Life of Prayer Unity SEE Course

Life of Prayer A Unity Spiritual Education and Enrichment Course

Prayer is not something we do to God but to ourselves. It is not a position but a disposition. It is not ﬂattery but a sense of oneness. It is not asking but knowing. It is not words but feeling. It is not will but willingness.

Eric Butterworth, Discover the Power Within You

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COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course introduces the Unity way of afﬁrmative prayer and Charles Fillmore’s teachings regarding prayer. Explore your understanding of Divine Nature and your Divine Identity. Enhance or begin a daily prayer practice that includes the Silence, journaling, and upholding intentions of self and others. Gain conﬁdence in prayer as you develop your own rich inner Life of Prayer.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

ü Understand Divine Nature and Divine Identity as the foundation for prayer.

ü Compare and contrast traditional prayer methods with your own way of prayer and the Unity method of afﬁrmative prayer.

ü Learn and practice prayer language consistent with an evolving spiritual consciousness.

ü Start or renew a meaningful daily prayer and meditation practice.

ü Explore approaches to prayer in relation to wholeness, healing, prosperity, harmony, and purpose.

COURSE MATERIALS

Martella-Whitsett, Rev. Linda (2011) How to Pray Without Talking to God: moment by moment, choice by choice, Hampton Roads Publishing Company.

Also Recommended:

Fillmore, Charles & Cora (1997) Teach Us To Pray, Unity Books, Unity Village, Missouri.

Butterworth, Eric, (1993) The Universe is Calling: Opening To the Divine Through Prayer, HarperCollins Publishers, Harper San Francisco.

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ASSIGNMENTS FOR SEE CREDIT ü Participate in the classroom discussions. ü Complete preparations for upcoming classes.

ü Written assignments are due ______, sent electronically to ______. Write and submit one Daily Word message, one Denials and Afﬁrmations worksheet, and a seven-day prayer prescription with commentary about your practice.

STUDENT EVALUATION

S (Satisfactory) !All class work is complete. NC (No Credit) !A student fails to attend and fulﬁll assignments. IN (Incomplete) !More or more assignments are pending completion. A (Audit) !!For individuals on the Spiritual Enrichment track and !!!for those that take a course over for review. W (Withdrawal) !For individuals that have withdrawn from a class. For those enrolled for SEE credit, 10 course credits are granted on successfully completing the course.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Charles Fillmore’s definition of prayer • True conditions for prayer according to Charles Fillmore • Five basic Unity principles defined and explained • Role of faith in the prayer process • Unity’s five phases of prayer, defined and explained • Emphasis on Silence • Prayer in relation to: Healing, Prosperity, Wholeness, Forgiveness, The Power of the word • Denials and Affirmations as prayer tools

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ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett [email protected] 210-380-1867

My life purpose and passion in ministry are to realize my Divine Identity in the company of others who are realizing their Divine Identity. I am honored to be with you, uphold you, and challenge you to live into your True Nature, which is Divine.

A licensed and ordained Unity minister, I am senior minister at Unity Church of San Antonio since June 26, 2003. I am a mentor in Unity’s Field Licensing Program which provides on-the-job training for aspiring Unity ministers. My husband of thirty-three years, Giles Whitsett, is my partner in ministry. My son Adrian is a news anchor/reporter in Omaha NE, ad my daughter Alicia is an ofﬁce administrator and college student in San Antonio.

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SESSION 1

Five Unity Principles Divine Nature and Divine Identity – Foundation for Prayer Deﬁnition of Prayer Fillmore’s Seven Conditions for Prayer

Reading How to Pray Without Talking to God, chapter 1

Five Unity Principles Explanation by Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett

One: There is one and only one true Power in all of life, the Divine Presence called by many different names. The Power that keeps heavenly bodies in orbit is the same Power that informs the hearts and minds of human beings. God is not a superhuman but the very essence of creative life. God is the formless Intelligence out of which everything comes into existence. The Power of God is expressed as Divine Life, Love, and Wisdom, the nature of which is good.

Two: Humanity is created out of, and is an extension or expression of, the only Power—God. The nature of humanity, made in the image and after the likeness of God, is like Divine Nature, good. When we engage in behaviors that do not appear “good,” we understand this is not God’s doing or God’s will, but that we have forgotten our true identity and nature.

Three: The consistent, persistent pattern of our thought is a truthful predictor of our human experience. When our outlook on life is positive, we tend to notice and therefore experience a positive state of affairs—and vice versa. Furthermore, the human mind is pivotal in its capacity to draw from either our human experience or our Divine Identity for guidance. In human terms, “seeing is believing,” but spiritually “believing is seeing.”

