment is in-variably easier and more lasting when the divinelaw of tithing is invoked. Those who tithe asso-ciate themselves with divine riches; it is asthough all forces of heaven and earth rush forthto guard, guide, and prosper them. Throughtithing they go from success to greater successalmost effortlessly, because they are divinelyhelped in their achieving.

In my own personal experience, prosperityproved elusive until I began tithing at a timewhen I was making only $100 a month, support-ing myself, my son, and helping another mem-ber of my family. Although I wondered, at first,if I could afford to tithe, I soon realized I couldnot afford not to tithe. The decision to tithe wasnot an easy one to make, but it was the wisestand most rewarding one I have ever made. Thedeliberate act of tithing consistently has gradu-ally taken me from a life of limitation to one offulfillment.


HOW THEY DEMONSTRATED ENOUGHTO SPARE AND SHARE

Recently a jeweler said to me: "Before Ibegan the practice of tithing, I could not makeends meet. Now I find that I have enough tospare and to share." Another man who heardthis conversation said: "Since I decided to titheI have never hesitated to get what I want andenjoy it. I used to wonder if I could afford cer-tain things, and I often went without the verythings I should have been enjoying as a child ofGod. Since beginning to tithe, I have purchasedwhat I wanted in the way of homes, cars, andclothes, and always I've been enriched. Thepractice of tithing first made me feel rich, andthen the outer riches came."

A postal employee reports: "A relative ofmine has the same income as I do, but he's inconstant financial need. Recently when I of-fered to help, he said, 'How can you possiblyhelp me when your income is practically thesame as mine?' I told him, 'The difference isthat I tithe.' I think that if people would teachtheir children to tithe, the children would neverhave financial difficulties in later years."A powerful prayer for daily use is: "Volun-

tary. FAITHFUL TITHING OF MY WHOLE INCOME


BRINGS EVER-INCREASING PROSPERITY TO ME, ANDTHROUGH ME TO OTHERS."

ONE PROBLEM AND ONE SOLUTION

People who have not learned of the benefitsderived from this special method of giving oftenthink that the way to prosper and succeed in lifeis to hold tightly to everything they get. Yet, todo so only leads to stagnation and congestion. Itblocks and stops their good.

Such people assume that the person who givesgenerously and systematically in impersonalways will probably go broke; in any event, he isvery foolish. Yet the philosophers of all ageshave found that just the opposite is true: Yourgiving enriches you and expands your good onall levels of life. The sages of the past have said,"There is only one problem in life: stagnation.There is only one solution: circulation." Toobserve the prospering power of tithing as itworks to bring about this circulation is a fasci-nating process.

THE BROTHER WHO GAVE

There once were two brothers who practicedthese two divergent points of view: One tithed


and shared. The other did not. There was astriking difference in the results.

These brothers came from a poor family.Their father was a miser who would not volun-tarily share even with his own children. Theygrew up under the belief that they must fightfor everything they got in life; that they mustcheat, scheme, and outwit everybody they metin order to prosper.The eldest brother started out with nothing

not even an adequate education. He went towork early in life. While still in destitute cir-cumstances, he began to practice giving andsharing. He worked hard at a menial job andhelped his younger brother to get an education.After an impoverished childhood, in which somuch had been needlessly withheld from him, itwas a welcomed relief to this eldest brother tofinally be freed to share. He never accepted hisparent's limited attitudes that withholdingwould make one happy or successful in life.

In his studies toward self-improvement, hediscovered this special method of giving thathad been practiced since ancient times. He de-cided to invoke the power of increase by givingone-tenth of his gross income regularly to theNew Thought church that had taught him thathe could tithe and prosper. He knew it was anorganization that was helping mankind throughits teaching of universal truths.


His father and brother only shook theirheads. "He will never make it because he givesaway too much. He will go broke from all that'foolish giving,' " they predicted.

THE BROTHER WHO WITHHELD

When the younger brother finished college,he married another college graduate from a"well-to-do" family, and "great things" werepredicted for them. He did nothing to repay theeldest brother, who had struggled financially tohelp him get an education. His new wife resent-ed the eldest brother's generosity, and all con-tact between them ceased. The younger brotheradopted the attitude of his father that one couldgo broke by giving and sharing. He and his wifeboth worked, but they clutched everything.Nothing was voluntarily shared with others.These two brothers were soon living on op-

posite sides of the continent. Because they hadso little in common, there was no communica-tion between them, and they did not see eachother for more than two decades. The youngbrother's family wanted nothing to do with theeldest brother's family, whom they assumed hadnot "made it."


