Mystic Toad Press Blog

The Bible says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is God, and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Therefore, expectation is the key to receiving from God when you pray. Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “Whatsoever things you desire when you pray, believe you receive them and you shall have them.”

Believe you receive when you pray! What good does it do to pray without expecting to receive? You might as well not pray at all, for faith is required to receiving what you desire.

Surely, God will do His part when we pray, but we must also do our part. Our part is simply to believe. So many people are busy asking God, but never really believing what they are praying for will come to pass. You can tell by the way they talk, or act.

Most people have been raised to not believe in a positive outcome concerning anything, and actually, taught to believe in a negative outcome. It’s a safety mechanism that says, “Don’t get your hopes up, so if it doesn’t work out, you won’t be disappointed.”

There’s no logic in that because you will be disappointed anyway. Now, it’s normal to feel disappointment. It’s what you do with the feelings of disappointment that’s important, but that’s another subject.

Believing in a positive outcome is vital to our success. If we could only believe that God has our best interest in mind and simply trust that everything will work out, we would see great results. Life would change in ways we’d never thought possible. But, most people just can’t believe things will workout for them. They look at past results and judge their future based on their past.

It’s a fact that the best predictor of future behavior, is past behavior. The good news is, that your behavior is a choice. Your past does not have to equal your future! Just change your expectations and have faith.

James 2:20 tells us that “Faith without works is dead,” which means “faith” is an action word. The word “faith” in Webster’s Dictionary is also translated as “belief.” So, believing is an action. And, it really doesn’t take any more effort to believe, than to not believe. It’s just an attitude.

It’s been said that if you truly believe in something (having faith that it will happen), then it really will happen. A lot of people don’t completely accept that, but the Bible is clear; what you believe is what you get. Jesus said in Matthew 9:29, “According to your faith, let it be done unto you.”

He didn’t say we would see the manifestation of our prayers immediately. We must keep believing and not waver, “For a man who wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord” (James 1:6-7).

Expectation is the key to receiving from God when you pray! If you are not going to expect God to act, then don’t pray at all. It’s ineffective and displeases Him when you don’t believe. Remember, Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”

God will do His part when you pray, but only if, you do your part, and that is simply to believe.

Copyright 2005 Daniel N Brown

Daniel N. Brown is an entrepreneur and teacher of biblical success principles. Get your FREE report entitled, “How to Receive from God” when you sign up for your FREE weekly newsletter. http://www.SecretPlaceOnline.com

HAND MAKING GREETING CARDS

About the Author

None

The difficulty of having to drive to a offline gaming house can be enough to give it up as a bad job if avoidable. For this, you won’t have to leave your familiar desk to have a bash at online video poker and related games for the simple reason that you’ll do all this from the comfort of your home if you have access to a fully functional personal computer and access to the internet. Though, bear in mind there’s quite a few important guidelines that you’ll need to be advised of regarding online video poker and related games, particularly so should you be a beginner.

Why not play with bonus casino forums here?

The top priority that yours truly as a wise web gambler is sure to pursue is an online video poker and related games Web site of the sort offering top winning odds. Make certain that the online video poker and related games Web site is evaluated by a decent bookkeeper so as to establish the official wagers’ pay-out percentages consistently. Always be sure to establish the virtual card-playing Web site is licensed verifiably, e.g. by scrutinizing the ministerial license as filed on the casino site’s About page. If you’re unable to unearth any ministerial license on any given virtual card-playing Web site, don’t ever attempt to risk a game on that site.

Yet another tip is obviously to play at the beginning in trivial amounts rather than lose way too much off the bat. Check, first of all, the functionality of this particular virtual card-playing operator before chancing some undue menace, particularly so in regards to money… Last but not least, here’s the most most critical info regarding online texas holdem. It can only be this– to recall always that betting should chiefly be concerned with enjoyment and not so much about big winnings. Gambling in online casinos isn’t a chore, but a pastime that can make you exultant and your entire life fun. After having heeded the the tips explained above, you are free to go ahead give yourself up to the seduction of virtual card-playing!

I remember when I started trying to meditate. I would sit down,
close my eyes, and try to be really calm (my definition of
meditation at the time). That was hard: my head would burst with
ideas, thoughts, solutions, problems… I would become agitated,
and stopped generally after ten long minutes, if not less. It’s
during my short “meditations” that I felt less… meditative.

I knew there was something for me to explore that was beyond the
physical world. I knew I would unleash my potential, by “going
within”. And sitting meditation, as I knew it, was the #1
technique that would lead me there. Yet, I just couldn’t do it…
I was inadequate.

No, I wasn’t - and neither are you, if you are experiencing a
similar situation. It’s your definition of meditation that may
be inadequate.

The idea behind meditation is not to sit on a chair, and close
our eyes. Or to sit in lotus, and watch the leaves change
colors. You can do all this if you feel a call to do so, but
whatever technique you choose is just as relevant as the type of
fork you eat your meals with. Forks, meditations, cars, are just
tools that help us accomplish a specific task…

Meditation, we could say, is an “altered state of
consciousness”. We do not see things as we normally do; we feel
connected to something bigger than our everyday selves; we feel
“wider” than usual. In a few words, we are so immersed in
ourselves that we can transcend our own limitations. Now, the
question is: what do you need to feel that way (if so you wish)?
For some people, it’s gardening; for others, it’s laying down
comfortably and listening to music (it doesn’t even need to be
New Age…). I personally know someone who meditates by playing
card games on her computer. After a few minutes of calculating
her moves and keeping score, she looses touch with the cards,
and she “takes off”. Why don’t we value such activities as much
as those that involve candles, cushions, and incense? They may
be simple, or silly, but their impact often is important,
profound. Even more, they are easy and effortless. No need to be
disciplined - we are naturally attracted to them. In some ways,
maybe that’s why we don’t always see their true magnitude. They
are too accessible and natural. Mustn’t we pay a high price or
work hard to get anything of value? If it’s easy, it’s not worth
much… or so we were told.

