And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).
Among the worldwide Church, some say that when Paul writes about praying in the Spirit, he refers to praying in tongues. They would remind us of two verses from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian believers:
2For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.
14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful (1 Corinthians 14:2, 14).
In discussing offensive prayer (Ephesians 6:18), this writer believes that Paul is talking about all kinds of Spirit-led and empowered prayer that break down demonic strongholds in people and territory dominated by demonic spirits. Prayer in the Spirit may refer to individuals led to pray in an unknown tongue, but do not discount prayer in your own language as the Spirit leads you. Paul wrote: “I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding” (1 Corinthians 14:15). He notes that not all Christians speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30), but in the verses we are studying, Paul was writing to the Ephesian church about spiritual warfare, a church with less emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit. This writer's opinion is that we should not limit this offensive weapon of prayer just to those with the gift of praying in tongues. The Body of Christ is a multi-faceted spiritual organism where the gifts and talents of all can pull down spiritual strongholds through many different kinds of prayer. Spirit-led prayer is always backed up by God's authority and the Spirit's presence.
We have an example of this type of Spirit-led prayer in Acts 4:23-31. The Jewish leadership brought Peter and John before a court appearance of the elders for the "crime" of healing the lame man at the gate called Beautiful. Under the control and influence of the Spirit, Peter spoke fearlessly, telling the Chief Priests, Scribes, and leaders that they would not stop talking about Jesus. After many threats, they were released. Notice what the believers did after this persecution:
23When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David your servant, said, 'why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples devise futile things? 26'the kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.' 27"For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. 29 "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, 30while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” 31And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:23-31, Emphasis mine).
The early disciples saw that their fight was not against Israel's flesh and blood leaders but against dark spiritual forces. How did God's people respond to this demonic persecution? They prayed passionately in unison with voices raised to God. They didn't take turns praying; they all prayed aloud simultaneously in various languages as the Spirit led them. The result of this kind of prayer was that the Holy Spirit's presence shook the meeting room, and the believers were again filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the message of God with boldness. We need congregational prayer like this. I pray today that the Holy Spirit will shake our churches and fill His people in such a way. Keith Thomas
This meditation is a shortened version of the in-depth study: Offensive Weapons of the Believer.