“A.C.T.S. – PRAYER by George E. Crumbly
JAMES 5
Humphrey UMC
SUN. 7/31/2005AM
INTRO:
PRAYER: Communication with God. Because God is personal, all people can offer prayers. However, sinners who have not trusted Jesus Christ for their Salvation remain alienated from God. (IBD)
I can’t think of any better way to describe prayer than “Communication” with God…Communication is God talking & us listening…Us talking & God listening.
(Communicate: “make known, convey knowledge of or information about”)
Years ago used to Fast & Pray every Monday, I prayed for the church, the services the next Sunday, thanked God for the past Sunday & prayed for the message God would have me to preach. I had gotten away from that over the last few years. I’ve gotten started back the past 2 Mondays…. Things seem to go smoother. (When we get plugged into the POWER things DO tend to run smoother)
The messages seem to fit perfect…we need to be in prayer. I’ve thought all week about last Sunday’s responsive reading on prayer.
JAMES 5: verses 13-16 (NSRV)
Sometimes we think the more folks praying, the better. What we need is “RIGHTEOUS” folks….RIGHTEOUS folks praying EARNESTLY…FERVENTLY…INTENSLY…These are EFFECTIVE prayers….guess what happens? James says this prayer is “Powerful and effective.”
That’s what we got to have. I want to share a few things with you this AM, it has to do with prayer. We use acronyms in a lot of things
WWJD: What Would Jesus Do? BUSY: Being Under Satan’s Yoke
ASAP: Always Say A Prayer; PUSH: Pray Until Something happens
The one I like that has to do with PRAYER is spelled “A.C.T.S.” This is what I want to share with you. You see, there is so much more to prayer than just telling God what we want or what we need. We need to start off with this acronym:
A – ADORATION: (The ACT of worship, of paying honor, reverence, and obedience to God)
The word adoration does not occur in most English versions, but the concept of adoration is implied in the Bible.
“I love you Lord, I praise you Lord, I give you all glory honor & praise….” Before we go to asking God to help us we should just ADORE Him.
(ADORE: To Love Greatly, To Worship)
This is the FIRST thing we should do in praying is to ADORE God….”Our Father who art in heaven, HALLOWED be thy name……”
C – CONFESSION: (This word has two directions this AM)
1.) The admission of sins. Sin separates us from God, sin is a prayer killer. If we sin, then we are to CONFESS those sins & get forgiveness from God.
(I JOHN 1: 9) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
There comes a time when we need to ask God if there is anything, I mean anything that
might keep us from getting close to God. (Get serious & ask God what is in my life?)
2.) To describe an open, bold, and courageous proclamation of one’s faith.
(ROMANS 10:9-10) “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your
heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”
Not only do we confess our shortcomings to God but we also profess our trust, faith & belief in God….
T – THANKSGIVING: (The aspect of praise that gives thanks to God for what He does for us)
Paul tells us that one of the ways we will know we are living in the end times? That people will be UNTHANKFUL.
We should be THANKFUL to God for all things
(EPHESIANS 5:20) “Giving thanks always for all things unto God, and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We ought to THANK God in anticipation of His answering our prayers. (We ought to want to come to church just to see what He is going to do next)
This AM if you are saved, if you know Jesus as your personal savoir then on your very, absolutely WORST day you STILL HAVE SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR.
PERSONALLY: If God saw fit to never bless me or ever help me in any way, I still would have so much to be THANKFUL for.
(Billy Graham said years ago that we should THANK God twice as much as we ask Him to answer a prayer)
S – SUPPLICATION: (To ask humbly & earnestly of; to ask for earnestly & humbly)
Now after we have given God praise, as we have ADORED Him, then CONFESSED, and then THANKED Him….we now take our requests to God. The responsive reading we read last Sunday said that WE HAVE NOT BECAUSE WE ASK NOT.
God knows what we need even before we ask….People get confused today as to WHAT THEY WANT RATHER THAN WHAT THEY NEED.
SUPPLY: “Provide with what is needed, to make available.”
One thing we never have to worry about? God is going to take care of His own…. I started off Monday giving God Praise..Thanking Him & Adoring Him then I ask Him to help in different areas….GUESS WHAT? He did answer some of my requests!!
(II CHRONICLES 7:14)
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
CLOSING
I want to ENCOURAGE each of you to pray. When Jesus cast out the money changers from the temple He said: “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
I want folks to drive by & not say “boy there sure are a lot of folks at that church prayin’”, I want them to say “those folks there get thru to God.”
A – ADORE
C – CONFESS
T – THANKSGIVING
S - SUPPLICATION
