Eph 6:17 And receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit... (18) By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit... 1 Cor 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.
In verse 18 Paul says specifically that we are to pray in spirit. This refers to our regenerated spirit indwelt by the Spirit of God. It may be considered the mingled spirit-our spirit mingled with God's Spirit. Whenever we are in our spirit, we are also in the Holy Spirit, for our spirit is one with the Lord. Therefore, Paul's charge to pray in spirit implies that we must also pray in the Spirit of God, for these two spirits are mingled in us. In prayer, the main faculty we should use is our spirit. If our mind is overactive or if our emotion is not under control [e.g. we are too sad or too excited] , we shall find it difficult to pray. When we pray, our mind should be at rest, and our emotion should be regulated, neither too hot nor too cold. According to my experience, I easily become distracted in prayer when my mind is preoccupied with other things. Likewise, when my emotion is not properly regulated, I find it difficult to utter something from my spirit in prayer. Furthermore, if we would pray at every time in spirit, our will must be strong. It may seem that prayer is easy, but actually it is difficult. It is very easy to talk or read, but it is not easy to pray. Hence, in order to pray in spirit, we need to be adjusted in our mind, balanced in our emotion, and exercised in our will.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 552-553. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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