ACTS - Acronymn to Pray

Prayer should always move us to who God IS.  What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.   – A.W. Tozer 

         There is an acronym, ACTS, that many of us learned as new Christians when we struggled with learning how to pray to an invisible God. ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication (which...basically means “asking”). Whether we’ve heard or used the acronym, notice that the very first thing we are to do is adore God. Why?

    Does God need us to tell Him how wonderful He is? Is He insecure in His divinity, or His self-image, or His place as Creator of everything? Sounds silly, but why does He need us to pray and move upward? The truth—God doesn’t need us to do anything, it’s that we need to recognize and remember daily who He is, what He has promised, and that He is able to accomplish anything.  

When we think and pray the names and attributes of God, worshipping Him, it reminds us, strengthens us and encourages us. As we continue to adore Him first, we come to think about Him as He truly is, the great I AM. When we believe that this awesome, holy God loves us, cares for us and provides for our every need, our ideas about Him, and ourselves, begin to change. In prayer, as we adore Him, we move upward and begin to grasp the enormity of His love, power and grace that surrounds us because of who He is, not who we are.   

READ and THINK… What does the Bible say?   

Moses has been called by God to return to Egypt to free His people from slavery, but Moses was worried about how the message would be received coming from him.

Question: What did God tell him to say?   

Exodus 3:13-14 (New International Version)

¹³ Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you."

Answer:   

Jeremiah was experiencing some doubts and fears after purchasing a field, so he prayed.

Question: How did Jeremiah describe God in his prayer?

Jeremiah 32:16-17 (New International Version)

¹⁶ After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord: ¹⁷ “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”

Answer:

LIVE… What will you do now?

What do you think is the significance of God telling Moses that His name is I Am? What does it mean to you?

What about Jeremiah praying when he experienced doubt? How did his prayer move him closer to God?

Look through these names that capture the attributes of God, or write them each out:

Abba Father – Galatians 4:6

Comforter – 2 Corinthians 1:3

Deliverer – Psalm 18:2

Everlasting God – Isaiah 40:28

Good Shepherd – John 10:11-15

Holy One – Proverbs 9:10

Intercessor – Hebrews 7:25

King Eternal – 1 Timothy 1:17

Never-failing One – Hebrews 13:5

Offering for sin – Hebrews 10:14

Teacher -John 14:26

Upholder of all things – Isaiah 41:13

Ever present help – Psalm 46:1

The Way – John 14:6

Exalted – Psalm 148:13

Now, choose one attribute in the list and look up the Scripture where it is found. Read it, write it out and pray it by using the prayer below and see if your heart is not encouraged.

PRAY… God, what do you want me to know and do?

God, You are _________________________. (attribute)

Bring ____________________ to my heart and mind. (fruit of spirit or internal help)

And now help me _____________________. (practical, physical, typical prayer request). Select a Psalm to close your prayer.

Digging Deeper with this week’s teaching pastor:

Click here to go deeper using the Life Group DVD by the teaching pastor or view the message, including bonus discussion questions.

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