Special dawn prayer service 5
“Pray in the Spirit if you have received salvation.”
Our lives were destined to live and to die by our physical instinct. God made us His children by working in our souls, allowing us to realise that we are sinners and to repent. And by this, we call God Abba, Father.
But despite being born again, Christians are still weak. Satan tries to make us fall through temptations and trials because of our sinful nature that still remains. So in order for Christians to overcome this weakness, we need the Spirit’s protection and guidance. The Spirit lets us recognise our sins and leads us to the Truth.
When we pray, we must strictly receive the Spirit’s guidance.
First, without the Spirit’s guidance, our prayers are limited to requesting fleshly desires. Praying by the flesh limits us to our own thoughts and our own interests. At times, we end up praying for the pleasure of the flesh and our greed rather than for God’s will.
Secondly, without the Spirit’s help, we can end up praying perfunctorily without a yearning heart. A lifeless, perfunctory prayer quickly turns into a yearningless one.
Thirdly, without the Spirit’s guidance, we pray according to our circumstances rather than by God’s sovereign power. The Israelites prayed for meat with resentment and complaint in the wilderness. We can end up limiting God’s power by focusing on our circumstances.
Fourthly, without the Spirit’s guidance, we end up rushing ahead of God and hence we must seek the Spirit’s guidance. (Jud 1:20, 1 Cor 14:15, Eph 6:18)
Praying in the Spirit means that the prayer is being led by the Spirit. The characteristics of a Spirit-led prayer is that it lets us recognise our sins and pray for God’s will.
We need to be aware that when our prayer is not in line with the Bible or doesn’t agree with God’s qualities, it is not Spirit-led. We must always humbly pray for the Spirit’s guidance because the Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Passage: Romans 8:11-15
8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
- My daily devotional
1. Today’s gratitude list (5 things)
2. Tomorrow’s wish
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수정교회 번역팀 2021.03.28 19:08
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“Pray in the Spirit if you have received salvation.”
Our lives were destined to live and to die by our physical instinct. God made us His children by working in our souls, allowing us to realise that we are sinners and to repent. And by this, we call God Abba, Father.
But despite being born again, Christians are still weak. Satan tries to make us fall through temptations and trials because of our sinful nature that still remains. So in order for Christians to overcome this weakness, we need the Spirit’s protection and guidance. The Spirit lets us recognise our sins and leads us to the Truth.
When we pray, we must strictly receive the Spirit’s guidance.
First, without the Spirit’s guidance, our prayers are limited to requesting fleshly desires. Praying by the flesh limits us to our own thoughts and our own interests. At times, we end up praying for the pleasure of the flesh and our greed rather than for God’s will.
Secondly, without the Spirit’s help, we can end up praying perfunctorily without a yearning heart. A lifeless, perfunctory prayer quickly turns into a yearningless one.
Thirdly, without the Spirit’s guidance, we pray according to our circumstances rather than by God’s sovereign power. The Israelites prayed for meat with resentment and complaint in the wilderness. We can end up limiting God’s power by focusing on our circumstances.
Fourthly, without the Spirit’s guidance, we end up rushing ahead of God and hence we must seek the Spirit’s guidance. (Jud 1:20, 1 Cor 14:15, Eph 6:18)
Praying in the Spirit means that the prayer is being led by the Spirit. The characteristics of a Spirit-led prayer is that it lets us recognise our sins and pray for God’s will.
We need to be aware that when our prayer is not in line with the Bible or doesn’t agree with God’s qualities, it is not Spirit-led. We must always humbly pray for the Spirit’s guidance because the Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Passage: Romans 8:11-15
8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
- My daily devotional
1. Today’s gratitude list (5 things)
2. Tomorrow’s wish