Personal Journey Over Tradition
Not interested in getting into a theological debate with anyone, I am simply sharing an account of my own experiences that have shaped my understanding of spirituality. I firmly believe in emphasizing personal experience over inherited teachings when it comes to matters of the spirit.
Wrestling with Prayer
For more than two decades, I found myself wrestling with the concept of prayer as it was taught to me. My instruction came from a lineage of teachers—each passing down their interpretations and doctrines, until the teachings seemed more like a game of telephone than a direct connection to truth. To me, it was all steeped in personal opinions and perspectives, lacking the authenticity that comes with genuine experience. It wasn’t until I embarked on my own journey that the abstract notions of belief began to crystallize into the certainty of knowing. The transition from “believing” to “knowing” is profound and transformative.
The Example of My Son
I often use the example of my son to illustrate this point. I don’t merely believe he exists; I know he does, because I have seen and experienced him in my life. When you rely solely on the teachings of others, you remain in a state of belief—an echo of someone else’s truth. This was precisely my predicament concerning prayer. I learned to pray as prescribed by those around me—leaders and mentors in my church community—who might have possessed good intentions but, in truth, lacked a true understanding of prayer. They merely echoed what had been taught to them.
Breaking the Cycle
Unfortunately, I fell into the same pattern; I regurgitated teachings as if they were gospel truth, anchoring my convictions on beliefs still rooted in secondhand knowledge. However, as I implemented these lessons in my own life, I found them wanting. The results were inconsistent, often resembling a shot in the dark rather than a dependable practice. When prayers went unanswered, my leaders offered a litany of excuses for my perceived failures, but those justifications never resonated with me.
Questioning My Purpose
I began to question if my life’s purpose was to liberate others from the maddening cycle of religion. As many know, insanity is often defined as doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different outcomes. This accurately captures my historical relationship with religion. I prayed fervently, striving to hit all the right notes—using the correct words at the appropriate times and under the right conditions—yet my prayers often felt fruitless. Curiously, if someone had asked me in those days if my prayers were effective, I would have vehemently defended them, asserting that perhaps I simply didn’t understand God’s plans. To be frank, that rationale was exhausting and felt like a convenient excuse.
Stepping Away from Dogma
In my quest for authenticity, I stepped away from the confines of religious dogma and set off on a search for truth. After serving as a pastor for two decades, I distanced myself from it all. I distinctly recall telling God I would not share another message until I received clear, undeniable answers. The internal conflict was profound; I felt hypocritical preaching faith when people around me were suffering—battling illness, facing financial ruin, or enduring mournful losses.
Re-evaluating My Foundations
I realized my own understanding was built on shaky foundations. I had cherished beliefs shaped by others’ interpretations rather than rooted in my own experiences. The discrepancies and contradictions within scripture became glaringly obvious to me. I knew I needed to unlearn everything I had been taught about God and prayer, to strip away the layers of dogma that had been imposed on me. To accommodate new wisdom, I had to release the old wineskins that housed outdated doctrines.
Encounter with Wisdom
A pivotal moment arrived during a transformative experience when I encountered a radiant angelic being in the form of a woman, embodying a feminine energy I came to know as “Wisdom.” In that space, words were unnecessary. Our connection transcended vocalization, as we communicated through an exchange of energy. Spirit, devoid of physicality, does not utilize mouths or linguistic constructs; instead, we are pure expressions of light, capable of taking on various forms. The spirit of Wisdom I encountered was breathtaking—her figure shimmering effortlessly, with long flowing hair and an ethereal transparency.
Lessons on Spirituality
In that luminous moment, she imparted invaluable lessons about my mission on this earth, revealing the insidious deceptions entrenched in religious teachings that ensnare so many in mental and spiritual bondage.
