Praying in the Spirit

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues, as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out. 

  • Prayer is a spiritual exercise. It’s a human in the earthly, natural realm reaching into the spiritual heavenly realm and pulling God’s best into the earth. 
  • The Holy Spirit gifts us with a prayer language that goes beyond our mind: our spirit connects directly with God.

Acts 8:14-18 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they would receive the Holy Spirit. (For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.

  • They had received the word of God, but not yet received the Holy Spirit until this moment. 

Acts 10:44-46 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been poured out on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God.

  • The idea of worship or exalting God accompanies Holy Spirit baptism. 
  • One of the primary initial pieces of evidence they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit was they began to speak in tongues.
  • Do we have to speak in tongues? No. We get to!

Benefits of praying the Spirit

  • Praying in the Spirit strengthens and builds up your spirit
    • 1Corinthians 14:4 “The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but the one who prophesies  edifies the church”
  • Praying in the Spirit is part of putting on the whole armor of God
    • We are in a spiritual battle and need to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)
  • Praying in the Spirit helps you pray when you don’t know what to pray
    • The Spirit knows things your head may not have caught up with yet (1 Corinthians 14:2)
  • Praying in the Spirit is a choice
    • All of God’s gifts are given by grace and received by faith; we have to choose to apprehend what God gives to us