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Session 1 continued

Four: Prayer and meditation are foundational practices to access the only Power, God. Dedicating time every day to conscious reﬂection and being in “the Silence” develops spiritual power.

Five: We unleash the Power of Divine Life, Love, and Wisdom when we make every thought, word, and action an intentional spiritual practice. Practicing these principles leads to spiritual mastery, increasing our capacity to be the Light of the world.

Divine Nature God is the principle of being as an axiom is a principle of mathematics. God is not conﬁned to locality. Charles Fillmore, Jesus Christ Heals, page 71.

This Inﬁnite Cause, or Divine Principle, is All-Good, and there is nothing but it in the universe. Hence, it must be all Life, Love, Truth, Intelligence. There can of necessity be nothing else in existence but this one Principle, consequently it must be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. It is the ALL of existence, and there can be nothing real outside of it or separate from it or in any way apart from it, in nature or character of any description. Charles Fillmore, The Essential Charles Fillmore, page 60.

In your own words describe Divine Nature.

? How are your methods and practices of prayer affected by ? ? adopting the ﬁve Unity principles?

In our prayer time we should have only one purpose: to attain conscious Oneness with God, because this consciousness, this awareness of our Oneness with God, is our supply, our peace, our health. Charles and Cora Fillmore, Teach Us to Pray 1941

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Session 1 continued

Your Divine Identity

Read How to Pray Without Talking to God pages 13-22

Every being has the Buddha Nature. This is the Our words and Self. Mahaparinirvana Sutra 214 methods of prayer derive from our sense of identity. When we That which is the finest essence—this whole view ourselves as world has that as its soul. That is Reality. That “only human” we pray is the Self. That art thou. Chandogya Upanishad to GOD from a 6.8.7 consciousness of powerlessness. When You, therefore, must be perfect, as your we realize our Divine heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48 Identity, we pray from the Divine “…say to all the congregation of the people of Consciousness. Israel, You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God Linda Martella-Whitsett am holy. Leviticus 19:1-2

How might you describe your Divine Identity without personifying the Divine? ? ? ? Why pray if you believe your nature is Divine?

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Session 1 continued

God is Spirit, and Spirit is located and appears wherever it is recognized by an intelligent entity. It thus follows that whoever gives his attention to Spirit and seals his identification with it by his word, starts a flow of Spirit life and all the attributes of Spirit in and through his consciousness. To the extent that he practices identifying himself with the one and only source of existence he becomes Spirit, until finally the union attains a perfection in which he can say with Jesus, “I and the Father are one.” Charles and Cora Fillmore, Teach Us to Pray, p. 93

Definition of Prayer

* FILLMORE CHARLES, THE REVEALING WORD, Pages 152-153

!PRAYER* — Communion between God and man; this communion takes place in the innermost part of man’s being. It is the only way to cleanse and perfect the consciousness and thus permanently heal the body.

!Prayer is the most highly accelerated mind action known. It steps up mental action until man’s consciousness synchronizes with the Christ Mind. It is the language of spirituality; when developed it makes man master in the realm of creative ideas.

!Prayer is more than supplication. It is an afﬁrmation of Truth that eternally exists, but which has not yet come into consciousness. It comes into consciousness not by supplication but by afﬁrmation.

!Do no supplicate or beg God to give you what you what you need, but get still and think about the inexhaustible resources of inﬁnite Mind, its presence in all its fullness, and its constant readiness to manifest itself for you when its laws are complied with. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Seek ye ﬁrst his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).

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Session 1 continued

It is necessary to pray believing that we have received because God is all that we desire. The good always exists in Divine Mind as ideas, and we bring it into manifestation through the prayer of faith, afﬁrmation, praise, and acknowledgement.

!All through the Scriptures, the different attitudes of mind necessary in prayer are pointed out. We are told to be instant in prayer, to pray with the Spirit, to pray in understanding. We have thought that prayer was something we could go to, in any way, at any time. But we have learned that to get results, we must pray with persistence and understanding, and with faith. This practice establishes a consciousness where doubt cannot enter. Jesus was in this consciousness. Is it possible for the ordinary man? Yes. But he must watch and pray. He must not only pray; he must watch also.

In your own words, deﬁne prayer.

Fillmore says, “When you turn your attention to Spirit your mind ? makes contact with a realm of ideas very much above the level ? of your common thinking.” (Teach...p. 85) You are lifted up and then able to make statements of Truth. How do ? you do this in prayer?

