I do not believe a person who has faith would ever be without a "sense" of what he/she is believing in. Even all the Old Testament saints who died in faith, not having received the promises, but they all "saw" them and were persuaded, and greeted them from a far.(Heb 11:13) Their "sense" was they "saw" what they were hoping for by faith. There is no way anyone could lay down their life without first seeing something better that they had now!! Faith always has "senses" connected to it as the evidence of its reality. Learning to exercise these senses is a must if the Church is going to grow up, as the Lord only gives strong meat of His Word to those who have exercised them to discern between good and evil. (Heb 5:14)
How should praying feel?
- Thread starter Juk
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I do not believe a person who has faith would ever be without a "sense" of what he/she is believing in. Even all the Old Testament saints who died in faith, not having received the promises, but they all "saw" them and were persuaded, and greeted them from a far.(Heb 11:13) Their "sense" was they "saw" what they were hoping for by faith. There is no way anyone could lay down their life without first seeing something better that they had now!! Faith always has "senses" connected to it as the evidence of its reality. Learning to exercise these senses is a must if the Church is going to grow up, as the Lord only gives strong meat of His Word to those who have exercised them to discern between good and evil. (Heb 5:14)
When you saw "sense," do you mean feeling or something else?
How many "senses" does the physical human body have? There are five. When the scriptures tell us lay hold upon eternal life, and to taste and see that the Lord is good, or my sheep hear my voice with what senses do we use to do these things? Certainly not with any of man's physical senses, as they can not do any of these.
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CCW, with all due respect, you're missing my question. Shall we just let it go if neither of us are aligning?
My be you are not hearing what I am saying. When you "feel" the wind blowing on your skin, is that not a "sense" to you? When you "feel" sound waves striking your ears drums, that is called hearing, and that to is a "sense". The "senses" I am talking about has nothing to do with man's physical body, even though there are similarities between the physical and the spiritual. Jesus said "these people have ears, but they do not hear, they have eyes, but they do not see."
Every single person Jesus was talking about had ears and eyes, but he was not referring to their physical organs, or "senses", but their spiritual inabilities.
Man, this is so confusing... How do I pray using my spirit?
CCW, I do hear what you are saying, but you're going in a different direction than where I what I was talking about. Perhaps I am not putting it in the right words. I know precisely what is meant when we are talking about the feeling we get from the Holy Spirit, separate from the senses you keep highlighting.
That my young friend is a huge topic that can not be told in just a few sentences.
Being born of the Spirit (new birth) and being filled with the Holy Spirit are two separate experiences.
When a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, they will speak in a unknown tongue that they never learned on their own. It is given by the Holy Spirit for not only Glorifying God, put also for praying.
1Co_14:14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
There is a "ministry" of praying in a "unknown" tongue, and there is a personal use of praying in tongues. The ministry of praying in a unknown tongue is for edifying and comforting the Church. It is on the same level as prophesying as long as there a interpreter in the assembly to interpret what was said.. The personal use of tongues is to edify yourself, and to speak mysteries concerning God's Kingdom. Speaking in a unknown tongue is by the Holy Spirit within you giving you the utterance. The Bible tells us that those who speak in a unknown tongue to pray so that they may interpret what was said.
Then we have praying in the Spirit in a known tongue. But this type of praying uses one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit wills. Either by a "Word of knowledge", or by a "Word of Wisdom". The Word of knowledge deals with what is happening right now. It might have to deal with a condition that a person might be going through at the present time. In any event it has to do with the present. The Word of Wisdom has to do with what will happen in the future, or moments or days ahead. You can see if a person was given this information by the Holy Spirit it would help greatly in their ability to pray for someone.
So, in a nutshell there you have praying with your spirit by the Holy Spirit.
I ask this because prayer to me feels like I am just closing my eyes and talking out loud, but to God. I do not feel anything special. One time when I was searching for God's voice, I mastered not thinking at all, which was something I had a problem with (praise God). So sometimes I try to pray without thinking but I end up having to think because if I don't think, it's harder to pray because I need to think to get the words out.
I found that there is nothing more important (or better) than doing the things of God. I've tried video games, YouTube (which my mom banned me from) and other things. They feel good for a second, but then it is all gone and I feel unsatisfied. Nowadays, I spend some time reading the Bible each day, and when go on my computer, I go on these forums and on a website called Quora, which is a question and answer site, and I answer questions mostly about Jesus, the Bible, etc. to the best of my ability, and I ask them too. I'm also trying to make a video game but I still need a good idea.Juk, I am still amazed at your "persistence" in learning the things of God at such a young age. Do not ever loose that persistence and hunger, as the Lord will take you places in his Kingdom you never dreamed about were possible.
I once read that I need to get baptized to learn my "prayer language". I believe that. I want to get baptized, but I do not know when.
To begin, don't stop praying. We know that God is real and He hears everyone, at once, with perfect clarity -- so clear in fact that He knows before you even open your mouth or think of the words. But it's definitely important to Him that you do speak with Him because He wants so badly to have communication with you.
I think you've gotten different answers in regards to feelings of prayer one does get or even should get.
I understand what you mean in terms of closing your eyes and talking out loud. I don't think you'll get an answer of one specific feeling you may get (if you get one at all in fact). But always allow your faith to fuel your prayers -- do it with confidence that God is listening. He may not answer you immediately or with what you want to hear, but He will definitely respond.
And pray EVERYDAY as often as you can. Thank Him for everything, ask Him for wisdom and strength, and ask Him for guidance in everything. I guarantee you, if you pray these things, He will not turn you away.
I know that God speaks to me because he spoke to me the same night that I mastered not thinking through a dream.
So is praying with the Spirit like the Spirit acting as our brain so it tells us what we should pray about?
I don't think I could go without praying in the morning and the night at least for several days. I only do that when I take a nap and sleep through the whole day, when I just jump in bed (I pray while laying down on my bed) and sleeping instantly or when I stall so much (every time before I pray, I sit or lay there thinking about random things) that I end up getting so tired that I just fall asleep.
Since this thread is about prayer, I thought I'd share this chapter from C.S. Lewis' book The Screwtape Letters. In this chapter, the enemy writes his demon nephew how to diabolically twist a Christian's thought in prayer again himself.
It's fiction, but a great insight into something many of us may struggle with when battling in spirituality.
It's fiction, but a great insight into something many of us may struggle with when battling in spirituality.
Here is what it feels like when I pray. I think while I do housework, when I walk, when I run or cycle. I think about family members, for instance, and ways that they need help beyond their capabilities. I think of their futile attempts, and then I start talking to God about them. I know I can do this because I know God lives in me, and He said He would never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13: 5). I believe this just like I believe my daughter is pregnant with their second child. I also believe I can come to Him any time, and He will hear me with gladness. I never go to Him hesitantly, like I'm bothering Him, or He's annoyed with me. And it's like being on the phone with a close friend, except that with God, He has all the time in the world to listen to me, and He is always there. I don't disconnect, and even when we are done, I know He doesn't go away, but is still there for me. I speak to Him with a grateful attitude, that He has made it possible for me to have this close an access to Him, the Creator of the Universe. I lay out my concerns for my family, and pray that God help them see, or understand, or whatever else it is, and I tell Him why I know they need His help. I speak with ease and expression, like I would talk to a friend. True, we don't go back and forth for my human ears to hear, as I would with another human, and I don't expect that. But I know this is God I'm talking to, and I am convinced He keeps His promises, whether I "feel" anything or not. I am honored that He loves me so much. I see evidence in my own attitude, my own daily routine, and in my children's lives, that tells me that God listens to me.
A lot of times I feel alone. Even in prayer. But I don't mean that type of alone where you think it's completely dark and hopeless. I mean that I feel that God is there, but not right there.