What is the ACTS Prayer? Understanding How to Pray Using ACTS Prayers
An important thing to understand about prayer is that there is no one way to pray. Prayer is a personal conversation between you and God the Father. The ACTS prayer method covers key elements to help guide us in our conversation with God. Even as a Christian, prayer can feel intimidating, or maybe even sometimes boring (if we’re willing to admit it). Unfortunately, we can become guilty of underestimating the power and importance of prayer. Before we discuss the ACTS prayer method, let us understand why we should pray.
Using the ACTS Prayer – Why Pray?
Simply because God commands us to pray. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV), we are told to “pray without ceasing”. Jesus’ life on earth reveals how we should live our lives. We are to follow the example of Jesus and one way we do this is by praying to God the Father. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV), “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
The Bible mentions numerous times in the Gospels where Jesus devotes Himself to prayer. At Gethsemane, Jesus prayed three times feeling distressed and troubled before Judas betrayed Him, which lead to His crucifixion on the cross for the redemption of our sins. Here are some instances of Jesus praying:
“And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.”
Matthew 14:23a, ESV
“It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.”
Luke 6:12, ESV
“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”
Mark 1:35, ESV
We pray to God because He IS sovereign. Prayer is powerful because our God is powerful. The gift of prayer is widely devalued and unappreciated. However, prayer is most certainly a gift! At any time of the day, we are privileged to be able to talk with the Creator of the universe. God, who spoke the earth into existence and formed us in our mother’s womb, is only a prayer away. (The One who made YOU is a prayer away!)
Model Prayer from Jesus – The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer is found in the book of Matthew and Luke: Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. The passage in Matthew 6:9-13 is a little longer than the Lord’s Prayer stated in Luke. It is great prayer model for us.
Model prayer:
“Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Matthew 6:9-13, ESV
For a deeper understanding of the Lord's Prayer, this theologically rich Bible study by Daily Grace Co teaches the foundations of the Lord's Prayer. It includes why to pray, how to pray, and how to have a meaningful prayer life. The Lord's Prayer Bible Study* is packed fulled of biblical knowledge that will help you grow closer to God and improve your personal communication with Him. For more info, you can find the Bible study at Amazon: HERE.*
What is the ACTS Prayer Model?
The ACTS Prayer Method uses the acronym A.C.T.S as an outline to remind us of significant elements to include in our prayer life. The method is somewhat based on the Lord’s prayer. In the ACTS acronym, the letters are presented as the following:
- “A” is Adoration
- “C” is Confession
- “T” is Thanksgiving
- “S” is Supplication
ACTS Prayer Method – Adoration
When we pray to God, we should worship Him. Adoring Him for being GOD. The "A" in ACTS prayer is a great way to begin our prayers: Adoration. When we pray with adoration, it means we are declaring the glory of God's majesty and beauty of who He is. Expressing to God His many attributes. Proclaiming how magnificent He is.
By show God our adoration, we are putting God above ourselves and our problems. Lifting His Name high. Worshiping God for His wonderful and miraculous ways. Praising God for who He is, what He has done, and what He can do!
Psalm 150 is a whole chapter in the Bible dedicated to praising God. Let us praise God in the good times and the bad (yikes!), as hard as it might feel. In the bad times, our flesh never feels like praising God, but as much of a struggle that it is, adoring God for His goodness is what gets us through those times. (To the one who is in a bad season: God is your comforter, provider, redeemer, and sustainer now and forevermore!)
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 150:1-6, ESV
ACTS Prayer Method – Confession
Confession is admitting and repenting of our sins, which is the "C" in ACTS prayer. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Our guilt and shame must not keep us from repentance and asking God for His grace and mercy.
God send Jesus to die for all of our sins. God is not surprised by our sins and nothing about our lives is hidden from Him. God wants to lead us away from sin because when sin is unaddressed it will continually lead us further away from Him. We should cry out to God with a repentant heart, by asking for forgiveness of our mistakes and turning away from our sins.
Repentance is a vital part of our confession. The gift of God’s Grace is not a license to sin. Paul wrote in Romans 6:15 (ESV), “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!” On the other hand, we are not perfect and will make mistakes. Unfortunately, we will sin, though thank the Lord for His wonderful and abounding grace.
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
Proverbs 28:13, ESV
ACTS Prayer Method – Thanksgiving
The "T" in ACTS prayer is Thankgiving. Thanksgiving is dwelling on the blessings that God gives us. Life circumstances can sometimes keep us from noticing our blessings, especially in the lows of this life. God’s blessings are all around us, but we must be in the habit of acknowledging His blessings and sincerely thanking Him. Let us daily thank our God for all of our many blessings. Even in the hardest of times, there is a blessing to be grateful for.
We can thank God for His righteousness, holiness, goodness, forgiveness… (Wow, the list goes on!) Our lives are surrounded by God’s blessings. Let us take notice of the blessings that God has lavished us with and continually give Him thanksgiving.
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”
1 Chronicles 16:34, ESV
ACTS Prayer Method – Supplication
The "S" in ACTS prayer is Supplication. Our God is a good Father who loves to give us good gifts. We can approach God with our requests and petitions. Supplication means asking God for a want or a need. Philippians 4:6 (ESV) says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
This is a great Scripture explaining how God gives us good gifts and that His way is best for us…
“Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"
Matthew 7:9-11, ESV
God gives us the freedom to ask for things, but we should ask according to His Will. Trusting in the truth that God’s way is best is crucial to remember. We are free to tell God our wants and desires, but let us keep in mind that God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way that we want. We can continually look to God for our provision and protection.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
1 John 5:14-15, ESV
ACTS Prayer Conclusion
Our prayers are an important part of growing in our relationship with God, alongside our Bible study. Let us not overthink or overcomplicate our conversation with the Lord our God. May we seek God constantly while regularly implementing Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication in our prayers. God hears us, cares for us, and loves to hear from us!
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