Staying In

TOPIC: Praying

SCRIPTURE: "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit," (Jude 20)

OBSERVATION: Jude urgently warns these believers against false teachers. Here in verses 20-23 he exhorts them to persever. The solution to the danger and confusion of our enemy is the fullness of the Holy Spirit. "Praying in the the Holy Spirit" edifies the believer ( I Cor. 14:4). The ability to be sustained in the center of such spiritual attack comes only from the Holy Spirit

APPLICATION: As I did my reading the thing I noticed first was the phrase, "Praying in the Holy Spirit". As I thought through that, my thoughts went straight to "walking in the Spirit". The only way to pray in the Holy Spirit is to be walking in the Spirit.

In light of that

There are a few things I want to bring to your attention
regarding the Holy Spirit.

Remember Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit in John 16:13
"When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you into all truth.
He will not be presenting his own ideas;
he will be telling you what he has heard.
He will tell you about the future."

We see from this passage the Holy Spirit does nothing on his own initiative, but acts only as he hears from our Heavenly Father

Romans 8: 26-27 reads
"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. [27] And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.

Question?
Do you think it would be a good thing to find out what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Father on your behalf?

I do too!

Because we know that The Holy Spirit is praying the perfect will of God.

Don't you want to do that?

I do too!

So
regarding that situation you find yourself in
that is difficult
Ask the Holy Spirit what he is saying to the Father on your behalf?

After you ask
take time to listen for the answer.

Then
start praying the same way

Because then you will be praying in accordance with God's will concerning your situation.

Staying in the Spirit
is the prerequiste to praying in the Holy Spirit

PRAYER: Father God, thank you so much that you make it so simple. Help me not to rush past you, but to simply ask you, "Hey, what's your perspective on this?" Help me to stay in the Spirit!