The Holy Spirit's Help in Prayer - Part 2

“Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over my Word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:12).

Did you know that praying God’s Word consistently and wholeheartedly over your life will open the door for God’s power to bring true change in your life? God is faithful and capable of doing what He promises us in His Word. We need to find out what these promises are and believe them. These promises are stored in His Word. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: It shall not return to Me void (without producing any effect, useless), but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”. Jesus paid an incredible price for us to have these promises!

YIELDING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is active in our daily lives, but we need to learn how to yield to Him and train ourselves to think differently. Colossians 3:2 says, “And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth”. It is so important to know who you are in Christ! If you are born again, you are a new creation. John 6:63 says, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life”. Line up your thoughts with God’s thoughts!

WHAT YOU PUT INTO YOUR HEART WILL GROW

Are you storing God’s Word in your heart? If you find yourself more excited to watch TV, play games on Facebook, or watch movies than spending time with God, you are missing out on the Living God! What do you do with the time in your day? Are you spending time fellowshipping with God? He will reveal His plans to us if we spend time with Him. He has truth for you. Whatever you put into your heart will grow. If you spend the majority of your free time watching movies or surfing the internet, you will not grow spiritually. Your flesh will just get stronger. If you spend time every day fellowshipping with God in prayer and reading His Word, you will reap spiritual rewards. Seek God and you will find Him! Only God can fill you up. The Holy Spirit will convict you, and with His help, you can change. He wants to do a work in your heart and show you the deeper things of life!

THE HOLY SPIRIT STRENGTHENS US

I never knew anything about the baptism of the Holy Spirit until I met my husband, Kevin.  Quite honestly, it scared me, and I wanted nothing to do with it.  The churches I had belonged to up until that time never emphasized the importance of speaking in tongues, and I knew very little about it.  I knew about the gift of tongues that some believers have, but I was never taught that every believer could speak in tongues (as a private prayer language) through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  I struggled with this concept for a few years, but after studying the bible specifically for this reason, I became convinced that God made this available for every believer...including me.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit (praying in tongues) is something that is available to every believer. God has given us this gift to strengthen you. “But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  We all need this power to be a witness for Jesus!

- Whatever you put into your heart will grow. What have you been putting into your heart?

- Has God been convicting you of sin in your life? Have you turned it over to Him?

- Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit?

Your Word, Jesus, always accomplishes what it was sent out to do. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who has come to strengthen, convict, and guide us.

Picture credit:  www.necklacecrosses.com

The Holy Spirit's Help in Prayer - Part 1

How does the Holy Spirit help us in prayer? If you are born again, the Holy Spirit did a work in you when you repented of your sin and asked Jesus into your life. You are a new creation! "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).  The Holy Spirit helps us pray, and He shows us what to pray.

The Word of God is our victory in this life, and all of our answers are found there. We experience God by faith through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our connection to Him! So many of us have spent so much time worshipping what we think will make us happy (relationships, hobbies, our jobs, etc.) when only God can fill this place. He is our Creator, and He is the only one we should worship. I'm as guilty as anyone in this area, and I continually have to take a good look at my life to make sure that I'm putting God first.

THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US DISCERN TRUTH FROM ERROR.

The Holy Spirit is in us to be our Teacher, Guide and Comforter. We aren’t to be looking to New Age ideology (ouija boards, astrology, psychics, horoscopes) or anything else like this for our answers. Many of these things seem harmless, even to many Christians, but they are not from God! “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you” (Deut. 18:10-12).

I know that I grew up using ouija boards and I always loved astrology. A few years after following Jesus, I found out that these things were not harmless at all. I had to repent from using/doing all of those things and not turn back. I don't even open fortune cookies anymore! I decided that I'm not going to do something that even "hints" towards anything New Age. God strongly warns us from becoming involved in these things, because they are not from Him! They work AGAINST Him. Therefore, they work against us also.

The Holy Spirit helps us pray and moves us toward a changed life and right living (righteousness). The Holy Spirit draws us to connect with Him. We cannot change ourselves on our own; no matter how hard we try. (If it was possible, I think most of us would have done it by now!) The Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray, and with His divine help, we can begin to bear more fruit in our lives and become more like Jesus!

- Are you looking to the Holy Spirit to help you pray and gain victory in your life?

- Are you involved in anything connected with New Age thinking? If you are, turn away from it immediately, and turn towards God. Ask God to forgive you, and He will!

Thank you, Jesus, that you have sent us the Holy Spirit to be our Teacher, Guide and Comforter! Thank you, Holy Spirit, for guiding us into all truth and helping us discern what is not from God. We cannot change ourselves, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, we will be able to live a life full of perseverance and joy!

Picture credit: www.calvarytabernacleky.com