THE COMFORTER – PART 7
From The HeartPublish date: 07/02/2000
POWER TO PRAY THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4 KJV
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Acts 10:44-46 KJV
The Holy Ghost is a free gift, poured out on all those who would receive Him. In the book of Acts, those who were baptized in and filled with the Holy Ghost, also spoke in other tongues, extolling and magnifying God. The Hebrew word for “gift” – “dorea” - of the Holy Ghost is not the same as the word for “gifts” – “charisma” - of the Spirit – tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophesy, etc. in 1 Corinthians 12. The Holy Spirit is a gift in the sense that He is given free – you can’t pay for Him. The gifts of the Spirit, which operate through those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit, are a gift in the sense that they are a special, supernatural endowment – an ability which operates through men as the Spirit wills.
When you are filled with the Spirit, you pray out of your spirit man. Your spirit speaks in tongues through your mouth. The Holy Spirit, in your spirit, is the One who gives the utterance. You can pray in the spirit whenever you choose. This is not the “gift” of tongues – it is your prayer language. When you pray out of your own spirit in tongues, it is a hot line to heaven. Your mind cannot understand it and most importantly, the devil cannot understand it!
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 NKJ
We should pray and sing in our native tongue – in our case, English – and we should pray and sing in the spirit – in other tongues as the Spirit gives us the utterance. We speak, pray and sing in our own languages in order to edify others and ourselves.
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Jude
We build up, strengthen, and edify ourselves spiritually, as we pray in the spirit.
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 NKJ
Unless we pray according to God’s will, He will not hear us and He will not answer us. If we want our prayers to be answered, we must pray so that God can hear us. When we don’t know what or how to pray, we can pray in the spirit and the Holy Spirit will pray, through us, the perfect will of God for our life and situation. As people, we are not perfect, we don’t know everything and we may not even know the word of God very well, but if we can pray in tongues, we can be praying God’s perfect will!
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. I John 5:14-15 NKJ
What a tremendous blessing from God – to have the ability to pray according to God’s will at any time. Because when we pray according to God’s will, He hears us and if He hears us, He answers our prayers!