Awareness
Sunday August 1, 2021
Notes
Awareness (New Oxford American Dictionary)
– Consciousness, recognition, realization, cognizance, perception, apprehension, understanding, grasp, appreciation; acknowledgment, knowledge; sensitivity to, sensibility to, insight into; familiarity with, acquaintance with.
ANTONYMS ignorance
Live everyday with an awareness of God’s inward presence.
Galatians 5:16–18 NKJV
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Benefits of Praying in the Spirit.
1. PUT YOUR SPIRIT IN CHARGE
Romans 8:26 AMPC
So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.
As long as you live on this earth, you’re going to be saddled with a weakness. What is it? The flesh and blood body you live in. It’s a body that’s subject to death. A body that’s subject to the physical world around you. Your reborn spirit doesn’t want to sin. It wants to be completely obedient to God. But the weakness of the flesh causes you to fall prey to the temptations around you.
Does that mean you’re doomed to a life of failure till Jesus comes and that flesh body is glorified? No! It means you need to build your spirit up, to strengthen it, until it dominates your flesh.
2. IT CHARGES YOU UP
1 Corinthians 14:4
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
Ephesians 5:18.
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the spirit;
It is one thing to be filled with the Holy Ghost initially – it is another to stay continually filled with the Holy Ghost.
3. STIMULATES FAITH
Jude 1:20
But you brother building up yourself on your most Holy Faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.
This will not give you faith, Why? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, but the faith that you already have has already been stimulated. Many times people struggle because they don’t take the time to build up their most Holy Faith praying in the Holy Ghost. It helps your spirit to become spiritually keen. If you want to keep your body fit you have to exercise it, then your body is more alert and keen, sharp, strong. If you want to keep your spirit sharp and keen and strong exercise it. Feed your Spirit on the Word of God and exercise it by praying in the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:19-21
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”
Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs are given by the inspiration of the Spirit of God – they come through the spirit of prophecy, which may also include tongues and interpretation of tongues.
4. REST & REFRESHING
A Means of Spiritual Refreshing
Isaiah prophesied not only about the coming Messiah and the plan of
redemption which Jesus would consummate, but also about the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues,
Isaiah 28:11-12
For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, 12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.
What is the rest that the above scripture is referring to? Speaking in other tongues, In these days of turmoil we need the refreshing of the Spirit.
5. KEEP YOUR TONGUE
James 3:8–10 NKJV
But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
Your natural man may have trouble controlling your tongue but you can yield your tongue to the Holy Spirit and He will help you get control of that little rascal.
6. KEEPS YOU IN THE LOVE OF GOD
Jude 1:20-21
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
7. PRAY HIS PERFECT WILL
1 Corinthians 14:2, 14 NKJV
For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
Verse 14
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
By this method the Holy Spirit helps you pray according to the will of God as things should be prayed for.