“Pray in the Spirit!” Sunday, 07 August 2022 10:00 a.m.
We are wrapping up our series entitled: “The Armour of God”. We have spoken about the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace; the shield of faith and the “helmet of salvation.” Last week we talked about the sword of the Spirit- the word of God. And this week we are moving on to another vital offensive weapon: Prayer.
Ephesians 6: 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
Paul tells us that we should pray at all times; at every time of the day and on all occasions. You may have your own feelings about prayer; you might struggle with prayer. It probably does not come easy and maybe you're thinking prayer is highly overrated. But do not be confused on this issue: prayer is highly effective. So, what on earth does it mean to pray in the spirit? The answer to this is a little bit mysterious, but available to all of us. Let's look at it this way.
We are a three-dimensional person: we are flesh; soul and spirit. The flesh doesn't account for much. The flesh has a desire to be gratified and is conscious of the world. The soul is conscious of the “self” and is made up of the mind, emotions and will. But the Spirit that lives within a person that is in fellowship with God is the most noble part of them.
And what Paul is saying is that your prayers are most effective when you are “praying in the Spirit” that is from the deepest part of you that is in fellowship with God.
So, Paul is saying that prayer that is a weapon in the armour of God must be prayer in the Spirit. It can't be in the flesh that has no potential to do any harm to the enemy or to tear down any demonic stronghold. It cannot be a “soul” prayer that is only concerned about my well-being, my needs and wants. It must be a prayer in the Spirit, for the prayer to be effective.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
There is something remarkable that takes place whenever the Holy Spirit begins to fellowship with our spirit in prayer. And we have the feeling that we're being carried along by the Spirit. It may not happen all at once but when we are in that deep place of prayer, when our spirit is communicating with His Spirit; we sense that the Spirit is prompting us to pray in certain ways for certain kinds of needs and certain kinds of requests. And this is effective prayer.
Join us in person on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. or via livestream by going to https://www.firstbaptistsudbury.com and clicking on livestream for “Pray in the Spirit!”
Blessings,
Kevin