The ACTS prayer model can be a wonderful tool to engage a mind that wanders in prayer and break you of the habit of always praying a very limited range of prayers. ACTS is an acronym which stands for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. The prayer model helps sharpen your focus by giving you an agenda to engage your attention while praying. You will also find that by praying for four distinct types of prayer your prayer vocabulary expands.
Start the ACTS prayer by praising God with words of adoration. I praise God in three specific ways. First, I adore God, by telling God, "I love you, Lord." Next, I acknowledge God for who He is. For example, "Lord you are gracious, good and kind. Your mercy endures for eternity." Lastly, I adore God for what He does. For example, "Lord, You continue to reach out to us even when we are unfaithful. You seek the lost and redeem them. For your steadfast love I praise You, Almighty God."
Resist the urge to start thanking God when you adore God. Thanks and praise while related are not identical. If you don't believe me tell someone "thank you" and then tell someone "I love you" and see if you get the same response. Praise is purely expressing your love for God and acknowledging the greatness of who God is.
The next step is to confess what you have done wrong and acknowledge it as sin. You will increase your odds of changing your behavior, if you strive to be honest and specific when confessing sins. Avoid generic confessions. Don't make generalizations, such as, "I am not as loving as I should be." Instead state specific sins, such as, "I have been talking about Lisa behind her back. This is hateful gossip. God I know this is wrong. I ask for your forgiveness and want your help to change."
After you confess, express thanks to God. Recall blessings that you may have experienced during the day. Also, be sure to lift up those blessing that are ongoing, such as, family, friends, health and the many gifts God has given to you. Tell God with a grateful heart how much these blessings have meant to you.
The last element of the ACTS prayer is supplication. Now it's time to share with God your concerns. Pray for the needs of others, as well as your own needs. Consider the example of the Apostle Paul who often prayed for people to grow into mature christians. Don't forget to spiritually intercede for people.
Getting use to the ACTS prayer model may take a few days, so don't be hasty in judging its value until you have practiced it for several weeks. I am confident that if you make your best effort to faithfully pray daily in each of these four areas of adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication that you will experience a positive transformation in your discipleship. The ACTS prayer is a deceptively powerful prayer practice.
Start the ACTS prayer by praising God with words of adoration. I praise God in three specific ways. First, I adore God, by telling God, "I love you, Lord." Next, I acknowledge God for who He is. For example, "Lord you are gracious, good and kind. Your mercy endures for eternity." Lastly, I adore God for what He does. For example, "Lord, You continue to reach out to us even when we are unfaithful. You seek the lost and redeem them. For your steadfast love I praise You, Almighty God."
Resist the urge to start thanking God when you adore God. Thanks and praise while related are not identical. If you don't believe me tell someone "thank you" and then tell someone "I love you" and see if you get the same response. Praise is purely expressing your love for God and acknowledging the greatness of who God is.
The next step is to confess what you have done wrong and acknowledge it as sin. You will increase your odds of changing your behavior, if you strive to be honest and specific when confessing sins. Avoid generic confessions. Don't make generalizations, such as, "I am not as loving as I should be." Instead state specific sins, such as, "I have been talking about Lisa behind her back. This is hateful gossip. God I know this is wrong. I ask for your forgiveness and want your help to change."
After you confess, express thanks to God. Recall blessings that you may have experienced during the day. Also, be sure to lift up those blessing that are ongoing, such as, family, friends, health and the many gifts God has given to you. Tell God with a grateful heart how much these blessings have meant to you.
The last element of the ACTS prayer is supplication. Now it's time to share with God your concerns. Pray for the needs of others, as well as your own needs. Consider the example of the Apostle Paul who often prayed for people to grow into mature christians. Don't forget to spiritually intercede for people.
Getting use to the ACTS prayer model may take a few days, so don't be hasty in judging its value until you have practiced it for several weeks. I am confident that if you make your best effort to faithfully pray daily in each of these four areas of adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication that you will experience a positive transformation in your discipleship. The ACTS prayer is a deceptively powerful prayer practice.
About the Author:
Find out more about the Acts Prayer, by visiting John Arnold's site. For your online discipleship needs, you can't beat John's tips, tools and training.
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