Ephesians 6:18 - Praying in the Spirit

Jesus promised Hisdisciples in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power, after that the HolyGhost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me….” My friend,when the Holy Spirit is upon us—when He is guiding and leading us—then we willbe praying in the Spirit with the power and authority of heaven behind our prayers. RememberRomans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are inChrist Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. In Romans 8:9-14, we read: “For if you live after the flesh, you shall die:but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live….”,“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Inother words, Ephesians 5:18 tells us, “Be filled with the Spirit.” Onceyou have been born again, the Holy Spirit indwells you. As you yield yourselfto His control, He fills you and directs your life—your thoughts, yourattitudes, your desires. He imparts to you the very divine nature of God (2 Peter1:4). Whenyou are filled with the Spirit you will bear the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.Against such there is no law”.  Myfriend, when you are praying in the Spirit, you have a heart of love, a heartof grace, a heart of mercy, gentleness, kindness, and patience. You cannot prayin the Spirit if you are impatient with God and impatient with others. Youcannot pray in the Spirit if your heart is filled with hatred, bitterness, orunforgiveness. In that condition, the Holy Spirit will not lead you in yourprayers. Thenwe come to Romans 8:26–27: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in ourweaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but theSpirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot beuttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is,because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God”. Wehave the Holy Spirit to teach us to pray. Praying in the Spirit means prayingin dependence upon Him and in alignment with God’s will. It means praying inharmony with Christ’s name and His nature. It is the fruit of the Spiritflowing from our lives because we have yielded to Him. Prayingin the Spirit does not mean ecstatic speech or a loss of control, for 1Corinthians 14:32 says, “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to theprophets.” You can pray fervently in the flesh and accomplish nothing. Butyou can pray quietly in the Spirit, and heaven and earth are moved. That iswhat it means to pray in the Spirit. As we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit,He directs our prayers. He gives guidance. He places in our hearts and mindsthe very things we should bring before the Lord in intercession. He fills uswith love for those around us. Youmay drive past an accident on the highway, and the Holy Spirit prompts you:Pray for those people that are injured. Pray for the first responders. Youdrive through a school zone and slow down and the Holy Spirit prompts you to prayfor the teachers and students. You are always ready to pray wherever you are,for whatever you might encounter as the Spirit prompts you! That is praying inthe Spirit. Itis so important to understand that any prayer that will have effect in heavenand move heaven and earth must be prayer offered in the Spirit. And remember,there is no condemnation. We pray with great confidence according to the mindand will of God when we are praying in the Spirit. The power of prayer isavailable to every believer who yields to the Holy Spirit. May God help us aswe all learn to pray in the Spirit. Godbless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.