Praying with the Understanding and Praying in the Spirit
Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
I Praying Always
1. The Greek actually says, “Praying with all kinds of prayer and supplication in the Spirit”
2. It doesn’t mean we pray at every single moment
3. We are always looking for every opportunity to pray
4. All kinds of prayer
Every type of prayer has a particular function, and every prayer must be energized with God's Word
II Different Kinds of Prayer
A. The Prayer of Binding and Loosing
1. When we became born again, Spiritual authority was given to us and God wants us to learn our authority
2.We can trample on serpents and scorpions and all the works of the enemy. This is binding them
3. Ministering angels are sent to minister to us. We can loose ministering spirits into situations
Matthew 18:18 “…Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”
B. The Prayer of Agreement
1. One of the most powerful prayers God has given us
Matthew 18:19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”
C. The Prayer of Faith
1. You can pray over yourself
Mark 11:24 “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
2. Someone else can pray over you
James 5:15 “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
C. The Daily Prayer of Commitment and Consecration
1. Jesus is our example of this type of prayer. He prayed daily that He came to do the will of His Father
a. Today is a brand new day. We make a commitment from our heart to do His will
Hebrews 10:5 “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.”
vs. 7 “…Behold I have come… to do Your will, O God.”
E. United Prayer
1. Also called intercessory prayer or group prayer
a. They gathered together as a group and prayed for Peter who was in prison
b. They lifted up their voice in one accord – everybody lifted up their voice as if it was one person
Acts 4:24 “…They raised their voice to God with one accord…”
Acts 12:12 “…Where many were gathered together praying.”
F. Intercessory Prayer
1. This prayer is putting you in someone else’s place and praying for them.
a. Lifting up in prayer the needs of the congregation
b. Lifting up in prayer the needs of relatives
c. Praying for unsaved loved ones
d. Sensing, feeling, and experiencing what other people are going through but reaching out with a heart of compassion
Mathew 14:14 “When Jesus went out He saw a great multitude, and He was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick.
G. The Prayer of Worship
1. Prayer is simply communion with God and every time we pray we are worshiping Him
III “Supplication in the Spirit”
A. Praying in the Spirit
1. We can pray all the time
a. Whether it is one of the different types of prayer listed above or praying in the Spirit. This can be done at all times
B. In the Greek, this says: “Being alert at the same time, with all perseverance and supplication for all of the saints.”
C. Praying in other tongues
1. Edifies you and builds you up
2. Brings rest and refreshment to your life
3. Is for the purpose of finding God's will on how to pray
Jude 20 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 14:4 “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.”
Isaiah 28:11 “For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people,”
vs. 12 “To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” and “this is the refreshing”
IV Praying in the Spirit
1 Corinthians 14:14 “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.”
vs. 15 “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding.”
A. When we pray with tongues, it is our inward man praying
1. The words do not come from your mind
2. The words come from your spirit on the inside
3. If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful
B. When we pray in tongues, we bypass our natural thinking and the prayer comes directly from our spirit
1. Praying in tongues brings us into a place of spiritual sensitivity
Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
2. God prepares us for those times when we don’t know how to pray
3. How do we get the wisdom we need to handle the situation we are in? Praying in the Spirit
C. “The Spirit helps in our weakness”
1. Our weakness, in this situation, is that we do not know what we should pray for as we ought
2. The Greek translation for “help” is “To take hold together with against.”
a. When we begin to pray in the Spirit, an unseen Helper comes beside us and takes hold together with us against the problem
b. When we don’t know how to pray in this situation. We don’t know what promises to stand on. Begin praying in the Spirit, suddenly He begins to make intercession for us
c. The Holy Spirit knows the perfect prayers and He prays according to the will of God on our behalf
1 Corinthians 14:2 “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit, he speaks mysteries.”
We may not know the answer, but we are never without an answer. God has given us different types of prayer. And if we do not know how to pray, the gift of speaking in tongues and the help of the Holy Spirit will help us in our weakness.
