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ACTS of praying (Philippians 4:6)

Scripture of the Day: Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

I wonder how many times I have written on that verse! And I shall predict it will not be the last. Unfortunately...or fortunately, depending on how you look at it!

I have posted before about how important prayer is and how I so want it to be a main focus of my life. At one point I was determined to do a prayer journal (big fail). But prayer is again sneaking up on me and maybe this time it will stick! I will say that I pray much more frequently than I have ever done before and about more things and people...but my prayer is largely focused on supplication. I spend most of my prayer time asking God for things and that is about it.

Have you heard of praying by A.C.T.S? I have heard it many times but the acronym always leaves my mind. I think through the latest book I am reading, it is ingrained! ACTS is praying in 4 steps. The first step is adoration. Praise God. Take time to think about the good in the God you are praying to! The second step is confession. Before you blurt out all the things you would like to pray for, confess the wrongs you have done. Take out the log in your own eye, if you will, before you go praying for the needs of others and yourself! The third step is thanksgiving. Thank God for the blessings in your life or for the day, or simply for that moment - you are breathing, aren't you? In the very least, you can be thankful for that! And FINALLY, supplication. That is the "you" part. At last you can ask God for what is really on your mind

I want to experiment praying this way! I fully expect it will help get my heart in the right place, and perhaps my prayers will be more aligned with God's will than when I simply jump into asking for things. Have you ever read the Berenstein Bear book about the "gimmie's?" Sometimes I feel like that when I pray - "Please God, I want this..." or "Please God, I need this...." "Please God help so and so with this..." Readers, please note I am NOT saying that when you pray only in supplication that God doesn't hear you! He loves it when you pray at all...I just feel convicted to add more to my prayer life.

I would like to ask you to pray for me about this...that I may more often pray with ACTS, rather than just  the "S"! I will do the same for you. 

I will close in prayer so if you would like an example, you can see one! But here is a simple guide courtesy of The Passionate Mom by Susan Merrill:

A - Adoration: Lord, you are __________________.
C - Confession: Lord, I confess that I __________________. Forgive me and help me to _____________.
T - Thanksgiving: Lord, thank you for __________________.
S - Supplication (or Simply ask): Lord, I pray that ____________________.

Heavenly Father God, you are good. So good! With the big picture in mind and our best interests at heart, you guide our way. God, I confess that I tend to forget that you are worthy of all our praise and that you desire us to spend time getting to know you instead of just pushing our own agenda on you! Please forgive me and help me to include adoration, confession and thanksgiving in my dedicated prayer time. Heavenly Father, thank you for convicting me to pray more often and thank you for the time to write this post (my son fell asleep at 7:30 pm in the car and this extra hour is glorious!). Lord, I pray that I live a life that looks more like Paul's, who told us to "pray continually." Please help me pray first, not as an afterthought, and through this praying, help me grow closer to you. I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.  

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