https://www.bobyoungresources.com/articles/prayer-models.htm
F-A-C-T-S: The 5 Elements of Prayer
The Acronym F-A-C-T-S: Faith, Adoration, Confession,
Thanksgiving, Supplication
1.
FAITH
It
takes a lot faith to begin to pray. We can't see, hear, touch, or see God, yet
we need to have faith to believe that He exists. The Bible says that
"without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He is (that is He exists), and that He is a rewarder of those
who diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). Faith is a very important component
in prayer.
"And whatever things you ask in prayer,
believing, you will receive.” (Matt. 21:22)
"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask
when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."
(Mark 11:24)
"Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and
said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your
unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you
will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and
nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except
by prayer and fasting.”" (Matt. 17:19-21)
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,
who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no
doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the
wind." (James 1:5-6)
2.
ADORATION
God
is certainly worthy of our praise, love, adoration, and worship. When we come
to God in prayer we need to praise Him and adore Him.
"Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the
assembly; and David said: “Blessed are
You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and
ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and
the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the
kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor
come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your
hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. “Now therefore, our God,
We thank You And praise Your glorious name." (1 Chron. 29:10-13)
"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in
heaven, Hallowed be Your name." (Matt.
6:9)
"You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and
honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and
were created." (Rev. 4:11)
"I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will
bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, And I will praise
Your name forever and ever." (Psalm 145:1-2)
3.
CONFESSION
Unconfessed
sin breaks our fellowship with God and is a hindrance to answered prayer. When
we confess and repent of our sins that barrier is broken and our fellowship
with God is restored.
"When I kept silent, my bones grew old through
my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My
vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to
the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin." (Psalm 32:3-5)
"Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your
lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my
transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my
sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me."
(Psalm 51:1-3)
"He who covers his sins will not prosper, But
whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." (Prov. 28:13)
"When you spread out your hands, I will hide My
eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands
are full of blood." (Isaiah 1:15)
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9)
4.
THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving
and gratitude to God should not be lacking in the Christian's heart and mouth.
We should not forget all His benefits. We should thank Him for giving His Son.
We should thank Him for what He has done for us and what He will do for us.
"Let us come before His presence with
thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms." (Psalm 95:2)
"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever." (Psalm 118:1)
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to
God;" (Phil. 4:6)
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in
everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for
you." (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the
sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to
His name." (Heb. 13:15)
Five Things to Thank God for Based on Psalm 103:1-5
"Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me,
bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His
benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who
redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and
tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth
is renewed like the eagle’s." (Psalm 103:1-5)
1. Forgiveness
of sins (vs. 3a)
2. Health
(vs. 3b)
3. Deliverance
(vs. 4a)
4. His
lovingkindness and tender mercies (vs. 4b)
5. Provision
(vs. 5)
5.
SUPPLICATION
Supplication
is when we bring our needs, requests and petitions before God not only for
ourselves but also for others. The Bible says to "come boldly to the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of
need" (Heb. 4:16). Through Christ we have access to God (Eph. 2:18; John
14:6).
"ThereforeIexhortfirstofallthatsupplications,prayers,intercessions,andgivingof
thanksbemadeforallmen,forkingsandallwhoareinauthority,thatwemayleada
quietandpeaceablelifeinallgodlinessandreverence." (1 Tim.
2:1-2)
"PrayingalwayswithallprayerandsupplicationintheSpirit,beingwatchfultothisend
withallperseveranceandsupplicationforallthesaints—" (Eph. 6:18)
"Giveusthisdayourdailybread." (Matt. 6:11)
PeterSarkis
www.preeminenceofchrist.org
