Prayer For an Inner Serenity of Heart and Mind

The Serenity Prayer – A Prayer for Acceptance and for Guidance

I want to share a simple and beautiful prayer of acceptance called the serenity prayer. We pray this prayer and fall into a place of acceptance in our lives.

The Serenity Prayer

Dear God, Grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

the courage to change the things I can;

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Amen.

The original serenity prayer was by Reinhold Niebuhr, and includes further lines.

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This prayer for acceptance and guidance for change became famous when it was adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other twelve-step programs.

Click to read for a spirituality article by an author who found her spirituality through AA.

An Affirmation For Acceptance and Courage

The serenity prayer can also be said as an affirmation:

The Serenity Prayer Affirmation

I have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can;

and the wisdom to know the difference.

In difficult times, living with hardship, I practised meeting the frustration and not-knowing with this prayer for guidance and acceptance.

I was willing to switch from fear and desperation to trust.

Practice and willingness are good words 🙂

It can be so hard to know the difference between those things in our life we need to make an effort to change, and those things we need to meet with acceptance.

It brings me comfort to hand over the decision and ask God to guide me.

There are times when it certainly doesn't feel I have the wisdom!

Acceptance Vs Resignation

When life is difficult, we can be reluctant to accept things as they are. We think if we do so, they will just stay the same. But acceptance is not the same thing as resignation.

It is a paradox, but when we truly sink into the present moment and accept things as we are, our lives can shift in quite magical ways.

By saying the serenity prayer we are choosing to have a moment in which we are willing to believe:

I can handle this. God can handle this.

There is an answer even if I don't know what it is just yet.

The Universe responds to our trust.

Living With Illness – Help, I Don't Know What To Do!

When you are living with chronic illness, particularlyan illness which requires energy management Myalgic Encephalomyelitis /CFSit can be so hard to know what you need to change and what you need to accept.

In any moment, we can ask: “Do I need to rest or to keep active?” “Do I avoid what I am allergic to or expose myself to it?”

“Is it right to try the next treatment or to rest and live the life available to me?”

When I had very severe ME, I would often find myself saying: “I don't know what to do.”

I learned to watch out for these words and replace them with the serenity prayer.

Here is another affirmation for spiritual guidance.

I know what to do and I know the order in which to do it.

I said this short affirmation prayer for guidance a lot!!! each time I found myself saying: “Aaargh, what can I do?” “Everything I do seems to be the wrong thing.”

I aimed to switched my thoughts and replace them with:

I know what to do and I know the order in which to do it.
Amen

I would say the affirmation for guidance and be willing to rest in the space of trusting God for the guidance I needed.

To put it another way, I am willing to access the part of me that is always in touch with Divine guidance and always knows what to do.

I hold a place for you to touch that place of knowing right now:

You know what to do and you know the order in which to do it. God is guiding you from a place of infinite knowing.

Amen.

Articles on a-spiritual-journey-of-healing relevant to The Serenity Prayer:

• There is a FREE ebook available on this spiritual website on ReleasingJudgement – Forgiveness Exercises for Self And Acceptance and Inner Peace.The free book outlines a powerful technique I developed to help mefind peace and acceptance in difficult situations, receive guidance and forgivemy way out.

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Источник: //www.a-spiritual-journey-of-healing.com/the-serenity-prayer.html

Inner Healing Prayer Heals The Painful Scenes In Your Heart and Mind

Inner healing is one of the most powerful prayer approaches we use. It is inviting Jesus into the scene of a painful memory, looking and then seeing Him appear on the screen inside our mind. We invite Him to move freely, tune to flow and watch the flowing pictures (vision) and receive flowing thoughts (His voice).

Patti’s mom had just died within the last two days, and all Patti could see in her mind’s eye was the last time she had visited her mom in the hospital, which was the day before her death. Patti’s mom was shriveled up in the bed, at 86 pounds or so, and in tremendous physical pain. She was barely conscious.

This was in stark contrast to the way her mom had lived all of Patti’s life. Her mom had been a noble woman with great poise and grace.

So Patti prayed an inner healing prayer. She asked the Lord to let her see her mom as He saw her.

The picture that lit upon Patti’s mind, while in prayer, was her mom in heaven, hand in hand with her dad, who had gone there several years earlier. They were dancing together in a lush green field. They were in the prime of their life. Her dad once again had a full head of hair, and her mom had the BIGGEST smile on her face Patti had ever seen (as her mom had been prone to melancholy).

Wow! All the pain in Patti’s heart vanished immediately and Patti was filled with JOY at seeing them so happy in heaven, and even dancing, which was something their church had never allowed.

“You need to continue to focus on the NEW picture, and NEVER look back at the old picture, if you want the emotions of your heart to remain healed.”

