08/26/2024
Key element of Prayer - ACTS Method
Supplication - NOW we are ready to ask God for specific things. Now we are standing in the power of His might. [Eph 6:10] Now is the time for Supplication. Immediately after describing the Armor of God [Eph 6:10-17], Paul directs us to be "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" [Eph 6:18] This is where God's armor ultimately triumphs, it is how we wrestle against spiritual wickedness in high places. This is the ultimate use of the armor. Standing "in the power of His might", we must pray "in the Spirit". We must pray within a state of full faith and awareness of God's work in Christ for us, that His Spirit would lead us into extraordinary victory in prayer. For more on Prayer, and its relation to the armor of God,
The Armor of God: Our Heavy Artillery.
Now, the first thing to ask God for is that He would fill us to overflowing, with the Holy Spirit [Luke 11:13], [Acts 1:4-8], [John 7:37,38], [Eph 5:18], to help us absolutely focus our complete attention on Him. [2Cor 10:3-5] We are asking for a "Spirit led" state of prayer. We are now ready to "pray in the Spirit". We are now fully in the presence of God.
Now begin to make your requests known to God. Just start expressing what's on your heart to Him. You will notice that, once we are in God's presence, in this manner, that He begins to grant us faith to ask Him, for greater things than we ordinarily would be inclined to ask. We have entered the presence of the One for Whom nothing is impossible, and suddenly, everything seems possible! He in fact, begins to guide our prayer, by His Holy Spirit. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." [Rom 8:26]
While praying in the Spirit's power, don't be surprised if such times before His throne often get emotional. We are breathing in God's love, the atmosphere should get at least a little charged up. Most often it will be joyful, but sometimes, it may be in profound burden, and even mourning before the Lord, pleading for heartfelt supplications. In fact, these "groanings which cannot be uttered" are called by Paul elsewhere "travail", a descriptive term related to a woman giving birth, and the sounds that come from her at that time. It can denote deep pain and anguish of soul, as well as great rejoicing before the Lord. Bearing in mind that God is a God of order, that the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet [1Cor 14:32-33], and that one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is self control (KJV: temperance) [Gal 5:22-23], just quietly trust the Spirit to lead us into all truth [John 16:13-14] . In other words, we should be able to receive the Holy Spirit's leadings, or even His manifestations in prayer [1Cor 12:7], [Acts 13:1-4], while refraining from such emotional responses that might attract more attention to man than God.