(devotional written by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale from OurPrayer.org)

1. AFFIRM
Believe that God is good and wants to help you, affirm that you are now in the process of receiving His goodness. The flow of blessing is constant and is happening to you now. Affirmation is a powerful factor in effective prayer.

2. LISTEN
Arrange for selected moments when you can become quiet mentally, relaxed physically, and receptive spiritually. Practice deep listening, reaching for contact with God. This form of prayer requires no words; simply listen until you hear inwardly.

3. FRACTIONAL
When you pray in little snatches, you are praying fractional prayers. In the form of brief prayer while waiting for a bus, or for the outcome of a conversation about to take place, fractional prayers add up to an enhanced prayer attitude.

4. NATURAL
Talk to the Lord using everyday language. The simpler your words, the easier it will be for you to express your thoughts. Talk to God sincerely in your own natural language. He understands.

5. SURROUND
Deeply believe that you can send out a spiritual force that will surround your loved ones with protective and positive influences. Prayer is the transmitting carrier of affirmative faith.

6. BLOCKADE
The number one blockade of spiritual power is resentment. To overcome it, pray for people you do not like or have mistreated you. Love always dissolves resentment.

7. LIST
Have a definite number of people for whom you pray daily. Pray by name for everyone on your prayer list. You will help them by your prayers, and the by-product will be additional blessings for you.

8. SURRENDER
Practice surrendering everything into God’s hands, believing that He will help and guide you. Prayerfully try to do your best about things and then, confidently, leave the results to God.

9. RELATIONSHIP
Conceive of prayer as a personal relationship with the Father. Not asking for anything, but simply wanting to be with Him in a loving relationship, is perhaps the ultimate value in prayerfulness. It is the establishment of an in-depth relationship between the individual and God.

10. MIND
Prayer may be defined as a methodology by which we may contact the Divine mind. Then the knowledge and wisdom of God can flow unhindered into our human mind. Thus, we are on an operational level with the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Heavenly Father.

Luke 12:22-32 (NIV)

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

Anxiety is reaching epidemic proportions in our culture. As believers, however, we are commanded not to worry (v. 22). Instead, we’re to rely on a conditional promise from our heavenly Father: If we will seek His kingdom, all our needs will be provided (v. 31). This is the opposite of the world’s philosophy, which tells us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and do what we can to meet our own needs. What a relief to rely on the sovereign King of all creation instead of our meager strength.

Consider these qualities of our King:

• He keeps His word. Every promise is backed by His divine nature. According to Titus 1:2, God cannot lie. He never makes a promise that He won’t keep.
• He is all-knowing. Our heavenly Father is mindful of all our needs—the ones we bring to Him in prayer as well as those of which we are unaware.
• He is all-powerful. The sovereign Ruler of the universe backs His promises with almighty power. “Nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
• He cares. God’s provision for birds and flowers is proof of His even greater care for those who are made in His image. Not only is He able to meet our needs, but He also wants to provide for us.

Will you believe God, seek His kingdom, and rest in the peace that passes understanding? Or will you doubt Him and live with the anxiety of not being sure your needs will be met? The promise is given, the fulfillment is certain, and now the choice is yours.

(Devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley from the June 2010 issue of In Touch magazine.)

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

I remember the conflict that arose many years ago when I was being considered for the position of senior pastor. Every Sunday when I preached, I knew that a number of people in the sanctuary objected and were trying to get rid of me. It was not easy. Perhaps you have a difficult home life, work relationship, or school situation in which people are reacting negatively to you.

The way to handle life’s troubles is discovered on our knees. Our heavenly Father waits for us to approach His throne through prayer, gain His divine perspective, and receive instruction on how to proceed. In my prayer time, a battle was taking place between what I wanted—avoiding this conflict—and what the Lord had planned for me—to move forward in faith. Eventually, my mind agreed to God’s course, and I experienced His peace.

When we humbly seek the Lord through prayer, we invite Him to take the lead in our situation and accomplish His plan. He may direct us in ways that surprise us, but they will be for our good and His glory. In my case, God instructed me not to argue or defend myself. My part was to pray. It was hard to be silent, but I trusted Him, followed His lead, and watched Him resolve the situation.

Praying on our knees reminds us that God is the Master and we are His servants. He knows all things, while our perspective is narrow. He is also all-powerful—He can penetrate hard hearts and closed minds. We cannot. Let’s make prayer a regular part of our day and watch what happens.

(devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley from InTouch.org)