As we know, emotions are by-products of the pictures we gaze upon. So If I don’t the emotions I am experiencing, I simply ask God to help me identify the picture I am looking at in my mind which doesn’t contain Him in it.

That picture, of course, contains a lie, which is that Jesus isn’t present, everywhere, all the time. Since He is omnipresent, He is everywhere I look (Ps. 139:8). I am asking Jesus to show me the truth.

“Lord, where were You in that situation?” The new picture I receive is a picture of Truth.

Pictures containing lies produce negative emotions of fear, anger, hurt and bitterness. Pictures containing Jesus present, moving and speaking produce Kingdom emotions of love, joy and peace.

One skill we want to establish in life is that of abiding in Christ (Jn. 15). This means seeing Him at your side all the time as you walk through the day (Acts. 2:25).  So now when a tense or painful experience arises, we turn to Jesus right on the spot and see what He is doing and experience the release of His presence, emotions and power, right in that moment.

Here is a powerful story of a veteran being healed of 35 years of PSTD through inner healing and deliverance. Here is another testimony: The Most Effective Inner Healing Program on the Planet!

Review the Keys of Inner Healing

Inner Healing Defined: “Allowing God to replace the pictures in the art gallery of your mind, removing pictures that do not have Jesus in them and replacing them with pictures that do have Jesus in them.”

Scripture: We are transformed “while we look” (2 Cor. 3:18; 4:17,18). Seeing what Jesus did and hearing Him, HEALS!!! A picture is worth 1000 words, which is one key reason inner healing is so powerful.

Step 1 – Using vision, go back and see the painful scene for one second ONLY. (You don’t want to be re-traumatized, you just want to be present and feel a bit of the emotion.)

Step 2 – Using vision, invite Jesus into the scene. Look at the pictures that will alight on your inner screen.

Step 3 – Using vision, invite Jesus to move freely. Tune to flowing pictures and thoughts and cooperate as Jesus heals the hurt with His loving presence.

A Biblical example of this three step inner healing process would be the trauma Peter experienced when he denied Jesus three times. This occurred at dawn around a charcoal fire (Matt. 26:69-75).

Jesus healed this trauma by resetting the scene in which the trauma occurred (Jn.

21:2-17 – dawn, charcoal fire and three fold confession) and Jesus ministered love and acceptance into the midst of that trauma, allowing Peter the freedom to go on and fulfill his destiny.

Assignment

In your morning devotions for a number of days, ask Jesus to bring to your attention any painful scenes you are holding within. As they come to your attention, jot them down, and then one by one present them to Jesus, asking to see Him present.

Where does He appear in the scene? What He is doing? Journal out what transpires. Follow and cooperate with His leading. If he is touching you, soak in that touch and feel His energy entering, transforming and healing your body. Forgive and release all involved so your prayers are not hindered (1 Pet.

3:7 – HONOR everyone, rather than judging, despising and hating – Mk. 11:25). As you work with one or two scenes daily in your devotional times, you may find this inner healing prayer process will take you several weeks to complete. Take the time.

“Lord, is there any painful scene from my past that You would to heal today?” When no more scenes float into you attention, this prayer approach is complete for the time being. Move on to additional prayer approaches.

Other Resources

Rita Bennet has a wonderful book, Emotionally Free, which lays out many testimonies of the above approach to inner healing. I actually use the inner healing steps from her book. It was Fr. Matthew Linn, SJ and Dennis Linn who initially introduced us to these steps to inner healing.

See a listing of more than 40 Spirit-anointed ways to pray.

Watch For Free

Right now we are running the Counseled by God video series for free, which includes a segment on Inner Healing Prayer.

Источник: //www.cwgministries.org/blogs/inner-healing-prayer-heals-painful-scenes-your-heart-and-mind

The Serenity Prayer Explained

Posted at 00:01hin Health and Wellness by Jeff1 Comment

The Serenity Prayer is used in recovery worldwide.  In 12 Step recovery, we close out our meetings with it, and in times of strife and struggle often refer back to it’s comforting words. Let’s break down the serenity prayer today and discuss what it really means, for the more that we understand, the better we can put it to use.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

We ask our higher power for serenity

In sobriety, we are constantly reminded to stop trying to control things and to simply live life on life’s terms. To take things as they come without being the grand orchestrator. This was part of our problem all along, wasn’t it? Our attempts to control and dictate our lives regardless of what our Higher Power had planned for us always failed.

Under our own control, our lives crashed and burned. We made mistakes and wrong turns and found ourselves in darkened alleys with no idea how we ended up there. So we must continuously be reminded to relinquish our control to our higher power and to let go.

We ask our Higher Power to give us serenity, to imbue within us a sense of calm and happy resignation so that we stop trying to fight for control.

We accept what we can not change

This concept is in the same vein as the first line of the prayer – we must accept life as it is. We must accept things as they are and not how we want them to be. When we have defined expectations of ourselves and others, the outcome will never be what we plan.

We have to stop trying to change the things that are not within our power and accept the fact that our higher power is in charge. Life is in session and there is no remote to pause or rewind. We have to go with the flow.

It is much harder to fight to swim your way upstream than it is to allow the current to carry you gently in it’s wake. We acknowledge those things which are not within our control and then we give it all up to our higher power.

In times when I find myself trying to run the show so to speak, I say the serenity prayer to remind myself that I must live my life in acceptance and willingness.

We have courage to change what we can

While much of life is not within our control there ARE things that we can choose to change. Our attitudes, our outlooks on life, these are the things that we can control. We can look at life as a battle to be won or a journey to be experienced. We can see events as blessings or curses. Only we have the power as individuals to change our viewpoints and adapt our outlooks.

Life can be beautiful or tragic and it is our choice which will win out. Much of the time changing our mindset takes courage. Walking through things that are uncomfortable or scary takes courage.

The instances that are the scariest and most difficult to walk through are often the ones that are also the most important, and so we look to our higher power to give us the courage to do what we know is right.

We ask for wisdom to know the difference

It can be a struggle to recognize those things which are in our control and the ones that aren’t, especially when our will is strong. If we want something badly, even if deep down we KNOW it is against what our higher power has in store for us, we can easily convince ourselves that it is still one of those things we can control or change.

We have to take time to be quiet and listen and ask our higher power to help us know which things are about our will and which are about our higher power working in our life. Meditation is often a good time to reflect on our choices and to ask for guidance delineating between the two.

When we do not listen to our inner voice and higher power, we often walk down paths not meant for us and find ourselves lost. If you are trying to recognize the difference between the things which you can and can not change, simply take a deep breath, quiet yourself, and then ask if this is God’s will or your own. Listen.

The serenity prayer comes down to how we exercise our free will and in what ways we allow our higher power to work in our lives.

When we can find a balance we will be amazed at how much easier our lives become, but at the times when we are feeling unsure we repeat the serenity prayer to remind us that we are not alone and that all we need to do is look to our higher power, be honest with ourselves, and act accordingly.

Источник: //newlifehouse.com/serenity-prayer-explained/

Serenity Prayer – Applying 3 Truths from the Bible

One of the most popular prayers today is known as the Serenity Prayer. Written by Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971), the prayer was widely used in sermons and Sunday school groups and studies. In the early 40s, the group Alcoholics Anonymous began to use a shortened version of the Serenity Prayer in their twelve step program. 

Serenity Prayer – Full Version (composed in 1940s)

God grant me the serenity  To accept the things I cannot change;  Courage to change the things I can; 

And wisdom to know the difference. 

Living one day at a time;  Enjoying one moment at a time;  Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;  Taking, as He did, this sinful world  As it is, not as I would have it;  Trusting that He will make all things right  If I surrender to His Will;  So that I may be reasonably happy in this life  And supremely happy with Him  Forever and ever in the next. 

Amen.

Shortened Version 

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

3 Biblical Truths We Can Apply to the Serenity Prayer

1. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.”

When life feels control, it’s easy to try to work harder at controlling everything and everyone around us! Some of us do the opposite and just throw our hands up and give up on the situation or person. Whichever extreme you go to, peace and serenity continues to move further from your life. 

Accepting and submitting to God’s control and plan for your life is the only way to find peace in situations you cannot control or change. We may not always know God’s plan but we can let go of trying to orchestrate and manipulate events and people and let God work through us. God promises a supernatural peace when we bring our worries and concerns to Him in prayer.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4:7

“Be still and know that I am God!” – Psalms 46:10

2. “the courage to change the things I can,”

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have received the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is able to supply you with the courage to follow and act upon God’s plan for your life. Instead of fearfully ignoring hard decisions or running from what seems too difficult, we can call upon the power of God for courage to move forward into the full life He has planned for us.

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6 

3. “and, the wisdom to know the difference.”

Wisdom is a gift that God promises to give to those who ask for it! You can grow in wisdom each day and make better decisions as you spend time reading the Bible and communicating with God through prayer. God will tell you, through his Word or answers in prayer, when to accept things and when to take courage to change them. 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” – James 1:5

 “and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:15-17

Adapted from: Single Moms & the Serenity Prayer by Donna Stanger

Share how the Serenity Prayer has encouraged you and how our large community can pray for courage for you in the comments below! 

This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.

Prayer for Healing
Prayer for Strength
Prayer for Protection
Morning Prayers
Good Night Prayers
The Prayer of Jabez
Short Prayers
The Lord's Prayer
The Prayer of St Francis
A Birthday Prayer
Sinner’s Prayer
Prayer for Forgiveness
Prayer for Guidance
Intercessory Prayer
Irish Prayers and Blessings
 

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Источник: //www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/serenity-prayer-applying-3-truths-from-the-bible.html