Have you ever had someone praying against you when they should be praying for you? I had a relative praying for my marriage to fail, years ago, because she was concerned for my well-being. After my divorce, she confessed, with pride, that she had been praying for my marriage to end. I was floored!!! And then I got mad!!!

 

After I had time to cool off, I realized that she was unsaved, and she probably thought she was doing me a favor. However, she wasn’t. And sometimes, we aren’t either, when we pray prayers of defeat over people thinking we are helping them. 

 

Recently, I had to examine how I was praying for the people in my life, specifically, for my enemies. You know, those people you want to hate, but the Holy Spirit in you just won’t let you feel that way about them. Especially when they’ve done so many hateful things to you!

 

One day I was trying to pray for an enemy, when I found myself trying to figure out what to say about them. I had already prayed the generic; “Father, forgive them for their sins and save their souls.” But I knew because I was in spiritual warfare, I needed to go deeper. It was then I solicited the assistance of the Holy Spirit! When I yielded the prayer over to Him, I found it easier to pray for them, even though I had no clue what I was saying at the time. My prayer language was foreign to me, but I could feel in my spirit it was most effective. I was praying in The Spirit (Tongues).

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We are encouraged in Ephesians 6:18 (NIV), "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 Lord's people." 

 

When I heard that my niece’s marriage was in trouble, I began to pray for them. Then I noticed that in my anger over the situation, I was praying against the marriage instead of for it. The same way my loved one had prayed for me. Then it hit me, pray in the Spirit. When I did, I came away with a sense of peace, because I knew I had left that marriage in the best possible hands that it could be in. I love praying in the Spirit because God knows better then me what needs to be addressed and how to address it. 

 

I urge all the saints to take up their sword and pray in the Spirit. I have had the most rewarding breakthroughs in my life, when I turned my prayers over to the Holy Spirit and let Him defeat my enemies for me. Sometimes, He will even wake me up in the “wee-hours-of-the-morning” to have me pray in the Spirit. As sleepy as I am, I know it's wartime! And He has to shake me a few times to keep me alert, but when I become fully awake, it’s on!

 

Don’t miss your opportunity to win the war. Just turn the battle over to the Holy Spirit and let Him defeat your enemies, while you pray for them.

 

Prayer:

Father, help me to pray on all occasions when I have no words to say. Use me to pray effectively over everyone, because everyone is important to you. And help me to yield my will and emotions to the Holy Spirit and let Him speak through me. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen!