How to Pray the A.C.T.S. Prayer

Prayer is something that is held in high esteem, not only the Christian faith, but in all faiths. Prayer is the avenue that is used to communicate with that religion's preferred superior being. It is looked upon as a way to release burdens and trust that a person's particular "god" will help them or handle the matters troubling their heart. In the Christian faith, there are multiple prayers that we can say or we can be very informal and say what is on our hearts. It is very easy for a person to begin to pray and have no clear direction as to what they want to say, how to say it, if they should say it, etc. This is how A.C.T.S comes into play. Most people recognize ACTS as a book in the Bible. However, ACTS is also used as an acronym for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, & Supplication. This is considered the order in which one should pray.

• First,  there is Adoration: in the beginning of the prayer, you should Praise and Worship God for who He is and what He means to you. At this time you should express your love for Him.

• Next is Confession: this is the time where you confess all your sins. Although God is all knowing, it is still in your best interest that you confess all of your sins before Him with a clean heart. Knowingly leaving out certain things will create a barrier between you and God because you are being untruthful. It is important that your heart is pure because if it isn't then you are basically asking for forgiveness of something that you plan to do...again.

• Thirdly is Thanksgiving: this is when we thank God for things like good health, life, jobs, education, food, etc. We basically show our gratitude and appreciation for all that we have.

• Lastly, we have Supplication:  This is the time where we ask God for the things we want and what we want for others. It is our time to intercede for ourselves as well as others. Some pray for short term things such help on a test or a holiday bonus, whereas others may ask for good health for their parents or to allow them to remain financially stable.

It is important to remember that prayer is a time to communicate with God. This act helps with building a relationship. This model can be used for someone that is unsure of how to pray or what about. As well as someone who feels they ramble and may not convey everything they wanted to. Although it is structured, it is very helpful.