So not long ago, I wrote a book on the Lord's Prayer, and one of the questions I've gotten on prayer is, is prayer the same thing as manifesting. You might have heard people talking about manifesting today. Well, what's the relationship between prayer and manifesting and to do with bringing your desires, your goals, the things that you dream about into reality. And the way you do this is through your thoughts, changing your thoughts and your thought patterns, your beliefs.

It really depends a lot on this principle of the law of attraction.

You know, if you think positive things, positive things will come to you.

Similarly, if you think negative things, negative things will come to you.

A basic definition of manifesting is something like this.

Manifesting is the act of making something happen by imagining it and consciously thinking that it will happen.

It's interesting because a lot of people are talking about this today, social media influencers, sort of new agey, but back in 2006, there was a book called The Secret that basically argued the same thing. The Secret argues that the law of attraction operates within the universe and that you become what you attract. And so positive things happen to positive people and negative things happen to negative people.

Here's how the author put it in her words.

Every human being is a creator and they are creating their life.

So it's not that our thoughts are powerful, it's that we are powerful. And so when we focus on a thought

and we really hold that focus, that thought will manifest in our life.

Really interesting. So you are a creator and you are powerful. And what you're doing through, you know, changing your thought patterns is you're manifesting your dreams, your desires, your will.

Manifesting puts you in the shoes of the creator. You're the one through your power who is creating this reality.

And in Christian theology, there's a really important distinction that's always been emphasized the distinction between the creature and the creator.

And this actually, I think, is something that makes the idea of manifesting in some sense satanic.

I mean, it's just out there because it puts you in the shoes of the creator.

It has you thinking.

It's by your power that you're going to bring about this great reality, whatever it is.

And the fact of the matter is there's no evidence to support this idea of manifesting.

Well, how is this different from prayer?

Prayer in the Bible is focused on God's will.

Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord's prayer.

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