The Spirit that you have received from God does not make you serve him like slaves. That would make you afraid again. No. The Spirit that God has given to you causes you to become God’s children. Now he takes care of you. God’s Spirit makes us call God: ‘Abba, our Father.’
Romans 8:15 EASY
What privilege does a slave have for him to boldly make personal demands from his master? But a legitimate child, understanding his rights, can freely talk to his father without fear. He can also make demands, as many times as he likes. Therefore, it is important for us as Christians to understand the privileges we have through the Holy Spirit, especially as regards prayer.
Prayer is one of the highest exercises of the soul. It achieves its loftiest triumphs under the inspiration and help of the Spirit. A swan cannot do his best in the air, nor an eagle in the water. So, the power of prayer depends largely on the element in which it works. An effective prayer is one prayed by faith and ‘in the Spirit’.
The first ingredient of an effective prayer is faith. Attention of mind, and collection of thought cannot be undermined in prayer. However, it must be joined with a sense of sorrow for sin, and submission to the divine will. Above all, one must conduct an effective prayer while being ‘in the Spirit’.
And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!” And in a similar way, the Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness. For example, at times we don’t even know how to pray, or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words.
Romans 8:15, 26 TPT
What Prayer in the Spirit means.
To pray ‘in the Spirit’ is to employ the Holy Spirit to lead us before the Father. Albeit not as slaves, without any privilege, but as sons. Sons who through grace have been made joint heirs of the kingdom with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit guides us into speaking the right words, while He is also interceding on our behalf. Praying ‘in the Spirit’ is when our spirits meet with the Holy Spirit in the place of prayer. He then changes our prayer from cold form to heartfelt realities.
However, one should not equate praying in the Spirit with speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Spirit. So, I’ll like to note that speaking in tongues is not sufficient to measure that a person has the life of the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit originates from an intimate connection with God, and individuals can express it in various ways. This expression is not necessarily confined to speaking in tongues. To then uphold that a person is living or praying in the Spirit because he speaks in tongues would be incorrect. Remember it is possible for one to possess gifts from a broken relationship. So, a person could be living in sin and still ‘do it, even ferociously’.
So, praying in the Spirit bring us before the Father as redeemed and acceptable sons and daughters. This happens because the Holy Spirit reveals the Fatherhood of God which is why we can call Him, ‘Abba’. It is a point where any human reasoning of who God is fades and the Divine does all the work of revelation and interpretation in us.
The Spirit creates a prayerful heart; suggests the substance of our prayers. He reveals the love and helpfulness of God, and so encourages us to present our needs to Him. The Spirit communicates Divine love to our hearts, and this love communicates warmth and enthusiasm to prayers. He identifies Himself with our case to the extent of making intercession for us. The Spirit accomplishes all these things and more, particularly when it comes to prayer.
