How to do pray, worship or live in the Spirit?

The Bible speaks about praying, worshipping and living in the Spirit. I have found this difficult to understand. The English itself seems confusing; for instance, what is it to be in the Spirit. Therefore, I wanted to take a closer look at this statement within the word of God. Firstly, when we look at some of the verses where the Bible speaks of doing something in the Spirit, the Spirit is referring to the Holy Spirit himself. So, what does it mean to do something in the Spirit? And how do we do things in the Spirit?

Romans 8 explains the difference between living according to the Spirit as opposed to living according to the flesh. It tells us that Jesus walked not according to the flesh, but He walked according to the Spirit. The amplified Bible explains the meaning further. It says that He did not live guided by worldliness or our sinful nature, but He lived guided by the power of the Spirit. It goes on to tell us that those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, pleasing the body, while those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit, i.e. God’s will and purpose. (Romans 8:4-6).

Therefore, living in the Spirit means keeping our minds on the things of God. This is where we are not led by our flesh, but we are allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us. The things of the flesh are the things that please the body such as comforts and pleasures. I do not believe it is saying that we should not have comforts and pleasures, but we should not allow these things to rule us or lead us. They should not cause us to sin against God. We should allow the Spirit to lead us and guide our every decision. We should seek Him in all that we do. We are to live for the will and purpose of God and no longer for the passions of the flesh. The gospel was preached that even though we are judged in the flesh that we might live in the Spirit the way God does. We are to live the way God lives. (1 Peter 4:1-6).

Romans emphasizes that the mind of the flesh leads to death because it pursues sin, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, which comes from walking with God. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8). This gives us a clear and exceedingly significant reason why we should seek to always walk in the Spirit of God and not our flesh. Walk in the Spirit so we will not sin, leading to death, and also that we will please God.

Romans 8 also reminds us that we cannot live in the Spirit unless the Spirit of God lives in us (Romans 8:9). And how does the Holy Spirit come to live in us? When we have accepted the gift of salvation; i.e. we have repented and accepted what Jesus has done for us, then the Spirit of God lives in us. When we are saved the Spirit of God dwells in us.

Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians that no one speaking in the Spirit can say that Jesus is cursed and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the power and influence of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). So that tells me that once we know it in our hearts and can say that Jesus is Lord and saviour then we are already operating in the Spirit.

In Ephesians, Paul speaks about the new person we have become and that we need to continually be renewed in the Spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4:23). We need to continually have a fresh, spotless mental and spiritual attitude. We need to keep our minds on the things of God, and the word reminds us to do so continually. Which means we need to spend time in the word and continually allow the Spirit to lead our thoughts and not get influenced by our flesh.  

Paul also speaks about praying at all times in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). Praying in the Spirit refers to allowing the Spirit to lead us while we pray. Sometimes we can find ourselves praying from our own minds and strength, but we alone are weak, so this process is flawed. We need to trust in the Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead us in what and how we pray.

Paul, in the letter to the Galatians, says to walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. This means to seek the Holy Spirit for guidance, and you will not sin. This is important because the desire of the flesh opposes the Spirit, and it keeps you from doing the things you want to do (Galatians 5:16). So be led by the Holy Spirit and not by the flesh.

The Spirit of God is in us. The word of God tells us to walk in the Spirit, pray in the Spirit, be led by the Spirit and live in the Spirit. So, what does this mean? It means seeking the Spirit in all that we do. Let Him lead and not be led by our own flesh. We let Him lead by asking Him to give us guidance and listen for His guidance.

Some suggestions to help us operate in the Spirit better and more frequently:

1. Practise that act of pausing before we do anything to ask the Holy Spirit. Seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. We need to get to a place where this is automatic.
2. Read the word of God. The word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). The Spirit uses the word in us, and the more we know the word, the more effective He can be.
3. Walk according to God’s word and do not sin. Being sure that our heart is in the right place but we will sometimes make mistakes. Thankfully, God’s grace is sufficient, so repent and let us purpose in our hearts to do better the next time. (2 Corinthians 12:9).
4. Be obedient when we hear from the Spirit. This may not be easy at first, but it will get better. Sometimes we will be guided to do difficult things. But regardless, let us still follow the Spirit’s guidance and live.  

All photos were taken by Kyle or Vani. These photos are from the many adventures we have been blessed to experience together. We are so grateful for every blessing from God. No filters were used nor were the photos edited except for an occasional crop. We hope you enjoy.