Seven Necessary Conditions for True Prayer Charles Fillmore 1. God should be recognized as Father. 2. Oneness with God should be acknowledged. 3. Prayer must be made within, in “the secret place” (Psalms 91). 4. The door must be closed on all thoughts and interest of the outer world. 5. The one who prays must believe that he has received. 6. The kingdom of God must be desired above all things, and sought ﬁrst. 7. The mind must let go of every unforgiving thought.

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Session 1 continued

What does it mean to you to recognize God as “Father”?

? How do you believe that you have received? ? What is the kingdom of God and why would we want to ? desire it above all things, and seek it ﬁrst?

Preparation for Session 2

Read Session 2 in workbook. Read How to Pray Without Talking to God, chapters 2 and 5

Select a prayer partner from class. Using “Shared Affirmative Prayer” process (located in the final pages of the text and downloadable at www.ur-divine.com) pray together once in the week ahead.

My deepest desire is for each of us to realize all that GOD is, we are. Although to some readers this may appear an outrageous, even blasmphemous assertion, to me it is the key to afﬁrmative prayer. GOD cannot be diminished when we assert our Divine Identity. To the contrary, GOD appears bigger, brighter, and more glorious when we bring into visibility the invisible GOD. Linda Martella-Whitsett

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SESSION 2

Affirmative Prayer Role of Faith Five Phases of Prayer The Silence Readings How to Pray Without Talking to God, chapters 2 and 5

We are dealing with prayer not as a religious act or a theological exercise, but as a personal experience of oneness, something that we do, not for God, but in and for ourselves, something we do to lift ourselves to a transcendental awareness of God. Eric Butterworth, The Universe is Calling, p. 62

Affirmative Prayer Characteristics of Traditional Prayer:

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Session 2 continued

Characteristics of Affirmative Prayer:

In Teach Us to Pray, p. 159, Fillmore teaches: “Do not supplicate and beg God to give you what you need, but realize, afﬁrm, and absolutely know that your supreme mind is functioning right now in ? God-Mind itself and that your thought substance and spiritual substance of the Most High are amalgamated and blended into one perfect whole that is ow being made manifest i the very ? thing you are asking for.” Explain in your own words. Faith is necessary as a condition of prayer; yet faith is the ? fruit of prayer. Describe a time when you realized greater faith as a result of praying.

Five Phases of Prayer

Relaxation: Cultivate “a calm state of mind and a relaxed condition of body. It is said, ‘You cannot pour into a vessel already full.’ This is true of the individual whose mind and body are already preoccupied with some tense or strenuous state of mind or feeling.” (E. V. Ingraham, The Silence, p. 17)

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Session 2 continued

“Relaxation practice enjoins body and mind in a comfortable and conscious state of being. Restful, yet awake; relaxed, yet attentive.” Linda Martella-Whitsett, How to Pray Without Talking to God, p. 118.

______

Concentration: “Concentration…The centering of the attention on a particular idea. Concentration forms a mental loadstone in the mind to which thought substance rushes like iron ﬁlings to a magnet, bringing the forces, whether mental or physical, to a common purpose.” Charles Fillmore, The Revealing Word, p. 39-40.

“Concentrated attention of the mind on an idea of any kind is equal to prayer and will make available the spiritual principle that is its source in proportion to the intensity and continuity of the mental effort." Charles Fillmore, Jesus Christ Heals, p. 48.

______

Meditation: “Continuous and contemplative thought; to dwell mentally on anything; realizing the reality of the Absolute; a steady effort of the mind to know God; man’s spiritual approach to God. The purpose of meditation is to expand the consciousness Christward; to bring into realization divine Truth; to be transformed in spirit, soul, and body by the renewing of the mind.” Charles Fillmore, The Revealing Word, p. 131.

“...there is nowhere to go in meditation. It is not trying to get into something or out of something or up to something And it is not trying to do something. Actually, it is not doing...I prefer to use the term the silence instead of meditation, for it puts the emphasis on a state of consciousness, instead of amental exercise.” Eric Butterworth, The Universe is Calling, p. 78.

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Session 2 continued

“The word is powerful, but the silence is more powerful. The silence is the Presence of God.” Sue Sikking, Only Believe,. p. 138.

______

Realization: “The one way to enter the realm of the fourth dimension, or of realization, is through scientiﬁc prayer, commonly named the silence.” Charles Fillmore, Keep a True Lent, p. 170.

“The deep inner conviction and assurance of the fulﬁllment of an ideal…the dawning of Truth in the consciousness… It is the inner conviction that prayer has been answered, although there is as yet no outer manifestation.” Charles Fillmore, The Revealing Word, p. 164.

