Pray Daily
Fruit in the Fundamentals (Day 2) // Prayer 365
Our theme for this week is Fruit in the Fundamentals. In this new life that we have in Jesus Christ, we must nurture its growth through four spiritual fundamentals, exercises that we should do daily: Prayer, Study, Worship and Forgiveness. These fundamentals are essential to our growth and we will highlight one per day for the rest of the week because there’s fruit in the fundamentals.
The first of the four fundamentals is Pray Daily. Paul instructs us to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
Prayer, at its core, is how communicate with God. It is the official communication method for reaching heaven from earth. There’s no pressure to be perfect in language, but an invitation to be honest in heart. Prayer is essential to the life of the believer; it’s as vital to our spirits as oxygen is to our bodies. In the same way that we cannot live without breathing and our physical bodies cannot function without adequate air, I believe our spirits cannot function without being connected to its source and we achieve this through prayer.
Jesus modeled what prayer looks like for us in what we call the Lord’s Prayer as well as in other recorded prayers He lifted publicly. From His example, we can identify four elements that we should always use to build our prayers. These elements create the acronym, ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.
Adoration: Acknowledging and praising God for who He is. This is no reminder to God, as He knows Himself, but it’s a reminder to ourselves as sometimes we forget. Example words of adoration: Father, Faithful, Forgiving, Great, Mighty, Just, Loving, Patient, Provider, Prince of Peace, & Healer. As you get to know Him I’m every way, you are able to add new words of adoration to your prayers.
Confession: The regular confession of sins is a healthy habit of the believer. It keeps us in constant awareness of our imperfections and limitations and the needs of God’s grace. So be real, be specific, and be honest. With a healthy perspective of who God is, through adoration, we are empowered to confess our sins, knowing that He’s faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Thanksgiving: The forgiveness of sins and the grace of God triggers a response of gratitude which leads us to thanksgiving. It’s in thanksgiving that we lift up thanks to God for the things He’s done and, like confession, it’s good to be specific. Paul urges us to not “...worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6 NLT)
Supplication: This is the “ask” of prayer. This is where we pray for needs of others and ourselves. If we’ve prayed in the order of ACTS, by the time we get to the ask, our request is made with a heart that’s forgiven, full of adoration and thanksgiving. Perhaps you’re wondering, “What do I pray for?” The simple answer is everything! Nothing in your life is off limits in prayer (nor should it be). And while there’s no limit to what we can ask, we must be mindful that all prayers are answered according to the perfect will of God.
The acronym ACTS gives us a method to prayer, but the word acts calls us to action. Upon praying, we should act on that which we pray for. I encourage you to pray daily because this is a fundamental and essential to our growth spiritually. We must do this so that we may see fruit in the fundamentals. And it's through the lifestyle of prayer you will experience transformation in Jesus Christ. I know this because prayer changed my life and I believe it will change yours also.
Prayer Focus: For the grace to develop the discipline to pray daily.
I'm praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
The first of the four fundamentals is Pray Daily. Paul instructs us to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
Prayer, at its core, is how communicate with God. It is the official communication method for reaching heaven from earth. There’s no pressure to be perfect in language, but an invitation to be honest in heart. Prayer is essential to the life of the believer; it’s as vital to our spirits as oxygen is to our bodies. In the same way that we cannot live without breathing and our physical bodies cannot function without adequate air, I believe our spirits cannot function without being connected to its source and we achieve this through prayer.
Jesus modeled what prayer looks like for us in what we call the Lord’s Prayer as well as in other recorded prayers He lifted publicly. From His example, we can identify four elements that we should always use to build our prayers. These elements create the acronym, ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.
Adoration: Acknowledging and praising God for who He is. This is no reminder to God, as He knows Himself, but it’s a reminder to ourselves as sometimes we forget. Example words of adoration: Father, Faithful, Forgiving, Great, Mighty, Just, Loving, Patient, Provider, Prince of Peace, & Healer. As you get to know Him I’m every way, you are able to add new words of adoration to your prayers.
Confession: The regular confession of sins is a healthy habit of the believer. It keeps us in constant awareness of our imperfections and limitations and the needs of God’s grace. So be real, be specific, and be honest. With a healthy perspective of who God is, through adoration, we are empowered to confess our sins, knowing that He’s faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Thanksgiving: The forgiveness of sins and the grace of God triggers a response of gratitude which leads us to thanksgiving. It’s in thanksgiving that we lift up thanks to God for the things He’s done and, like confession, it’s good to be specific. Paul urges us to not “...worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6 NLT)
Supplication: This is the “ask” of prayer. This is where we pray for needs of others and ourselves. If we’ve prayed in the order of ACTS, by the time we get to the ask, our request is made with a heart that’s forgiven, full of adoration and thanksgiving. Perhaps you’re wondering, “What do I pray for?” The simple answer is everything! Nothing in your life is off limits in prayer (nor should it be). And while there’s no limit to what we can ask, we must be mindful that all prayers are answered according to the perfect will of God.
The acronym ACTS gives us a method to prayer, but the word acts calls us to action. Upon praying, we should act on that which we pray for. I encourage you to pray daily because this is a fundamental and essential to our growth spiritually. We must do this so that we may see fruit in the fundamentals. And it's through the lifestyle of prayer you will experience transformation in Jesus Christ. I know this because prayer changed my life and I believe it will change yours also.
Prayer Focus: For the grace to develop the discipline to pray daily.
I'm praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
Listen to this morning's prayer:
More from this week:
Did you know that Thryve Church prays together 365 days a year? Join us Monday-Friday at 6:30am & Saturdays at 8am for "Prayer at the Altar" by dialing 339- 207-7471 and then join us Sundays at 11am for Worship Service! Learn More