ACTS Prayer Model

 

ACTS is an acronym that stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. 

When approaching the Lord in prayer to ask Him for something, you can follow the formula passed down to us through the ages. Start off with an expression of adoration, then repent of your transgressions, express your gratitude, finish off by asking Him for what you need. 

 

Adoration: Praising God for who He is and what He has done.

 

Confession: Repenting for the hurt we have caused God and others.

 

Thanksgiving: Thanking God for all He has done for us.

 

Supplication: Asking God to grant us what we need.

 

The ACTS Prayer Model can serve as a helpful tool to help us remain focused during our prayer time and balance emphasis between expressing our own needs and giving God, our creator, the acknowledgment and deference He deserves. Although God invites us to boldly approach His throne of grace to ask for what we need (Hebrews 4:16), would it be appropriate to approach a highly respected authority figure or an honored guest without properly acknowleding them before making our requests? The origin of this prayer model is unknown, but it has been used since ancient times and it's use is evident in many prayers from the Bible, including the Lord's Prayer.