In Ephesians 6:18, Paul talks about praying in the Spirit. How can we do this? -- L.V. (Virginia Beach)
In Ephesians, as well as in 1 Corinthians (14:14) and Jude (20) we are told to "pray in the Spirit." I believe this is nothing other than praying spiritually. All Christians are told to do this, so it must be possible.
In error, I believe, some people teach that praying in the Spirit is praying in miraculous languages. But the Bible says that this N.T. gift was possessed by only a few--it was not within reach of most. Moreover, it was the least important of all the N.T. miraculous gifts (see 1 Corinthians 12:28ff).
I think in your heart you know the difference between fleshly prayer and spiritual prayer. Some prayers are full of self-reliance; others are marked by God-reliance. I think that is what it means to pray in the Spirit. Jude and 1 Corinthians 14 also speak of praying in the Spirit. I believe this is something all Christians should be doing. (For more on this, see The Spirit.)
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