ACTS of Prayer

Asking God for stuff filled my prayers along with a "Thank you" or two, until a youth minister taught me the acronym ACTS:

 

A - Adoration - Adoration is worshipping, showing honor, and expressing our love to God.
"I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and  my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, and my stronghold." Psalm 18: 1-2 (NIV).

 

C- Confession - To confess means to admit wrongdoing; to acknowledge our sin.
"Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight..." Psalm 51: 4 (NAS).

 

T- Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving is speaking gratitude to the LORD for the great things He has done.
"...We thank You and praise Your glorious name." 1 Chronicles 29: 13 (NKJV). 

 

S- Supplication - Supplication is humbly making a request of  God.
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19: 14 (NAS).

I discovered an easy way to explain ACTS to children at Preschool Sunday School Central:

 

Adoration means "I love you!"

Confession means "I am sorry!"

Thanksgiving means "Thank you!"

Supplication means "Please!"

 

I shared ACTS with my seven-year-old granddaughter, Joy. I explained ACTS is a tool to help her pray, rather than a rule she has to obey. I encouraged her to include each part- even if she got them in different order. Then, I had her write a prayer using her own words. She wrote:

 

"Dear Jesus, I love you! I am sorry for hitting my sister. Thank you for my family. Please help me to cherish your word in my heart. Amen."

Using ACTS helps move our prayer life from not only asking God for things, but also praising God, confessing our sin, and giving Him thanks.


How can using the ACTS acronym benefit you?

ABC Bible Verses

This list of ABC Bible verses is my inspiration for the Scripture memory albums I make with my grandchildren. Each page includes the verse, a photo to illustrate the verse, and an alphabet letter sticker (purchased from a craft store).  I also help and encourage them to learn each verse. When completed, each child has a keepsake of Bible verses they've stored in their hearts.


A - "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3: 23

B - "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5: 8

C - "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Ephesians 6: 1

D - "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6: 31

E - "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." James 1: 17.

F - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3: 16

G - "Give thank to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107: 1

H - "Honor your father and your mother." Exodus 20: 12

I - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4: 13

J -  "Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

K - "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies." Psalm 34: 14

L - "Let the children come to me..." Matthew 19: 14

M - "My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121: 2

N - "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13: 5

O - "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." Psalm 119: 18

P - "Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5: 17

Q - "Quench not the Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 5: 19

R - "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4: 4

S - "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6: 33

T - "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3: 5

U - "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain." Psalm 127:1

V - "Verily, verily, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life," said Jesus. John 6:47

W - "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." Psalm 56: 3



X - "Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa." Esther 1 : 2

Y - "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119: 105

Z - "Zion heard, and was glad." Psalm 97: 8


If you choose to take on this beneficial project, have fun and let me know how it goes! I welcome your feedback.

"Book It!" Helping Kids Memorize Scripture- Part 3

Moses instructed the people of Israel to love the LORD and teach God's commands to their children. Parents were to impress and talk about them in all situations. God's commands were to be tied and bound to hands and foreheads, and written on the doorframes of houses and on gates. Moses exhorted the people not to forget the LORD ( Deut. 6: 4- 12 ).

Kindergarten students at our Christian school memorized Bible verses beginning with each letter of the alphabet. I tucked the idea in my brain, and retrieved it when my granddaughter started kindergarten. Together, we made an "ABC Bible verse" scrapbook.

 

Help children memorize and retain Scripture by including verses in a scrapbook or photo album, journal, or digital book. Not only will they have written reminders of God's Word, but their recorded family history as well.  An "ABC Bible verse" album also makes a great baby shower or birthday gift.

 

On each page include:

 

1.  A page title. For the "A" memory verse, the title is simply "A".  I use a sticker letter "A".

 

2.  The memory verse and reference (typed or handwritten).

 

3.  A photo (or drawing) illustrating the verse. For the "A" verse, my grandchildren dressed up in costumes and held props.

 

4.  A caption including the "who", "what", "where", "when" details describing the photo. When children are in the photo, include their ages.

 

5.  Add a few decorative stickers (optional).

 

I recommend using photo safe products. Look for "acid-free" labels. And pray, asking the Lord to give you creativity to help teach and impress God's Word upon the young ones in your life!

