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The acrostic ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. What would happen if each were removed from devotions? (For example, what would happen if adoration were removed from your prayers?)
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If Adoration is removed from my devotion then there’s no focus on who and why I am talking to God. If Confession is removed then my prayer life is a joke, I will just continue with what I am dong and neglecting God’s truth. If there’s no Thanksgiving then everything about my communication is a lie, I will be arrogant and proud. If there’s no supplication then I am telling God that I don’t need him. In reality all these are important.
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Removing adoration would mean we are not acknowledging God and all the qualities and characteristics that make him sovereign. Removing confession would mean that we are not acknowledging our sin and need for his grace in our lives. Removing thanksgiving means not thanking him for the blessings he has provided. And removing supplication would eliminate our need to ask for his provisions.
However you slice it, taking away any of these takes away an opportunity to include God in our daily lives.
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If the adoration was removed from the beginning of my prayer, I would not be acknowledging God for who he is, sovereign, all-knowing and always faithful. It would change the dynamic of my prayer to more of a guilt ridden prayer with the confession and then thanksgiving and supplication. Starting prayer with reverence of who God is sets the tone of the prayer.
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I think each play an importantly unique role in our communion with God. To where the absence of one of these begins to distort and create deficiency in our intimacy with God. I know in my life, I have far too often removed one of these pieces in my prayer time with God, and I begin to neglect essential attributes of who God is. When I remove adoration, my prayers can quickly turn more transactional and selfish, focusing more on what I need to say and do to receive from God, rather than starting from a foundation of praising Him for simply who He is.
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The Lord taught us how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. God still hears us when one part is left out, but a complete experience has all four parts.
