ACTS Prayer Plan
Richard Foster writes… “ To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue
God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer
as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The closer we come to the heartbeat
of God the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to
Christ. When we pray God slowly and graciously reveals to us our hiding places,
and sets us free from them.” Celebration of Discipline
ACTS can be used in personal prayer as a guide to God’s heartbeat.
Read the following and try the application on the second page.
Adoration :: Entering Holy Space (page 2 & Psalms 24, 100)
 Sets the tone for the entire prayer
 Reminds us of God's identity and inclination
 List His attributes, lift up His character and
personality
 Purifies the one who is praying
 God is worthy of adoration
Confession :: Naming Your Faults (Psalms 103:12, 1 John 1:9)
 Don't lump them together but confess them
specifically
 Then pray "Please give me your strength to
forsake that sin from here on out"
Thanksgiving :: Expressing Gratitude (Psalms 103:2, 1Thess 5:18)
 Four kinds of blessings to thank Him for:
1. Answered prayers
2. Spiritual blessings
3. Relational blessings
4. Material blessings
 Luke 17:11-19 All the those healed of leprosy
were thankful but only one thanked Jesus.
Supplication :: Asking for Help (Philippians 4:6-7, James 4:2)
 Areas of supplication
1. People - authorities, the lost, sick, etc.
2. Family - marriage, children, siblings, household
decisions, parents, etc.
3. Personal - character development, personal
needs, future decisions, etc.
4. Ministry - Pray for the body you are apart of.
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Application :: Pray this format for 2 weeks for three times a week,
(no more than 15 minutes a time) and after one of the times record
some thoughts about how your prayer time went, what was easiest,
hardest, and other feelings, etc.
Additional reflection on Adoration
God is Love :: 1 John 4:8-10 Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent
His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is
love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins.
God is merciful :: Titus 3:5a He saved us, not because of righteous things
we had done, but because of His mercy.
Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of His great love for us, God, who is
rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in
transgressions - it is by grace we have been saved.
God is our creator (He is powerful) :: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth.
Revelation 4:11 You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory
and honor and power, for you created all things and by Your will they
were created and have their being.
God is faithful :: Lamentations 3:22-23 Because of the Lord's great love we
are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every
morning; great is your faithfulness.
Psalms 117 Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol Him, all you
peoples. For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord
endures forever. Praise the Lord.
God is Holy (perfect and sinless) :: Revelation 4:8 Each of the four living
creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even
under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come.
Psalms 99:3,5 Let them praise Your great and awesome name-He is
holy. Extol the Lord our God and worship at His footstool; He is holy.
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