Pray in the Spirit

Jude 20
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit

Romans 8:26-27
²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Ephesians 6:18

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Have you ever thought about the fact that when you are praying to God you also have God inside you helping you pray? All three of the verses that I quote from above talk about the fact that we have the Holy Spirit inside us and He is there to help us to pray. As I have been thinking and praying about pray and the Holy Spirit I have discovered that there are some important truths and things we need to understand about our prayer lives and the Spirit. First, the Holy Spirit, as Romans states, is there to help us prayer and when we are not sure what we are to pray for, He will pray for us and guide our minds and hearts in prayer. Second, we need to be aware of the fact, as Ephesians talks about, we are filled with the Spirit of God and He is there to help us pray and be there to bring thoughts and prayers to our minds. Third, we must pray in the Spirit and as Jude highlights we must use Him in our prayers and let Him fill our prayer life. And fourth, we must not grieve the Holy Spirit in our lives by our actions and sins, so that He will be there when we need Him and our prayers will not be hindered before God the Father, to whom we are praying.

So what does the Holy Spirit do for us in our prayer lives beside helping us. First, knowing that the Holy Spirit will pray for us when we are not sure how to pray, will give us confidence, joy, and an assurance that our prayers are being heard and answered by God. The Holy Spirit will also stay in tune with our spirits so that our emotions, affections, and feelings will be more in-tune with God when we are praying through Spirit. Finally the Holy Spirit will clear our minds and help us stay focused on God and what we are praying for or praise God about. Remember the Holy Spirit is there not only to help us bring our request to God, but He is also there to help us shout and bring thanksgiving to God for His love and mighty power in our lives. 

Next time you pray, remember that the Holy Spirit is right there with you, take confidence in Him and use Him to help your prayer life.

Here are some more answer to the test post from last week.
D.    In which book and chapter(s) do you find the following?
31.    God first speaks the Ten Commandments?- Exodus 20
32.    The call of Abram?- Genesis 12
33.    The Sermon on the Mount?- Matthew 5-7
34.    The Great Commission?- Matthew 28
35.    The Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples in wind, fire, and tongues?- Acts 2
36.    Just as Adam was the head of the old humanity, Christ is the head of the new: “Just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous”?-Romans 5
37.    ”But these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  And the greatest of these is love”?- 1 Corinthians 13
38.    A religious leader hears “Unless a man is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven”?- John 3
39.    Satan bound for a thousand years?- Revelation 20
40.    The three Hebrews saved from the fiery furnace?- Daniel 3