Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Ephesians 6:13-18.
Up to now in this series on spiritual warfare, we have gone through each piece of God’s armor of protection, which Paul exhorts us to put on daily. We have looked at the pieces given to help us “stand firm,” namely the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the gospel of peace. We have also discussed the pieces of armor given for active battle: the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
As we now wrap up our discussion on the Ephesians 6 passage, we will finally take a look at the role of prayer, which I believe supplies our armor with its power.
Praying in the Spirit
As we read the Bible, there are many discussions of prayer and its role in the life of the believer. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, with the model prayer or “the Lord’s prayer,” showing them how to connect with God as their powerful Father; capable of bringing heaven’s reality to earth. He also modeled the importance of prayer for them in His many nights away in the secret place.
Later, the Apostle Paul begins sharing how he prays specifically for the believers and churches under his apostolic care. He also asks, many times, for prayer for his own life and ministry. It is Paul who charges the Thessalonian church to “pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This command is one that Bible students have argued over for centuries, as to the literal abilities of a person to do so.
However, the idea of “praying in the Spirit” is actually one that is not discussed very often in the Bible. In fact, there are only four passages in the New Testament where the idea is presented. The first is in the armor of God passage, in Ephesians 6:18,
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
The second time the idea is stated distinctly is in Jude 20-21,
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
The question we must ask, however, is, “how does a person pray in the Holy Spirit?” I believe the answer is two-fold, based upon the other two passages of scripture where prayer in the Spirit is found. These passages offer two forms of prayer, which believers throughout history have practiced regularly, and which qualify as “praying in the Spirit.” Both of them are important for us to learn.
Praying in Tongues
The first form of praying in the Spirit is quite controversial in many areas of the body of Christ. That is the practice of praying in tongues, which Paul gives a lot of instructions about in 1 Corinthians 14.
For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 14:2
Right at the outset of his discussion, Paul says that someone speaking in tongues is praying – speaking to God – and that this prayer is hidden from human interpretation as “mysteries in the Spirit.” Although flesh may not understand the words being spoken by the Spirit, Paul also makes it clear that speaking in tongues is a gift from God given to build up the one praying.
The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself…” 1 Corinthians 14:4
Although speaking in tongues gets a bad reputation among non-charismatics, anyone who thoroughly understands Paul’s explanation of the gift would understand his statement, “I am glad I speak in tongues more than all of you” (1 Corinthians 14:18). He has a high value for the gift of tongues because he had seen the impact of it on his own spiritual life!
He encourages anyone who has the gift of tongues to pray, both in tongues, led by the Spirit and in their native language, using their own mental capacity.
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” 1 Corinthians 14:14-15
I can say, as someone who received the gift of tongues from the Lord in my Baptist Bible college dorm room over 15 years ago, that there is supernatural power for spiritual breakthrough that comes, as we speak out those mysteries in the Spirit.
Though space doesn’t allow me to give a full explanation of the gift here, I encourage you to read my ‘Speaking in Tongues FAQ’ to learn exactly what the gift is and does, and how to receive this gift for yourself.
Praying by the Holy Spirit’s Leading
The other way we can pray in the Spirit is to submit our minds to His leading in how to pray over an issue or circumstance, and often, even the words we should speak to God in the situation. Paul says this is necessary because sometimes, though our hearts are inclined to prayer, we are limited by our humanity, and do not know how to pray effectively:
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27
Although there are some people who say that the “groaning too deep for words” implies speaking in tongues, I disagree. When you listen to someone praying in tongues, it is very distinctly a spoken language with individual words and structures. That goes against what Paul says.
Instead, I believe this passage is saying that when we are in that place where our prayers turn to groaning, because the weightiness of our need is greater than our ability to verbalize it, the Holy Spirit will meet us in that place and teach us exactly how to pray according to the will of God.
This happened to me very recently as I was fasting and seeking God for some breakthrough in specific areas of my life and ministry. I know what I needed to pray about, and I know the promises of God on my life which ensured what I was asking was according to His will. Yet, I did not know how to put words together that would cause the devil to flee and have an effect in the courts of heaven. Having learned, long ago, that the Holy Spirit is my helper and guide, I turned to Him for wisdom.
As I laid out every need I had before the Holy Spirit, asking Him to teach me to pray over the issues, He gave me step by step instructions on how to repent, how to rebuke the devil, and how to bring God’s promises back before Him to claim what He already says is mine.
I can testify, just a couple of weeks since that time, that God has granted my requests in both the personal and ministry areas I was interceding for.
The Secret to Praying in the Spirit
There are a lot of sermons and articles available to you which will tell you a number of biblical principles or a series of steps to get God to work for you or do what you ask. Most of them are garbage and should be deleted from existence permanently. Yet there is a “secret” we must all learn in order to pray in the Spirit, and that is simply: we must know the Holy Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit is not a method, strategy, or technique. It is a relationship with a person. We don’t manipulate God to do anything for us. We live in relationship with Him, and as we are guided by His Spirit we will capture His heart for our lives and the world, and we will learn to pray perfectly according to His will. The desires of our heart will be shaped by the desires of His!
It is through this relationship with the Holy Spirit that we will learn to pray in such a way that our armor is intact. He will show us where there are gaps, or when we have forgotten to gear up at all. He will lead us as we build our defenses against the schemes of the enemy, and He will give us our battle plan as we charge ahead with the Word of God.
This relationship with the Holy Spirit must be built, though. It grows over time. It isn’t something that a Christian, walking in the flesh can ever achieve. Prayer in the Spirit is a giant step above the best prayers the human mind can offer.
So as we wrap up this series on spiritual warfare, we must once again learn the lesson that our battle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). In order to find victory, we must move ourselves into the spirit realm, through intimacy and union with Him.
When we do, we win!
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Anthony Scott Ingram
Featured Image by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
