A.C.T.S
A.C.T.S. Is simply a method that is a guideline or recipe for how you can approach prayer. It will provide some good structure for you while you pray.
•A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication)
oA - As creatures endowed with the blessing of life, approaching their Creator: We offer up PRAISE and ADORATION (ADORATION for who God is; PRAISE for what God does)
oC - As sinners guilty in the sight of the law, approaching their Judge: We offer up CONFESSION
oT - As sinners forgiven by God's grace, approaching their Savior-Redeemer: We offer up THANKSGIVING
oS - And as children adopted into the family of God, approaching their Father: We offer up PETITION and INTERCESSION (PETITION for what we need; INTERCESSION for the needs of others)
THE LORD'S PRAYER
see Matthew 6 & Luke 11. The Lord's Prayer is another guideline or recipe for prayer. Stop and pray after reading each section of this prayer:
oOur Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name
•Start off praising God for who He is
•Compliment God... He is worthy of worship
oThy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
•Pray for His will to be done in your life
•Pray for His will to be done here on earth
•Tell Him that you want what He wants... ask Him to change your heart in any matter that you don't line up!
oGive us this day our daily bread
• Take some time to tell God what you need... not what you greed!
•God cares about your needs and wants to bless you!
oAnd forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
•This is a time for confessing your sins. What is happening in your life that is outside of what God commands?
•Who do you need to forgive? If you are a Christian, you cannot hold back forgiveness from someone.
oAnd lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
•Pray for God's protection from Satan and temptation.
JOURNALING
This is the process of writing down the conversations that you have with God. This takes some discipline, but it is so great to look back and see how God works everything together.
•Get a journal or notebook to write in OR create an account at www.livejournal.com
•Use your journal to:
* Pray
* Ask God questions
* Write out Scriptures
* Tell him what you are struggling with
* Praise God
* Ask Him for help
* Express anything you are feeling
•Journaling is one of the best ways to pray because you can look back after a couple of months or years and see how faithful God has been to you! You will see how He works everything together for those who love Him!
PRAYER CALENDAR
A prayer calendar will help you feel less overwhelmed and more structured in your prayer time. Create a weekly calendar and pray for different things on different days. For example:
* Monday - Parents, Brothers, Sisters and other family
* Tuesday - Personal growth in your relationship with Christ (including confession, repentance, thanksgiving, etc.)
* Wednesday - Lost friends who need to know Jesus (by name)
* Thursday - Future decisions (school, relationships, marriage, etc.)
* Friday - Christian friends to keep walking with Christ (by name)
* Saturday - Opportunities to serve the Lord
* Sunday - Prayers of thanksgiving for all that He has done for you - get specific and thank Him even for the smallest blessings in your life!
•This is just an example. Feel free to use this, but try creating your own!
PRAY TO MUSIC
Here are a few ways to do that.
•Create a playlist on your iPod or computer of worship music
•Hit play and listen to the songs and pray as your listen/sing (you could even pull up the words on the Internet by searching for them on Google)
•If you don't have any songs on your computer, you can look up almost any song on YouTube. Some good possible songs include:
Instrumental Music
•Make sure you are paying attention to the words that are being sung and not just enjoying the music.
PRAY SCRIPTURE
Read a passage of Scripture & pray as you read. Let the Scripture suggest, inform, and shape your prayers.
•What is the Holy Spirit showing you as you read? What do you need to do to line up with God's Word?
•Example - Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
•Pray for God to help you to be patient and kind.
•Pray for God to help you to not envy or boast about anything.
•Pray for God to keep you from being arrogant or rude.
•Pray that God will help you to not insist on only your way, and not to be irritable or resentful.
•Pray for God to help you love others
•Ask God if there is any area you need to work on.
•Pray through the Psalms, for example: Psalm 51, 103, 46
•You can do this with any passage of Scripture. All you have to do is read it and ask God what you need to do to line up with what it says. Pray for Scripture to shape your life!
GUIDED PRAYER
We all need some guidance every now and then. Here is a list of some possible things you could pray for.
•Pray for your enemies - pray for those who you don't like or those who don't like you. Don't allow your heart to become bitter. Matthew 5:43-48
•Pray for your anxieties - Don't be anxious about ANYTHING, but pray about EVERYTHING! - Philippians 4:6-7
•Prayers of thanksgiving - we have so much to be thankful for. What are you thankful for? Psalm 136
•Pray for the lost around you - pray for those who don't know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Romans 6:23
•Pray for OUR CHURCH
•Pray for the poor/oppressed - there are so many who are struggling. Who do you know that is going through a tough time? Pray for them!
•Pray against temptation - in what areas of your life are you tempted to sin? Pray that you will not fall into that temptation! Remember, it is not a sin to be tempted... it is a sin to give in to the temptation!
•Pray for boldness - pray that you would be a bold witness for Christ - Romans 1:16 and Philippians 1:20
