I don't know about you, but sometimes I just don't know how to pray. Sometimes I don't know what the will of the Lord is in a situation. Sometimes my natural wisdom doesn't get the job done. And sometimes I need help in sticky situations.
Thank God the Holy Spirit is our Helper. Jesus told His disciples that it was good for them that He went away because He could not send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, until He ascended to the right hand of God (John 16:7).
Listen to Jennifer's podcast about the Holy Spirit as Helper.
We need the Holy Spirit's help more than we know. In last week's column, I offered five reasons we should cry out for more of Him, which is what we do every morning on my devotional prayer call based on my book, Mornings With the Holy Spirit: Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God. Now, we'll look at five more ways the Holy Ghost, who lives on the inside of you, can help you right now.
1. The Holy Spirit helps us pray when we don't know how. Paul offers a revelation that can change your entire life in Romans 8:26: “Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
We may think we know how to pray, and sometimes we do, but many times we don't have a clue what prayer answer we really need. If you are not getting prayer answers, consider what James 4:3 says about “asking amiss.” The Greek word for “amiss” in the context of this Scripture means “improperly” or “wrongly.” If you are praying wrongly, you won't get the right answers—or perhaps any answer.
2. The Holy Spirit helps us pray God's perfect will. Paul continues the revelation in Romans 8:27, “He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
The Holy Spirit has the mind of God. He always knows the perfect will of the Father and always gets His prayers answered. Let Him help you pray and you will surely tap into the 1 John 5:14-15 promise: “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. So if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have whatever we asked of Him.”
3. The Holy Spirit gives us a special prayer language. Paul also shared a marvelous revelation in 1 Corinthians 14:2, “For he who speaks in an unknown tongue does not speak to men, but to God. For no one understands him, although in the spirit, he speaks mysteries.”
I pray in the Spirit as much as I possibly can. I wake up most mornings and pray at least 30 minutes in the Spirit before doing anything else. I pray in the Spirit while I am in my car. I even broke out in tongues on the tread mill at the gym accidentally—because it's automatic. I'm not telling you this to create a law, but to encourage you to allow praying in the Spirit to become so natural that your immediate response in times of need is to lift up Spirit-led prayers.
4. The Holy Spirit leads you into all truth. Jesus Himself said, “But when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own authority. But He will speak whatever He hears, and He will tell you things that are to come” (John 16:13).
The Lord is not trying to hide the truth from you—and in this day and age we need to treasure the truth more than silver and gold. Deception is rising rampantly in the world and in the church. We need to stick close to the Holy Ghost and ask Him to do what Jesus promises He will do—reveal the truth.
5. The Holy Spirit will help you find the right words to say in difficult situations. Jesus also said, “When they bring you to the synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not be anxious how you will answer or what you will say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (Luke 12:11-12).
We aren't likely to be brought in front of judges for our faith, but there are times when we have to engage in crucial conversations and difficult confrontations. The Holy Spirit can and will give you the words to say. That means you don't have to get into imaginations and play out the conversation in your head. You just have to go in prayed up and believe that He will give you wisdom and counsel in the moment. Even if you don't have time to pray, He can put the very words in your mouth in an instant.
Jesus is the Baptizer, and He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit when we ask and believe. If you've never been filled with Spirit and you want to be, pray this prayer:
“Father, I surrender full control of my life to You. I ask you even now to fill me to overflowing with Your Spirit, just as You have promised to do if I ask according to Your will. I ask this in the name of Jesus and believe that you are pouring out your Spirit upon me right now.”
Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, co-founder of awakeningtv.com, on the leadership team of the New Breed Revival Network and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening;Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan's Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer onFacebook or follow her on Twitter. Jennifer's Periscope handle is @propheticbooks.
