Anyone who wants to have a good standard for praying ought to emulate Jesus. Studying His prayer life, I observed what He did that the religious people of his day didn’t do, for which reason He had such outstanding results in prayer.
He separated the labour of prayer from the fellowship of prayer. There’s such a thing as “prayer labour” or “prayer work”; you can literally count the number of times Jesus prayed this way. However, His prayer fellowship is what we really need to emulate; that’s what was different about His prayer life.
His prayer labour wasn’t different from that of the great prophets who came before Him. Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, David, etc., all prayed, and their prayers are chronicled for us in Scripture. But there was something that they didn’t have, which the Lord Jesus brought in: living in the Father’s presence in continual fellowship. This was different; this was new. Jesus lived in the Father’s presence, in continual fellowship.
The early prophets didn’t have this, because they couldn’t. If they could, they would have, because they loved God. Nevertheless, the reason they couldn’t was that they didn’t have the enablement of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did. No one can walk in such extraordinary fellowship with the Father except by the Holy Spirit. It’s His ministry and delight to bring us into that place of constant and continual fellowship with the Father.
The Father is in heaven, the Lord Jesus is in heaven, but the Holy Spirit is here with us on earth. He’s in us and with us. In Him, we have the presence of Jesus and the Father. He doesn’t come and go; we have become His dwelling place. He lives in us and has become part of our day-to- day existence. He talks to us all the time. As we listen to Him, we’re guided, instructed, led in the path of excellence, glory, dominion, and power.
Until the Holy Spirit becomes real in your life, your life will be ordinary. It’s the Holy Spirit that brings you into fellowship with God and sanctifies you. Therefore, live in real fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Talk to Him and listen to Him. Interact with Him.
Imagine that a particular family just moved into your neighborhood, and they live next door to you. If you want to make friends with any member of that family, you’d make the effort to meet that person and make an acquaintance.
You’d introduce yourself to them and would like the opportunity to regularly have conversations with them. Now, when you make these efforts to get acquainted with them, you’re recognising them. You’re introducing yourself to them because you think they’re worth the attention.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit has to be recognised. Interestingly, the word translated “spirit” in Greek, as well as Hebrew, is the same word for “wind” or “breath.”
This doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit is wind; He’s a person, and He lives in you. You’re in Him and He’s in you; so you don’t have to go next door to look for Him before you can fellowship Him. He knows your thoughts, but you’re going to have to talk to Him because thoughts are empowered when vocalized.
So, talk to the Holy Spirit and receive from Him as well.
When you begin to enjoy this glorious, wonderful, fellowship with the Holy Spirit, you’ll realise that, indeed, He’s the greatest friend anyone could ever have, and the best teacher there is! He’d teach you about your ministry, business, finances, family, health, etc.
He’ll teach you everything, even to the minutest detail of your life. And guiding you with His power, He ensures you’re always on top; never disadvantaged, and forever victorious! Hallelujah!
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14). In the verse above, the Apostle Paul used an interesting analogy to distinguish our relationship with unbelievers.
He said, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers….”
When you have a situation, for example, where two cows are yoked to pull a plough, that’s an “equal” yoking. However, a situation where a cow and a horse are yoked is an “unequal” yoking. One will likely be dragged along and impede the progress of the other. This is what Paul tries to explain.
As a Christian, someone who isn’t born again shouldn’t be your strongest ally or most dependable confidant; that’s a wrong association; an unequal yoking. “…what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness” (2 Corinthians 6:14)? The Christian is called righteousness, while the non-Christian is called “unrighteousness.”
To further make the difference clearer, the non-Christian is called darkness, while the Christian is called light.
If you think that isn’t strong and differentiating enough, read the 15th verse; the non-Christian is called “Belial,” which represents the devil, while the Church, of which you’re a part, is called Christ. Glory to God!
Aren’t you just glad you’re born again? You’re different from the rest of the world. You see with the eyes of God. You think the thoughts of God. You’ve gone past the carnal level of life. You’re God’s man; the bearer of His righteousness, glory, and grace. You’re of a different breed; the divine breed.
Therefore, as the Bible says, “…come out from among them, and be ye separate…” (2 Corinthians 6:17). You’ve been sanctified by the Spirit; separated to God for His divine use; holy and undefiled.
This is why we preach the Gospel and pray for non-Christians around the world. It’s so they would be converted and translated into the same glorious life we have in Christ. Hallelujah!