Taking Care of Yourself! (Part 2)

TEXT:

‘Building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life’ (Jude v20-21)

THOUGHT:

Part 1 focussed on “Building”. Jesus said He would build His church and nothing can stop Him from doing that. ¹ As the New Testament teaches Christians are now the temple, ² we can make sure the temple within is in good condition and not full of rubbish that needs to be cleared out.

Part 2 turns our attention to prayer and “Praying in the Holy Spirit”. Someone once said, “Seven days without prayer makes one weak!” But the reverse can be true. Seven prayerful days can make one strong.

Prayer needs both the desire and discipline to do it. Ask a group of Christians, “Who feels they should pray more?” and almost every hand will be raised, but it is much harder to discipline that desire and actually do it.

• Jesus wants us to pray

He set the example Himself ³ and that created a desire in His disciples, for they asked Him to teach them how to pray. ⁴ Jesus made it clear that prayer can not only bless us when our desires are met, but also others when we pray for them. Everyone can be a winner when we are willing to pray. The strength of any church is determined by its prayer life. Jesus summed it up like this, ‘Men ought always to pray and not lose heart’ (Luke 18:1).

While on earth, Jesus was able to teach His disciples how to pray, but what would happen after His ascension back to heaven? He gave the answer, ‘I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper’ (John 14:16). Jesus told them every Christian can have the Great Comforter, the Holy Spirit, on the inside. He would help them to pray, beyond the restriction of their natural understanding, into the realm of unlimited possibility!

• How the Holy Spirit helps us when we pray

Our text says, ‘Praying in the Holy Spirit’. Various Bible translations help to give a clearer meaning. “Learning to pray in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit” (TLB). “Let the Holy Spirit guide and help you when you pray” (NIRV) “Pray in dependence on; or as directed by, or according to the will of the Holy Spirit” (EXB).

From these references we can see how the Holy Spirit can influence our praying.

When we pray in our known language

Jesus said, ‘When you pray, say, “Our Father”’. ⁵ This is known as the Lord’s Prayer and has all the principles of prayer that we need. The Bible makes clear other the things we can pray for: Our enemies and those who spitefully use us and persecute us; ⁶ Workers to help sow the seed of God’s word, water it and bring in the harvest; ⁷ the Church and Civic leaders. ⁸ We can have confidence when praying, for Jesus said, ‘Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’ (Mark 11:24). The Holy Spirit will help us to ask for the right things.

When we pray in an unknown language

Often we face a situation or are asked to pray for a need but we do not know what is the will of God. This is when the Holy Spirit can help us to pray beyond our understanding.

 ‘The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 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’ (Romans 8:26-27 NLT).

The Apostle Paul made it clear he had two ways to pray and praise. ‘Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit,and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand’ (1 Corinthians 14:15 NLT).

When we receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, we receive a new tongue (a new language inspired by the Holy Spirit), in the same way as the disciples did on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit fills and empowers us to witness and pray more effectively.

If we shy away from the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking with other tongues, we are robbing ourselves of this miraculous experience that will transform our lives and effectiveness in the work of God.

• What to do when we hit an impasse

Responding to a desperate father’s cry for help to deliver his demon-possessed son, the disciples tried and failed. Confusion reigned as they, religious leaders and the crowd discussed the situation. When Jesus arrived at the scene, He immediately cast out the demon and healed the boy. The puzzled disciples asked, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ (Matthew 17:21). Jesus replied, ‘Because of your unbelief. This kind cannot come out except by prayer and fasting!’

Jesus was not speaking negatively, but positively asserting that even the strongest demon can be overcome by prayer and fasting. Your impasse may not be as dramatic and desperate as that father’s but it is just as real to you. Why not start praying and fasting and asking the Holy Spirit to help you. Not only will it change you but it will also give God the opportunity to change your situation for the better.

As you start to pray the Holy Spirit will fill you with His anointing. You may continue praying with your known language or with other tongues. One thing is for sure, you will find this a great way to take care of yourself and others!

Endnotes:

¹ Matthew 16:16

² 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

³ Luke 5:16

⁴ Luke 11:1

⁵ Luke 11:2-4

⁶ Matthew 5:44

⁷ Matthew 9:38

⁸ 1 Timothy 2:1-2

⁹ Recommended Reading

“The Believer’s Rights and Privileges Series” by Norman Wreford

Receiving The Spirit

Speaking With Other Tongues

Spiritual Gifts

All three books are available on Amazon Kindle or as a paperback from the website: www.recoveryministries.co.uk