How to Pray – The ACTS Prayer Method and 4 Steps to Powerful Prayers

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Many of us want to make the most of our prayer time, but struggle with how to pray with confidence. If you are like me, I need to stay focused and intentional during my prayer time, or else my brain will go off in a hundred different directions. I could end up praying for an hour and then realize I forgot a lot! That is where the ACTS prayer method comes in.

Learn more about this method that will help you no matter how what level you are at!

Pray with Confidence Using the ACTS Prayer Method

I learned about the ACTS method of prayer years ago and wanted to share it with you. Some of this post was actually originally written 2 years ago and posted on my old blog so if you have followed me for some time, you might recognize some of it!

This method is especially useful if you are a new believer and prayer seems kind of daunting or you just don't know where to start!! Click To Tweet

This method is especially useful if you are a new believer and prayer seems kind of daunting or you just don’t know where to start!!

The ACTS acronym will help you remember each phase of your prayer time and it follows a logical order for prayer. The best part, it’s simple enough that even kids can follow it and make the most of their prayer time as well!

As I mentioned, this prayer method is based on the acronym ACTS. It stands for:

ADORATION

In the ACTS method of prayer, we start off with the act of adoration and of praising God. We want to tell God how much we love Him and worship Him. There are many different ways to offer God praise.

You may even decide to use music to offer praise during this time! Whatever moves your heart in praise for Him is fine!

“But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.”
Psalm 5:7

NASB

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CONFESSION

Before we launch into making supplication to God, we should confess those things we have done that not only sin against God but that we feel condemnation over.

It can be difficult for us to get into communion with the Lord and pray with confidence at all if we feel any degree of condemnation or sinfulness.

That is why the ACTS Prayer Method places confession at this point!

This act of confession should lift that burden, knowing that if we confess our sins God forgives us. True repentance is turning away from those things that are sinful.

It is more than just saying we are sorry. It is a willingness to change that behavior.

This is a time to open up and be honest with the Lord AND yourself about the things you have done to sin against Him or others, and how you plan to change those things. This is also a good time to ask Him for His help if it is an area you continuously struggle with.

Lay all your sins at the foot of the cross and ask for Him to forgive. Pray with confidence that the blood of Jesus covers your sins and makes you white as snow.

Sometimes when we confess our sins we don't FEEL forgiven. That is a lie the enemy wants us to believe and a burden he wants us to bear. Click To Tweet

Sometimes when we confess our sins we don’t FEEL forgiven. That is a lie the enemy wants us to believe and a burden he wants us to bear. It is a hinderance to praying with confidence and he knows that. He wants us to feel too weighed down with sin to come before the throne.

Know that you are forgiven! Your feelings will get in line with the truth. The enemy wants you to feel condemnation. But you can rely on God’s truth!

I love to pray God’s Word and a good scripture to pray if you are still feeling that sin burden is:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9

TLV

THANKSGIVING

Next in the ACTS method of prayer, we should offer God thanks; for who He is, for what He has done for us, for forgiving us for falling short, and for all the blessings He has given us in our lives.

No is also an answer to prayer! It just may not be the answer you were looking for! Click To Tweet

Thank Him for answered prayers. It is always a good idea to keep a prayer journal so that you can see where God has answered your prayers. And remember, a “No” is also an answer to prayer…just maybe not the answer you were looking for!

Thank Him for everything you can think of! When we desire to pray with confidence it must include thankfulness!

For the struggles you are going through because it is through the struggles that God can show Himself to us the most.

Thank Him for your salvation, the salvation of friends and family. Thank Him that you woke up this morning! This is one of my favorite parts of prayer because many times we lose sight of just how blessed we really are. It is through thanksgiving that we can truly see how much God blesses us.

“…in everything give thanks;
for this is God’s will for you in Messiah Yeshua.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18

TLV

SUPPLICATION –  Praying With Confidence is Your Right!

Now it is time to tell God what your needs are. When you pray with confidence it means recognizing that we as believers have the right to come boldly before the throne of grace to ask for help in times of trouble. You are a child of the King so you have the right, through Messiah, to be in His presence.

Tell God what your needs are. Pray for your loved ones, friends or neighbors who are in need of prayer. Anything you need to speak to the Lord about, He is there to listen.

But part of my supplication stage also includes asking for Him to speak to me about anything He wants to share.

So I spend some time during this phase LISTENING to Him as much as I do talking to Him. It is during this time that God has given me some awesome insights and revelations.

Please do not skip that part of your prayer time. It is truly a two-way relationship. We don’t just talk AT our loved ones, we listen as well. We should do the same with God. When we pray with confidence and boldness it is more than just asking, it is hearing and hearing with the confidence that God WILL speak to us!

It seems silly to ask God for help in a situation and then walk away before He even has a chance to speak that help to us!

“Therefore let us draw near to the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

TLV

It seems silly to ask God for help in a situation and then walk away before He even has a chance to speak that help to us! Click To Tweet

Acts Method of Prayer – Framework

So the ACTS method of prayer should give you a good framework and a compass to guide you toward praying with confidence. You will obviously mold it into what fits for you as time goes by, but this will give you a place to begin that will keep you focused during your prayer time.

Set a goal to make prayer a constant in your life!

As mentioned earlier, I highly recommend a prayer journal so you can write down what God speaks to you through your time with Him and also help you recall those who need prayer. I also recommend a gratitude journal so you can recall all God has done for you and remember to thank Him for it.

Recalling all God has done in your life and how He has answered prayers time and time again will make you pray with confidence all that much more easily because you can actually see the end results of so many prayers!

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I pray you will find the ACTS Prayer method helpful and rewarding! And be sure you grab your FREE ACTS Method of Prayer workbook below as my gift to you!

Tree of Life (TLV) – Scripture taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*. Copyright © 2014,2016 by the Tree of Life Bible Society.  Used by permission of the Tree of Life Bible Society.

NASB – “Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation“