As we continue through Paul’s letter to the Roman church, I’ve been talking, in detail, about the mind controlled by the spirit.
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
Romans 8:5
In my last post, I ended by talking about how the fruit of the spirit are a result of the seed planted in our spirit. This is accomplished through prayer in the spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
It just seems obvious to me that to get fruit, you must sow seed. Scripture is clear that you reap what you sow. So we must sow to the spirit.
This means that we stop sowing to the flesh, which is trying to follow the law in our own power. We also need to spend more time sowing to the spirit through prayer in the spirit.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:24-25
This verse literally tells us that to live by the spirit, we need to march in rank with the spirit. Please understand, Paul had a rich spiritual prayer life. He was mature in the Lord. If we want his results, then we need to follow his pattern. It’s this prayer life that crosses us over into maturity.
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.
Philippians 3:3
When Paul wrote this, there were those who pushed an outward practice of self-righteousness. They mandated circumcision for believers. In the apostle’s teaching, he totally denied this practice. The “we” in this verse refers to those who have been taught and trained by Paul.
Paul says that we are the truly set apart to God. We are the ones who have had the sin removed by a circumcision of the heart. But, most importantly, we worship by the Spirit of God.
It’s not about whose flesh worships God. And, it’s not those whose mind chooses to worship God. It’s those who worship by the spirit. They are the ones who have had the influence of the flesh removed.
The Greek word Paul used for confidence means to be convinced by argument, to pacify, conciliate, consent to, or rely on. That’s our biggest problem and weakness from the flesh. It’s only removed through the spirit.
Some people want to know why I push prayer in the spirit so much? I believe it’s the key to our freedom. Life lived in the spirit sets us free from the constant mind battles.
We need to lay hold of our freedom in Christ. To do this we must follow the same pattern as the early church. That means quality time praying in the spirit.
In my next post, I’ll give a testimony of what I’ve experienced in setting out on this path.
Question: How often, if ever, do you pray in the spirit?
© 2021 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 