WOW...

I received this video from Rachel a few weeks ago...it caused me to think many things...let me know your thoughts. Most important are you ready?

Have a wonderful weekend.

Also a note of thanks to everyone who has participated in the "Book Club". We can all say we have encouraged and sharpened each other. Thanks especially to the "Naples Girls" for the sweet brunch yesterday...it was a morning of tears, laughter and much prayer.

Next week the last Chapter from our Book "Praying Backwards". Gather your thoughts and let me know how it has impacted you. Some of you have read it on line, so please free free to share also.

Praying in the Holy Spirit

John Piper has this very insightful sermon on "How to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit" He beautifully expounds the same principles we have been talking about these weeks.....

"What Is "Praying in the Spirit?"
The best brief statement I have found of what it means to pray in the Holy Spirit goes like this: It means "so to pray that the Holy Spirit is the moving and guiding power."The key words there are "moving" and "guiding." In other words, when you pray in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is "moving" you to pray. That is, he is the one who motivates and enables and energizes your prayer. And when you pray in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is "guiding" how you pray and what you pray for. So, to pray in the Holy Spirit is to be moved and guided by the Holy Spirit in prayer. We pray by his power and according to his direction.
The Power of the Spirit
Let's see where this interpretation of praying in the Holy Spirit comes from in the Bible. The first thing to notice is the very close parallel passage in Ephesians 6:18, where Paul says, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit." The reason this is important is that it shows that "praying in the Spirit" is not a special form of prayer – like speaking in tongues. We can tell this is so because Paul says in Ephesians 6:18 that we should pray "at all times" in the Spirit. In other words, all prayer should be "in the Spirit." Praying in the Holy Spirit is not one form among several. It is the way all prayer is to be offered.
The second thing to see is the parallel in Romans 8:26 where Paul says, "The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." Here it is plain that one thing the Holy Spirit does for us is help our weakness when we need to pray but can't the way we should. So it is natural to take "praying in the Holy Spirit" to mean praying with the help of the Holy Spirit – with the strength and enablement of the Spirit to make up for our weakness.
A third parallel would be Romans 8:15-16 where Paul says, "You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God." The point here is that the Spirit of God helps us have assurance that we are children of God by causing us to cry out from the heart (to pray!), "Abba, Father." In other words, the Spirit moves our prayers. He motivates, enables and energizes our prayers. That's a key part of what "praying in the Holy Spirit" means.
The Guidance of the Spirit
The other part of what it means to pray in the Holy Spirit is that when we do so, our prayers are not only "moved" by the Spirit, but also "guided" by the Spirit. This is no surprise, because if the Holy Spirit is prompting and enabling and energizing our prayers, it would natural to think that he does so in a way that accords with his nature and his Word. We would not want to say, The Spirit moves our prayers, but they are not according to God's will. If the Spirit is moving us to pray, then he would move us according to his will and Word.
So praying in the Holy Spirit would mean not only experiencing the power of the Spirit to help us pray when we are weak, but also experiencing the guidance of the Spirit to help us when we are foolish or confused or selfish. For example, James 4:3 says, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." That would not be praying "in the Holy Spirit." That would be praying "in the flesh" or in your own sinful nature.
How Do I Pray in the Holy Spirit?
So now the question is the practical one: How do you pray in the Holy Spirit? Don't fail to see how utterly unusual it is to be told to do something by the power and guidance of another. It is God telling me to do it – pray! And yet telling me that it is a work of the Holy Spirit when I do it. It is just like other things in the Christian life: Galatians 5:16, "Walk by the Spirit." Romans 8:13, "Put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:3, "Say Jesus is Lord by the Spirit." Philippians 3:3, "Worship by the Spirit." In all these things we are supposed to do something. But we are to do them in a way that it is the Spirit who is doing them through us.
This is the way human life is, since God is sovereign and we are responsible. We act. We are responsible to act. But God is the decisive actor. Our action is dependent. So when we are told to "walk" (Galatians 5:16), or fight sin (Romans 8:16), or confess the Lordship of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:3), or worship (Philippians 3:3), or pray (Jude 1:20), we are told to do it "in the Holy Spirit."You do it so that it is the Holy Spirit who is doing it in and through you.
So how do I pray so that it is really the Holy Spirit prompting and guiding the prayer?
Trusting God to Give His Spirit
I think there are two basic answers. The first is faith. We pray "in the Holy Spirit" when we take our stand on the cross of Christ (which purchased all divine help) and trust God for his help by the Spirit. In other words, when you admit that without the help of the Spirit you cannot pray as you ought, and then you consciously depend on the Spirit to help you pray, then you are praying "in the Holy Spirit." So the first answer to the question, How?, is by faith – by trusting God to give you the Holy Spirit to help you pray.
You can see this from the New Testament in several ways (see, for example, Galatians 3:1-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). One is that in Philippians 3:3 it says, "We worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh." Here, worshipping "in the Spirit of God" is explained by "put no confidence in the flesh." I think that means, instead we put confidence in the Spirit, that is, in God's blood-bought mercy to help us worship as we ought by his Spirit. So I take it that the way to "pray in the Holy Spirit" is the same as the way to worship "in the Spirit of God," namely, by not putting any confidence in what we can do in our own nature, but instead looking away from our own resources and trusting in the mercy of God to help us pray by his Spirit.
That is what we should do this year in all our praying. Trust God for the help we need to pray. When you are too weak or too confused or too depressed or too angry or too dull to pray, at that moment do not assume that you can't pray. Instead, consciously look away from yourself to Christ and to the mercy of God in Christ, and trust him to help you – even if it is only to produce groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26). Learn to distrust yourself and to trust God in prayer. Learn that without him you can do nothing and cast yourself on him at all times for all you need in order to pray.
Let Your Prayers Be Shaped by God's Word
The other answer to the question of how to pray "in the Holy Spirit" is to bring all your praying into conformity to the Word of God which the Spirit inspired (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Right here is where God's call to be in the Word every day and his call to pray at all times in the Spirit become intertwined. If you live in the Word of God, meditating on it day and night by reading it every day and memorizing portions to carry with you all day and savoring them hour by hour, then your prayers will be shaped by the Word. Which means they will be shaped by the Spirit. And that is what it means to pray "in the Holy Spirit." Not only to be moved by the Spirit in prayer, but to be guided by the Spirit in prayer. And since this is something we are called to do ("pray in the Holy Spirit"), our role is to take what we know about the Spirit's will from the Word and saturate our prayers with it."


To read the full sermon go to:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2001/43_Learning_to_Pray_in_the_Spirit_and_the_Word_Part_2/

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NAPLES GIRLS
BRUNCH TOMORROW AT 10:00
WE WILL FINISH DICUSSION OF THE BOOK!

More Q & A

This e-mail came from a sweet friend:

"Hi Janet,
Hope you are well. And Yes, I am still around, and coming along. I have no doubt that God is in control of things because I know I certainly am not. I find myself eager to rush ahead of him, to sort things out for myself , but what stops me is the fact that I know that if I force things it will not work out the best for me. Patience is a very hard thing, I guess that is why it is a virtue.
Here is a question. When we want something from God, is it "right" to keep praying .. bugging him like the biblical story of the woman and the judge, or am I to ask once then leave it with God to demonstrate"faith"?"

Response:

It sounds from your letter that God continues to grow you and draw you to Himself. There is nothing greater than to "wrestle" for a clear understanding of who He is. As far as prayer goes...Jesus gave us the illustration of the woman who keeps asking the judge to help her until he did. There is also many instances in Scripture where we are admonished to pray without ceasing. If you are praying for something in particular that would bring God honor..."salvation"..."comfort" ..."perseverance through a difficult trial"...."understanding of His character and Word"..."peace that surpasses understanding" I believe the Bible tells us that we pray and pray and pray. Now sometimes we pray for our comfort...desires....and God can choose to respond... but if He does not...again we go back to Scripture and understand that "God works all things out for our good" and we trust Him saying "No" or it may be "Not now". When that happens, we can rest that even though we have stopped praying, if it is for our "good" God will bring it about in due time. He does not forget...He does not catch-up to us...we don't even have to remind Him. When he says "No" then we have to trust that it is for our good. So to answer your question pray as long as you can...and when you stop, know that the Holy Spirit will continue your prayer in accordance to God's will.

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Looking at Chapter 9 : "Praying in God's Wisdom" we read:

"...we pray in accord with God's will when we ask Him to make us conscious of and submissive to the principles in His Word that apply to our situation." As Mr. Chapell writes Christian prudence is the second fence that lines up with the first one of Righteousness. These two fences guide our prayers. Christian prudence involves prayerfully seeking from God's Word, biblical counsel from peers and asking the Holy Spirit to guide us.
The distinction is made between the two fences that guide our prayers: "The fence of righteousness determines whether our prayer is moral; the fence of Christian prudence helps us determine if our prayer is wise"

Questions we should ask ourselves when determining if our prayers are wise are:
1--Is it loving? Are we considering others interests above our own (Phil. 2:3-8). Biblical priorities will not allow us to place our priorities first. We need to think how our prayer would affect others....family, friends, co-workers.

