A tool for PRAYER ?...Use ACTS ....A-C-T-S
PRAY:
1.TO God the Father
2.in the POWER of God the Holy Spirit
3.in the NAME of God the Son
A = ACKNOWLEDGE / worship the TRI-UNE God...pray:
...hallowed be thy NAME...WILL...REALM...kingdom...power...glory
C = CONFESS / agree with God that we have fallen short...
CLAIM forgiveness of specific sins...FORGIVE others...debts/debtors
CONVINCE the Spirit of needing guidance to know the WILL of God...lead us out of temptation
T = THANKSGIVING:
1. for "daily bread" = mana = necessities of life
2. for our progressive salvation through the Word made Flesh
3. for multiple blessings of family, friends, church, work, etc
S = SUPPLICATION / requesting blessings for others
1. personal and specific needs for: FAMILY + SELF + "NEIGHBORS" + WORLD
And some verses that EXPLAIN "prayer?
Mark 11......Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King....BELIEVE in the POWER of PRAYER...see also: Matthew 21
22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. (PRAYER WITHIN THE WILL OF GOD )...Metaphors
23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’
and does not doubt in their heart but believes what they say will happen, it will be done for them.
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Luke 11: 1-11...Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer...after the MODEL prayer:
CONCLUSION:
9 “So I say to you:
Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives;
the one who seeks finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ...how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Matthew 26: 41;38 (NASB)...Jesus: in The Garden of Gethsemane to Peter (and followers?)
Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation;
the SPIRIT is willing, but the FLESH (Body) is weak.”
He said to them,
“My SOUL is deeply grieved, to the point of death;
remain here and keep watch with Me.”
Matthew 21:22 (NASB)...Jesus: building up His follower's FAITH
"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
"If you BELIEVE, you will RECEIVE whatever you ask for (spiritually) in prayer." (that is within the will of God)
PRAYING in the Early Church
Acts 1:14
Act 2:42
Romans 8: 26-27 (NASB)...Paul: Pray in the SPIRIT and SOUL (mind)
In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we should,
but (the indwelling God) the (Holy)Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words...
I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also;
I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also...
building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 6:18 (NASB)...Paul: pray for all the saints (believers)
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."(believers)
Philippians 4:6 (NASB)...Paul: request everything you need
"Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to one another , and pray for one another so that you may be healed.
The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Matthew 6:5
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners
to be seen by men.
I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."
2 Chronicles 7: 14 ...The "Reagan Prayer for The Nation"....The LORD Appears to Solomon
11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace,
and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace,
12 the LORD appeared to him at night and said: ....
....IF my people,
who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and
pray and
seek my face and
turn from their wicked ways,
THEN I will hear from heaven, and
I will forgive their sin and
will heal their land.
1 Thes 5:17 "...pray without ceasing...";
PRAYER from PSALMS / PROVERBS
Psalms 5:3
Psalms 6:9
Proverb 15:29
1 Peter 3:12 "FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS ,
AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER,
BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL ."