If you want a strong and profitable prayer life, we must learn how to pray in the Spirit—not just say prayers while our mind wanders in the “foyer.” Jude 20–21 shows us that praying in the Holy Spirit is how believers build themselves up in their most holy faith and stay steady in the love of God. In this episode, we uncover what it means to live and pray with spiritual awareness, where God is manifest and answers become clear. The curtain has been torn through Jesus Christ—so we can step beyond religious praying and into real Spirit-led fellowship. It’s time to get serious, cross over, and pray where the heavy lifting happens. Profitable Elements that Elevate Your Prayer Life with God, that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

This Week: Step out of distracted “foyer praying” and learn how to pray in the Spirit—where God is manifest and faith gets built strong.

Listen to the Audio

Click Play to Listen | Right Click to Download

Grow With God Every Week

Stay rooted in God’s Word! Subscribe to the Light on Life podcast and receive new teachings every Tuesday that help you grow strong in Him.

Profitable Elements that Elevate Your Prayer Life with God Share on X

Read the Notes

You can view a basic transcript of this podcast at the bottom of this section.

Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
This weeks call is:

Step In. Tune In. Build Up.

This week: refuse religious praying and choose focused praying—get your mind with your mouth and step into the Spirit.

Remember this: You don’t need louder prayers—you need Spirit-led prayers that move you from the foyer into the weight room of God’s Presence.

Join the Conversation

Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believers life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

Question:What most often pulls your mind “into the grocery store” while you’re trying to pray? 

Share: What helps you quiet your soul and stay focused until you sense you’ve stepped “in the Spirit”?

Remember: God isn’t asking for perfect words—He’s inviting you into fellowship where prayer becomes real and direction becomes clear.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 49 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 44 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________________________________________

Podcast Notes:

• Well again, welcome.
• Let’s pray.

Father God, thank you for making the way for us to fellowship with you. We know that was your hearts desire. That’s why you created us in the first place. Help us to know you more. Open to us the principles of prayer and talking to you. Help us to understand this place called ‘in the Spirit.’ We thank you for that and our approach is in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Building a Profitable Prayer Life

Jude 20–21 (ESV) — 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

• In previous podcasts, we began laying out for you a vision for your prayer life.
• In one of those podcasts, we defined the word ‘building:’ building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit.
• The Greek word ‘building’ means — to construct.
• It means to make nearer to fullness or completion; conceived of constructing something further.
• Building yourself up is constructing yourself.
• Think of yourself as an edifice too be built via the vehicle of prayer.

Materials for Building a Profitable Prayer Life: In the Spirit

• One of the essential materials you need to function successfully in the prayer is to understand and operate ‘in the Spirit.’
• That’s what Jude says here: building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit.
• And with that thought, here is the Question of the Day.
• Here’s the question.
• What does ’in the Spirit’ mean?
• A definition that I’ve heard is that ‘in the Spirit’ is praying in other tongues.
• We need to qualify that.
• Praying in other tongues is by the Spirit but some are not with their mouth when they pray.
• There are people who are praying who are not controlling their minds while they are speaking in other tongues.
• Let’s say it this way.

Whatever kind of prayer you are praying, your mind should be with your mouth for maximum impact.

• Now the scripture says this about ‘in the Spirit’ in the book or Romans.

Romans 8:9 (ESV) — 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

• We are ‘in the Spirit’ positionally, but we are not always aware of the place that we are in.
• If your mind is in the grocery store, while you are praying [whether in tongues or in English] you may be positionally ‘in the Spirit,’ but you are not aware of this place that’s called ‘in the Spirit.’
• You are aware of the grocery store.
• The place called ‘in the Spirit’ is like a house.
• There are rooms in a house.
• One room of this house called ‘in the Spirit’ is the weight room.
• It’s where all the heavy-lifting takes place.
• When you are ‘in the Spirit,’ you are very dominion minded.
• You are very aware of God.
• You are very carefree [not worrying] and peaceful.
• It is the place you want to cross over to.
• You want to move from the foyer where most people are praying to the weight room.
• You want to step over into that room.

Revelation 4:1–2 (ESV) — 1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.

• At once, John was in the Spirit.
• And, what did John find when he stepped over into the weight room?

behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.

• In the Spirit is where God is.
• It is where He is manifest.
• The answers to all your problems are in that room.
• The answers to many of your questions are in that room.
• Because ‘in the Spirit’ is where God is.
• Let me show you that.

1 Peter 4:6 (ESV) — 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

• ‘In the Spirit’ is where God lives.
• Think of the Tabernacle for a moment.
• Where was God located in the Tabernacle?
• He was sitting on the Mercy Seat.

Leviticus 16:2 (ESV) — 2 and the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.

• There was a 4 inch thick 20 foot tall curtain that separated that part of the Tabernacle from the rest of the Tabernacle.
• The Levites, and the priests, whom God assigned to the service of the Tabernacle could function only outside of the curtain.
• Only one person, the high priest, could go behind the curtain where God was, one time per year.
• He was offering the sin offering for the people to God.
• So there was a curtain that separated the foyer from the weight room.
• Jesus by His death, removed that curtain for you and me.

Matthew 27:50–53 (ESV) — 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Materials for Building a Profitable Prayer Life: Understanding Prayer and Omni-Presence

• We need to understand prayer and omni-presence.
• God is omni-present meaning He is everywhere present at the same time.
• We are talking about a vision for your prayer life.
• But He was particularly manifest in the Holy of Holies section of the Tabernacle.
• God is everywhere present but He is not everywhere manifest.
• The weight room of the house called ‘in the Spirit’ is where God is particularly manifest to the born again child of God.
• Marvelous world-changing things can happen in that room.

Materials for Building a Profitable Prayer Life: Going with the Spirit

• Now when we started our spiritual journey in God, we started with the Spirit.

Galatians 3:1–3 (ESV) — 1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

• When did you receive the Spirit?
• When you were born again.

Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV) — 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

• How did you receive the Spirit? — By faith.
• So, then how do you get ‘in the Spirit,’ how do you get into the weight room? — By faith.
• If your life in God ‘in the Spirit’ began by faith, then are you going to operate outside of the Spirit?
• Having begun ‘in the Spirit’ are you now made perfect by the flesh?
• Here it is again.

1 Corinthians 12:3 (ESV) — 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

• Calling Jesus Lord is what you do to be born again.

Romans 10:9–10 (ESV) — 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

• There it is — you started your life in God ‘in the Spirit.’
• Try this set of verses on for size.

Galatians 5:16 (ESV) — 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

• How are you going to walk by the Spirit? — By faith.
• The Greek word ‘walk’ is the one we want to look at and, with that thought, here is the Definition of the Day.

The word walk is from ‘peripateo’ which means literally “to walk about,” but when used in a connection like this, refers to the act of conducting one’s self, or ordering one’s manner of life or behavior.¹

• Order your behavior so that you are constantly moving towards the place of being ‘in the Spirit.’
• Order your behavior towards the weight room.
• And with that thought, here is the Quote of the Day.

Actually, being in the spirit is so vital to effective prayer that it is my primary focus when I’m in the prayer closet. I don’t spend my time trying to pray when I go to a place of prayer. I use all of my energy in faith to simply draw near to God and get in the Spirit, because that’s where I’ll be able to hear his voice and follow his leading. Once I am in that place, prayer comes as easily and naturally as breathing.²

Materials for Building a Profitable Prayer Life: Stay Out of the Foyer

• Now, if you continue reading in Galatians five, you will come to verse eighteen.

Galatians 5:18 (ESV) — 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

• Keep reading a bit more and you come to verse twenty-five.

Galatians 5:25 (ESV) — 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

• So, if we are walking by the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, and living by the Spirit, we are not camped out in the foyer of the house.
• So, here you are — your praying and your mind, which should be centered on God because that’s who you are talking to is on your job, your ‘to do list’ or any of the myriad of places where your mind travels, then would it be fair to say you are not in the weight room of the house called ‘in the Spirit.’
• You’re out in the foyer.
• You are where your mind is.
• Again, ’in the Spirit’ is a place where you are more conscious of spiritual things than you are natural things.
• When you pray, focus your attention, your mind on God.
• Your focus should match the words of your mouth.

Materials for Building a Profitable Prayer Life: Examples of ‘In the Spirit’

• Let’s say this again.
• We are walking by the Spirit.
• Being led by the Spirit.
• And we are living by the Spirit.
• Let’s look at some examples of this.

Luke 2:25–27 (ESV) — 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,

• The Spirit was upon Simeon.
• The Spirit was talking to him.
• He came ‘in the Spirit’ to church.
• We can live this way.
• Simeon didn’t have the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
• That came 33 and 1/2 years later after Jesus was resurrected and went back to heaven.
• We can live this way.
• Go to Matthew twenty-two.

Matthew 22:43 (ESV) — 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord…

• David wasn’t filled with the Holy Ghost either.
• You understand that being filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues is a spiritual experience after the new birth — after you have been born again.
• So David was operating in the sphere of the Spirit without the new birth and without being filled with the Holy Ghost.
• Now, in the Old Testament, prophets, priests and kings had the anointing of God — that means they had the Spirit of God on them.
• In this New Covenant, we have so much greater — we not only have the Spirit of God on us, we have Him in us!
• Having begun ‘in the Spirit’ are you now made perfect by the flesh.
• Now in the book of Acts.

Acts 19:21 (ESV) — Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

• Paul made this decision to go to Jerusalem when he was ‘in the Spirit.’
• He made it in the weight room — where the heavy lifting takes place.
• If Paul did it, we can do it.
• If Paul did it, we should do it to.

Materials for Building a Profitable Prayer Life: Religious Praying

• One day the Spirit of the Lord said to me, “Your idea of prayer is a little religious. Your idea is to pray for an hour and then listen. But prayer is a fellowship. I talk, you talk. I’m gonna take you on in the prayer life.

Exodus 33:11 (ESV) — 11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

• What is religious praying?
• Religious praying happens in the foyer.
• It does not happen in the weight room.
• My spiritual dad said this about prayer and praying.

“It used to take me at least an hour and a half of praying in tongues to get my soul and my body quiet, but now it only takes me a few minutes.” ³

• Listen to that: soul and body quiet — mind and body quiet.
• What do you think about all of the distractions of this life: the internet, cell phones, social media, cable television, movies, sports, the pandemic, political upheaval, — we could go on and on.
• How do you think these distractions affect keeping soul and body quiet enough so that we can enter into this place of ‘in the Spirit?’
• These distractions unmanaged keep people in the foyer.
• These are absolutely extra things we must contend and bring into subjection to the plan and purpose of God.
• You can only go as far as the level of your concentration and commitment.
• The things of God do not change and they cost the same as they always have.

Materials for Building a Profitable Prayer Life For All Manner of Prayer

• Let me show you something in Ephesians six.

Ephesians 6:18 (ESV) — 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

• Did you hear this: praying at all times.
• We should pray at all times.
• We should pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
• My spiritual dad was asked this question about the eighteen month period that he was bed-ridden as a young adult.
• He had an incurable heart condition and blood disease.
• The Lord healed him via Mark 11:23–24 — tremendous testimony.
• He was asked ‘did you just confess the Word over and over again to be healed or did you pray.’
• He looked at her and said ‘Pray? That goes without saying.’
• There were two things he was known for: his prayer life and walking in love towards people.
• You pray — you pray all the time — you pray every chance you get — that goes without saying.
• But notice, the prayer that you pray at all times, must be ‘in the Spirit’ not out in the foyer.
• This is a point of failure for people of prayer.
• We’re just shooting off at God.
• Here is what the Lord said to me in my spirit about the last election [September 21, 2024].

“There are a lot of people talking to me about the election but none of them are waiting on me.”

• We were hyped with distraction and we were shooting off words to God but we were not waiting to get ‘in the Spirit’ where direction comes.
• Direction on how to pray, what to pray, what piece to pray.
• We were concerned — that’s good.
• We were passionate — that’s great.
• Some of us were fearful — that’s not great.
• You have to get ‘in the Spirit,’ where God is, to get the specifics.
• Praying at all times ‘in the Spirit.’
• We’re trying to microwave our praying.
• Now, notice the next piece of Ephesians 6:18: with all prayer and supplication.
• ‘All prayer,’ what does that mean?
• In the Greek, which is what the New Testament was written in, the phrase ‘all manner of prayer’ means all kinds of prayer.
• You know there are different kinds of prayer.
• There is a prayer where you say to God concerning your life — not my will but yours be done.
• That’s different than the prayer of faith which is also different than the prayer that we prayer when we are tempted to worry.
• There is the prayer of agreement — where two people touch and agree in prayer.
• And there are other kinds of prayer each with it’s own set of rules.
• But all of these kinds of prayer are to be prayed in the weight room.
• They are to be prayed ‘in the Spirit.’
• That’s what Paul said: praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
• Now, listen to this passage in the book of Acts.

Acts 12:5 (ESV) — 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

• Herod imprisoned Peter trying to please the Jews during the Feast of Unleavened Bread and they intended to hold him until after the Passover.
• Earnest prayer was made to God by the Church and they were praying right up until the time the angel delivered Peter out of prison.
• This was at least a few days and maybe as much as one week.
• The Church kept praying the whole time.
• Earnest prayer ‘in the Spirit’ is how people get out of prison.
• It’s how they get out of the prison of sickness.
• Could this answer any questions about people we have prayed for who were really sick and didn’t make it?
• “If you want, God’s best, you have to give God your best.⁴”

Get Serious About Being ‘In the Spirit’

• Now here these words from Kenneth Hagin from the book ‘Following God’s Plan for Your Life.’

“We live in a day when we don’t have time to play church or fool around with the devil’s games in our lives. The last days are upon us. The end of all things is at hand. Critical years, lie ahead for us, for there is a great work to be done and a great harvest of souls to be reaped. Never has it been so important for us to be free from all that has bound us in the past. Never has it been so crucial for us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirits leading and for each of us to follow God’s plan for our lives. It’s time to shape up friends. It’s time to get serious about serving God and be everything, God wants us to be. As you walk in obedience to God, your past failures and shortcomings, which have hindered you from walking in the Spirit, won’t be able to keep what the Lord has ordained for your life from coming to pass. If you do your part by preparing and obeying, all the carnal plans of man and all the demons in hell won’t keep His plan from being fulfilled. Nothing will be able to detract or offset what God has proclaimed in your life.⁵

Putting the Word Into Practice

• So, how do I put this Word of God into practice?
• One: Keep Your Mind With Your Mouth.
• Whatever kind of prayer you are praying—tongues or English—your mind should be with your mouth for maximum impact.
• Before you pray, say: “Lord, I’m turning my attention toward You.”
• Two: Forget Religious Praying — Get In the Spirit.
• Some people go to pray and immediately start trying to “perform.”
• But real prayer is not performance.
• Prayer is fellowship.
• Your objective isn’t to hit an amount of time to pray.
• Forget about the clock, quiet down, and get into the Spirit where prayer flows like breathing.
• Three: Deal with Distraction.
• Negate the noise — get out of the foyer and into the weight room where the real heavy-lifting takes place.
• Four: Give God your best.
• If you want God’s best, you have to give God your best.
• That means don’t be hurried.
• Don’t be distracted.
• Make sure your not half-hearted.
• Jesus follower, don’t settle for foyer praying.
• Don’t settle for “saying prayers” while your mind is running laps through your job, your to-do list, yesterday, tomorrow, and a hundred other distractions.
• God is not looking for microwave praying.
• He’s inviting you into fellowship—where He talks and you talk, where your spirit gets strong, and where direction becomes clear.
• So, get alone with God this week and don’t make it a rush job.
• Use all your faith to draw near until you cross over the threshold of the place called ‘in the Spirit.’
• And finally, remember this: Jesus tore the curtain.
• You don’t have to stay outside in the foyer.
• You can go in by the Blood of the Lamb.
• Profitable Elements that Elevate Your Prayer Life with God.
• You guys have a great God week and we will see you next time for another edition of Light on Life.

_________

References: