Allan Kardec-THE Spirit's Book_ The Principles of Spiritist Doctrine (1989)

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660. Does prayer make men better?
THE SPIRITS’ BOOK
"Yes; for lie who prays with fervour and confidence has more strength for withstanding the
temptations of evil, and for obtaining from God the help of good spirits to assist him in so
doing. Such help is never refused when asked for with sincerity."
- How is it that persons who pray a great deal are sometimes very unnameable, jealous,
envious, and harsh, wanting in benevolence and forbearance, and even extremely vicious?
"What is needed is not to pray a great deal, but to pray aright. Such persons suppose that all
the virtue of prayer is in its length, and shut their eyes to their own defects. Prayer, for them,
is an occupation, a means of passing their time, but not a study of themselves. In such cases,
it is not the remedy that is inefficaceous, but the mode in which it is employed."
661. Is there any use in asking God to forgive us our faults?
"God discerns the good and the evil: prayer does not hid faults from His eyes. He who asks of
God the forgiveness of his faults, obtains that forgiveness only through a change of conduct.
Good deeds are the best prayers, for deeds are of more worth than words."
662. Is there any use in praying for others?
"The spirit of him who prays exercises an influence through his desire to do good. By prayer,
he attracts to himself good spirits who take part with him in the good he desires to do."
We possess in ourselves. through our thought and our will, a power of action that extends far beyond the
limits of our corporeal sphere. To pray for' others is ~n act of our will. If our will be ardent and sincere, if
calls good spirits to the aid of the party prayed for, and thus helps him by the suggestion of good
thoughts, and by giving him the strength of body and of soul which he needs. But, in his case also, the
prayer of the heart is everything; that of the lips is nothing.
663. Can we, by praying for ourselves, avert our trials, or change their nature?
"Your trials are in the hands of God, and there are some of them that must be undergone to
the very end; but God always takes account of the resignation with which they are borne.
Prayer calls to your help good spirits who give you strength to bear them with courage. so that
they seem to you less severe. Prayer is never useless when it is sincere, because it gives you
strength, which is, of itself, an important result. 'Heaven helps him who helps himself,' is a
true saying. God could change the order of nature at the various contradictory demands of His
creatures; for