Praying in the Spirit!

(Ephesians 6:18)  “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

We all have many prayer requests and as the days progress into the New Year many more shall rear their heads. Prayer is a part of the warriors armour and needed for daily battle. Without it what would the life of a Christian look like? Independence would be their motto with a resolve of self-determination as their drive. The only question I have for those individuals is this, are you sure you wear God’s coat of arms, does the blood of Christ avail as your covering, are you dressed by his blood? We know that wolves will always try and infiltrate God’s flock; it has been like that from the beginning.

One may ask this question, how do I know that I am really saved? Prayer will be a good barometer in measuring the seasons for the Christian. If we consider the forefathers of faith, Isaac prayed on behalf of his wife and he was heard; “And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” What had Isaac understood? He understood the will of God for his life, which was a promise to Abraham his father that in his seed a covenant had been established with God. Isaac was aware of God’s promise to his father and knew that if Rebekah did not conceive the covenant would be broken. He understood this that it is “impossible for God to lie.” (Hebrews 6:18)

He had learnt to pray in accordance with God’s will and so too must we learn this valuable lesson. He knew in whom he had believed. This is why I think that the Lord Jesus upon the cross seemed surprised when His Father forsook Him as He took on the sin of the world. These were His words; “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"” (Matthew 27:46)

The Lord Jesus’ life was full of assurance that His Father was with Him along His earthly journey, until He paid the price for our sin. It was only then that God judged Him on our behalf so that we could go free, praise His name!

If the Lord Jesus who is God chose to lay down His own life and live as a man and place his dependence in His Father who remained in heaven, how much more is it needful for us to shadow his example?   

Our lives must be filled with need in order for us to cry out unto God in Prayer. It teaches us to walk by faith; it removes self from the equation and places a dependency on our God, which in turn brings glory to Him, as He alone is worthy.

There is much false teaching on prayer and miracles that is bandied around in supposed Christian circles. This is no more than the enemies of the cross preying on weak individuals, looking to bleed them of the little wealth they have for the sake of their own bellies. They claim to be Christian; they fly the banner of prayer but their prayer falls on deaf ears no differently to that of the prophets of Baal when they challenged a true man of God, Elijah!

If and when God choses to act in answering a prayer there will be no doubt that his hand has been in the mix. Words like “maybe” or “possibly” could never feature, for when God said let there be light, light burst forth! It did not gently ooze its way into the darkness and eventual appear; “And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) – Can you picture it? Let your mind’s eye try and visualize this glorious event; BANG and there was light, darkness fleeing like a scared rabbit chased down by a hungry jackal. However it happened it was brilliance personified! To God be the Glory, hallowed be thy name! 

This is the same God the true Christian serves! Spies, false prophets and false teachers only pretend that God has healed so that that may manipulate the masses, the masses flock to them so that they too may find substance for their own bellies; “birds of a feather flock together”! Look at this verse; “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” (Matthew 24:28)   

So, how do we know if we are really saved?

Is the “fruit of the Spirit” evident in our lives? It is a simple question but needful for us to examine…

Do we carry the marks of Christ’s nail piercings in our bodies? Are we suffering as He also suffered in some form or another? Are we dying on a daily basis? And probably the greatest of all tests would be are we solely dependent upon the mercy and grace of our heavenly Father?

If we have Christ’s Spirit it will compel us to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice”, no if’s and buts! Prayer will be a part of everyday life as we become more conscious of the fact that our dependency lies with God and His grace and not on our own abilities as men and women. It is prayer that teachers us whom it is we should rely on and without needs there would be no necessity to pray. Elijah understood the power of prayer; he also understood that if God was for Him who could be against Him. 850 of the enemies elect came up against him as they prayed to their god to no avail. Elijah knew in whom he believed and as he prayed the enemy was comprehensively defeated, praise be to the only true God now and forever more, Amen!

Do we know in whom we believe? It is God our Father, one and the same! But only if we have received Christ’s Spirit and only if we realise that it is all of God and has nothing to do with who we are in ourselves. Salvation is a gift from God! The proof of this gift is true repentance from self. “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17) 

These money preachers who pretend to pray for miracles and for healings are dead, they do not place God before their own needs and this is why the Lord Jesus makes these statements in the book of Matthew; “"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.””

God help us to be people of prayer and as we pray may we remember to place the needs of others before our own, Amen! Let us remember that all that is asked from us is to contend for today as tomorrow will bring with it its own trouble. “One day at a time sweet Jesus all I ask is for one day at a time.”

Signing off

Tyrone