We start our prayer time with praise and worship to God for His attributes, attitude and character, as well as for what He does for us. We confess our sins and ask for pardon for our transgressions (1 John 1:9). We pray with our mind and mention everything that is on our heart. Then, we finish by waiting on God and setting our mind on the Spirit, allowing God to show us what to pray by His Spirit’s direction (Romans 8:5). The Spirit may lead us to pray for the Body of Christ, for specific people or for people groups in general, for the unsaved and for upcoming events and occasions, etc. (Ephesians 6:18).
When we enter the Lord’s gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4), we thank Him for His provision in our life and then we pray about the concerns and feelings of our soul. We pour out our heart to the Lord with thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2). Then, all throughout the day, we pray without ceasing, consulting God through His Spirit before we do anything, so that we can discover God’s perfect will for our day (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 12:2).
When we enter the Lord’s gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4), we thank Him for His provision in our life and then we pray about the concerns and feelings of our soul. We pour out our heart to the Lord with thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2). Then, all throughout the day, we pray without ceasing, consulting God through His Spirit before we do anything, so that we can discover God’s perfect will for our day (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 12:2).
Paul talks about praying with his spirit and praying with his mind (1 Corinthians 14:15). We pray from our soul – our mind, will and emotions. Then we pray in the Spirit. Paul encourages us to pray in the spirit at all times and with all manner of prayers (Ephesians 6:18). In this type of prayer, we do not pray from our soul, which is carnally minded. We pray from our spirit, which is spiritually minded (Proverbs 20:27). The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness when we do not know how to pray, and He prays through us (Romans 8:26).
Praying in the Spirit does not refer to the words we use, but to the Spirit, who is directing our prayers. The Greek word used for “pray in” the Spirit in the Bible can refer to several different areas: pray “by the means of,” pray “with the help of,” pray “in the sphere of,” and pray “in connection to” the Spirit of God. Whatever we ask for during our prayer time, if it is according to God’s will for our life, He will grant it (1 John 5:14-15). Our surrendered prayer, “Lord, Your will be done,” will guarantee our success in our prayers.
Jude encourages us to vigilantly encourage our self and to increase our faith by praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20). Praying in the Spirit is not reserved only for the holiest of Believers. It does not signify that one person has more spiritual power than anyone else. Praying in the Spirit is a command for all Believers. It is simply allowing God to speak to our spirit and through our voice, as we pray; and then to act according to His will.
It is of vital importance that our prayers come from our spirit in direct communication with our Father as His child. Rote prayers or repeated recitation of the same prayer over and over is not pleasing to God (Matthew 6:7). However, we sometimes use all the words we can think of to relay to God some need for our self or someone else. Then, we cannot describe the situation in any other words. We are at a loss for any more ways to express our prayer. At times like this, the Spirit makes intercession for us with words, which we cannot articulate (Romans 8:26).
Some people inappropriately equate praying in the Spirit with using spiritual tongues (1 Corinthians 14:14). Having the gift of tongues is not a prerequisite to pray in the Spirit. Using tongues in a worship service requires an interpreter (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). Also, we can use tongues without an interpreter when we pray in our prayer closet, because it builds up our faith (1 Corinthians 14:4; Jude 1:20). However, praying in the Spirit actually means praying in the power and by the direction of the Spirit according to the will of God. So, at times we pray out of compassion with our mind and understanding for our concerns and feelings; and then, at other times, we pray with our spirit as the Holy Spirit directs us to pray (1 Corinthians 14:15).
Another great way to pray is to use Bible verses as the words of our prayers. We use the verses that apply to the situation about which we are praying. The Psalmists worded their Psalms as prayers to God and they are still relevant to our issues today. Their poetic imagery blesses us to the very core of our soul and often provides words for us that we could never imagine to use during our times of prayer. Every book in the Bible is available to use in our prayers and builds up our spirit when we make it a habitual part of our day.
Prayer:
Thought for the Day:
