“What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?: Praying Effectively” explores the power of Spirit-led prayer. Learn to align with God’s will and pray beyond your understanding for more impactful prayer. Isn’t all prayer praying in the Spirit? No. If all prayers were, why would the Apostle Paul instruct us to pray in the Spirit when, specifically, in spiritual warfare? Why would Jude tell us to pray in the Spirit to build ourselves up in our most holy faith? There are many types or styles of prayer we can utilize. One of those is praying in the Spirit.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?: Praying Effectively
by Delbert Young
Scriptures: Eph 6:18, Eph 6:10-18, Rom 8:26-27, Act 19:1, 3-6, Mar 16:17, !Co 12:10, 1Co 14:38, 1Co 14:14-15, 1Co:14:26, 1Co 14:18, Act 2:4, Act 2:11, Act 10:45-47, Act 19:6, Rom 8:7, Jud 1:20, 1Co 14:32,
I’ve purposefully saved this lesson for last. One reason is that in this lesson, we will cover the aspect that makes my prayer life different from the prayer lives of most people. Another reason is that this lesson has the potential to make you say, “You are crazy. This is not for me.” or say, “I need this aspect of prayer in my prayer life!”
Let’s get into the Scriptures. We will use the King James Version and the New International Version throughout our study.
(KJV) Ephesians 6:18 Praying always WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION IN THE SPIRIT, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
(NIV) Ephesians 6:18 And PRAY IN THE SPIRIT on all occasions WITH ALL KINDS OF PRAYERS AND REQUESTS. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
The Apostle Paul said we should “pray in the Spirit” “WITH ALL KINDS OF PRAYERS AND REQUESTS” (NIV) and “WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION” (KJV). Did Paul mean there are all kinds of prayer styles we can utilize when praying, or did he mean there are all kinds of things to pray about? Maybe both, but one thing is clear. Paul said pray in the spirit!
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
Think about this for me. Why would Paul instruct us to “pray in the Spirit” if all praying is in the Spirit? The reason is that all prayers are not in the Spirit. All praying may be “spiritual,” but all praying is not “in the Spirit.” What did he mean if all prayer was not “in the Spirit”?
The Apostle said to make certain we “pray in the Spirit” when praying in this context. What context? We can’t simply pull out the verse without investigating the context and understanding Paul’s emphasis. What is the context? The context is spiritual warfare!
I want us to see that there are “praying in the Spirit” type prayers and not in the Spirit type prayers. This is why Paul said in this context, be sure you pray in the Spirit. So what is praying in the Spirit, and what is the context in which we should do it? If I can help us with these two questions, then I’ve been successful. The context is accessible to show you and easy for you to see. The other question may not be easy to answer since it differs from how most people pray.
Context
The context of Ephesians 6:18 is “The Whole Armor of God” passage. If you’ve been around Christianity for any length of time and sat under decent teaching, you should know about the armor of God. Apostle Paul instructs us on how to go to battle in spiritual warfare. Metaphorically, Paul took the armor of a Roman soldier used in natural warfare to illustrate how Christ’s followers use their armor for spiritual warfare. We’ll read the passage if you are not familiar with the armor of God and get the context of praying in the Spirit.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
(KJV) Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 PRAYING ALWAYS WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION IN THE SPIRIT, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
(NIV) Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 AND PRAY IN THE SPIRIT ON ALL OCCASIONS WITH ALL KINDS OF PRAYERS AND REQUESTS. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
Have you ever been in spiritual warfare? Sure you have. Principalities, powers, spiritual wickedness, devils schemes, etc., were all coming at you at one time! Have you ever felt as though the devil was scheming against you? He was and will be. How did you pray? Did you pray in the Spirit, or did you basically pray as you pray about everything? How will you pray in your next battle? Did you even think, “I need to make sure I pray in the Spirit”?
Someone may say, “Well, I think I was praying in the Spirit.” As we read the passage context, we see that it is too important to “think” that we are praying in the Spirit! It’s warfare, and it could be life and death for you and the people you love and pray for.
Here is a quote from Bible Reference.
