Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit’s power to help us. He said in Acts 1:8 NIV, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” In my position as CEO of Richard Roberts Ministries, I face decisions and challenges every day that I cannot handle in my own intellect or strength. I need help. I have to have the Holy Spirit’s power and guidance in my life, because there are times in the natural when I don’t know what to do. Do you face those times as well? I believe the Holy Spirit’s help is available in our lives every day.

When you accepted Christ, you received the Holy Spirit

Some people mistakenly have the idea that only a select few Christians “have” the Holy Spirit, but Romans 8:16 teaches that when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

To me, that means every believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling in his heart. We could never have received Christ without the Holy Spirit helping us

As we trust and believe on Jesus, the spirit of God can come upon us and flood our whole being with the Holy Spirit’s power. That’s what Jesus was talking about in John 7:38 NKJV when He said, “He who believes in me… out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” This experience is often referred to as the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or speaking in tongues, or as the apostle Paul referred to it, praying in the Spirit. I believe that is what God desires for every believer.

Praying in the spirit isn’t a badge of superiority

Praying in the Spirit isn’t a badge that says, “I’m a superior Christian.” For me, it’s something I do because I need the Holy Spirit’s help. Now I’m not talking about the “gift of tongues”, which is one of the nine gifts of the spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12. I’m talking about a daily devotional prayer language that’s available to every Christian. It’s your spirit talking to God out of the depths of your innermost being.

The apostle Paul indicated in 1 Corinthians 14:15 NKJV that praying in the spirit is an act of your will. He said, I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. That means you can pray in the spirit anytime you want to because it is subject to your will.

Why would anyone want to pray in the Spirit?

Based on the Word of God, and on many years of my own personal experience, I believe there are many benefits of praying in the spirit. One of the most important is found in Romans 8:26 NIV. It says, The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes (or prays) for us.

When we cannot express to God the needs and longing of our hearts through our own limited human speech, we can pray in the spirit, and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that words cannot express (verse 26) and helps us pray according to the will of God (verse 27).

But the benefits of praying in the Spirit don’t stop there. After we pray in the Spirit, we can stop and pray in our own language according to 1 Corinthians 14:15 NLT, and God can give us revelation direct from His throne. He can show us what to do!

When you pray in the Spirit and then stop and pray in your own language, God can enlighten your mind and pour out new ideas and new concepts. He can give you direction, insights, and understanding that you never had before. Let me give you an illustration of what I’m talking about here.

One night I woke up at four o’clock in the morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. I got out of bed and went downstairs to get a bite to eat. I was simply sitting there in my pajamas, half asleep, chewing on a bite of pizza, when I began to pray first in the Spirit, and then in my known language. All of a sudden, God gave me a powerful revelation about something I was dealing with at work. He showed me what to do.

Now that didn’t happen because I’m some sort of super spiritual Christian. It happened because I was praying in the Spirit and praying with my understanding. When I have a hard decision to make, I pray in the Spirit. When I have a business meeting, I pray in the Spirit.

Without praying in the Spirit and then praying in my own language, I sometimes don’t know what to do. I have to pray in the Spirit. It’s the way I operate the healing ministry. It’s the way I live my life every day.

You can begin to pray in the spirit right now

If you want to pray in the Spirit and release the Holy Spirit’s power, you can do so right now.

Begin to worship the Lord. Then, just open your mouth and allow the Holy Spirit to speak through your voice. You may receive only a few syllables at first, and it may not make any sense to you. But you’re not speaking to people. First Corinthians 14:2 says that you’re speaking to God.

After you pray in the Spirit, begin to pray in your own language. Just say the first words that come to you, and expect the Lord to speak to you as you pray. Just like learning any new language, you have to start somewhere – even with just a few words. Then, allow God to increase your understanding as you pray.

As you do this each day, God can give you new strength and understanding, and He can flood your whole being with the Holy Spirit’s power!