Matthew 26:40-41(NIV) Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Commit to a daily time in prayer, you should plan for daily prayer. It should be a fixed time on your daily calendar. If possible, prayer should be the first activity that you start your day with.
Genesis 28:16(NLT) Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
Psalm 63:1-2(NKJV) O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.
Psalm 5:3(NIV) In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
We commit to a regular quiet time as a way of deepening our relationship with Christ. And through that connection we experience personal growth.
Prayer
If you’re still a little hesitant about what and how to pray, consider the ACTS method. It’s easy to remember and sets you up for a potent prayer time. ACTS is an acronym for: Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication.
Adoration opens your prayer with time to praise God for who He is and what He’s doing in your life. It’s also a great time to worship Him for the praiseworthy things you identified during your Bible reading.
1 Chronicles 29:11-14(ESV) Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.”
Confession allows us to experience the forgiveness of God, which was purchased by the death of Christ on the cross.
1 John 1:8-9(NIV) If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Thanksgiving – a spirit of gratitude is essential for Christian maturity. It helps us recognise the benefits and blessings in our life. And knowing that you’re going to spend some time thanking God for His blessings during your quiet times makes you more mindful of them throughout your day.
The purpose for the prayer of thanksgiving:
- To give honour to God. This is the primary purpose of thanksgiving, acknowledging that God is God and that He has supplied us with all we have.
- To show our dependency on God. When we are grateful and thankful to God, we show to Him and to the world that we are dependent on Him and that we desire to stay in that humble place of dependence, love, and trust.
1 Chronicles 16:34(ESV) Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!
Supplication is probably not a word you often hear, but supplication simply means to make a request. This is the time you want to talk to God about all those things you told someone yesterday that you’d pray about. It’s where you make your appeals to God for His intervention in your life and in the lives of your loved ones.
We can define supplication as a form of a prayer, a call for help from God. Psalm 50:15(ESV) Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. God knows when things are going well, we usually ignore Him. Find Him in the troubled times and hold onto Him in the pleasant times.
In Christianity, genuine supplication is an expression of authentic belief in God and trust in Him to answer our prayers.