The Life-Changing Power of Praying in the Holy Spirit

I want to minister to you today on the power of praying in the Holy Spirit, the life-changing power of praying in the Holy Spirit. If you're frustrated in your prayer life, you feel like you can't hear the voice of God, you feel like you're losing zeal, you're inconsistent, you're confused, you're wondering sometimes what the purpose is because you can't necessarily see it working. And I want to show you from scripture the power that comes when you rely upon the Holy Spirit instead of self, because many of us rely upon self without even realizing it.

Prayer doesn't have to be a burden. Prayer doesn't have to feel like a task. You can flow with the Holy Spirit in prayer with ease, once you recognize the power of praying in the Holy Spirit. This truth, once you embrace it, will revolutionize your prayer life.

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life."

Now, this particular verse has often been used in reference to the gift of speaking in tongues, but this is more than just the gift of speaking in tongues. You see, speaking in tongues can be a form of praying in the Holy Spirit, in that you're praying by the Holy Spirit's power. But praying in the Spirit is more than just that gift expressed.

To pray in the Spirit is to desire an agreement with heaven, to speak aloud those petitions which originate in the will of the Father. True prayer in the Spirit begins in union with God. Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying in harmony with the will of the Holy Spirit, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians chapter 5:17 says this: "The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants, and the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions."

To pray in the Spirit is the opposite of praying in the flesh. Sometimes we pray from the place of emotion, sometimes we pray from the place of competition and jealousy and worry and selfishness. But to pray in the Spirit is to align yourself with His power and to pray under the guidance of His voice.

You know, often when we approach prayer, we're bombarded by many thoughts. Sometimes these are good thoughts. For example, sometimes we're worried about how we should pray. "Lord, can I stand when I pray? Is it okay if I pace when I pray? Do I pray for my family? Do I pray against the enemy? Is it okay to pray for my own personal request? Can I pray just in my mind? Do I have to pray in tongues?" And for that matter, is it possible to pray in tongues in my mind?

And there's all these different questions that we have about prayer. And sometimes the questions about prayer themselves become a distraction when we pray. And so we're overanalyzing the situation. It's not about setting that agenda, though agendas are good. It's not about setting up a structure or a formula, though God is a God of order. Rather, it's about following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

When you pray under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you're not having to keep a list. You're not having to go down and checkmark everything that you think you need to do. Instead, the Holy Spirit says, "Now worship. Now be still. Now intercede. Now present your needs. Now rebuke that devil." And the Holy Spirit guides you moment by moment as you pray.

It's law versus spirit. In Romans 8:26-28, we read a very famous portion of Paul's writings: "And the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for, but the Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father, who knows all hearts, knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

Now, verse 28 is often quoted without consideration for the reality in which it was quoted. Yes, everything works together for the good. But how? The Holy Spirit's praying for you. The Holy Spirit, who knows you better than anyone else, knows you, prays for you like no one else can pray for you. He knows every secret, he knows every motive, he knows every thought, he knows every hidden action, and he loves you nonetheless. And he prays for you.

And the scripture tells us that He prays for us in harmony with God's own will. In other words, He inclines our heart to the will of God. He bends us to the nature of the Father. "Make me willing to obey You," is what we should pray. And He does. He works on your will, He works on your desire, He works on your nature. He doesn't just change your behavior; He changes your very nature. And out of that newness of nature comes the expression of God's divine will in your life.

Now, notice it says "groaning," meaning He prays with passion, fervently. The Holy Spirit prays for you with more passion than a parent prays for a child, with more love and zeal than a spouse prays for another spouse. And He prays for you constantly. So you can rest in that reality.

Now, how do you do this? Well, when you approach prayer, you must believe. We are to approach the throne of grace with boldness. Why? Because we've been given a High Priest. So then, we approach knowing that our approach to God, our access into that secret place, does not depend upon our performance. It depends upon Christ's perfection. And because we know that it depends entirely on His perfection, when we have a good week, we can approach with boldness. When we have a bad week, we can approach with boldness. When we feel like we've neglected prayer maybe a little too long, we can approach with boldness.

