The Holy Spirit's Work

"When you pray in the Spirit, you are praying the perfect will of God" ~George Pearsons.

I had a disturbing conversation with a pastor at my church a few months ago that has frequently gnawed at my spirit. It has caused such an agitation that I have difficulty walking through the doors of the place, or taking anything anyone in leadership says seriously. You see, I was raised in a pentecostal(ish) church. I have an Assemblies of God background, being from the South; and I currently align myself most closely with the Word of Faith tradition (you know, those crazy preachers who actually read the Bible as God's spoken word). Therefore, it should come as no surprise to many of you that I have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. I have the same gift as the early church members: the ability to pray in the Spirit as He gives utterance. Apparently, in the Pacific Northwest, that's weird.

Upon hearing this, the pastor immediately went on the defensive. It was brought to my attention that our church, while teaching the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a biblical truth, does not engage this gift of God - and that I should expect to see any such manifestations from him or any other member of the congregation. What irritated me most of all was how he immediately "clenched up" around me from that point on. He made it abundantly clear that he wanted no part in this wonderful gift of God. He doesn't find it a necessary element in the Christian life; he doesn't want; he doesn't need it. I got the feeling that he thinks this manifestation of the Spirit of God is contagious, and if he spent too much time around me he might "catch it," and look a fool around the rest of the church. He treated me like some strange coot one might see parading around on TBN. The conversation quickly deteriorated. I was glad when it was over.

Why such hesitancy? What is it about this region of the world that has so many people turned off to such an essential part of the Christian life? Romans 8:26 says, "In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." I was part of a men's Bible study at church on the book of Romans, and when we got to this verse our facilitator had the gall to say that this verse means the Holy Spirit is off in some corner of the earth praying on our behalf. ...what?! The "groanings" come out of our mouths! I know that this sounds strange to many people. It took me nearly 20 years to finally come to the place of accepting this manifestation of the Holy Spirit; and nearly two more years to come to a place where I am comfortable praying in such a way. Do not be like me.

Praying in the Spirit opens the airways of heaven. It calms the spirit, and shuts down the mind (literally; it has been shown that when people pray in the Spirit, their brains are not active in the process). It is the gift of God to any who will step up and boldly receive it. It is a vital tool in combating the devil. Many times the Lord has used it to "cleanse" my Spirit. There have been times when I have been so down that no prayer I have prayed has been of any use. I can recall praying in the Spirit, and having the Holy Spirit take control of my mouth and speak something unknown to me. I know my prayer language, and in these cases it was something new - something I could not replicate or even remember. As I would pray, I could feel my spirit lifting. It was as if the very poison of the enemy was being released out of my mouth as I prayed. There have also been times when I could not hear God if my very life depended on it. Yet, as I would pray in the Spirit, revelation knowledge would begin to flood my heart and mind. Understanding of difficult Scriptures would immediately come into my mind. Direction for my life would manifest itself in my spirit. I will walk away refreshed and excited about the things of God.

Ephesians 6:18 admonishes us to "pray at all times in the Spirit." Let me ask you: if the Bible is God's Word, in accordance to 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17; why do we automatically assume that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is out of date? How has it become the one thing we no longer "need" in our Christian life? I can tell you from personal experience that it is essential to going to the next level in one's understanding of God. For those of you who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, yet feel uncomfortable praying in such a way: keep going. It is a gift that must be "stirred up" within you (1 Timothy 1:6). Whenever you neglect the operation of the Holy Spirit, it will become difficult to re-engage this gifting. Remain steadfast. As you do so, your prayer language will grow; it will feel less awkward to you, and you will find that you can walk around your house for hours just praying in the Spirit. I encourage those of you who, like my pastor, are put off by the very idea of baptism in the Holy Spirit, to do some research on the subject. Follow the teachings of the apostles; take a closer look at the book of Acts. It is awkward for many of us at first, but it is essential to becoming closer and more intimate with God. Isn't that what we all want?