I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:16-17).
These prepositions, “in” and “with”, are significant. Jesus was not waxing poetic. He was being instructive.
That means we have to give over control and let Him do what He wants. That’s scary. He is like a powerful wild horse; He can run away with us. But he will never buck us off. He will do far more in and through us than we can imagine, more than we are comfortable with, but far more effective in glorifying God than we could ever do by our inhibited selves.
As we pray, lets tune in to the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to direct our prayers. Let’s release His power to make our prayers effectual and fervent, ascending to God and gladdening His Father’s heart.
First, share your concerns, prayer requests, praise reports and offerings of thanks for God’s blessings.
Next, we will pray to release the Holy Spirit, so each one will pray in the power and love of the Spirit for us and those we pray for.
Jesus, You taught us to pray. First You set the example of praying fervently to Your Father. You prayed often and long. You taught us that those who worship must worship in Spirit and in truth. So, now we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, and release Him to pray through us.
Pray as you feel led by the Holy Spirit to pray
Lord Jesus you sent the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and we acknowledge His ministry among us. Lead us in our prayer life to acknowledge the blessing of the Holy Spirit assisting our prayers.
We offer the prayer that You taught us, Lord Jesus, saying:
The Lord’s Prayer
…during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God’s salvation.’” (Luke 3:2-6)
John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16)
John was a cousin of Jesus. His birth was miraculous, since Elizabeth, his mother, was too old to bear children. He was a Levite and could have been as priest. Instead, under the direction of the Holy Spirit he became a prophet. His mission was to prepare the way for Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God.
His ministry was a harsh one. He proclaimed the sins of all the people to such an extent that the leaders of the Jews challenged his right to preach. Fearlessly, he called all to repent of their sin, including those leaders challenging him.
John went on to declare that the Messiah was at hand. John’s ministry was to make the hearts of the people ready to receive the message of the Messiah. He preached to raise the expectations of the people to be open to the salvation that Jesus would proclaim. John introduced the concept of empowerment by the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the Messiah.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” (Matthew 3:16-17)
The believers of today have embraced salvation in Christ. The understand that their sins were washed away by the blood Jesus shed on the cross. They understand that they have, in Christ, eternal life.
What they have missed is the experience of the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives. John stated that the Lord Jesus Christ would baptize believers with the Holy Spirit. He would instill fire in believers’ spirits. Jesus promised that believers would receive power to witness.
Paul taught that there were nine manifestations of the Holy Spirit that those who were baptized with the Holy Spirit could experience. He further enjoined all to seek the baptism and infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Lord God Almighty, I look for the coming of my Lord Jesus the light of the world. The world is growing darker as sin reigns in all aspects of our culture. Jesus called me to be a light in the world to dispel the darkness of sin. I am a weak light and I am overwhelmed by the prevalence of sin all around me.
I believe Your coming into the world was not just to give me hope for life eternal. I believe You have called each believer to be a witness in the world, proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ.
For that mission in a world that does not want to be told that all are sinners and damned, I need supernatural power. Grant me the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in me to encourage and inspire Your ministry through me.
To the glory of the One and only Lord God; Amen