And understand that God is not folding His arms when you walk into the prayer room saying, "Well, well, well, look who decided to show up." No, He welcomes you. Why? Because the Holy Spirit prays for you. Because Christ already made that sacrifice. To approach the throne of God in any other posture than boldness is an insult to the Cross. It's an insult to the blood of Jesus. Why? Because then we're thinking that it depends upon us. And if we approach with boldness thinking it depends upon us, that's pride. If we approach with dread because we think it depends upon us, well, that's a lack of faith. But when we approach with boldness knowing that it depends upon Christ, that is to flow with the Holy Spirit. You're not praying to achieve union with God; you can pray because you already have it.

Now, when you begin to pray from this perspective, "Our Father who art in heaven," not "Our Father, please hear me," it doesn't begin with begging; it begins with faith. When you approach prayer in this way, and you begin to pray from the place of faith and trust and rest, not straining and striving, but surrendering to the wind of the Spirit, when you begin to pray in this way, something begins to happen in your prayer life. Things begin to change. You notice a shift in the way that you are praying.

And I want to tell you what begins to happen when you flow. But first, if you're enjoying this message and you believe there are others who could benefit from this message, I'm going to ask you to leave a like on this stream right now, whether live or on the replay, because those likes indeed help us to reach more people. Also, make sure you're following this channel so you don't miss the teaching on the Holy Spirit that I put out on a regular basis. And make sure you click that notification bell when you do subscribe.

And I have a special announcement here that I'm making on the stream. This resource, "Holy Spirit: God Within You," is now available at encounterthespirit.com. In this book, I talk about the precious Holy Spirit. You can learn to hear His voice, experience His presence, and move in His power. In the book, I cover everything from the power of the Holy Spirit, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the voice of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, all the way down to friendship with the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Everything I've written on the Holy Spirit and preached on the Holy Spirit is here in this work. Again, "Holy Spirit: God Within You," available at encounterthespirit.com.

So, how does this now begin to change you when you start to pray according to the Spirit? Well, the Holy Spirit begins to take it from there. No longer are you trying to check things off a list. No longer are you whipping yourself on the back, so to speak. But now you're following His leading day to day, moment by moment.

The first thing that begins to happen is He reminds you to pray. In John 14, verse number 26, we read, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you." In other words, if Jesus taught it, the Holy Spirit will remind you of it. Jesus taught you to pray, and therefore the Holy Spirit will remind you to pray. And it's not just a schedule; it's not just the practical side. It's the Holy Spirit giving to you royal invitations.

Then something else begins to happen. He doesn't just remind you to pray or tell you to pray or nudge you to get to your prayer room. What happens next is the Holy Spirit gives you the desire to pray. And that desire begins to grow to where now, because it's based on faith, now because it's based on trust, now because you understand that you're not going to strive but to go and experience His presence, there's an expectation that comes over you. And that old religious way of seeing prayer fades into the background. And now you approach with excitement.

This desire begins to grow. Why? Because I know He's not going to reject me. I know I don't have to work for His attention. I know I don't have to work to get what I had back with Him. As many Christians think they do, "Oh, I lost what I had with the Lord." No, my friend, you just lost your faith to believe in it. And now, as you access that faith again, you can access everything that God has for you.

Psalm 81:8 says this: "Hear me, my people, and I will warn you— if you would only listen, Israel! I am God, your God. I have no other gods before me. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, that I may fill it. But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. If only my people would listen to me, Israel would walk in my ways! How quickly I would tread down their enemies, how quickly I would turn my hand against their foes! Then the Lord’s enemies would pay homage to him; their enemies would submit to him for all time. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

Not just direction, but desire. The Holy Spirit quickens you now to go and pray. Perhaps you've experienced this. You're going throughout your day, and suddenly there's this nudge in your heart: "Get away to the prayer room. Go and lock yourself in. Turn off the phone, turn off the television. Excuse yourself from the table. Go and pray." It's the Holy Spirit drawing you. And He gives you now this divine passion, not just human emotion.

