Ephesians 6:16-20 English Standard Version

16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Chapter 6 in Ephesians is a call to us to engage in spiritual warfare. It is taught often and needed always. It is inspiring and it should call each and every one of us to join in that fight.

Here towards the end of that section is the key to spiritual warfare. 18 praying at all times in the Spirit.

Does anyone teach how to pray in the spirit?

If I were to guess, the answer would be no, let us address  how to pray in the spirit.

Having a charismatic background I will tell you I have seen it faked more often than performed.

The secret is in humility and submission. Pride and self-determination move false lips.

Praying in the spirit is not a show. He has nothing to prove but obedience to the will of the Father and witness to Christ. A humble and submissive believer will find the Spirit is willing to lead us in prayer. He is not one that uses spiritual gifts, He is the Spiritual gift. It is not the same thing as a Spiritual utterance. That gift is aimed at one individual in need.

Spiritual warrior’s prayer is aimed at defeating the enemy. Who is that enemy?

Luke 16:8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

John 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Exodus 10:21 The Ninth Plague: Darkness

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.”

The Master of darkness influences the sons of the world. They feel the darkness and love it for they think their deeds are hidden. He is a master of lies. There is no truth in him.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 English Standard Version

Pray for All People

2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I will admit I pray more often for those I care about than anyone else. I’d call that human. Here we see an instruction to pray for all people, the just and unjust alike.

It is good and pleasing to God that we should do this. Isn’t that reason enough or do we need to be persuaded to obey? Perhaps it would be easier to obey if we were to know just how those prayers could make a difference. If it became apparent how our prayers might lead to peace in this troubled world, it would be worth praying for those we deem unworthy.

That sentiment is exactly why God asks us to pray for everyone. Judge not lest ye be judged. Our judgment of others interferes with God’s will more often that we could possibly know. We tend not to pray for those we deem unworthy. 

At the core of withholding prayer is a feeling of desperate vanity. We do not believe our prayers will do any good. Faithfulness to our God does not require our agreement, only our obedience.

God desires that all mankind could be saved and they could but we know that some will never come to a saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ. Our problem is that we have no direct knowledge of which ones will surrender. If we did we would only pray for those souls. What value is there in praying only for things we are absolutely sure about? Faith has no part in those kinds of prayers.

Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.