Pray in the Spirit

HOOK

Do not wait for God to prove Himself real— because He already did, and He will always will...

Tyler and Heather was unmindful of the danger they faced— It took them to a desperate situation to realize that God is real— that God’s Not Dead!— and He is still and will always be in the business of hearing, listening and answering our prayers!

Every day is a battle and we fight all sorts of things— but how do we fight an enemy that we do not see?

We must be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!— We must WEAR that Armor of God!— because we do not see our enemy..

Do you remember the six components of God’s Armor?

Belt of Truth— Breastplate of Righteousness— Sandals of Peace— Shield of Faith— Helmet of Salvation— Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God

Remembering these is imperative to our day to day survival against the arrows and quivers of our enemy that we do not see

Apostle Paul summarized his letter to the church in Ephesus using this metaphor precisely because he knows that the human side of us tends to always forget— but with the metaphor of the Armor of God— every time we get up in the morning— each time we dress up everyday, we are reminded of 6 things: Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Faith, Salvation and the Word

As you WEAR the Armor of God— It keeps you to Watch out for the enemy— It reminds you to Enrich yourself with God’s Word— It prompts you to Always stay on the side of peace and truth— and protects you to Resist temptations and sin

But Paul did not end there— in his letter, he went on to say— Pray in the Spirit— Pray for all the Lord’s people— and pray also for me

In a little paragraph Paul mentioned the word “Pray” [prayer or praying] five times!— After he put everything he talked about in his letter in a form of a metaphor using a warrior’s armor [that makes it easier for us to remember]— he tap it off with PRAYER!

And speaking of prayer— FEFAM Churches, which we are a part of, have decided to come together and pray on OCTOBER 30 at 6:30 to 8:30pm— Pastors, some elders and worship leaders will gather in person at the Harbor of Life Church while all of you are invited to join us virtually using Zoom to “Pray for America” [SHOW IMAGE]

We belong to the invisible kingdom, fighting an invisible war, wearing the Armor of God— let’s see what else Paul has to say in his letter to the church in Ephesus

Open your Bible to EPHESIANS 6:18-20

BOOK

Ephesians 6:18–20 NIV

18 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. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Ahead of this, he mentioned the six components of God’s Armor just once for each, while in this passage he mentioned “Pray or Prayer or Praying”, five times!— He cannot emphasize it well enough that he had to say it repeatedly!

Paul said.. Pray in the Spirit— Pray for the all the Lord’s people— and Pray also for me!— Let me break this down for you— what comes to your mind when you heart that phrase, “pray in the Spirit”?— Let’s see!

LOOK

PRAY IN THE SPIRIT ON ALL OCCASIONS

What is praying in the Spirit means?— What does the Scriptures says about it?—

By the way praying in the Spirit is distinct from praying in tongues!— Some teach that praying in the Spirit is synonymous with praying in tongues.

But as tongues is a gift of the Spirit..

1 Corinthians 12:8–11 NIV

8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Not a fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22–23 NIV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Not every Christian can speak in tongues. Yet, Paul instructs Christians to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions,” — Therefore, we can know that praying in the Spirit is distinct from praying in tongues.

Apart from our text today— praying in the Spirit is also mentioned in..

Jude 20 NIV

20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

And also in ..

Romans 8:26 NIV

26 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.

Praying in the Spirit is praying with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul

PRAYING FOR ALL THE LORD’S PEOPLE

Praying for one another— specially for those who had need

PRAY ALSO FOR ME

So that whenever I speak, words will be given— so that I will fearlessly make the gospel known— That I may declare it boldly!

FOUR THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU PRAY

TOOK

PRAISE GOD FOR WHO HE IS

Psalm 150:1–6 NIV

1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

REPENT FROM SIN

Acts 3:19 NIV

19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED

Matthew 7:7–8 NIV

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

YIELD TO GOD’S WILL

Matthew 6:10 NIV

10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

PRAYER

While the Worship Team will start playing our closing song— let’s pray for:

Honest & Credible Elections

Healing and Unity

Repentance and Revival

Government & Media

Education & Economy

Home Churches and our Families