To Grow in the Power of God
 
Thomas Paul

Jesus said , " Very truly , I tell yo , the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and in fact greater works than these , because I am going to the Father" (Jn14:12). Jesus wishes that all of us be filled with God's power and act using that power. That is why he says that he will be with us always. If our ministry and our family life must grow in strength , we must be filled daily with God's power. Or else we shall be active only with our human strength. God does not wish that we do anything by ourselves. God helps us in every act. This strength we receive through our personal prayer. " His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness , through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory goodness" ( 2 Pet 1 :3). We do not pray for the sake of God but for ourselves . When we pray, God's power and his divine nature flow into us. This divine power purifies us and makes us grow spiritually.
 
If we do not pray, we are weakened and easily fall into sin. Our lives can never be a success without the intervention of God's power. We meet with problems when we do not pray accordingly. In Mathew 26:41 Jesus says,"Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." "Not to fall into temptation , watch and pray . Prayer is to awake,to kindle the power of God within us , and to be united with the divine energy. The power of God thus preserves us from falling into temptation. We are weak. The Spirit dwelling within us is always ready to help us in our weakness. That Spirit is the love of the Father and the Son.
 
Jesus says : " Whenever you pray , go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Mt 6:6). This means that we must be united with the Trinitarian God abiding in the cave of our heart. We must pray to the Father who dwells within us. Then the Father who knows in secret will hear us. When we pray let us place our hands on our hearts and address the Father,Son and Holy Spirit dwelling therein. In Mt 7:7 Jesus says, "Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you."
 
If we personally surrender all the problems of our life and our sexuality to the Father, the Father will hear our prayer and shower his gifts on us. That is personal prayer.
 
We learn about personal prayer from the life of Jesus. "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission" (Heb 5:7).
 
In St Mark’s Gospel we find:"In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed" (18:35). His fame spread all the more. People thronged to him to listen to his words and to be healed. As for him he withdrew to lonely places. It was necessary to go off to such places to pray.
 
In Mt 5:13 it is said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot" While Lk14:34 says, "Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?" "All will be tried by fire." Salt is the divine element in our nature. Through our social activities the salt in us flows into others. Thus the saltiness in us becomes less. If through our daily personal prayer this saltiness is increased through the fire of the Holy Spirit, the divine element in us is strengthened and our spiritual energy is sustained.
 
Jesus said: "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart form me you can do nothing"(Jn15:5). This means that if we remain as a branch that draws its sustenance from Jesus, the vine, and are united to him though faith and prayer, we will be able to live a true Christian life. Pray as follows for an hour everyday.
 
 
Personal Prayer
I. Praise the Triune God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit present in heaven and on earth. God my Creator, I praise you. I glorify you. I bless you. O holy Trinity, who art love itself, I praise you...Alleluia Alleluia...

II. Praise the blessed Trinity present in us. Abba, Father, dwelling in me, I praise you. Jesus who dwells within me, I praise you. O Holy Spirit , Comforter, dwelling within me, I praise you. Alleluia, Alleluia (praise spontaneously).

III. Adore the blessed Trinity dwelling within us (Place both hands on the heart and pray with closed eyes).

Abba Father abiding in me, I adore you. Jesus abiding in me, I adore you. O Holy Spirit, helper, abiding within me, I adore you.

IV. Surrender.

Surrender ourselves fully to the blessed Trinity within us.

a. Soul: I surrender my soul to you. I surrender all the impurity and wounds that are an obstacle to the union of my soul with the Spirit of God.

b. Conscience: I surrender my conscience. O Holy Spirit dwelling in me, I surrender all false convictions of my conscience to you.

c. Mind! O blessed Trinity, dwelling in me. I surrender my unconscious mind to you. O blessed Trinity dwelling in me, I surrender my subconscious mind to you. O blessed Trinity, dwelling in me, I surrender my conscious mind to you- all the wounds sustained while in my mother’s womb, the wounds that came from lack of parental love, my sorrow, anxiety, despair, sense of inferiority, resentment, hatred, pride, anger, envy, inordinate sexual desires, worldly desires, my habitual sins...

d. Senses: Surrender all the five senses to the indwelling Trinity.

Eyes: Surrender all the impurity imbibed through our eyes (the cinema, blue films, pornographic books, pictures etc.

Ears: All the impure conversation, songs, idle talk, wounding words that I have heard with my ears.

The tongue. All idle or indecent talk, wounding words that I have uttered .

Sense of smell: All the impurity that has entered my being through the sense of smell.

Sense of touch: the circumstances in which I enjoyed the smell of liquor, cigarette, beedi, perfumes.

Sense of touch: Surrender all the impurity that has entered my being through the sense of touch - the circumstances in which I touched myself or others with impure thoughts, or sexual desries .

e. Thought and imagination. O Holy Spirit, dwelling in me, I surrender my body to you. I surrender the areas of impurity that fill my thinking and imagination.

f. Body: I surrender, O Holy Spirit, dwelling in me every organ of my body, every cell, every muscle, blood vessel, disease germs, my blood, the inclinations to sin my weaknesses.

g. Sexuality: I surrender my sexuality to you, O Holy Spirit, dwelling within me.

h. Other areas: All financial difficulties, problems regarding my job, anxiety about the future, personal relationships, my parents, brothers and sisters, my life-partner, the crises in my marital life, my children, the anxiety about them, my colleagues.

V. Purification: Pray to the Holy Spirit to reveal the wounds and the impurity in each of the areas already surrendered.

O Holy Spirit reveal to me all the wounds and impurity in the inner areas of my being (Praise interiorly for some time in silence).

As each area is revealed, pray that each wound and impurity may be cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus.

Jesus, dwelling in me, cleanse and sanctify this impurity/wound (revealed by the Holy Spirit) with your precious blood. Purify the guilt of my sins and sanctify me (go on praying thus for some time. We will then have the experience of being cleansed).

VI Strengthening: pray to be filled with the fruits, gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit.

The fruits of the Spirit: Love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

The gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, knowledge, understanding, prudence, counsel ,fortitude, fear of the Lord, piety.

The charisms of the Spirit: the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, discernment of spirits, tongues; interpretation, gift of interpretation of tongues, gift of faith, of healing, of miracles and signs, teaching, service, intercession and preaching.

VII Forgive and Love:

Surrender the conscious, the unconscious, the subconscious to the Holy Spirit and pray for the knowledge of anyone whom we have hurt or who has hurt us.

Prayer: O Holy Trinity, dwelling in me, reveal to me the person against whom I have resentment or those who resent me; reveal the events and circumstances associated with them. Picture those people mentally, forgive them in the name of Jesus and release them from their bondage. Accept pardon from their hands and love them. Brother, sister, in the name of Jesus, forgive me, release me from every bondage.

In the name of Jesus I forgive them. In the name of Jesus I release you from your bondage. In the name of Jesus I love your. Holy Spirit, dwelling in me, Spirit of unity, unite us in your love!

VIII Repent of your sins: O Holy Spirit reveal to me my sins. Give me the sense of sin and repentance: Have mercy on me, a sinner . Deliver me from all my sins.

IX Listen to God’s voice though his word: Abba, Father, speak to me through your word ! Prayerfully read a New Testament passage.

X Speak to the indwelling Trinity with eyes closed and hands on heart. Prayer: O God, dwelling in me, speak to me. Your servant is listening.

XI Intercessory prayer: pray for others as the spirit inspires - for the Church ,clergy, parish,evangelisers, those in the ministry of the word, the sick, relatives, those who have requested our prayer.
 
XII Thanksgiving: Thank God for all his gifts.