A New Understanding of Prayer
I learned that spirit communicates through energy, rather than words. This revelation shifted my understanding of prayer. Since this encounter, I taught my community to pray without the words. The universe operates as a mirror, reflecting our internal vibrations into the external world. What we emit energetically within ourselves will be mirrored back to us in our lives. The age-old adage “As within, so without” encapsulates this truth; it’s akin to the biblical phrase “On earth as it is in the heavens.” If you yearn for change, you cannot attempt to alter the world around you—just as you wouldn’t adjust a mirror to change your own reflection. The universe reflects what is occurring within you! Transform yourself, and you transform your existence.
The Power of Internal Energy
I once believed that persistence in prayer would lead to results—that pleading and begging would be rewarded. Yet I discovered that this desperate energy only attracted more situations to experience desperation. You may recite the “right” words, but it’s entirely irrelevant. Words bear no weight in the universe; it’s the energy you carry within that truly matters. You can effectively pray without uttering a single word; it is your internal vibrational frequency that holds the key to your manifestations.
Freedom from Dogma
In this newfound understanding, I found freedom. Free from the chains of dogma, I embraced a true connection to spirit, one that resonated with the energy of my being, aligning me with the genuine essence of prayer.
The Mirror Effect
Whatever you look like in the mirror is what the mirror will reflect. If you are “hoping” for something, you will get more opportunities to not have that thing, thus remaining in the frequency of wanting and hoping. You will never attain it because, once you get it, you won’t be hoping anymore. To receive what you desire, you must not desire it; otherwise, you’ll only attract more situations that keep you in that cycle of desire. You must already possess it to truly have it. If I truly have it, I wouldn’t ask for it; asking signifies a lack.
Embodying Your Desires
Consider how it would feel to already have what you desire. You wouldn’t ask for it; you would simply embody the feeling as if it were already yours. THAT is faith. Faith manifests as the substance of what you hope for, which is not about wishing for something absent in your life. The essence lies in “having it” already. Instead of asking, you would express gratitude to God—without words—through your frequency.
The Frequency of Gratitude
If I’m expressing stress while thanking God with words, I’ll end up attracting more reasons to feel stressed. It isn’t about the words themselves; it’s about the frequency I am emitting that will draw similar experiences. This realization emphasizes the importance of staying in a state of continual prayer. We were misled by well-meaning individuals who simply didn’t “know” any better themselves. They, too, were taught by others. When you take what someone teaches and, through personal experience, can replicate it consistently, that’s when you truly “know” it to be a fundamental truth.
Prayer Beyond Words
Imagine for a minute if you had no brain and could not think or talk but you could still feel. In this profound state, you are stripped of words and thoughts, left with only the raw essence of your feelings. I invite you to consider: if you could only experience emotions and I manifested those emotions back to you in the reality that you see before you, how would you pray if you could only use feelings? This, in essence, is the true nature of prayer—an intimate connection devoid of verbal expression.
The Power of Emotions
Every emotion we carry holds a specific frequency, resonating throughout our being. When we dwell in worry and fear, we unwittingly channel our energy toward inviting misfortune. In this way, you are, in fact, worry is praying for what you do not desire.
Reflecting Your Inner Landscape
Now, imagine standing before a mirror that reflects the depths of your emotional landscape. If I could take those feelings and project them onto your reality—innocent of language, void of conscious thought—what would stare back at you? That mirror embodies your true prayer, your heartfelt intentions, and the vibrations you send into the universe.
Manifesting Your Reality
Your immediate reality is shaped by this unspoken dialogue, where the essence of your feelings creates your world. In this profound understanding lies the power to transform your prayers into something tangible, something beautiful. Embrace the essence of feeling, for therein lies your path to manifesting the life you truly desire.
The Cycle of Desire
If you worry, you get more opportunities to worry. If you hope for something you don’t have, you will never get it; instead, you will only find more chances to hope for that thing. However, if you already “have it, before you have it” It is done. It is finished. It is already yours.
Invitation for Deeper Understanding
I delve deeper into this in my course, “Why am I here?” I aimed to shed light on a complex topic within a brief blog post. I hope this brings comfort to anyone who feels they lack answers when they pray.
Coach Joe