“Prayer connects us to the power of God, which is necessary to defeat spiritual enemies. Communication in battle is often the difference between victory and defeat. This is especially true when referring to soldiers hearing the instructions of their Commander.” BibleRef.com
We need exceptional communication when in battle. The enemy wants to intercept or hinder our communications with Our Father. In war, the communications are coded and encrypted. Can we do this? I believe we can. I do think most Christians will pray when in battle, but I also believe few Christians “pray in the Spirit”; thus, the enemy intercepts their communications. Praying in the Spirit is praying differently from our normal communication with Our Father, but what is praying in the Spirit?
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
What you want to know is important to me. I want you to ask, “How can I know I am praying in the Spirit?” We shouldn’t “think” we are praying in the spirit. We should know. It’s vital.
When we don’t know what or how to pray
Have you ever been in a situation when you simply didn’t know what or how to pray? I said, “What or how.” “What” would be the words I should pray. “How” would be the kind of prayer style I utilize. We just learned there are “all kinds of prayers.” We saw that there is “praying in the Spirit,” and there is obviously NOT praying in the Spirit. So, on the day when you didn’t know what or how to pray, what and how did you pray?
Have you experienced what I’m about to ask? You were praying and wanted to pray one thing, but something inside you seemed to check you, and you couldn’t get clarity on what to pray. It’s frustrating. Nothing you prayed seemed right, and the Lord answered nothing you prayed for. People, when experiencing this, usually just pray what they want. A big negative here when not knowing what or how to pray, but praying what we want to happen anyway is our prayer could be against the will of God, so the Lord will not answer the prayer.
I find myself in this dilemma of not knowing what or how to pray frequently.
I do not know what or how to pray several times a week. I’ve learned to recognize it and what to do when it happens. Because of what I do, I am asked by many people to pray for them, their children, friends, etc. I don’t know much, if anything, about many of those who ask me to pray, and I know much less about the situation they’re requesting prayer. I don’t know what or how to pray, but I know it’s important to them that I pray.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
One of the latest experiences I had when I found myself not knowing what or how to pray was/is the Russian invasion of Ukraine (As I write, March 2022). Here is why it was/is a dilemma for me. The apparent prayer would be for Ukraine to drive out Russian forces. Seemingly innocent people are dying, and mass destruction and war crimes are taking place.
However, I also know that the Lord rules nations with a rod of iron (Rev 19:15). I know that the Lord directs the hearts of kings (Pro 21:1) and uses nations to judge other nations. He’s done this throughout the Scriptures. For example, He used Rome to judge the Jewish nation in 70 AD. Jesus told His disciples about this coming event of judgment in great detail (Mat 24, Luk 21).
I know there are so many innocent people dying in this Russian invasion of Ukraine, both Ukrainians and also Russian soldiers dying who don’t want to be there.
The invasion seems evil and vile, but so it seemed with the War of 70 AD when Rome invaded Israel. Even Jesus said Rome’s invasion of Israel was “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time” (Mat 24:21). It was horrible. Back then, there were what we call today atrocious war crimes. I would have wanted to pray the Lord intervene and the Jews drive out the Roman invaders. Had I prayed for the Jews, I would be praying against the will of God because I know now the Lord orchestrated the Roman invasion.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
When I began praying for Ukraine, I got the check inside. What I was praying, though it sounded right, I recognized something was wrong with my prayer. I’ve learned to recognize the check inside. It’s the Holy Spirit saying, “Hold on. You don’t know what to pray. Let me pray.” How cool is that! “Let me pray.” Don’t you wish the Holy Spirit would do this for you? He will. He does it with a check inside. The Holy Spirit inside you wants to pray. The Holy Spirit wanting to pray and allowing Him to pray is “praying in the Spirit.” He wants to communicate with Our Father.
Delbert, are you saying God is judging Ukraine?
