The A.C.T.S. Of Prayer!

We can all be honest with ourselves. A lot of us struggle with daily prayer time. We do not feel like we have enough time to do it or we just simply forget to give God his time in prayer.

We know we get going early in the morning and keep going during the day, but we forget Who and How we keep going all day.

We can remember the ACTS of prayer by the following brake down:

A dore - Start your time of prayer by giving God adoration and praise. This is what we were created to do!

C onfess - Move from praising God to confessing your sins and shortcomings to Him. Confession is simply agreeing with God that you are wrong and He is right.

T hanksgiving - Move from confession to being thankful for all God has done and continues to do in your life. Thanking Him for your family, friends, gifts, talents, etc.

S upply - Move from thankfulness to asking God to supply your needs and desires according to His will for you.

Unfortunately, we like to forget or skip the first three letters of our word and just go straight for the things we want, and even expect God to give us.

Christ knows the sincerity of our hearts, and if all we are doing is treating the Lord like a Burger King drive through, then we have missed the real beauty of prayer. You see, prayer is not about getting what we want; it is about giving God what He deserves.

Look at God's word and what it says about prayer. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." (John 15:7)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4: 6-7)

Imagine never being "anxious about anything"! It seems like a impossibility - we all have worries on the job, in our homes, at school. But Paul's advice is to turn our worries into prayers. Do you want to worry less? Then pray more! Whenever you start to worry, Stop and Pray.

God's peace is different from the worlds peace. True peace is not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings. It comes from knowing God is in control. Our citizenship in Christ's kingdom is sure, our destiny set, and we can have victory over sin. Let God's peace guard your heart against anxiety.

Do you ever wonder why we have very little trouble communicating with those who are the closest to us. Why should it be different with Christ?