Compelling Love

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:23, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” God delights in the heartfelt spirit-led prayers of His people as modeled in the Bible.

In her 2024 book, “A.C.T.S. Prayer, A 30 Day Devotional,” evangelist Traci Coston writes, “What is A.C.T.S., and how can it help you pray? A.C.T.S. is an acronym that stands for “adoration,” “confession,” “thanksgiving,” and “supplication” {asking}.” You can see this model of prayer in Scripture being put into action by Jesus and other leaders of the faith.” (p.7)

Adoration

I love you, LORD; you are my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety. Psalm 18:1-3 (NLT)

“Adoration can be defined as deep love and respect, worship and reverence. Adoration of God is expressed all throughout Scripture by those who follow and serve the Lord faithfully.” (p. 11)

When we pray, it’s important to express to God how much we adore Him. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (ESV)

“Adoration is a phenomenal way to begin your prayer time as it shows God that your relationship with Him is important to you—you’re not just talking to Him because you’re “supposed” to, or because you need something, but because you love Him and you love spending time with Him.” (p.12)

Confession

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9 (NIV)

“When we confess our sins, we are agreeing with God and what He says about sin. We are saying, God says this is sin, and I am agreeing that I sinned. It is honestly saying, “What I did was wrong.” (p. 28)

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,  Acts 3:19 (NIV)

“Many don’t realize that sometimes what is causing stress and challenges in life can actually be attributed to a sinful pattern of thinking even if it doesn’t seem sinful. For example, it can be living in thoughts of fear, doubt, complaint — lack of trust in God. None of these things fall into the categories of things we are meant to think on according to Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (NIV)

“If we repent, times of refreshing can come upon us… This is talking about the refreshing that comes from the presence of the Lord.”
“Holding onto sinful behaviors, speech, and thought patterns can block us from experiencing the presence of the Lord in our lives. Repenting and turning away from these behaviors and types of thinking suddenly allows us to “breathe easy” again, and conquer anything in life with ease because we have the presence of the Lord close to us.” (p. 38-39)

Thanksgiving

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)

“Press into thanksgiving in your prayer time today! No matter what may be going on in your life, God is deserving of our praise. Paul and Silas sat in prison, not exactly looking like they were walking in ”God’s will” for their lives. They couldn’t preach; they couldn’t be out performing miracles and winning souls. And yet, when they prayed and praised despite the circumstances, it caused an earthquake that set all the captives free, and an entire family (the jailer’s) was introduced to Jesus and saved. (Acts 16)” (p.48)

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. ⁷Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.  Colossians 2:6-7

“This passage shares with us two ways to tell if your life is truly built on the Lord:

1) Your faith will be strong.

2) You will overflow with thankfulness.

Our faith gets strengthened by hearing the Word of God, receiving revelation through the Holy Spirit, and believing and acting on it wholeheartedly.

The second way to know you are truly following after Jesus and your life is built on Him is that overflowing thankfulness will be a natural result! Never miss a moment to tell God how thankful you are for Him. If you can’t think of anything else to thank Him for, just God sending Jesus to die on the cross, raising Him back to life, and rescuing us from our sins should be enough for an eternity’s worth of praise!” (p. 64-65)

Supplication

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:4-7 NIV

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8

“Never be afraid to come to your Heavenly Dad when you are in search of or need of a good gift in your life—even the small things! I once saw a video of a man who was out hunting and saw an eagle far off. He told the story that while he was out alone in the woods, he admitted to the Lord that he didn’t always feel like God heard him. But if He really did, he asked if God would allow him to see the eagle up close. Moments later, that same eagle flew over to where the man was. But it didn’t just fly close by—it actually landed on the man’s shoulder! God delights in proving to His kids just how much He is listening, and He is willing to prove His presence in our lives when we ask in humility. (p.75)

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.  John 16:24 NIV

“If you need more joy in your life– start asking God for things! We don’t ask out of selfishness, but because we know we rely on Him for every good thing in our lives. We need His guidance, His wisdom, His discernment, His faith, His provision, His choice in friends and community, etc. Ask in Jesus’ name!” (p.86)

David Krause, dhkrause2.@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/