Springs Article 2021-05 (2)
Romans 8:26-27
Ephesians 6:16-18
1 Corinthians 14:14-15
What is the main role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer?
- He is your Helper, John 14:16, Romans 8:26
- He helps in your weaknesses by leading, guiding and strengthening you.
- He quickens you with divine life in your spirit, soul and body, Romans 8:11
What is the greatest weakness in the life of a believer according to Romans 8:26?
- A prayerless christian is a powerless christian, Matthew 26:41
- Your greatest weakness as a believer is that you don’t know what we should pray for as you ought to. This is due to your limited human understanding.
How does the Holy Spirit help us in prayer according to Romans 8:26?
- He makes intercession for us through us!
- This involves groanings which cannot be uttered in intelligible speech
- The Holy Spirit does not pray for us without our involvement
- He takes hold with our spirits in prayer through ‘unintelligible groanings’
- These ‘unintelligible groanings’ come out through our mouths
- In order to pray in the Spirit, we must yield ourselves to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit
- The Holy Spirit prays for us in accordance with the will of God, Romans 8:27, 1 John 5:14
What does it mean to pray in the Spirit?
- Praying in the Spirit is praying from your human spirit under the influence of the Holy Spirit
- Praying in the Spirit bypasses the mind, 1 Corinthians 14:14-15
- Praying in the Spirit involves ‘unintelligible groanings’ from your innermost being
- Praying in the Spirit is praying in tongues or by interpretation of tongues
How can I become more effective in prayer?
- Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion, Ephesians 6:18
- Praying in tongues stimulates your faith into action, Jude 1:20
How do I know when to pray in the Spirit or in my understanding, according to 1 Corinthians 14:14-15?
- If you are making a simple straightforward request with a clear understanding of the will of God in the matter, you should pray a prayer of faith or agreement in your understanding
- If you are making a difficult or complicated request (e.g. Intercession and Supplication), you should pray in the Spirit first until you have a clearer understanding of what you should pray for and how to pray for it.
- If you are making a personal prayer that is between you and God, no one needs to understand it. In this case, you are free to pray in the Spirit or in your understanding, irrespective of where you are.
- If you are leading others in prayer, then you need to pray or coordinate them in understanding, so that they can agree with you. However, you may (all) choose to pray first in tongues in order to be stimulated in your faith and then in understanding in order to achieve agreement.
- To go deeper in prayer, aim to pray in the Spirit more than in your understanding.
2021: A Year of Sanctification