Prayer Warriors pray in step with Holy Spirit

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 said to you. John 14:26 NIV

Principle:  A Prayer Warrior prays in step with the Holy Spirit

As a 10^th grader our high school Cross Country team placed in county which allowed us to advance to regionals.  I thought I was prepared, but that was not to be.  We ran the race at USF which included some Florida sand.  My time was only 30 seconds slower.  But at regionals, everyone else ran faster.  I was devastated that I was so close to the end…of all of the runners.

Fast forward to my freshman year of college.  One of the guys on my hall ran Cross Country for Samford University.  He knew I like running, so he invited me to a 10k race in Homewood.  I usually say yes and jump in, before thinking through what this might mean.  We warmed up for the race by running nearly 1 mile.  He invited me to stand with him at the front…I mean at the very front.  There were 5 of us at the line.  Runners to your Mark. BANG!  We started off running, not jogging, running.  All of the footsteps were behind me and their sound was becoming fainter.  We were the front pack.  I knew that I was running a pace that was unsustainable for the full 6.2 miles.  But there was something exhilarating about being in the front.  My friend kept encouraging me to keep up.  The main difference, I could tell my breathing was beginning to change and his voice was still calm.  We approached the 1^st mile split and I could not believe my ears.  4:49, 4:50, 4:51, 4:52.  For the first time in my life I had just run a mile under 5 minutes.  And I still had 5 more to go…oh no.  Not being fully trained, my body tensed and I had to slow down for the next mile to adjust.  For me, I was elated…a mile under 5 minutes.

Prayer is much like the long-distance race.  It doesn’t matter how well you performed at the last time, each encounter has its new challenges.  The presence of the Holy Spirit is the difference maker as He is the one to set the pace for prayer.  Learning to pray in concert with Holy Spirit makes all the difference in the ground that you can cover during your prayer time.  Possibly, He can bring life into your prayer closet if you have found your prayer routine to be stale or boring.

1.      Invite Holy Spirit to be present and lead every time that you pray.

2.     Learn to hear the difference in your inner thoughts and how Holy Spirit speaks to you.  His voice is gentle never pushy or demanding.  His voice leads into freedom and does not bind.  His voice is clear and directive.  His promptings may only be a few words.

3.     Understand how interruptions in your thoughts could be the Holy Spirit.  When I am praying and a thought different than the subject about which I am praying continues to come up…it could be Holy Spirit.  For instance, if I keep thinking about a person at work.  I will stop and ask Holy Spirit, “Do you want me to pray for this person and how would you like me to pray?” If the devil is trying to throw me off my pace, he will not want me to engage in praying for this individual.  If the Holy Spirit is leading, then I will find that he leads me in the direction of praying for that person’s need.  At the least, I will write down the person’s name or the issue on my mind and address it later.

4.     Holy Spirit will bring verses to your remembrance to encourage you and guide you in your prayer.  Speak the verses aloud.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

5.     Allow Holy Spirit to change the direction even if you don’t get to finish your list.  The needs that He leads you to may need to be addressed at that time.  Your list helps you define and bring before the Lord those things that are important to you.  Asking is a vital part of prayer.  Following Holy Spirit is also important.

Father, thank you for the gift and presence of Holy Spirit in our lives.  Help us to listen and obey his promptings.  Help us to know that He always leads us into a good place.  May we have a good students heart to be taught by Holy Spirit.  May we know that he carries the light for our path.  May we let him set the pace for everything in our prayers and life.  We can trust that Holy Spirit loves us and will always guide us toward truth and freedom.  In Jesus name, Amen.