Faith takes over when feelings fade. Because, let's just be honest, our feelings, our emotions, go up and down depending upon the circumstance. In fact, our emotions are so easily influenced that our emotions are affected even by the physical body. We don't get enough sleep. It's been a while since we've had a snack. If we've been a little weary with work, then that begins to weigh on the body, which weighs on the mind, which affects the emotions. But there's something deeper still that begins to call out to you: "Come away to the secret place. Ascend to the mountain of God. Go away and be alone with the heavenly Father." That is the drive of the Holy Spirit. It's divine passion, its fire, its zeal, more than just human emotion.

In Galatians chapter 5, beginning at verse number 16, we read: "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not doing what you want. But when you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

The Holy Spirit gives you desires to pray. You must choose to act upon the desires that He gives you. Romans chapter 5, verse 5, declares: "And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

You know, Jesus tells us that the first and greatest command, and I'm paraphrasing, is to love God with all that you are. And the second greatest command is to love your neighbor as yourself. Well, think about that. Everything can be summed up in a love for God and love for others. Because you won't violate His holy nature because you love Him, and you won't offend your brother or sister because you love them. You won't sin against them either. So love is what it takes to fulfill the entirety of what God requires of us. And the Holy Spirit gives you that love, too. He gives you a love for God. He gives you a love for people. Not a natural love, a divine love. A love that makes the skeptics question their own beliefs. A love that causes even the most stubborn atheist to begin to wonder if God exists. Because God is love. It's possible to love someone in a way that causes them to believe in God. That's the divine love of the Spirit coming out. And that love drives you to the place of prayer.

I'm praying not because I fear punishment. I'm praying not because I think I'm a bad Christian if I don't pray once every day for the entire week, and if I miss one day, that's it, I've lost everything I had with God. No, but a love that drives you to pray because you love His presence, because you love His voice, because you love His nature, because you love being aware of Him. So He reminds you to pray. He gives you the desire to pray. He even gives you the words to pray.

In Romans 8:26-27, I'll read it briefly here: "And the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We read it just a moment ago. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for, but the Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father, who knows all hearts, knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will."

Notice that the Father hears the Spirit, not your flesh. The Holy Spirit knows what to pray for you, and He causes those desires to come to the surface as you pray. Maybe you've experienced this in the prayer room where suddenly you're praying prayers you don't even know where they came from. You're praying prayers about subjecting the flesh, you're praying prayers of surrender, you're praying prayers toward God in the form of worship and adoration and praise, and it's just pouring out of you.

In fact, there's one prayer in particular that I remember that the Holy Spirit led me to pray. Tell me how a 14-year-old decided to pray: "Lord, let my hands be Your hands, heal through them. Let my eyes be Your eyes, help me to see things, people, and situations the way You see them. Let my mouth be Your mouth, speak Your truth through it. Let my ears be Your ears, I want to hear Your voice. Let my feet be Your feet, tell me where to go. Let my being be Your being, let my heartbeat as one with Yours. Crucify my will, and in its place, resurrect Your own."

What led that 14-year-old boy to pray that? It was the desire of the Spirit. I could not have come up with that on my own. It just flowed from the depths of the Spirit. He reminds you to pray. He gives you the desire to pray. He gives you the words to pray. Not just the words, He helps you to navigate the place of prayer. And then He gives you the strength to continue to pray.

We've all faced it. We're praying, believing. Maybe you're believing for a spouse to be saved. Maybe you're praying for a wayward child. Maybe you're praying for a breakthrough in your marriage, in your business, in the ministry God entrusted you to oversee, in your health. And you're praying as you should: ask, seek, knock, persistent prayers. But nothing's changing. And so what begins to happen is, because we're looking in the natural and not through the eyes of faith in the spiritual, we become discouraged, confused, maybe even a little bit angry with God. "Lord, You did it for them, why can't You do it for me?" Or, "Lord, I've been praying for so long, it feels like You're not listening to me." Or, "Lord, if it was going to happen by now, surely it would have happened."

These are the things we say when we become filled with doubt, cynicism, hard-heartedness, confusion. We feel abandoned. We begin to question God. Begin to question ourselves. "Did I do something wrong? Did I say something wrong? Did I miss God somewhere along the line?" And if you're not careful, that overthinking, which by the way is of the flesh, will keep you from standing in the position of faith. We complicate it when we stand in the flesh. We simplify it when we stand in the Spirit, which says, "I trust the Lord."

In Jude 1:20, we read: "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit..." He drives your prayers. He gives you that will to continue to pray. He gives you the faith to continue to pray, even when it doesn't look like the circumstances are changing, even when it looks like everything is falling apart, even when it looks like you keep knocking on the door and no one's answering and no one even seems to be home. You keep asking, you keep seeking, you keep knocking. You'll feel the fervency of the Holy Spirit. You'll feel that passion, that drive to continue moving forward. And then you will see the breakthrough.

I would rather go my whole life believing for the miracle than to stop praying one day too soon. I would rather go my whole life believing that God's going to do it than to look back and wonder what would have happened if I never gave up. You keep praying. You keep asking. And it's the Holy Spirit who gives you that strength to continue in prayer despite what you see around you.

He gives you the focus when you pray. Think about that. John 16:13-15: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that the Father has is mine; that is why I said that he takes from what is mine and makes it known to you."

Key portion here: "He shall glorify me." For He shall receive of Mine and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine; therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine and shall show it unto you. The Holy Spirit magnifies, glorifies, points to Jesus.

So when you're praying, maybe you've noticed this: various different things coming to your mind. You have to go to work in the morning, or maybe you pray early in the morning and you're dreading having to go to work in just a matter of hours. Or maybe you're thinking about the grocery bill, thinking about the cell phone bill, thinking about the mortgage, the rent, how much gas is in the car. Or perhaps there's a strain in a certain relationship that's dear to you. Maybe you're believing God to give you breakthrough in ministry and you just haven't seen that breakthrough yet. Or perhaps you're worried about something from your past mistake that you made, so you feel disqualified to even approach God. You worry about your inadequacies, how little you think you measure up for God's acceptance, how, how, how maybe you think God sees you in a negative light despite the fact that you've placed your trust in Christ. Maybe you're thinking, "I'm not praying right."

Well, that's when the Holy Spirit begins to help bring your focus back. Because when the presence of Jesus becomes more real to you than your distractions, that's when you enter the deep places of prayer. And only the Holy Spirit can do that. He reveals Jesus to the eyes of the heart. He reveals Jesus to eyes of faith. And you'll hear Him helping you set that aside or give it to Him. And as you unburden yourself, "Lord, I'm putting this in Your hand. Lord, I need Your help with this. Lord, I'm surrendering this to You." You'll feel the pressures of this world beginning to lift off of you. And as you feel those pressures beginning to lift off of you, you'll notice faith and peace begin to fill your heart. And that's when it begins to become possible to focus on the Lord and enter the deep places of prayer.

Here's the problem: Many Christians receive this peace by giving their prayer requests to the Lord, their heart becomes filled with peace, and they say, "Thank You, Jesus. I'll see You later," and they leave the prayer room. But peace is not the conclusion of prayer; peace is the beginning. Because once you've received that peace, now you're free to focus on Him. And only the Holy Spirit can do that. He'll help you do that as you read the Word. He'll help you do that as you worship.

In fact, here's a tip. Now, this isn't a formula; I'm just telling you this from experience, and I am giving you experience here. I found that when I'm distracted in prayer, when I feel the flesh creeping up, you know, you feel your flesh squirming when you pray. You know why? Because prayer is the death of the flesh, and it doesn't want to die. And so, when you feel that happening, just worship. Begin to sing to the Lord. Begin to praise Him. Begin to sing that simple song to Him, "I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You." Whatever it is that you can do to worship Him, just worship Him. And you'll find that as you begin to worship Him with the help of the Holy Spirit, "They that worship must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). As you begin to focus on Jesus and worship, you'll find everything begin to fade into the background, and now you become focused on Him.

So He gives you that focus when you pray. He also transforms you when you pray. You know, it's not your job to bear fruit; it's your job to abide. It's not your job to change yourself, though you should make holy and right decisions. We are responsible for the exercise of our own free will. We are responsible for acting on or not acting on certain desires. But to change the desires themselves, to change the nature itself out of which proceeds desires and wants, oh, that's a work of the Holy Spirit.

You see, when you're praying, you may feel like nothing is happening in you. And by the way, prayer, every time you pray, it doesn't have to be this great feeling of elation. It doesn't have to be a tangible experience every time you pray. Don't look for that. Just be faithful to prayer and trust that God is working on you as you pray. More than it will change anyone or anything else, prayer will change the one who prayed, whether you see it or not, whether you believe it or not. Remember that it's impossible to accomplish nothing in true prayer. So as you are praying, you are changing. As you are praying, you are transforming, whether you see it or feel it or not.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

So when you present yourself in prayer, there's no technique to transform. There's no special script that you can repeat. There's no method to apply. When you present yourself in prayer, you must trust that the Holy Spirit is changing you according to the image that you see, which is the image of Jesus, the glory of the Lord. Beholding that glory, and as you look at Him, it's impossible to not change. And you'll find that as you continue on, as you live your life, you'll notice that what tempted you before begins to lose its alluring power. You'll notice that in a certain instance, you, you, you'll say, "You know, typically I would have knocked them out, but something in me gave me strength." And, you know, typically I would have honked my horn, typically I would have spoken up, typically I would have posted that post, but there, there seems to be now, it's, it's easier to withhold. And and He makes it, He makes it just possible enough.

You know, when you're at the gym and trying to increase your weight on your reps, there's this thing they call spotting. Let's say you're doing a bench press, and someone comes along, and they want to help you to raise the weight to reach your new max. And what they'll do is, as you're lifting that weight, they'll just very lightly touch the bar to help you lift it. They don't pull it for you, they don't put too much pressure on; they just, just a very light touch. Well, that's what the Holy Spirit does in terms of our character. He makes it just possible enough for you to exercise self-control. And when you are praying, you're gaining that strength, and you will notice your nature beginning to change, and you will notice interactions beginning to change.

John 15:5: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

So He reminds you to pray. Gives you the desire to pray. Gives you the words to pray. Gives you the strength to pray. Gives you focus when you pray. And transforms you when you pray.

So, precious Lord Jesus, I lift that one to You now who desires to surrender. Help them, Lord, and be their constant reminder that it's not by striving, that it's by surrendering. Help them to trust You, to approach You with confidence, knowing that You've already accepted them. Help them to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

I want you to type it real big, you here in the studio audience, say it if you agree with it: Amen.

Now, before you turn off the video, I know it's tempting as soon as the lesson is done and the prayer is done, typically we like to just turn off the video. But I want to encourage you, if you have been blessed by this ministry and you want to help us on our mission to see souls saved, the kingdom expanded, and believers empowered, then go right now to DavidHernandezMinistries.com/partner to sign up to become a monthly ministry supporter. You can do so for as little as $15 a month. You can also create a custom amount. And if you're not quite ready yet to become a monthly supporter, or maybe you are a monthly supporter but you want to send an extra gift to help us on our mission, then go to DavidHernandezMinistries.com/donate to give a single gift. Whatever you do, large or small, single or monthly, everything counts. And I'm asking you to do it today. I love you. I pray for you. I appreciate you. And until next time, remember, nothing is impossible with God. God bless you.