 

 



 

 "A" verse: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

Rom. 3: 23 (NIV)

 

 

In my next post, I'll share some of the Scriptures and photo ideas used in our "ABC Bible verse" scrapbook. Please share your tips for helping kids memorize God's word in the comments section. Thank you for visiting my blog. 

 

 

 



 

 



 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pray It! Helping Children Memorize Scripture- Part 2

As a young adult, I feared praying aloud. I lacked confidence to speak the right words at the appropriate time. Learning to pray God's Word radically changed my prayer life. Incorporating Scriptures into my prayers helped me pray God's will be done.

 

2 Timothy 3: 16- 17 tells us,  "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (NKJV). Judson Cornwall, author of Praying the Scriptures: Communicating With God in His Own Words, said, "When we let the Bible become our prayer, we are praying an inspired vocabulary."

Teach children to pray the Bible verses they memorize. This helps them pray God's will using God's words from their heart. Follow these simple steps:

• Model it. Let your children hear you pray these verses out loud. Pray any time and any place. Be mindful of their attention spans. Pray short, one-sentence prayers for very young children. For older children, you can pray several sentences. Pray specifically for them by name, so they know you are talking to God about them.

• Write it. Send your younger relatives cards and letters that include prayers containing Bible verses. For example, "Father God, thank you for Joy. Help her to obey her parents in the Lord, for this is right (Eph. 6:1). Amen."

• Give your young people opportunities to pray out loud. I delighted to hear my six-year-old granddaughter, Joy, pray "Dear Jesus, thank you for this day. This is the day that you have made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." She was able to pray Psalm 118: 24 because that Scripture was in her.

Praying memory verses helps children use and retain Scripture. May the Lord bless your descendants with a desire to store up God's Word in their hearts!

In the comments section, please share Bible verses you've helped your children or students memorize.

 

Sing It! Helping Children Memorize Scripture- Part 1



David wrote, "I delight to do your will, O my God; your law (instruction) is within my heart." Psalm 40: 8 (NAS).

My favorite way to help my grandchildren memorize Bible verses is through song. Singing helps them to learn and retain God's word quickly and easily.

Using Scripture song DVDs and CDs is a simple way to teach God's Word. We play them in the car or before bedtime. Because the songs are short and repetitive, the children can learn several verses in a few minutes. I use Steve Green's "Hide 'Em In Your Heart" DVD. I used Amy Grant's version of "Thy Word" (you can view it on You Tube), to teach Psalm 119: 105.

Another option is to sing the verse using a familiar tune. For example, sing "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5: 17) to the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down".  Add the first part of  verse 18 as the last line of your song. It goes like this- "Pray with ceasing, ceasing, ceasing. Pray without ceasing, in every thing give thanks!"

The third way to teach a Bible verse is by chanting or rapping it. Again, using 1 Thess. 5: 17, I came up with this chant: "Pray! Pray! Pray without ceasing! Pray! Pray! Pray without ceasing! Pray! Pray! Pray without ceasing! In everything give thanks! Hey!".

Play a singing game to check the children's retention. For each Scripture song they can sing by themselves, give them a star. When they get 5 stars, reward them with an inexpensive prize. I purchase these items at a dollar store. My grandkids love it when they "win" something, but the greatest benefit of all is getting God's Word in their hearts!

What Scripture memory techniques have worked for you? I welcome your comments!

Welcome to "Mimi Prays"



Hi y'all! Welcome to my new blog "Mimi Prays".

I'm a stay-at-home, empty-nester, baby boomer, forever-a-teacher, prayer group leader, and a long-time Jesus follower. My grandkids call me "Mimi", but you can call me Lori.

My passion is to pass on a legacy of faith and prayer to my descendants and to encourage and teach others to do the same.

You may be an eighty-year-old great-grandmother, or a twenty-something single parent. No matter what season of life you are in, this blog will present ideas and activities to help you inspire, instruct, and intercede for a younger generation.

I invite you to share your thoughts! Your feedback is appreciated. You are welcome to email me at mimiprays@gmail.com, and subscribe to my blog. Thanks for visiting!