2--Is it legitimate? Legitimate prayers place God's priorities above ours. (1 Cor. 10:31) An example would be how we choose to use our spiritual gifts. If we choose to use them for our own gains and acclaim, we neglect God's priorities to serve Him first, even it means no personal fame, wealth or power.

3--Is it responsible? Responsible prayers pursue our own interests submitted under the authority of the Scriptures. (Matt 6:33). That means what we pursue should not discredit our witness for Christ. There are certain cear responsibilities given to fathers, mothers, children, workers and bosses. If we pray in any way that would hinder our witness before the people God has entrusted to us or with, then we are not praying in accordance to God's will. Mr Chapell says "integrity is more important than success, family security trumps personal desires and Christian testimony outweighs life itself. The order in each of these couplings is not reversible. We can not pray according to God's will and prioritize according to ours."

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Do these set of questions help you pray according to God's will? Does keeping these two fences "Righteousness and Christian Prudence" help guide your emotions and prayer life?
Any thoughts? more questions?
Tomorrow "The Internal Witness"

Q & A time...

Here are some recent questions being asked in light of what we are reading about prayer...

Thanks to those of you who e-mail me...your questions are often what many are thinking...

From Yvette:

"Hi Janet, Your post this week really spoke to me, and I just want to be sure that I am understanding you correctly. I don't personally ask God for signs in my life, but I do ask to be led according to His will. I also pray that all other doors would close (is that asking for a sign indirectly?) I understand that I am to meditate on God's Word daily and his plan for me will just unfold as I am being obedient in his Word. Is that right? I am not sure I understand......as a woman I am dependent on how situations make me feel, for example, my husband and I looked at a house a few weeks ago that needs a lot of work, but because I felt so comfortable in the home, it's a home we are now considering regardless of the work that needs to be done. Should I not go with my feeling or gut? Is it wrong to ask that God close all other options? Do I just rely on just praying and meditating on God's Word and letting Him gently guide me? I tend to question is it rely God's will? Or what is God's will? I want to do what He wants me to do in my life, but I am not always sure if He is leading me or my family. How does one know for sure? I love and miss you dearly, I am so thankful for your daily posts. Love,Yvette"

Reply:

Dear Yvette,

How precious is your heart. You are not alone when you wrestle over such things as a home to buy. I hope this gives you some comfort and relief. We have been talking about that in matters where we are not going against God's revealed will in the Scriptures, we do not need to burden ourselves and at times even immobilize our lives, thinking that we are going against God's will. We have seen that God has revealed enough in Scripture to outline for us a course of living...He has "Holy fenceposts" that guide us. What we need to ask ourselves are three basic questions: First, you must obey the moral will of God as it is revealed in Scripture. If Scripture prohibits the action in question, your decision is easy: don’t do it. Likewise, if one of the options in your choice causes you to neglect something God specifically commands you to do, you are required to make the choice that will allow you to fulfill your biblical obligation. Something we can ask ourselves when processing a decision: Does this choice bring us closer to righteous living? or would this choice cause us or anyone we are accountable for ( weaker brother or sister) to sin. So as you are looking at your choices, remember these two protective fencepost.

Often choices, if they do not lead us or others toward sin, are really a blessing. We thank God for the choices and we can make a decision confidently knowing that it is in God's will. It is the analogy of the apples in the basket. Choosing one does not make the others bad...we rejoice that God gives so richly.

Second, good decision-making requires that you exercise biblical wisdom. Such wisdom comes from a diligent study of God’s Word, coupled with God’s generous provision. James encourages those who lack wisdom to “ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). To make wise decisions, you need to gather necessary information, consider all the options carefully, seek godly counsel, and then choose the option that is most sensible (Proverbs 2:1-11).

Finally, you need to consider your own desires. If the Bible is silent about your decision, and if one choice is not clearly wiser than the other, then do what you want. You have the freedom to do so, and God sovereignly works out His plan through your desires (Psalm 37:4; Philippians 2:13).

When looking at the house..just some practical ideas...will the extra expenses of "fixing up" the house add undue burden for you and your husband? It is already a lot to be settling into a new city...financially speaking will this be something you two can carry through at peace or will it cause division? Also I know you are looking at the neighborhood...how is it for raising children? How far are you from your Church? Godly friends? Things like that could guide us to make the decision.

Think through these things...trust God with your decision once you make it enjoy God's provision! Love your heart...and I thank God for what He is doing in you.

Janet

More Q & A tomorrow

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A couple of Mother's Day pictures....

Smile it is Friday!

My friend Nancy sent this and I thought it was perfect for our study in prayer...it also broughht a smile to my day!

Have a great Mother's day...I would love to hear what your Mother's Day celebration was like...send pictures or stories!