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.
Begin the ACTS prayer by lifting up to God words of adoration. Adoration is simply praising God. I specifically lift up three forms of praise when I am adoring God. I tell God, "I love you, Lord." I praise God for who God is. For example, "God, You are mighty, holy and good. You are patient and your love endures forever." Lastly, I praise God for what God does. For example, "God, You love the unlovable. You find and redeem those who are lost. For your lovingkindness I praise You, O God."
You might find yourself drawn toward moving into thanks. I would resist that urge when you are beginning to learn how the ACTS model. Thanks and praise are not identical, though they can be tightly related. If you disagree, try telling someone "I love you" and "thank you" and see if the response is the same. Pure praise is all about honoring the greatness of God and expressing your love for God.
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."
The third step in the ACTS pray is to thank God. Think about the blessing that have come your way during the day. Also, consider more permanent blessing like health, family, friends, and the gifts that God has given you. Hold these blessings up to God vividly and with a grateful heart.
The final piece of the ACTS prayer is supplication. To supplicate just means to make your requests known to God. At this time in your prayer begin to pray about the needs of others and you own needs as well. The Apostle Paul often prayed for the spiritual growth of people. Consider Paul's example and don't forget to intercede for people to grow in Christ.
You may need to pray the ACTS prayer for several days before you get use to the model, so don't be too hasty to judge its merit until you have maintained the practice for several weeks. I have no doubt that you will be meaningfully transformed as a disciple, if you faithfully pray daily in the four areas of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Even though the ACTS prayer is a very simple model, it is an extremely powerful prayer practice.
Begin the ACTS prayer by lifting up to God words of adoration. Adoration is simply praising God. I specifically lift up three forms of praise when I am adoring God. I tell God, "I love you, Lord." I praise God for who God is. For example, "God, You are mighty, holy and good. You are patient and your love endures forever." Lastly, I praise God for what God does. For example, "God, You love the unlovable. You find and redeem those who are lost. For your lovingkindness I praise You, O God."
You might find yourself drawn toward moving into thanks. I would resist that urge when you are beginning to learn how the ACTS model. Thanks and praise are not identical, though they can be tightly related. If you disagree, try telling someone "I love you" and "thank you" and see if the response is the same. Pure praise is all about honoring the greatness of God and expressing your love for God.
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."
The third step in the ACTS pray is to thank God. Think about the blessing that have come your way during the day. Also, consider more permanent blessing like health, family, friends, and the gifts that God has given you. Hold these blessings up to God vividly and with a grateful heart.
The final piece of the ACTS prayer is supplication. To supplicate just means to make your requests known to God. At this time in your prayer begin to pray about the needs of others and you own needs as well. The Apostle Paul often prayed for the spiritual growth of people. Consider Paul's example and don't forget to intercede for people to grow in Christ.
You may need to pray the ACTS prayer for several days before you get use to the model, so don't be too hasty to judge its merit until you have maintained the practice for several weeks. I have no doubt that you will be meaningfully transformed as a disciple, if you faithfully pray daily in the four areas of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Even though the ACTS prayer is a very simple model, it is an extremely powerful prayer practice.
About the Author:
Looking to find more information on theActs Prayer, then visit www.thepracticaldisciple.com to find the best online discipleshiptips and tools.
Post a Comment 0 comments: