The ACTS Prayer Model
A is for AdmirationTake some time in your prayer to simply admire God. Reflect on what He's done in your life. Reflect on where He's been with you—on your mountaintops and in your valleys.
Tell God how incredible He is; how worthy of praise He is and how much He deserves it. Then, actually praise Him. Don't use this as a time to try and butter Him up for your supplications. Be genuine with this. Tell Him who He is to you. This is a perfect time to use the different names given to God throughout the Text! |
C is for Confession.Take some time in your prayers to confess your sins and temptations. Don't be afraid to go to God with your failures—He already knows about them! But He wants you to be up front and honest with Him about what you've done wrong; so do that.
Shame may prevent you from giving voice to your failures. But don't worry! As soon as you confess your sins, God will forgive them. So name away! There's no shame in telling Father you're imperfect. Again, He already knows it! |
T is for ThanksgivingTake some time in your prayers to thank God. Thank Him for being there, thank Him for everything He's done and will do, thank Him for being who He is. There's so much we have to be thankful for!
I often thank God for what I call "little blessings", the little things He gives to us that we don't often recognize or acknowledge. Thinks like waking up, breathing, our organs working properly. In my opinion, this should be the lengthiest part of your prayer. |
S is for SupplicationTake some time in your prayers to ask God for fulfillment. Ask Him to fulfill your needs, as well as the needs of others. Ask Him to move into every situation and do what He knows needs to be done.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Yeshua gave an example of prayer. In it, He said, "Give us the food we need today" (6:11). "The food we need today", not next week, not in a year from now--today. "Don't worry about tomorrow—tomorrow will worry about itself! Today has enough [trouble] already" (Matthew 6:34)! |
Try praying aloud sometimes!
The key to remembering written words may be as simple as saying them aloud. The one-two punch of speaking the words and then hearing yourself speak them helps solidify the words in your brain's long-term memory, a phenomenon known as the 'production effect.'
Quote from Newsweek
There's a link between speaking and hearing yourself speak and memory. Saying something puts it on repeat in our thoughts. We stew on it for a little bit. Try praying aloud and stew on your prayers every so often!