“Spiritual realization is the fruit of prayer... Realization occurs when truth becomes real to you, no longer theoretical...A truth idea you had intellectually understood to be true now reveals its expansive meaning and implications and how you can use it in daily living.” Linda Martella- Whitsett, How to Pray Without Talking to God, p. 123.

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Appreciation: “True thanksgiving may be likened to rain falling upon ready soil, refreshing it and increasing its productiveness.” Charles Fillmore, The Revealing Word, p. 192.

“Gratitude is a spiritual enzyme that hastens the fulﬁllment of your prayer of faith.” Charles Roth, Mind: The Master Power, p. 6.

“Instead of a supplication, prayer should be a jubilant thanksgiving. This method of prayer quickens the mind miraculously, and, like a mighty magnet, draws out the spiritual qualities that transform the whole man when they are given expression in mind, body and affairs. Charles Fillmore, Christian Healing, p. 76.

“There is a something about the mental act of thanksgiving that seems to carry the human mind far beyond the region of doubt into the clear atmosphere of faith and trust, where ‘all things are possible’ ” H. Emilie Cady, Lessons in Truth, p. 134.

______

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Session 2 continued

The Silence is a state of non-awareness, no thought. If you think you are in the Silence, you are not. After a session of prayer, how do you know whether ? you have been in the Silence? ? Discuss differences between daydreaming, napping, and ? resting in the Silence.

Preparation for Session 3

Read Session 3 in workbook. Read How to Pray Without Talking to God, chapter 3

Bring a favorite traditional prayer with you next session.

Practice daily prayer, including 15 minutes in the Silence.

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SESSION 3

Power of the Word Reforming Prayer Language Readings How to Pray Without Talking to God, chapter 3

This is the purpose of afﬁrmative prayer, to think again, to speak another Power of the Word word, an empowering word. The Spoken Word Linda Martella-Whitsett

Explain the following statements:

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Teach Us to Pray, p. 74 and How to Pray Without Talking to God, p. 48-49)

The Healing Word

“You are made whole.” (Teach Us to Pray, p. 165 and How to Pray Without Talking to God, p. 129)

“The Word does not heal anything.” (Teach Us to Pray, p. 172 and How to Pray Without Talking to God, p. 137-138)

Thou Shalt Decree

“We form by our word the world in which we live.” (Teach Us to Pray, p. 77 and How to Pray Without Talking to God, p. 50-54)

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Session 3 continued

Revealing Words

Creative Words

Formative Words

Here is a practical approach to afﬁrmative prayer that is compatible with an evolving understanding of GOD (Divine Nature) and the Power of the Word. Instead of talking to GOD, we acknowledge Divine Nature and our Divine Identity, knowing Oneness. Instead of asking GOD to change us, other people, or our conditions, we afﬁrm the highest truth revealed in the moment. Instead of saying “thank you” to GOD, we feel and express appreciation i many other ways. Linda Martella-Whitsett

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Session 3 continued

Describe a time when your words had powerful effects. ? Fillmore described “the kingdom of Spirit life” in Teach...p. 74. ? Explain why it is important to spiritualize your words. Employing the lessons in this week’s reading, update the ? words of a familiar prayer such as The Lord’s Prayer, the Prayer of St. Francis, The Prayer of Faith, or one of your favorites.

Preparation for Session 4

Read Session 4 in workbook. Read How to Pray Without Talking to God, chapter 4

Also recommended: The Universe is Calling, chapters 6 and 8

Using this week’s lesson as a foundation, write your own Daily Word message.

Practice daily prayer, including 15 minutes in the Silence.

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SESSION 4

Denials and Afﬁrmations Readings How to Pray Without Talking to God, chapter 4

Teach Us To Pray Denial, also named release or renunciation, The Unreality of Error is dis-identiﬁcation with, repudiation of, and elimination of thoughts and beliefs that we realize are contrary to spiritual Truth… True Denials denial corrects consciousness. True denial erases belief in only-human consciousness. Linda Martella-Whitsett

Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Matthew 15:13

Every thought has life and substance. When we think about material things and conditions as being real and having power, we give them the life and substance of our thought. Myrtle Fillmore, How to Let God Help You, p. 119

By denial we mean declaring not to be true a thing that seems true. H. Emilie Cady, Lessons in Truth

Do not deny ______or ______.

