SPEAKING IN TONGUES IS NOT THE ONLY MEANS OF PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT.

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Speaking in tongues is a type of praying in the Spirit but not equal to praying in the Spirit.  I disagree with some men of God who preach and teach that speaking in tongues is the ONLY way a believer must pray in the Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit is mentioned three times in Scripture.
1 Corinthians 14:15 says, “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.” Ephesians 6:18 says, “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.” Jude 20 says, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” So, what exactly does it mean to pray in the Spirit?

The Greek word translated “pray in” can have several different meanings. It can mean “by means of,” “with the help of,” “in the sphere of,” and “in connection to.” Praying in the Spirit does not refer to the words we are saying. Rather, it refers to how we are praying. Praying in the Spirit is praying according to the Spirit’s leading. It is praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for.
Praying in the Spirit also means groaning in prayer as the Spirit leads. Romans 8:26 tells us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
Being rendered speechless in times of prayer, especially when one has gotten into a deeper realm of the Spirit and has been put in a state of awe, is even a form of praying in the Spirit. At that moment, there are mysterious communications happening between your spirit and God’s which you absolutely have no idea about.
Meditating in one’s heart (spirit) in prayer with lips closed is also a way of praying in the Spirit.

Some base on 1 Corinthians 14:15 to equate praying in the Spirit with praying in tongues which I believe should be critically looked at. Most Christians (who do not speak in tongues) have been made to believe that it is a ‘must’ to speak in tongues once you have been baptized with the Holy Spirit because that is the ‘only’ way to pray in the Spirit. These Christians then become so desperate for this gift of the Spirit and end up forming strange words from their own carnal mind in the name of speaking in tongues: forgetting that the Holy Spirit distributes this gift as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). Some even go to the extent of imitating the exact words that come out from the mouths of other Christians or Ministers as they speak in tongues. This is an ‘error’.

As a believer, one needs the ‘gift of tongues’ for edification and spiritual growth. Yes! But we should get the understanding that ‘Speaking in tongues never equates Praying in the Spirit’.
A believer who desires the gift of tongues may pray and ask the Holy Spirit to grant him this gift and to lead him in order to use it for His glory and purpose. For Matthew 7:9 says “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?”



FINAL WORDS
‘Praying in the Spirit’ has to do with all kinds of prayers occurring between the Holy Spirit (GOD) and the spirit of the believer, including ‘speaking in tongues’.

In Ephesians 6:18, Paul instructs us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Therefore, praying in the Spirit should be understood as praying in the power of the Spirit, by the leading of the Spirit, and according to His will, not as praying in tongues.

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