NO! What I am saying is I don’t understand anything about what’s going on in Ukraine. I know what I “think,” but I’ve learned what I “think” is not always what the Lord thinks. I don’t understand what’s going on in America. It’s unbelievable to me, but I know God is God. Just because I don’t understand doesn’t mean the Lord doesn’t understand and may be doing it or at least allowing it. So when I don’t understand, I realize I don’t know how or what to pray. What do I do? What words do I use, and what kind of prayer style do I utilize?
Do you know the Scriptures tell us exactly how to pray when we don’t know what to pray or how to pray?
(KJV) Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not WHAT we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us WITH GROANINGS WHICH CANNOT BE UTTERED.
(NIV) Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know WHAT we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us WITH GROANS THAT WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
Have you ever been praying and heard something like a groan or a sigh? It was an audible sound. If you pray often, you know what I mean. You were not thinking about groaning or sighing. You might have thought something like, “From where did that come? That was strange.” The Holy Spirit inside you let you know He wanted to pray. He was saying, “Let me pray.”
Let’s look at the next verse in the passage for more explanation.
(KJV) Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD.
(NIV) Romans 8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOD’S WILL.
So, let’s get this. Sometimes, we don’t know what or how to pray about something, but if my Spirit prays, He will pray/intercede for us in accordance with God’s will. Don’t miss this. I can pray the exact will of God, but my Spirit needs to pray it.
I think of my Spirit groaning this way. When my children were young and they said or did things wrong, I’d sigh, groan, shake my head, and want to say something. These expressions showed my disapproval. I feel that’s what the Holy Spirit is doing inside us. The Spirit wants to say something. Something is wrong. He groans.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
When the Spirit groans in prayer, I most likely was praying the wrong prayer and maybe even against the will of God. The Holy Spirit doesn’t want me to come against Our Father’s will, so my prayer caused the Holy Spirit inside me to groan or sigh. He was saying, “Hold on. You’re in error on this. You don’t know how or what to pray. Let Me pray.” The Spirit of God inside us wants to pray with words we cannot express. We need to let the Spirit pray the will of God, but how do we do this?
Tongues
I don’t know what you think about “speaking in tongues” or, more importantly, “praying in tongues.” These are probably not good thoughts, or at least you probably have confused thoughts. Likely, you’ve been taught tongues are not for today. Maybe you’ve been taught tongues are of the devil. It likely seemed weird and confusing if you’ve witnessed someone speaking in tongues. This confusion is typical. Tongues are confusing to us, but more importantly, they are confusing to the devil.
If tongues confuse you, it’s because you’ve never been properly taught about tongues or studied tongues for yourself. Of course, I don’t have time or space to teach in-depth about tongues here. However, if you desire to know more about tongues, go to sermonsbydelbertyoung.com, type “tongues” into the search bar, and search. You will find as much teaching about tongues as you want. I taught a lot about tongues. Tongues are essential to me. I believe in tongues. Why? Because Jesus and the apostles believed in tongues.
I speak in tongues, sing in tongues, and pray in tongues.
I have since 1978. At a time in my life, I thought someone who spoke in tongues was a weird holy roller. So maybe you’re thinking Delbert is a weird holy-roller. You decide, but if you’ve asked me to pray for you or someone, I’ve probably prayed in tongues for your request. I know that tongues added a dimension to my walk with God like nothing else has in many ways, specifically prayer. When I say “walk with God,” I mean walk with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Most people have very little relationship with the Holy Spirit. Tongues enhanced my relationship with the Holy Spirit.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
It’s those who say tongues are not real and of the devil who have never spoken in tongues themselves and never honestly studied the Scriptures. I said, “honestly studied,” meaning if a person honestly allows the Scriptures to be the determining factor and not pride or man’s doctrine, they would speak in tongues themselves instead of condemning tongues. So, I studied the Scriptures myself.
I’ve always been a self-thinker.
I’ve never gone along with the crowd to be accepted. I could not care less about being accepted. Peer pressure was not an issue for me, even as a teenager. As a child, my family was extremely poor. When I was six, we moved from Miami, Florida, to Griffin, Georgia. Neither of my parents finished high school. (My mom went to the 11th grade, and my dad went to the 6th.
