Prayer is communing with God. You can pray standing, kneeling, bowing down, lying down, sitting, or walking, and with your eyes open or closed. The particular position or mode isn’t an issue. Prayer is an act, but it is also an attitude. Praying should be the response of the Spirit of God in us to the atmosphere around us.

The best preparation for praying to God is to read the Word of God. Though you are not always in a position to do this before you pray, your daily devotional time or "quiet time" should always include this.

There is an acrostic called the A-C-T-S of prayer that is a good example of how we might pray.

Praising God is one of the best ways to enter God’s presence. Read each of the following verses and tell what it says concerning praising God.

Hebrews 13:15

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Psalm 34:1-3

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Praise is our response to the person, presence, position, power, love, wisdom, grace, and greatness of God. We are praising God for WHO HE IS! Example: Father, I praise you for your love that reached down to me, even when I was disobedient. I praise you that you are a loving, holy, merciful, and righteous God."

C - Confession

READ I John 1:7-9

What does this verse say about confessing our sins to God?

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Confession is not only admitting our sins to God, but also sincerely agreeing with God that the sins we have committed are wrong. True confession will also include a desire to repent of each sin. Example: "Father, I confess that I need to pray more. I know Thy Word tells me to pray continually. I desire to start doing that. Thank Thee Lord for Thy forgiveness. I claim Thy cleansing in the Name of Jesus Christ."

T - Thanksgiving

Read each of the following verses and tell what each says about "thanksgiving to God."

I Thessalonians 5:18 ____________________________________________________________________

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Philippians 4:6 _____________________________________________________________________

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It is right for us to thank God for all the things He has done for us. Thanksgiving differs somewhat from praise in that praise is thanking God for who He is, while thanksgiving is praising God for what He has done. The two certainly overlap and the definition given is expandable.

S - Supplication

Supplication has two parts: Intercession, which is asking for others, and Petition, which is asking for self. Read each of the following verses and tell what each says about intercession or petition.

I Timothy 2:1 _____________________________________________________________________

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James 5:14-15 _____________________________________________________________________

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Petition:

Philippians 4:6-7 ______________________________________________________________________

James 1:5 ______________________________________________________________________

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Although God is not interested in a "canned prayer," the A-C-T-S method can help us to remember what we should include in our prayers. You may discover other helpful methods.

I recommend using a notebook in which to record your prayer requests and their answers as God provides them. This will greatly heighten your awareness to the power, purpose, and privilege of prayer.

An old German proverb says, "When we clasp our hands in prayer, God opens His." God has chosen to act in response to prayer. It is prayer that unlocks the treasures of God and unleashes the power of God.

PRAY if we feel like it.

PRAY when we don’t feel like it.

PRAY until we do feel like it!

God deserves our praises and demands our prayers!

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Recite Memory Verse: Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

God always answers prayer. If you do not regard iniquity in your heart, if you come before the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you truly seek His will, then God is bound – by the authority and integrity of His own Word – to answer your prayer.

Read each of the following and tell what the verses say about God’s answering prayer:

Isaiah 65:24

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Jeremiah 33:3

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Adoniram Judson, a great missionary to Burma, once said, "I am persuaded that we are more deficient in praying than in any other grace. God loves real prayer and He wants us to pray continually because it is a necessary preparation for our receiving the rich blessings which He is waiting and longing to bestow. I never prayed sincerely and earnestly for anything, but that it came at some time – no matter how distant the day, somehow, in some shape, the answer came."

God always answers prayer. But we must understand that there are several ways that God answers prayer: Direct, Different, Delayed, and Denied.

Read each of the following verses that follow the title, and tell how they relate to the method of response listed.

Exodus 3:7-9

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 2. DIFFERENT (From what we ask for)

II Corinthians 12:7-10

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Luke 18:1-7

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Matthew 20:20-23

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DIRECT - This gives us daily protection and provision from God.

DIFFERENT reminds us that God is omniscient, that He knows what He is doing, and that His will is perfect for our lives.

DELAYED request is not a request denied. We must learn to rely on and trust in God. God’s timing is always perfect.

DENIED - Sometimes we may not know the right things to ask for, and God, in His grace, does not give us what we pray for.

When we pray "God’s will be done," we are saying this: "God here is my request. Thou knowest what is best. Best may represent what is best for me, for others or for the glory of God. If what I am asking for is best for me, I know Thou wilt supply it. If what I am asking is not best for me, I know you will give me the ‘better gift,’ which is Thy Will for me."

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