Praying Backwards: Transform Your Prayer Life by Beginning in Jesus' Name

by Bryan Chapell

Some describe the witness of the Spirit as a “feeling” of being at peace with a decision. Of course, making subjective feelings the foundation of our decisions is dangerous and contrary to Scripture.

The Bible gives us prayer examples to help us develop helpful habits, but refining the attitude of the heart is Scripture’s goal. What begins as a mechanical pattern of prayer becomes a habit and then a natural part of our lives. And in this reflexive state of prayer—where prayer is as instinctive as breathing—our habits are not rules or rituals intended to satisfy the demands of God but rather the familiar doorways to a constant and spontaneous outpouring of the heart. These doors lead to devotional lives of unceasing prayer—constrained not by any legal compulsion but by love for the God who is always listening (1 Thess. 5:16–18).

My favorite quote in the book.