How Will You ACT This Year?

“Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” –Luke 11:1

As the Executive Director of ICHE, one of my most pleasant surprises has been finding out not only how many first-generation homeschoolers there are, but how many first-generation Christians there are as well. These brave parents are trying to navigate the homeschooling journey, and they are also learning the fundamental tenets of Christianity.

Since ICHE is focusing on prayer in 2025, it is important for all of us to know how to pray effectively. Of course, this is a topic that has filled thousands of books but let us breakdown, at least, the basic structure of prayer. Some call this the A.C.T.S. of prayer.

Adoration

A great place to start is in giving praise to God. Praise is distinctive from thanksgiving as the latter refers to what God does while the former is based on who He is. Because God does not change (Malachi 3:6) in his mercy, grace, love, etc., He is always worthy of praise and adoration. This means regardless of what I am personally going through, I can always look to heaven and praise God for His greatness (ability) and goodness (willingness). Adoration will automatically lift our spirit and prepare us for an effective prayer time.

Confession

Just as it is good to recount who Jesus Christ is, so it is good for us to be reminded who we are apart from Him. We are born as sinners and, true to our pedigree, we sin from time to time. Additionally, we can of our own selves do nothing (John 15:5); therefore, it is good for us to confess our ongoing need of Him in everyday life. If we see we are dependent upon God but do not pray, we deceive ourselves. In other words, prayer is the expression of our dependence.

Thanksgiving

As mentioned previously, thanksgiving is acknowledging all the many acts of mercy that God sends our way. Most of these we take for granted like safety in traveling, what health we do enjoy, and even having a warm house to sleep in during the winter months. Satan has shipwrecked many souls by trying to blame God for bad things that he himself initiates. Thanksgiving acts as a proper lens or perspective which we should see live through. It reminds us that every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17).

Supplication

Philippians 4:6 says, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. In other words, anxiety is our spiritual cue that it is time to pray. Whenever our mind gets occupied with cares of this world, God is inviting us to spend precious time with Him. From dividing the Red Sea to causing a lost axe to float to the top of the water, there is no request too big or too small for God. That is what supplication is, a request in prayer.

The key to this particular structure is that it emphasizes who God is and what He does. Our focus needs to be on Him and not on the things that bog us down. If we have a big definition of God, our troubles will be small. If we have a small God, our troubles will rise accordingly.

I challenge you to set apart some time each day for prayer. It may only be for fifteen minutes due to little ones running around. It could be during that first cup of coffee in the morning. Prayer is one of the best investment in our homeschooling life. Through prayer, God can cause our children to understand a new math concept. It can reenergize you as an individual. It can transform the emotional attitude in the home. It can enlighten us to a heart need in our little ones. As mentioned in a previous post, prayer is often seen as the last line of defense when it should be seen as the first weapon of offense.

If you are willing to join the ICHE prayer team for 2025, please email Kirk at ksmith@iche.org. We will make sure you get the monthly prayer requests as well as special needs that arise. Like the disciples, let’s ask God to teach us how to pray.