I was the first to finish high school and certainly the first in my family to go to college and obtain three degrees. This education level includes my grandparents, aunts, and uncles. My family saw me as the poster child. My uncles and aunts used “Delbert Ray” as the standard for my cousins.
Back then, my parents put all their money into purchasing forty acres of property, began building a house in Griffin, and developed a small farm. We didn’t have indoor plumbing or even a toilet until I was a teenager, so I didn’t fit well with children from the upper class. However, I never had a poor mentality, so neither did I fit with lower-poor-class people.
If I had to say who accepted me best as a child and teenager, it would be the upper middle class, but it wasn’t because I had well-off parents, as I only had two pairs of pants and three shirts to wear to school. Upper-middle-class kids accepted me because I thought bigger than poor or middle-class children, and I had a glowing personality. Also, I was a really good-looking boy… LOL (a little humor).
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
I came to the Lord Jesus.
So, after I came to the Lord Jesus as my Lord and Savior at age 28 (I was out of college, married, had two children, and was much better off financially than anyone I knew), I found myself enthralled by the Scriptures. Of course, I ran into the tongues thing. I expected to find in the Scriptures how tongues were a holy roller thing not for today and were of the devil. That’s what I’d heard. I set out to prove it to myself.
Back then, somewhere inside me (I now know who “somewhere inside me” is. He’s the Holy Spirit.) Inside me was this tiny possibility of saying tongues could be for today, even though my mind said they couldn’t be. I thought the Lord wouldn’t want me to talk like that. So, I wasn’t exactly closed-minded, but I was at least 95% closed-minded.
Nonetheless, I wanted to know the truth. I’d learned through personal study of the Scriptures all preachers did not teach the truth. Most preachers and Bible teachers preached and taught man’s doctrine. You’ve also learned this, especially if you’ve often been around me. I usually point out if a preacher or teacher is saying something incorrectly. I’m guessing there is the same tiny possibility question inside you about tongues because you’re obviously hungry for God and truth.
I wanted to know all I could about God (Trinity) and not miss out on anything the Lord had for me and desired I experience. So, I began my search for the truth about tongues. I implore you to do the same. Please do not consider my experience, teachings, or conclusions as your final decision concerning tongues. You owe it to yourself.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
What I found
So, what did I discover concerning tongues for myself? Well, I learned a lot. I found most preachers never teach about tongues, or they teach about tongues incorrectly. Most only talk about speaking in tongues. However, tongues are so much more than talking in tongues. I found that there was no place where the Scriptures teach tongues are not for today, and I certainly could not find where tongues are of the devil. I will quickly list several things I discovered and things you should be aware of concerning tongues.
1. In the New Testament, true believers questioned their salvation experience if they did not speak in tongues.
I said, “Questioned their salvation experience.” I DID NOT SAY their salvation was not authentic. So, I DO NOT mean that if a person does not speak in tongues, they are not “saved,” nor do I believe this. I found in the Scriptures that a person can believe in Jesus Christ but miss a vital aspect and experience they could experience included in their Salvation, i.e., walk with our Lord.
For example, the Scriptures tell us of Paul’s missionary journey in Acts 19. Let’s read about this.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
(KJV) ACT 19:1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and FINDING CERTAIN DISCIPLES,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
(NIV) ACT 19:1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There HE FOUND SOME DISCIPLES
2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Apollos, a Gentile preacher, had preached Jesus to these believers, but obviously, Apollos didn’t preach/teach these believers about the Holy Spirit, much less tongues. They’d heard about Jesus Christ somewhere, so it would seem Apollos taught them. It’s difficult to preach about the Holy Spirit and not teach about tongues, so most preachers today avoid teaching about the Holy Spirit.
Preachers and teachers mention the Holy Spirit but do not teach about the Holy Spirit. On a missionary journey, Paul encountered several Jesus believers, i.e., “disciples.” Paul noticed something missing from their salvation experience, so Paul asked them this question, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
Has anyone ever asked you, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” Of course, no one ever asked you. This question isn’t a question we ask people today. Let’s fix this right now. I’m asking you a Scriptural question. Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? I hope I didn’t insult you by asking. In our Christian experience today, God is a “package.”
Preachers teach us that we get it all when we pray after them to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In the Scriptures, it’s not this way. God is not “a package.” My statement isn’t to say the Holy Spirit isn’t dwelling within those who receive Jesus Christ. I’m saying there’s more to receiving the Holy Spirit than for salvation.
In the previous passage of Scripture, we see that people can believe but not receive the Holy Spirit.
Please notice how the Apostle Paul let us know initial “believing” (we call it “salvation”) is a separate experience from receiving the Holy Spirit. Those disciples believed, but they had not received the Holy Spirit. There is “believing” Jesus is Lord and Savior, and then there is more called “receiving” the Holy Spirit. These are separate experiences. That is what the Scriptures teach.
Next verses
(KJV) Acts 19:3 And he said unto them, UNTO WHAT THEN WERE YE BAPTIZED? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, THE HOLY GHOST CAME ON THEM; AND THEY SPAKE WITH TONGUES, AND PROPHESIED.
(NIV) Acts 19:3 So Paul asked, “THEN WHAT BAPTISM DID YOU RECEIVE?” “John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
5 On hearing this, they were baptized into THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS.
6 When Paul placed his hands on them, THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME ON THEM, AND THEY SPOKE IN TONGUES AND PROPHESIED.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
Our minds think of baptism only as water baptism. Paul was thinking of Spirit baptism. Notice that Paul associated receiving the Holy Spirit with baptism. Thus, we see baptism in the Holy Spirit. These disciples were not correctly taught about baptism either. There is water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism. These disciples (believers) were not only incorrectly taught about salvation, but they were also incorrectly baptized. It seems Paul then correctly water baptized them in the name of Jesus (though it doesn’t say anything about water).
What then happened? “The Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.” The gifts of the Spirit (1Co 12) immediately began operating when they received the Holy Spirit, who always brings His gifts, i.e., prophecy in this case.
Another question we dare not ask a Christian today is, “What baptism did you receive?” This question seems strange to us, but proper baptism is vital to an apostle. It’s foundational, and we must experience it correctly.
Tongues and spiritual gifts were what Apostle Paul wanted to see and hear come from those believers.
Tongues and gifts were what all the apostles wanted to see and hear. (For more on this, see “Come Holy Spirit, but why tongues?“) You can also read about a different time when a similar event occurred with believers who did not receive the Holy Spirit. Peter and John corrected this in Acts 8:12-17. Please read it. I can’t get into it and stay on my point here: “In the New Testament, if a person did not speak in tongues, believers questioned their salvation experience.”
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
If we have the same Holy Spirit today as Paul did then (and we do), then I must ask what changed. Why do we not emphasize tongues today? The answer is nothing changed Scripturally. What did change was preachers and teachers. Most preachers and teachers don’t like tongues. There are legitimate reasons, but these have nothing to do with the validity of tongues. We have too many preachers like Apollos and not enough like Paul, Peter, and John.
2. Jesus Himself said speaking in tongues is a sign.
Here is another thing I learned.
(KJV) Mark 16:17 And THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE; In my name shall they cast out devils; THEY SHALL SPEAK WITH NEW TONGUES;
(NIV) Mark 16:17 And THESE SIGNS WILL ACCOMPANY THOSE WHO BELIEVE: In my name they will drive out demons; THEY WILL SPEAK IN NEW TONGUES;
Some say Jesus never talked about tongues. Well then, “some” do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God (Mat 22:29, Mar 12:24). Jesus talked about tongues in Mark 16:17. Jesus said tongues are a “sign” following around or accompanying a person who believes.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?
Tongues are a sign – NOT PROOF – of a person being a believer in Jesus Christ.
What Does Praying In The Spirit Mean?: Praying Effectively
Other Related Sermons:
Apostle Nathanael: How to Recognize Jesus Luke 6:12-16
Spirit Filled Life – How to Walk in the Spirit’s Power
Come Holy Spirit but Why Tongues?
Holy Ghost and Scriptural Tongues 3 sermon
Prayer Issues Not Taught Series
Also see: