A few weeks ago in Toastmasters, Carrie R gave a fantastic speech about Praying the Acts.
When you pray the ACTS, each letter stands for something.
A is for Adoration. The adoration you show is for God. You begin your praying by adoring God. At this time, you are praising and worshiping God. This is the time when you tell God how much you glorify them. The scripture that Carrie gave was Psalm 68:35:
God is awesome in his sanctuary.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!
After reflecting on this, the next step is Confession. I struggle with this because I can justify most of the things I have done (Baby Steps!). If I allow my mind to dwell, I then find myself feeling guilty about the sin and this cause a rift in my relationship with God which can hinder prayers and answered prayers. In the past I have felt a lightness when I confess my sin (both large and small) and really opened myself up in prayer. The scripture to reflect upon 1 John 1:9:
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
T is for Thanksgiving. This is the one I have been working on. I’m past the stage where I need to go in the order things are presented or I would never have begun this practice. go in order. I know that right now I have to find the small victories in life to keep the winter blues and Satan at bay. is where we count our blessings, thanking and praising God for all He has given us and done for us in life. Meditate on Psalm 69:30:
Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
Finally, there is Supplication. My grandmother always said “A closed mouth don’t get fed” and this is the simple way of explaining supplication. A lot of times we (me) get discouraged in my prayers and relationship with God because my big prayers aren’t answered. This is when I have to remind myself that God isn’t a vending machine, waiting to dispense blessings. I ask for the small things such as the safety and protection of my children. Keeping my temper in check when I drive. Patiently assisting a resident who is being extra annoying. It’s difficult to ask for more because I haven’t cultivated the relationship with God that I need to in order to feel comfortable asking for things that I can’t imagine but is in store for me. For supplication, meditate on Philippians 4:6.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Last week in church I went to YET another altar call with a promise to stand on God’s word. As usual, when I recommit to follow the Lord, I always seem to have sucktastic day after the next. That’s where #DailyGratitude comes in. It’s easy to get caught up in the things that are rough. Just taking the time to recognize and acknowledge that there are some good things in life, no matter how minute, bring me closer to peace and satisfaction with life.
Ephesians 5:20 says:
And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Chris
Which brings me to my #DailyGratitude. Here’s my Storify with my tweets of Gratitude. These tweets are a way to just acknowledge that I need to take time daily to stop and smell the roses.
Keep the conversation going. Comments welcomed!