Am I Praying in the Spirit?

Ephesians 6:18 …praying at all times in the Spirit…

The things we most ‘naturally’ pray come out of our human nature.  As a child of God, I am given a new nature; it’s the ‘Jesus in me’ nature.  (2 Cor. 5:17)  But I find it takes practice and intentionality to pray as that new person.

“There is a good deal in our natural human nature that will not understand the life of the Son of God, that will say to Him, as His own mother did, ‘Now is Your time to work a miracle.’  The natural in us will always want the Son of God to work in our way. … A sword had to go through the heart of Mary because of the Son of God (Luke 2:35) and because of the Son of God in us, a sword must go through our natural life as well.”   Oswald Chambers

How do I know if I’m praying in the Spirit?  I ask myself these questions.

Am I really open and desirous of His will to be done?

Am I vulnerable and inviting Him to change me through my prayer?

Will I praise Him and give Him thanks no matter the outcome?  Am I truly delighting in Him?

Then I view very critically what I want to pray in the light of scripture, specifically knowing ‘the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things that you please.”  Gal. 5:17

I’m asking the Lord to help us pray at all times in the Spirit.

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