Then what am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding; I will sing with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will sing [intelligently] with my mind and understanding also.
1 Corinthians 14:15 (Amp)
PART 7
Praying in the Spirit
The first thing we must grasp in the so-called "prayer closet" or as I prefer to call it "The Secret Place" is that it begins in the spiritual realm - not a physical room. Where you sit, kneel or lie face down on the floor in your home (or as Dick Eastman did once - build a prayer shed/chapel in his backyard), is secondary.
Romans 8:26 (AMP) says "So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance".
The two verses posted here lay the foundation for "Praying in the Spirit" once we accept the command to go into the Heart of God through joining our inner man joined with His in-dwelling Spirit. We can only pray to Holy God through the Spirit of Christ. This is why the bible says that God does NOT hear the prayer of an unrighteous man, so to speak (Proverbs 28:9 etc).
Before we get into the meat of Praying in the Spirit next time, I wish to briefly address "private prayer language" (glossalalia....from the Greek words for language and speech together). Some call that "speaking in tongues". There is a huge misunderstanding by some that Praying in the Spirit ONLY means "speaking in tongues". No one will get me to either criticize, endorse or reject "speaking in tongues". I am not that educated but I know the Holy Spirit. THE LORD CAN CHOOSE TO SPEAK TO AND USE OTHERS IN ANY WAY HE CHOOSES, BECAUSE HE IS GOD AND WE AIN'T!
Therefore, to get this short series off and grounded where it should be, these matters of dispute within the body, should be objectively dispatched. How saints pray is their own business and between them and God. The Lord reigns in and loves ALL TRUE believers. Any person who is indwelled by the Spirit of God is my brother or sister and can pray for me, with me, over me and for my friends and family all day long, amen and amen.
This had to be addressed to move away from discord between brethren and some who look down on our fellow spirit-filled believers brethren. We wish to fully grasp, get and glorify God through Praying in the Spirit - a legitimate BIBLICALLY-based function that is expected of any Christian of any age. Amen.
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