One thing that I learned about when I was attending Back to Basics sessions was the practice of two-way prayer. Simply put, it’s getting quiet, asking for guidance, and writing whatever comes to mind. When you are done writing, you then examine what you’ve written and test the thoughts against the principles of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love (the original Four Absolutes of the Oxford Groups.)

So far, so good. But here’s where it gets difficult.

You then need to act on the guidance you received.

It’s easy to sit around, getting quiet and journaling and contemplating our navels. But until I do something with what I’ve received, it’s not worth anything. And all of those thoughts that I’ve had, all of these deep spiritual understandings that I’ve received and written, aren’t worth the paper and ink that I’ve used to record them.

If these actions we are planning on taking could have a major effect on others or ourselves, it’s always a good idea to discuss what we are planning with someone, be it a sponsor, minister, spouse, or close friend. Sometimes we are good at fooling ourselves, and we may think that we are hearing the voice of God, but it’s really just our egos looking to kill us.

And, to me, these actions that we take are a part of the prayer process itself. If prayer is simply communicating with the source of all, then we are constantly praying.

So I guess this is really more about listening.

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