“Be very careful what you ask for”, the saying goes, “you just might get it!” I always amend that to “you always get it”. The Bible clearly states “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.” We all ask for things that we think we want. We all have gone looking for things that we thought would make us happy. We all have knocked on the door of experience begging to be admitted only to discover that perhaps what we found was not what we wanted after all.
God answers each and every prayer, wish, and dream that we have and offer up to him. ”If this is true,” you might ask,” then where is the winning lotto ticket that I asked for? Where is the dream job? Why does my mother-in-law still hate me?”   Very good questions, indeed.
The first challenge is to be able to clearly and concisely state what you want and then to hold a clear picture in  your mind of how the desired object, skill, aspect, etc. will affect your life. There are several steps to take in getting even to this point.

1. Deciding what it is you truly want. Many of those who teach the Universal laws of prosperity in workshops, seminars, and in books agree that most people do not spend time to consider the things they want to manifest into their lives. Everyone starts with money, a dream career, or a relationship. One of the things to look at when deciding what to ask for is the underlying aspect of what you desire. For instance, when you ask for money, is it the cold, hard cash that you desire? Or is it rather the freedom that money represents, freedom from an unchallenging job, or having to live in a cramped apartment. Freedom to travel and see the world. Or is it peace of mind that is your true goal? Peace of mind from worries about debtors calling, an end to overwhelming debt, concerns about medical and dental bills, or college costs for your growing children. When you know what you truly want, make a list of how having that underlying aspect will affect your life. How can freedom of worry enrich your life? How can peace of mind be achieved even without a winning lotto ticket? As the answers come to you in meditation or quiet contemplation, you may see that there are alternatives that can help you achieve the underlying aspects without the winning lotto ticket.
2. Visualizing what you truly want. In order to manifest, or to have Spirit manifest something in your life, you must first have a very clear picture of that desire. If you are asking for a new means of transportation, be very specific. If you want a car, say so, otherwise, you may find yourself with a new bicycle. Although that, too, is transportation, it may not be precisely what you had in mind. So ask specifically for a red sports car convertible with white leather interior, automatic transmission, power locks and windows, and a top of the line stereo system, for example. Spend time test driving the actual car that you want. Bring home brochures and photographs and study all the details. Then when you sit to pray and meditate, you will have a clear picture of the precise thing you want in your mind. That will assist Spirit in helping you manifest it more quickly.
3. Always include in your prayer the statement, “This or something better, God.” Sometimes in our desires to possess something that we have wanted badly, we can overlook a better option. Joe may want a red sports car convertible with all his heart. He adds “this or something better” to his request and gets approved for a mini van. Not exactly the image he was hoping to achieve! However, when he arrives home, he finds to his delight that his wife has just discovered they are expecting their first child. The red sports car was okay for a man-about-town, but the new mini van is the perfect fit for a new father with responsibilities. God and Spirit know best what will be the appropriate fit in our lives. Always give the option for something better.
4. End your prayer with the affirmation “and so it is.” That declares to the Universe that you have no doubt in your heart or mind that you will receive what you have asked to have in your life. Ask with the assurance that you are provided every good blessing from your Father, who loves you above all others.
5. Let go and let God handle it. Do not tell him how to accomplish this. Leave all the details up to Spirit and bask in the warm glow of knowing that your every need is provided.
6. Listen and look for the answer so you can recognize it when it arrives. The answers to your prayers may not take the exact form that you expect. Case in point: a close friend, Lisa, was not challenged or appreciated in her workplace. Her talents were being wasted and she feared she would never have the freedom to pursue the things that she felt passionate about like researching spirituality and writing books. So she asked God to get her out of that workplace and give her the means to stay at home and have the time to read and write. God answered her prayer and she, along with a hundred others, was downsized at the first of the year. Finally, Lisa had the time to pursue what she enjoyed as she received unemployment benefits and looked for another job. The first few months were quiet and uneventful. The unemployment checks, though nowhere near the amount of her former paychecks, still helped to pay most of the bills. Things were tight but Lisa’s husband was supportive and they knew she would find something. She read and outlined the first book. She looked for a new job but had no serious responses to her resumes and letters. As time went by, Lisa found it more difficult to focus on the writing. The bill collectors started to call frequently, the unemployment benefits were used up, and still Lisa could neither find a new job nor successfully complete her book. She began to ask God to find a way for her to stay at home to write and not to have to worry about the bills being paid. She did not spend much time visualizing what this might mean to her life; she just wanted to be free of the phone calls and the feeling of guilt she developed over the lack of enough money. God answered her prayer. Lisa and her husband were forced to declare bankruptcy, not uncommon in today’s economy. Please be careful about phrasing your requests!
7. Accept that the answer may be “No.” Or the answer may be that the timing is not right. The new sports car that Joe wanted was not timed right when he tried to buy it. The timing was right for a family sized van. That, and the news of the impending arrival, was the “something better” that God sent. Always be open and flexible to the unfolding of God’s divine will for you.
8. Be open to unexpected ways. God may not deliver the red sports car to your driveway. You may, instead meet a mechanic who has been working to restore the red sports car he bought at the junkyard several years ago. He may need someone to help him set up a computer program for the auto shop that will streamline his record keeping and save him money. You may be that computer person. Do you see the opportunity for mutual assistance that can lead to both prayers being answered? If you are trying to have a child but are finding it difficult to conceive, do you listen to the friend who knows a young pregnant woman looking for prospective adoptive parents, or is your tunnel vision so pronounced that this opportunity to parent a child slips away from you? Remember, you do not have to physically birth a child to love and be a parent. Sometimes you need to change your perspective to change your life.

God has many ways of answering prayer and from the higher vantage point of Spirit, he is able to see into the possible future and present solutions to problems and challenges of which you may not yet be aware. Trust that we are always given that which serves us best, even though it may be hard to see that at the time. So, be careful about what you ask for; you always get it!

May God fill your life with abundance, happiness, and peace. And so it is!

Original article posted by Linda M. Moore on Jacksonville.com's Methaphysically Speaking.