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Session 4 continued

Deny: Belief in Negative permanence of interpretations conditions

Identiﬁcation Agreement with with conditions collective consciousness

Misguided beliefs

How to Practice Denial

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Session 4 continued

The origin of my life is not my body or my circumstances. I am not my conditions. Nothing can take over my Divine Identity. No temporary condition could possibly deﬁne me or limit the fullness of my Divine Life. Linda Martella-Whitsett

How do you recognize a need for denials? What happens in your body, mind, and emotions when ? you are, shall we say, full of it? ? Distinguish psychological denial from spiritual denial. ? Share with others a success story in your practice of denial.

Afﬁrmations

An affirmation is a positive and orderly statement of Truth…By affirmation we claim and appropriate that which is ours. Charles Fillmore, Keep a True Lent, page 142.

Our affirmations are for the purpose of establishing in our consciousness a broad understanding of the principles on which all life and existence depend. Charles Fillmore, Prosperity, page 56.

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Session 4 continued

An affirmation is a declaration of spiritual Truth that, when we speak it, fixes our attention on Truth. An affirmation is a structure of support in the way an anchor holds a boat steady in its position on the water. An affirmation is a claim on Truth, our demand on Truth to establish itself in mind and heart. An affirmation rightfully follows a denial of a limiting or negative belief. Linda Martella-Whitsett

Qualities of effective afﬁrmations

How to create effective afﬁrmations

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Denials and Afﬁrmations Worksheet Facts

______I Feel

______I Mistakenly Believed

______I Deny

______I Afﬁrm

______I Promise to Live the Afﬁrmation

______

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Session 4 continued

Create a list of evocative, potent words describing Divine Nature (GOD) to use as a basis for your affirmations. ? Working with a current circumstance (facts), examine your feelings and beliefs regarding the circumstance. Write denials ? and affirmations leading to realization of your True Nature. Commit to one action that will demonstrate your realization ? (refer to Denials and Affirmations Worksheet).

Preparation for Session 5

Read Session 5 in workbook. Read How to Pray Without Talking to God, chapters 6 and 7

Complete the Denials and Affirmations Worksheet

Practice daily prayer, including 15 minutes in the Silence.

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SESSION 5 Type to enter text Healing and Wholeness Prosperity Harmony Readings How to Pray Without Talking to God, chapters 6 and 7

The number one intention for which most people pray is healing. We have established that wholeness is natural to us, because wholeness is an aspect of Divine Nature and therefore our Divine Identity. When we pray for healing, we actually seek to be reminded of our essential wholeness. Linda Martella-Whitsett

What is Wholeness?

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Session 5 continued

The spiritually developed soul gives thought and attention to these apparently invisible yet powerful forces, and by repeated mental contacts it uniﬁes spirit, soul, and body in the one Mind, which sustains and uniﬁes all things.” Charles and Cora Fillmore, Teach Us to Pray, p. 108.

God is Spirit. God is the source of all that we are, hence the source of life, substance, and intelligence. The one and only substance out of which all things are formed is right here at all times, awaiting our recognition of it in its spiritual freedom. When we do recognize it in the simple faith that it will carry out our demands, we are doing just what Jesus did. Teach Us to Pray, p. 94

The intelligence that created your body knows how to repair it. Get still, relax, turn your attention to the sustaining life forces within your organism. Teach Us to Pray, p. 105.

God is life, and life is whole. Life can only seek to express and perfect life. So if you pray for life, life can only say “Yes!” What can life know but life? Can light know darkness? Can air know a vacuum? Thus, your prayer, for life or for health, must be your commitment to get into the spirit of life. Let your prayer say “Yes!” to life: “I am an ever-unfolding expression of perfect life. Eric Butterworth, The Universe is Calling, p. 91.

Tell of a time you succeeded to overcome negativity by devoted attention to the invisible yet powerful forces described by Fillmore. ? Consciousness is pivotal, meaning we view our experience either from an “only human” perspective or from our Divine ? Identity. What spiritual practices do you engage in that support your remembrance of Divine Identity?

? God does not heal. Explain.

Final assignment: create a prayer prescription and follow it for seven consecutive days.

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Session 5 continued

Prayer Prescriptions Prayer with Five daily practices during times of healing wholeness in mind is acknowledgment Meditation of the incorruptible, uninterruptible nature of Divine Life. Prayer is asserting mental order into a chaotic consciousness. Linda Martella- Education Whitsett

Introspection

Inspiration

Afﬁrmation

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For information, ordering, and booking events contact

Linda Martella-Whitsett www.ur-divine.com [email protected] 210-380-1867

Certain materials in this guidebook are copyrighted, including Denials and Afﬁrmations Worksheet, Prayer Prescriptions, and text from How to Pray Without Talking to God: moment by moment, choice by choice (Hampton Roads Publishing, 2011). Appreciatively provided by Linda Martella- Whitsett for students and teachers of Unity’s Life of Prayer SEE course. 28

Charles Fillmore on Prayer (from The Revealing Word)

Prayer — Communion between God and man; this communion takes place in the innermost part of man’s being. It is the only way to cleanse and perfect the consciousness and thus permanently heal the body.

Prayer is the most highly accelerated mind action known. It steps up mental action until man’s consciousness synchronizes with the Christ Mind. It is the language of spirituality; when developed it makes man master in the realm of creative ideas.

Prayer is more than supplication. It is an affirmation of Truth that eternally exists, but which has not yet come into consciousness. It comes into consciousness not by supplication but by affirmation.

Do no supplicate or beg God to give you what you what you need, but get still and think about the inexhaustible resources of infinite Mind, its presence in all its fullness, and its constant readiness to manifest itself for you when its laws are complied with. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).

All through the Scriptures, the different attitudes of mind necessary in prayer are pointed out. We are told to be instant in prayer, to pray with the Spirit, to pray in understanding. We have thought that prayer was something we could go to, in any way, at any time. But we have learned that to get results, we must pray with persistence and understanding, and with faith. This practice establishes a consciousness where doubt cannot enter. Jesus was in this consciousness. Is it possible for the ordinary man? Yes. But he must watch and pray. He must not only pray; he must watch also.

These are the seven necessary conditions for true prayer:

1. God should be recognized as Father 2. Oneness with God should be acknowledged. 3. Prayer must be made within, in “the secret place” (Psalms 91). 4. The door must be closed on all thoughts and interest of the outer world. 5. The one who prays must believe that he has received. 6. The kingdom of God must be desired above all things, and sought first. 7. The mind must let go of every unforgiving thought.

Prayer, Chamber Of— "Enter into thy inner chamber and . . . shut thy door" (Matt. 6:6). The inner chamber is the "secret place of the Most High" (Psalms 91:1). It is the very depths of a man's consciousness. To enter it is to turn the attention from the without to the within. To "shut thy door" is to still the senses and close the mind against every disturbing exterior thought.

PO Box 610, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063 816.524.7414 www.uwsi.org / www.unityworldwideministries.org

Prayer, Intercessory— The 17th chapter of John is known as the intercessory prayer. In this chapter Jesus first prayed for Himself, then for His apostles, and then for all who would accept salvation through Him, which prayer is extended to all generations.

"And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world" (John 17:5, 6). "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me" (John 17:9). "Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me" (John 17:20).

Prayer For Health— This prayer is the one most quickly answered, because natural laws that create and sustain the body are really divine laws. When man silently asks for the intervention of Spirit in restoring health, he is calling into increased activity the natural forces of the body. Through prayer the mind is renewed and the body transformed.

PRAISE— Praise is the quality of mind that eulogizes the good; one of the avenues through which spirituality expresses.

The purpose of praise is to awaken in ourselves a higher realization of the omnipresence and power of God. Prayer and praise change man, not God. The mental attitude that praise sets up stimulates, quickens, whirls into action, and finally establishes in character the ideals of which they are the vehicle.

Through an inherent law of mind action we increase whatever we praise. The whole creation responds to praise, and is glad. Animals and children quickly respond to praise. One can praise a weak body into strength, a fearful heart into peace and trust, shattered nerves into poise and power, a failing business into prosperity and success, want and insufficiency into supply and support.

We make practical application of the law of praise by giving thanks always for all things, recognizing that "to them that love God all things work together for good" (Rom. 8:28).

PO Box 610, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063 816.524.7414 www.uwsi.org / www.unityworldwideministries.org

How to Write a DAILY WORD Message

Daily Word is Unity’s most popular periodical. In a way, it is our “mission.” It is published in different languages and distributed around the world. Typical reader comments include: “If it were not for Daily Word…” or, “I need to read Daily Word everyday otherwise my whole day becomes a mess!” We probably have said something similar.

How would it be for you to write your own Daily Word message? That is my invitation and my assignment for you this week.

Each Daily Word message contains: • 1-2 word topic that serves as the title • Denial and affirmation • 200-250 word message on the topic • Bible verse that is appropriate for the topic and message

Steps to take (you don’t necessarily need to do these in this exact order): • Pray for wisdom and clarity.

• Search for a topic that allows you to provide motivation, comfort, encouragement, wisdom and/or passion.

• Identify a key word that sets the tone of your message.

• Write down some ideas that you might like to read or that might give you comfort and/or encouragement.

