Prayer Guide: Praying from the Bible (ACTS Model)

You can turn any verse of the Bible into a prayer, hanging pronouns as needed. For example: Ephesians 3:20, "Glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope." One way to pray this might be, "All glory to you God! By your mighty power at work within me, your word says that You are able to accomplish infinitely more than I would ever dare to ask or hope."

The ACTS model of prayer can help you pray deeper into this verse.

• ADORATION: If the verse you are praying shows you anything about God's character or who God is, praise Him with those words. From Ephesians 3:20, we could pray: "Almighty God, you are all powerful."
• CONFESSIONS: If the Holy Spirit points out anything from the verse that you are not living out or believing according to what this verse is calling us to do or be or believe, confess that to God. From Ephesians 3:20, we could pray: "God, sometimes I doubt that you are at work, Sometimes I put limits on what I believe you are able to accomplish. Forgive me, God." 
• THANKSGIVING: If the verse holds a promise or a truth for us, thank God for it. From Ephesians 3:20, we could pray: "Thank you God for showing me in this verse that you are at work in me and you are able to accomplish more that I could even hope. I choose to believe this and I thank you for this God."
• SUPPLICATION: Ask God to be your teacher and help you understand the verse better. Read the verse word by word, then phrase by phrase. Then, be silent and open your spiritual ears to God. If your mind gets distracted, pull yourself back by reading the verse again. Ask God to quiet all other noise (your own inner voice, the enemy, distractions, even the voice of the world/the culture). Give voice to what you are hearing by telling God so that He can correct anything or add to it. Write it down. Then, ask God to help you obey the verse of put into action anything He showed you. 

End by praying the verse straight through again, letting it sink into you a little deeper and then commit to God to believe it and live it.

Perhaps you may even want to write an "I will..." statement with what you are committing to. For example, from Ephesians 3:20, we could write: "I will choose to trust God who is at work within me accomplishing great things for His glory." Repeat your "I will" statement throughout the week.

Memorize the verse so that you can pray it frequently. In this, you will be letting God transform you by the renewing of your mind through His word. (Romans 12:2) and letting the Holy Spirit make you new in the attitude of your mind (Ephesians 4:23). 

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