Yet, Paul instructs Christians to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions,” (Ephesians 6:18). There is no presumptuous sense of demand. I turned up the radio and tried to sing along. We should start with confession: we must admit our inability to pray as we ought. What Is the Significance of the Road to Emmaus? So, I prayed for you.”. I tried everything to stay awake. I start out praying in my living room, and suddenly I sense that I am in the throne room. We’re on a mission to change that. To pray in the Spirit does not mean a prayer language. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. He did not often go back and nuance the contrast between praying in the flesh and praying in the Spirit. The Holy Ghost prays with groaning and dictions that cannot be uttered with words. II. The emphasis is that our prayers should be directed by the Spirit of God and not our own selfish motives. The living reality the Spirit creates is the awareness of God’s presence. The result of the Spirit’s work is that we bow before God as humbled children of God in awe of God. If we are tongue-tied in prayer, we may try to overcome that difficulty with a stream of many words. When you pray in the Spirit, Satan is powerless to intercept your prayers. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. I remember going on a bike ride where there was a gradual incline for the first half and a gradual slope down for the second half. In Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus describes religious hypocrites who prayed in public places to be seen by other people, rather than praying in the Spirit before God. Ephesians 6:18 - Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; I even slapped myself. I didn’t know how I got there. This is a practise similar in nature to "praying in spirit", in that it is the Spirit of God that leads the believer in prayer and worship. Success in prayer does not depend upon how much time we can log in prayer. Romans 8:26 – “The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” I was more than a little shaken. Romans 8:26 reveals that when we pray in the spirit, the Holy Spirit helps our infirmity. I think I am still alive, and typing these words, because my wife did not quench the Spirit in that moment. Spirit-Aided Praying The Spirit is the One who gives life.—John 6:63 The more I consider "praying in the Spirit," the more convinced I am that the majority of Christians do not know what it means to pray in this particular way.Many are content to recite prayers and know nothing of the thrill of entering a dimension of prayer in which the Holy Spirit has full control. Sometimes praying in the Spirit will not feel electrifying at all. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:25-28). And, of course, there is all the difference in the world between the life and the liveliness produced by the Spirit and the kind of artifact, the bright and breezy imitation, produced by people. Prayer “is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 16-18), not to burden his people with rules and rituals, but for relationship with him. Praying in the Spirit is valuable and possible for every Christian. The Spirit has greater control of you. Praying in the Spirit refers to effectual praying that is characterized by sincerity, passion, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Second, to pray in the Spirit means The Holy Spirit Enlightens Our Prayers. "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God." Jason Meyer is the pastor for preaching and vision at. It simply means to pray according to God’s Word and according to his promptings. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. You are not dragging yourself along; you are not forcing the situation; you are not trying to make conversation with somebody whom you do not know. A. All rights reserved. Sometimes people try to overcome deadness in prayer by focusing on how well we can pray. Praying in the Spirit has been a hot topic because for some it is a sign of greater maturity in Christ – for some it is even a sign that someone has the Holy Spirit. “Praying in the Spirit” means that the one praying is in alignment with, and praying in alignment with, the will of God. Praying in the flesh feels like an upward climb in which we are having to power up the hill. When you pray in the Spirit, God’s Holy Spirit guides you, He leads you in prayer. He did not plot different degrees of experience; he simply posed sharp polarities to help us see the difference between the two. I was driving home very early one morning, around 4:30, and falling asleep at the wheel. I read Ephesians 6:18, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” This text really bothered me because I could parse the words and diagram the grammar, but I had this nagging sense that I was not experiencing the reality of it. The Spirit is a Spirit of life as well as truth, and the first thing that he always does is to make everything living and vital. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright © 2021, Christianity.com. When we pray in the Spirit, according to Lloyd-Jones, we experience being carried or driven in prayer to God by the Spirit, but how is it done? The Greek word translated “praying in” can have several different meanings. Praying in the Spirit has three aspects: (1) admitting our inability, (2) enjoying the creation of a living communion with God, and (3) pleading the promises of God with boldness and assurance. Those who really knew Lloyd-Jones will not find that answer surprising at all. Find more related articles in the collection of prayers below: The Serenity Prayer, The Lord's Prayer, Morning Prayers, Prayers for Healing, Thanksgiving Prayers, Advent Prayers, Christmas Prayers, Prayers for Peace, Prayers for Protection, Prayers for Strength, Praying in the Spirit. We must come face to face with our tendency to try to pray on our own. I really struggled to stay awake on the drive home. It is helpful to acknowledge that there are varying degrees of experience when it comes to praying in the Spirit. Speaking in tongues is cryptological. This doctrine comes from an interpretation of Acts where people displayed similar signs once they received the Holy Spirit. Pray urgently, plead, use all the arguments, use all the promises; but do not demand, do not claim. The Rise of Praying in the Spirit. Praying in the spirit has the idea of praying by means of the Holy Spirit as opposed to praying without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. My hunger for learning how to pray in the Spirit came from a perplexing problem. What Does it Mean That the Word of God Is Alive? Christmas Eve Prayers for You and Your Family. Praying in the Spirit is the biblical teaching of prayer with both emotion and intellect with complete dependence upon the Spirit of God to help pray appropriately to God the Father through Jesus the Son of God. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for … Well, to the extent that is true of us, we are not praying in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit means that the Spirit empowers the prayer and carries it to the Father in the name of Jesus. Obviously, there are degrees of decline. Scripture never says that “praying in the Spirit” is a prayer language. It is both our weapon against weakness and limitation. What Is the Hail Mary Prayer? Put it another way: praying with the spirit and praying with your mind are not mutually exclusive. But this step is not passive; it is the act of yielding ourselves to the Spirit. Meaning of Praying in Spirit According to John Gill’s commentary, prayer, “when performed aright, is performed ‘in the Spirit’; with the heart, soul, and spirit engaged in it. Experiencing his presence will seem much more important than any petition you are going to make (Lloyd-Jones, The Christian Soldier, 82). Words and Meaning. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Lloyd-Jones, The Final Perseverance of the Saints, 155). According to John Gill’s commentary, prayer, “when performed aright, is performed ‘in the Spirit’; with the heart, soul, and spirit engaged in it. Praying in the Spirit is praying with complete and absolute dependency upon the Spirit of God to guide us as to what to pray and how we should pray. He was the perfect Spirit–filled man. Praying the Spirit is praying secure in your position as an heir of God. If praying in the flesh is the counterfeit or imitation of praying in the Spirit, what is the genuine article? We do not know what we will be praying when we pray in the Spirit, but God’s Spirit takes charge. “Only inasmuch as you know that God is your Father can you pray with intimacy rather than with religious ritual. Pentecostals believe praying in the Spirit is a crucial aspect of faithful service and worship of the Lord. We start with the recognition that prayer is a spiritual activity, and the power of the flesh profits nothing at all. Jesus warned us against thinking we would be heard because we use many words (Matthew 6:7). Praying in the Spirit reflects the reality of the downward slope. But as tongues is a gift of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-11), not a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), not every Christian can speak in tongues. First, he helped me see what praying in the Spirit means by contrasting it with its polar opposite: praying in the flesh. When we pray in accordance with God's Spirit we can pray according to God's will and be confident of His perfect answer to our requests. The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, so He knows the mind of God intimately (1 Corinthians 2:11). And while “praying without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 16-18) is a command of God, the Spirit of God himself enables and empowers his people to pray. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (, “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,” (, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. Therefore, we can know that praying in the Spirit is distinct from praying in tongues. Luke, the Greek Physician, gives a good summary of the Holy Spirit's ministry in Jesus. He says, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in … In fact, I don’t know how I got here.”, “Well,” she said, “I woke up at about 4:30 very suddenly, and felt this intense prompting to pray. Some teach that praying in the Spirit is synonymous with praying in tongues. Here is the key difference: in the flesh, we are pushing the prayers forward, while in the Spirit, we feel caught up in the way the Spirit carries the prayer forward. The Spirit is not a small and inconsequential problem an indispensable part of Christianity.com prayer... 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