Praying with God’s Holy Spirit Message 1

Praying with God’s Holy Spirit

Romans 8:26-27

Weakness, Your Greatest Strength

Me:

A Mother’s Pray

a. Abraham Lincoln said:

i. “I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”

b. My mother was my greatest fan.

i. I could do almost no wrong.

ii. She loved it that I was a pastor.

iii. My mother prayed for me often.

iv. I bet your mother prayed for you.

c. I love prayer

i. Let me show you some ideas about prayer

ii. Tell me what you think?

We:

1. When we pray

Pray is our greatest Christian privilege

i. Pray is also our greatest Christian service

Have you consider prayer as a service.

i. Greater than singing

ii. Greater than preaching

iii. Greater than sharing your faith

iv. Greater than tithing

v. Greater than testifying

vi. Greater than teaching

It’s also our greater failure

i. I really believe that most here this morning would admit if they was honest would say that their prayer life is lacking.

ii. I wish my prayer life was better, greater, stronger, and purer than it is.

iii. What’s the missing ingredient.

iv. Check this out

God:

Weakness, Your Greatest Strength

a. That makes no sense!

i. The bible is full of these

ii. E.g. The first shall be last

iii. A dichotomy a contradiction a paradoxes

b. A biblical dichotomy

Romans 8:26 NET

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.

ii. In our weakness the Spirit help us pray.

c. Do we have a weakness?

i. We just agreed that our pray life is lacking

ii. I wish I could have more faith

iii. God has even addressed our lack of faith

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

v. In my own strength I’m a terrible preacher.

vi. I can even pronounce “dichotomy”

vii. So I will boast in my weakness so that the power Christ preaches for me.

viii. I encourage you to find your ministry.

ix. You can’t do a ministry in your own power.

Your greatest asset

i. God I don’t how to pray for this.

ii. God’s Holy Spirit steps in and prays for you.

iii. What a powerful thing.

You:

Praying in the Spirit

a. The key to a vital prayer life.

i. It is the answer to your indifference - when God seems far away.

ii. It is the answer to your ignorance - when you don’t know what to pray for.

iii. It is the answer to your weakness - when you don’t become distracted.

iv. It is the answer to our inability, when we are not able to express the things that we’d like to express when we pray.

b. Listen to other passages

Ephesians 6:18 NLT

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Jude 20 NLT

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,

We:

The end of the rope

a. When hope is loss

i. In our weakest moments

ii. God’s Spirit picks up the slack

iii. Lifts us up and walks with us in those dark valleys.

It’s your greatest privilege

And our greatest service

When all else fails (because it will) Pray!