Has it ever occurred to you that the most effective way of praying is to pray in the spirit?
When we pray in the spirit, we pray with the inspiration, support, and direction of the Holy Spirit. The result is that our prayers get a hundred percent answer. The Holy Spirit also refreshes, renews, and revitalizes us each time we pray in the spirit.
Any believer who prays in the spirit continuously like the Bible commands will not have a redundant prayer life, but an ever-increasing one, marked by awesome spiritual experiences.
In this article, we will consider the following:
- What does it mean to pray in spirit?
- 35 benefits of praying in the spirit.
- How do we pray in the spirit?
What Does it Mean to Pray in Spirit?
To pray in the spirit is to pray with God’s consciousness and presence surrounding you and sanctifying both you and your prayer. It entails yielding, listening, and responding to the Holy Spirit’s impulses and leading as you pray.
Praying in the spirit is not necessarily speaking in tongues. But as the Spirit of God gives you utterance – speaking to God concerning the issues He lays in your heart as you pray. When you pray in the spirit, it is a sign that you have the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which means you can now communicate with God effectively.
Concerning praying in the Spirit, both Apostle Paul and Jude admonished us thus in Ephesians 6:18 NIV – 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 Lord’s people.
The forces we are up against are spiritual; as such, we must confront them in the spirit. That is why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to help us stand firm when we are weak.
As a Christian, you should engage the help of the Holy Spirit in prayer. Otherwise, you may never experience lasting victory in Christ.
Here Are 35 Benefits of Praying In The Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit is very beneficial to us as Christians. Some of the many benefits are that it:
1. Ushers Us into God’s Presence.
When we pray in the spirit, we gain direct access to God’s presence. That’s why Ephesians 2:18 NIV says – For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
2. Fills Us with the Grace of Supplications.
Praying in the spirit helps us overcome our reluctance and works in us the desire to pray. Zechariah 12:10 NIV – And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.
They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
3. Reveals Our True Needs and Helps Us Pray About Them.
The Holy Spirit graciously reveals to us our true heart needs when we pray in the spirit. He further leads us to seek their fulfillment in prayer.
4. Imparts a sense of Son-ship and acceptance in us that gives us freedom and confidence in God’s presence.
We are uninhibited in God’s presence when we pray in the spirit just as a child is before an understanding and loving father. Galatians 4:6 NIV – Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”
5. Teaches Us How and What to Pray.
When we pray in the spirit, the Holy Spirit helps our ignorance, weaknesses, confusion, and helplessness and makes knows to us what to pray.
Romans 8:26 NIV – 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 through wordless groans.
6. Guides Us into God’s Will.
When we pray in the spirit, we can count on the Holy Spirit to guide us into God’s will by illumining Scripture to us and stimulating and directing our hearts.
He also purifies our desires and redirects them toward God’s will because He alone knows and can interpret the will of God and His purpose.
1 Corinthians 2:11 NIV – For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
7. Motivates Us to Pray More.
Praying in the spirit also helps us commune with God more deeply by improving our motivation.
8. Inspires Confidence and Faith in Us.
When we pray in the spirit, the Holy Spirit inspires confidence in us, thereby increasing our faith in a loving Father.
9. Makes the Holy Spirit to Intercede for Us.
When we pray in the spirit, we are not the only ones praying at that time. The Holy Spirit also searches our hearts for our needs and takes it upon Himself to intercede for us by the will of God.
Romans 8:27 NIV – And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
10. Makes Our Prayers Acceptable Before God.
The Holy Spirit takes our imperfect and faltering prayers and adds to them, thereby making our prayers holy and acceptable before our Heavenly Father.
Revelation 8:3 – Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
In other words, the Holy Spirit takes our inarticulate groanings and infuses into them the right meaning.
11. Lays unique burdens of prayer and imparts in us the strength to pray.
When we pray in the spirit, the Holy Spirit sometimes lays burdens on us to intercede for others, especially someone who might be in need or danger. He also imparts in us the strength to pray until the answer comes (See Daniel 10:2-3).
12. Helps Us Resist the Works of the Flesh.
When we constantly pray in the spirit, dying to ourselves becomes easy. In other words, we can easily overcome the works of the flesh in our daily lives when we pray in the spirit.
13. Build Our Faith.
When we pray in the spirit, it helps build our faith. This is mostly because we have the assurance that we are communicating in the language of Heaven and because we are in close contact with God through the help of the Holy Spirit.
This would naturally give any believer the boldness to win on all sides or emerge victorious in any trial.
14. Keeps Us in Tune with the Holy Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit allows us to always pray for the will of God through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment.
15. Is a Weapon Against the Works of the Enemy.
Praying in the Spirit allows us to stand firm against the works of the enemy. (See Mark 16:15-18).
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
16. Helps Us Yield to God.
The Holy Spirit, who dwells in us and allows us to pray through Him, helps us yield to God completely when we pray in the spirit.
17. Strengthens Us.
Praying in the spirit enables us to pray even when we do not feel like it. It also builds us up spiritually and helps us live Spirit-led lives.
18. Fortifies Us Spiritually.
Praying in the spirit fortifies us spiritually and strengthens us to confront the forces of darkness. It imbues us with power and boldness to confront the enemy and prevail against him.
19. Makes Us Sensitive to God’s Love.
One incredible benefit of praying in the spirit is that, when we do, we naturally become more sensitive about God’s unconditional love for us.
This happens because we have the privilege to communicate with God in His language, which always brings greater results than we expect.
20. Helps Us Trust God.
God stimulates and builds our faith in Him through His word when we pray in the spirit. He also helps us learn how to trust Him more fully.
That’s why Jude verse 20 says – But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit.
21. Makes Us Able to Hear God More.
When we pray in the spirit as Christians, we develop the ability to hear God more clearly when He is speaking to us. We do not just develop the sense of hearing God expressly; we are also able to communicate better with Him.
22. Refreshes Us.
Praying naturally takes away stress and weariness. Praying in the spirit relieves us of stress, anxiety, weariness, and burdens, making us light and relaxed. It also refreshes and brightens us up.
23. Makes Us Aware of the Holy Spirit’s Indwelling.
The Holy Spirit manifests His presence in us daily when we pray in the spirit. Being aware of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence guides us not to make costly mistakes or walk into danger. (See John 14:16-17).
24. Gives Us the Privilege to Worship God.
Praying in the spirit gives us a glimpse of God’s awesomeness, which helps us worship Him in His mightiness, giving Him His rightful place in our hearts.
25. Fills Us with Peace.
When we pray in the spirit, God makes us aware that He is in control of every situation and that He is working His good pleasure in our lives. The feeling that comes with knowing this can calm the most troubled heart with peace.
26. Puts Our Spirit in Control Over Our Flesh.
Praying in the Spirit helps us bring our flesh under subjection. In other words, a Christian who prays in the spirit regularly has a firm grip over his passions and desires.
27. Helps Us Live Victoriously.
One amazing benefit of praying in the spirit is that God fills us with His grace to live far above sin and overcome daily temptations. The Holy Spirit would naturally warn you of some of them if you always pray in the spirit.
28. Eliminates Selfishness from Our Prayers.
The Holy Spirit is the one who directs a mind connected to Him in prayer. This makes it impossible to pray selfish prayers.
29. Helps Us Cultivate a More Intimate Relationship with God.
Praying in the spirit opens our lives to a deeper infilling of the Holy Spirit, leading to a more intimate relationship with Him. Put differently, praying in the spirit changes us from the inside and makes us ready and willing to go deeper in our walk with God.
30. Sanctifies Us.
Praying in the spirit makes us grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ and ultimately brings sanctification. It also makes us more responsive to God in every area of our lives.
31. Secures Us a Place in God’s Plan.
By praying in the spirit, we are aligning ourselves with God’s glorious plan of advancing His will on earth as it is in Heaven.
32. Teaches Us to Trust God More.
Learning to trust God more deeply comes with praying in the spirit consistently. As the relationship between a father and child grows with the more time they spend, so does our relationship with the Holy Spirit, which results in our ability to trust God more regardless of the situation.
33. Helps Us Pray the Right Prayers.
One of the many pecks of praying in the spirit is that we cannot pray amiss. Instead, we pray the right prayers because our hearts align with God’s will.
34. Helps Us Pray About the Unknown.
Praying in the spirit helps us pray about the unknown, especially unfavorable events to come. The Holy Spirit brings them to our minds to cancel these things before they manifest.
35. Increases Our Love for God.
Spending time constantly in prayer impacts our love for God. It gets even better when we pray very regularly in the spirit.
How Do We Pray in the Spirit?
There are five major ways to pray in the spirit:
1. Pray God’s Word.
When we pray Scripture, we are praying in the spirit as the written letters are God’s. Two of the books of the Bible with many prayers are the books of Psalm and Isaiah. If you don’t know where to start, I recommend these two books of the Bible.
2. Listen to God and Pray.
If you are asking, “How can I listen to God?” you can do it by paying attention to your heart. God often speaks to us through our hearts; you may call it your mind. Listen, and whatever He lays in your heart to pray, pray it.
3. Partner in Prayer with Christ Our Intercessor.
Christ is our mediator and greatest intercessor. To pray in the spirit, you must have a relationship with Him. Afterward, you can pray with your mind fixed on Him, His unconditional love, and sacrifice for you.
4. Pray the God-given Desires of Your Heart.
The Holy Spirit lays His will in our hearts by praying about disturbing thoughts, especially those that seem persistent; you are praying in the spirit.
5. Pray with Love in Your Heart.
When you pray, ensure God is at the center of your prayer. Focus your mind on Him and pray, reminding Him of your love for Him. A heart overflowing with love for God while praying is a heart praying in the spirit.
Conclusion
The above benefits of praying in the spirit are just a few of the many things we gain when we pray in the spirit.
If you must live successfully as a Christian, then you cannot do without praying in the spirit. It is what makes your prayer most effective.