THE CONTRAST IN RESULTS

When these two brothers finally assembledfor a family reunion, the contrast was striking:The eldest brotherwho started out with

nothing, but who learned that giving and shar-ing are the beginning of increase had becomefinancially independent. His family enjoyed thevast benefits that their affluence made possible:a large home, a thriving business, private clubmemberships, prestige in the community, travelabroad, and good health.The younger brother, who had started out

with a fine education and a well-to-do wife tohelp him, but who had held on tightly to every-thingthe one for whom "great things" hadbeen predicted was anything but affluent.Heavily in debt, he was living beyond his meansin an effort to appease his ambitious family. Hewas plagued by the related pressures of illhealth and family problems. Since none of hisfamily had learned the inner laws of success,none of them were successful, either. At best,this entire family was leading a negative, frus-trated, limited way of life. They felt hemmed inas they continued to talk financial lack. Byclinging to the little things in life, they had heldthemselves in limitation. They had no hope fora better way of life.


After the relatives got over the shock of theeldest brother's affluence, they reluctantly

asked the secret of his success. He laughingly re-plied, "The secret of my success is all of the'foolish giving' that you criticized me for twentyyears ago. I have faithfully tithed ten percent ofmy income to my church, and I have sharedgenerously in countless other ways. Since givingis the beginning of financial increase, I haveshared my way to success."The relatives he had not seen for twenty years

only shook their heads. They still were not readyto open their minds and share. They sadly saidto each other, "When will he ever learn to stopall that 'foolish giving'?"

Solomon explained the benefits of such"foolish giving" when he promised:

There is that which scattered, yet increasesthe more. And there is that which is withheldmore than is meet, but tendeth only to want.The liberal soul shall be blessed. And he thatwatereth shall be watered also himself.

(Proverbs 11:24,25)

The younger brother proved that when anyperson withholds that which belongs to theuniverse, his life is thrown out of balance. Theeldest brother proved that it is only as we let go


of our littleness that we can expand into thelarger life.

WHERE YOU GIVEAFFECTS YOUR PROSPERITY

A merchant in the furniture business recentlytold me that he had tithed at various timeswithout satisfactory results; and that it was onlyafter he heard a lecture on the importance oftithing to the spiritual organization or personfrom which one receives spiritual help, that herealized why he had not previously prospered.He had been tithing to a certain church toplease his family, although he was not receivingthe inspiration he needed from that church. Hebegan tithing to the spiritual organization thatwas inspiring him and the prosperous resultsin his business have reflected the change.

See SPECIAL NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR, nextpage.

A SPECIAL NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

Through the generous outpouring of theirtithes over the years, the readers of my hookshave helped me to financially establish threenew churches the most recent being a globalministry, the nondenominational Unity ChurchWorldwide, with headquarters in Palm Desert,California. Many thanks for your help in thepast, and for all that you continue to share.You are also invited to share your tithes with

the churches of your choice especially thosewhich teach the truths stressed in this book.Such churches would include the metaphysicalchurches of Unity, Religious Science, DivineScience, Science of Mind, and other relatedchurches, many of which are members of TheInternational New Thought Movement. (For alist of such churches write The InternationalNew Thought Alliance, 5003 E. BroadwayRoad, Mesa, Arizona 85206.) Your support ofsuch churches can help spread the prosperousTruth that mankind is now seeking in this NewAge of metaphysical enlightenment.

BODY MIND SPIRIT / NEWTHOUGHT

THE PROSPERING POWEROF PRAYER

By Catherine Ponder

Introduction: LET'S PRAY AND PROSPERA Message from the Author

Chapter 1 THE SIMPLE FORMS OF PRAYER THAT CANPROSPER YOU

Chapter 2 AN ADVANCED FORM OF PRAYER THAT CANPROSPER YOU

Chapter 3 MAKING THE RIGHT CONTACT FOR PROSPERITY

Chapter 4 THE POTENT PRAYERS OF PRAISE ANDTHANKSGIVING

Chapter 5 PRAYER IN PICTURES

Chapter 6 THE PRAYER OF INCREASE

ABOUT THE AUTHORCatherine Ponder is considered one of America's foremost inspirationalauthors. She has written more than a dozen books, which include herbest-selling classic, THE DYNAMIC LAWS OF PROSPERITY (DeVorssPublications, 1962). She is a minister of the nondenominational Unityfaith - long known as "the pioneer of positive thinking" - and hasbeen described by some as "the Norman Vincent Peale amongwomen ministers." She has served in Unity Churches since 1956 andheads a global ministiy in Palm Desert, California.

ISBN Dfl751bSlb-fl

DeVorss Publications$7.95 US Price higher in other countrieswww.devorss.com 9 780875"165165

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