For some people, meditating the conventional way (sitting down
and all) does not contribute to expanding their horizon. It may
look like they are meditating when they are doing it, but in
reality they are thinking about their problems, analyzing this
and that…they are relaxing, yes, but meditating, no. They would
probably have the deep experience they are looking for much more
easily by being active, by doing things just like those
mentioned before (repetitive tasks, especially, are very
effective in that regard). Of course, before washing the dishes,
or doing some gardening, we don’t really think “I’m going to
meditate”. But when we become aware of the higher potential
these activities hold for us, we can utilize them consciously
with that clear intention in mind.

Still, the point of this article is that we do not even need a
clear intention to meditate. In fact, when we want something too
much, we often become our first obstacle in the process -
especially when it comes to meditation. You cannot work hard to
attain something that is all about lightness, openness, and
receptivity. You cannot push yourself to open up. You can only
create favorable circumstances - and those can be anything, as
we have seen, since it is just a matter of which tool works best
for you.

So if your mind is constantly active, or extremely creative, and
your energy is so high you cannot sit down and close your eyes,
do not categorize yourself as unspiritual or “unmeditative”. You
may not be able to sit for hours in uncomfortable positions like
Tibetan monks do, but you too can accomplish things that they
would not even dream of doing. Sure, you would benefit greatly
from slowing down your thoughts and relaxing; but developing
strategies that suit you as you are now would probably serve you
even better. What could be the best way to meditate for you?

I have a question that’s been nagging me for several months now: Why do we have problems? Maybe the question should be “Why do we choose to have problems?” I have been working on this one through my “Shifting Gears” program and think I might have the seed to an answer.

First off, a problem is only a nuisance in our own heads. The only reason it is a problem is because we think it’s a problem or we think it into a problem. We can choose our thoughts. We can choose what we think about and how we think about it. (If you don’t believe me then try it yourself.)

We are the ones who create our issues by how we choose to interpret an event. If we interpret something as going against what we want or what we think is “right”, then we see it as a problem. If we can look at the deeper meaning of what is going on, then maybe we can see that there really are no problems.

And what about the extreme situation, like death or illness? Well, yes. Those appear to be big, sad, life changing events. And yet, I have witnessed people come through those situations with a whole new outlook on life. It was all in how they interpreted the event. Of course, in an extreme situation there will be a period of mourning, a period of adjustment.

I have been to many funerals where the loved ones have said that it was just his or her time to go. They are sad at the loss but happy that their loved one is in a better place. They choose to celebrate the life instead of mourn the loss.

The next time you have a problem, shift your perception of it to see if there is something beyond the surface, something deeper for you to consider. You may be surprised to find that there is more there than you anticipated.

Copyright 2006 Wendi Moore-Buysse

You’ve been dating several weeks, and you have a feeling he
might be the one. He calls when he says he’ll call. He shows up
when he says he’ll show up. Your friends like him, and he’s nice
to your cat. He’s doing everything right, and you’re pretty sure
he’s everything you ever wanted in a man.

But you’re not sleeping well. Your hands shake when you pour a
cup of coffee. You’re distracted at work. And people keep asking
you, “How’s it going with the new romance? When’s the wedding?”

You’re freaking out.

What’s wrong with you?

Well, nothing, really. You’ve reached the point in a new
relationship where everything seems to be going well, but part
of you is terrified that suddenly it’ll end: He’ll stop calling.
He’ll meet somebody else. You’ll discover his dresser drawers
are crammed with women’s underwear.

And your fears are right and natural. Every time he does
something right, you fall for him a little more. You’re scared
because you’ve only just met him, you don’t really know him, and
he holds your heart in his hands! Your mind races with
questions: If he’s so great, why isn’t he married? Why didn’t
his last relationship last? And so on.

You find yourself fighting the urge to call his parents and
closest friends for character references.

Let’s face it. Falling in love is not for cowards. It takes
strength, confidence, and poise. It becomes tempting to dissect
every gesture, every snippet of dialogue with a well-meaning
friend who is only too happy to advise you on your new
relationship.

But don’t do it.

Think of your new relationship as a seed you’ve planted in the
ground. The seed needs time to germinate and break through the
soil, but every time you discuss your relationship with a third
party, you dig it up. The relationship is no longer a
potentially sacred thing between two people but the subject of
speculation for many others. You’ve robbed it of its specialness
and mystery.

Avoid the temptation to ask a friend, “What do you think he
meant when he said…?” Ask him instead. If he does something
that bothers you, tell him. Keep the relationship between you.

Adopt a “we’ll see what happens” attitude. It takes courage,
definitely, but it’s worth it. Give your burgeoning relationship
the sun and water it deserves. Only you can decide whether a man
is right for you.

Please trust yourself to do that.