Do you have trouble keeping your thoughts focused in prayer? Do you find your mind trailing off mid thought…from asking for God’s grace, to an item you left off your grocery list? This may sound irreverent but it does happen because the enemy is lurking at every corner trying to steal our thoughts. If Satan can steal our thought life he can keep us from praising and staying in communion with our Lord.
So, today I wanted to share with you a Prayer Model that I learned from a Youth Pastor many years ago. You may have heard this but it’s worth repeating.
Prayer is an ACT of obedience. Use the book of ACTS as an acronym, and model your prayer along this thought pattern.
A – Adoration
C – Confession
T – Thanksgiving
S – Supplication (Requests)
End with “I” – Intercession (“I” can pray for others)
Here’s how the model works: Begin your prayer to God with adoration, praising Him for Who He Is! Then, confess your sins before the Lord and ask for forgiveness. Believe in your heart that you have been forgiven, repent and do differently! Follow your confession with Thanksgiving for all the prayers He has already answered. Close with your requests and intercede, lifting up someone else before the Lord.
The enemy will have a much harder time trying to steal your thoughts if you keep focused on this acronym during your prayer.
Power Verse:
John 15:7 (NIV)
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”
Prayer for Today:
Father God,
We praise You for who You are and for what your Spirit living on the inside of us means! We praise You that we have a direct connection to You through The Holy Spirit.
We confess to You Father that we are sinners, and as hard as we try we fall short . Help us to learn the meaning of repentance…to go and sin no more.
We thank you Lord God for all that you have done and continue to do in our lives, even when we don’t see you at work, we are confident that you are behind the scenes, managing every infinite detail.
We ask you today Father to restore health to those who are sick, to give peace to those who are weary. We pray for comfort for those who have lost loved ones, and especially for those who were lost on foreign soil, fighting to keep our country safe.
We pray specifically for those orphaned by catastrophic events and those who find themselves widowed and alone. We lift up those who are impoverished Lord, those that live in the streets. Show us how we can help!
We pray for those who are held against their will and lift up those who are imprisoned Father and pray a hedge of protection to surround those who were sentenced for Christ’s sake. We pray for those who are imprisoned by actions of their own hand, that they will come to know You.
We pray Father for those who have lost their jobs, that they will not be discouraged by the problem, but focus on the promise!
We lift up those who need a word of encouragement today Lord, that you will plant a seed that speaks directly to them and they will know it came from You!
Finally Father we pray for all those who don’t know about You. Give believers confidence to speak our Faith to those who need to hear it the most. Guide our steps and guard our tongues! We ask all these things in the masterful name of Jesus our Lord. Amen!