• Write your message.

• Use a Bible quote that will support your ideas. Be sure to see if the context of the scripture supports your message.

• Create a denial and affirmation to be expressed 1st person, present tense and very positive. Ex. “I release feelings of less-than. I AM an expression of God”

• Reread the whole content to see that it flows.

• Give thanks for inspiration.

PO Box 610, Lee’s Summit, MO 64063 816.524.7414 www.uwsi.org / www.unityworldwideministries.org

TEACH US TO PRAY

By Charles and Cora Fillmore

Originally from Unity School Of Christianity

Unity Village, Missouri

FORWARD

When Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray He warned them against making a display of their praying in order to be seen of men.

They should retire to their "inner chamber" and pray to the Father who sees in secret and rewards openly. Then He said, "After this manner therefore pray." The Lord's Prayer was given as a sample: not to be followed literally. It is a petition according to the American revision; but according to Fenton's translation it is a series of affirmations, as follows:

"Our Father in the Heavens; Your Name must be being hallowed; "Your kingdom must be being restored; "Your will must be being done, both in Heaven and upon the Earth. “ Give us to-day our to-morrow's bread; "And forgive us our faults, as we forgive those offending us, for You would not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from its evil." As in all matters where we seek divine help we are free to use any words we choose or no words at all. "Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, Uttered or unexpressed."

Prayer in man is a conscious expression of the upward trend of nature found everywhere. So every impulse or desire of the soul for life, love, light, is a prayer.

Eliphaz repeated a prayer formula when he said, "Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee."

Jesus put the same idea in these words: "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do."

All growth and unfoldment from atom to sun is based upon this law of soul urge.

What you earnestly desire and persistently affirm will be yours, if you "faint not."

When we frame our desires in sound words and place them before our indwelling Lord, we are using intelligently the supreme law of God in bringing into manifestation that which He has implanted in us.

A prayer without desire in it, a prayer without sincerity in it, a prayer without soul in it, a prayer without Spirit in it is a fruitless prayer.

But above all practice the presence of God in prayer. Divine Mind has given us all potentialities, in prayer we recognize it as the source of these, and with a right understanding of our relation to it our soul grows great with infinite capacity, all potentiality. "With God all

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things are possible." "All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine."

We have been so persistently taught that prayer consists in asking God for some human need that we have lost sight of our spiritual identity and have become a race of praying beggars. God is Spirit in whom we "live, and move, and have our being." We are the offspring of this Spirit and can make conscious contact with it by turning our attention away from material things and thinking about Spirit. As we practice this kind of prayer our innate Spirit showers its life energies into our conscious mind and a great soul expansion follows.

Jesus described this in the following words: "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee."

This "inner chamber" of the soul has been variously named by Scripture writers. It is called the "secret place of the Most High" and the "holy of holies," and Jesus named it "the Father...in me" and "the kingdom of God...within you." What we need to know above all is that there is a place within our soul where we can consciously meet God and receive a flood of new life into not only our mind but also our body.

This understanding shows us that prayer is more than asking God for help in this physical world; it is in its highest sense the opening up in our soul of an innate spiritual umbilical cord that connects us with the Holy Mother, from whom we can receive a perpetual flow of life. This is the beginning of eternal life for both soul and body, the essential teaching of Jesus, which He demonstrated in overcoming death.

We have earnestly sought to know and tell others how to pray, and this book is our very best exposition of the subject. Language has not yet been invented to tell all the wonders that we have found since we began opening our minds to the Spirit in prayer. We have discovered enough to convince us that the body can be so charged with spiritual life through prayer that it will overcome death, as promised by Jesus Christ.

Do not enlarge the defects of this book until they darken its truths, but accept the urge to begin the practice of prayer and through it make contact with the source of your being. Thus you will prove that, as Job wisely taught. "There is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding."

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Chapter 4

Healing Through the Prayer of Faith

Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. --James

This is a very definite and wonderful promise. According to the record, it was undoubtedly acted upon by the disciples and proved to be very effective for hundreds of years. That this mighty promise still stands is proved by unnumbered thousands of Jesus' followers today. Faith healing through prayer has become a practice founded on principles that never fail when rightly applied. Those who seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness are having all things added, as promised. When we "take with us words" and attempt to go into God's presence, our faith in Him is the power that swings wide open the gate that leads into the inner kingdom.

But in order to keep the gate ajar it is a daily necessity to withdraw into this deep stillness of the soul. Listen first to the innate voice of faith; then through the centers within the subconsciousness you can appropriate the life, substance, and intelligence of Being.

Man builds up an enduring state of faith by repeated realizations of Truth.The illumination thus gained comes forth in man as spiritual understanding expressed in sound words.

Faith draws upon substance. Dynamic, creative, transforming power is roused to spiritual action when man affirms his unity with Almightiness and his undaunted faith in its power.

"Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say.” “Concerning the works of my hands, command ye me."

Man must not only be submissive and obedient to the divine law; he must also realize that he is the offspring of the ruler of the universe.

When asking the Father for that which belongs to the Son under the divine law, man should assume the power and dignity of the Prince of Peace. He should not crawl and cringe before an imaginary king on a throne but rather feel that he is the image of an invisible being who has created him to represent His mightiness as well as His loving-kindness. We should affirm with conviction those mighty words uttered by Jesus: "All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth."

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The prayer of faith is not supplication, a begging God to give things to man.

Prayer at its highest is the entry of the ego through faith into a realm of mind forces that when rightly contacted change the character of every cell in brain and body. One who has mastered even the primary technique of prayer has made contact with the spiritual ethers that connect all minds, high and low, and by means of which great reforms for the good of man can be projected into the world's thought ether.

When Jesus prayed, sometimes the whole night long, He did not plead with God over and over to do what He asked. Through positive faith Jesus was laying hold of new ideas, which through His spiritual understanding He incorporated into His consciousness, which included both soul and body. Through this mental process He became a living demonstration of spiritual man.

Today Jesus Christ is our helper and teacher. Every man when he prays should recognize and take advantage of this truth. He can profit much by realizing that the same Spirit is in him that was in Jesus, who became the Christ. Paul wrote, "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you."

Jesus is teaching us today that to pray effectively we must believe and know that there is a dispenser of the thing asked for and that by reaching out in prayer we can receive it from the one great source. This is truly the prayer of faith. "All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

Faith, the conviction of a higher providing source, is based upon spiritual logic or innate reason and on the certainty that an all-wise and all-powerful Creator's plan includes necessary provision for His offspring. Among even the primitive forms of nature this providing law is active. The insect stores food in the egg for the sustenance of its progeny. When man emerges from his animal consciousness and feels within him the stirring of Spirit, he finds that it is supremely logical and true that Spirit has provided for his supply and support.

When we have achieved spiritual realization of our prayer and our innermost soul is satisfied, we have the assurance that the thing is accomplished in Spirit and must become manifest.

We may continue in our realization of faith until the whole consciousness responds and the instantaneous demonstration takes place.

Spiritual Truth, psychology, and science tell us that visible things come from the invisible and are dependent upon the unseen for their existence. The sense mind cannot conceive of this. "But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding."

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Before man can fully appreciate and work the spiritual law, he must cultivate a consciousness of reality. When he does this, he finds he is automatically working with God, through Christ, and that he can say with Jesus, "My Father worketh even until now, and I work."

Prayer is impotent and unfruitful when the one who prays is without the firm belief that his petitions are answered. When man turns wholeheartedly to God, the prayer of faith brings forth abundantly. Healing currents of life are freed and flow into and through soul and body, healing, redeeming, and uplifting the whole man. Since the prayer of faith is the activity of divine love, let us pray without ceasing, knowing that God hears and grants our petitions.

Truly the Lord is in the midst of us. When we turn toward the omnipresent light of Spirit in faith, our eyes are opened to the astonishing fact that this seemingly material body and these temporal surroundings conceal the immanent God. We come to understand what Jacob meant when he said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

In prayer attention is the concentration of the mind upon a statement of Truth. Attention is focalizing the I AM or inner entity upon a word of prayer, until the inner meaning is realized and the soul is aware of a definite spiritual uplift. As a lens focalizes the sun's rays at a given point--and we know how intense that point of light may become--so concentration focalizes the mind on a single idea until it becomes manifest and objective.

In concentration the Holy Spirit works through the divine mother substance to bring forth the fruits of Divine Mind. The Holy Spirit is the teacher. The teacher and the student use the same principles; but the teacher arouses and inspires the student to greater achievement. The Holy Spirit today is urging us to greater spiritual effort.

When we direct the mental powers upon a definite idea, faith plays its part; it is involved in concentration. As we give attention to the idea through one- pointed mind concentration, we break into a realm of finer mind activity, called faith or the fire of Spirit. Thus faith opens the door into an inner consciousness, where we hold the word steadily in mind until the spiritual ethers respond to our word. Earnest, steady, and continued attention along this line is bound to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit in abundant measure. A steady, unwavering devotion of heart and principle to Spirit develops in us supermind qualities.

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