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day 16

Praying In The Holy Ghost

by Elizabeth Vela September 16, 2026

written by Elizabeth Vela

There are places in prayer where your vocabulary reaches the end of the road, but the Holy Spirit has not reached the end of His help. You can know what is troubling you without knowing how to pray about it. You can carry a burden you cannot explain, face circumstances with details you do not possess, or simply recognize that your natural understanding is too limited to see everything involved. We like understanding because it gives us a sense of control. We would prefer the full report, preferably with headings, explanations and a conclusion. Yet some moments with God require something deeper than our ability to explain.

Jude writes:

“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.” — Jude 20 KJV

This is not an invitation to abandon understanding, Scripture or wisdom. Neither is it an invitation to manufacture spiritual intensity. It is an invitation to discover that prayer was never intended to operate independently of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer Was Never Meant To Be Entirely Human

Earlier in this journey, we considered Romans 8:26 and the Spirit helping our infirmities. Today we move further into what it means to develop a prayer life that is consciously dependent upon Him. Jude says, “praying in the Holy Ghost.” That means there is a way of praying in which the Holy Spirit is not merely someone we believe in doctrinally but the One whose help, leading and enabling we actively depend upon.

We can become very skilled at prayer language. After years in church, it is possible to know what prayer is supposed to sound like. We know when to say amen. We know the familiar expressions. We can even develop a certain prayer voice that mysteriously appears the moment our eyes close. But spiritual vocabulary is not necessarily spiritual dependence. Prayer in the Holy Ghost calls us beyond performance into participation with the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit Is Not Something We Switch On

Sometimes Christians speak about the Holy Spirit almost as though He were spiritual electricity. We find the correct atmosphere, say the correct words and somehow activate the power. But the Holy Spirit is not a power source waiting for us to locate the switch. He is God. Jesus called Him “the Comforter” and “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16–17). He teaches, guides, reminds, convicts and glorifies Christ. Prayer in the Holy Ghost therefore begins with relationship and surrender, not technique.

I think one of the dangers of becoming familiar with spiritual language is that we can say, “Holy Spirit, have Your way,” while privately hoping He does not interrupt the programme we already planned. Yielding sounds beautiful until it changes our agenda. Yet Spirit-led prayer requires exactly that openness. We come with our burdens, Scriptures and prayer directions, but we remain attentive to God.

The Spirit Never Leads Us Away From The Word

Being Spirit-led and being Word-rooted are not opposing ideas. The Holy Spirit inspired Scripture. He will not lead us contrary to what He has revealed. Jesus said:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” — John 16:13 KJV

Notice His name: the Spirit of truth. This matters because people can sometimes call almost any strong feeling “the leading of the Spirit.” But intensity does not prove divine origin. Something can feel powerful and still require discernment. Spirit-led prayer remains anchored in biblical truth. Sometimes His help comes as Scripture suddenly becomes deeply relevant to what you are praying. Sometimes He brings a person strongly to your attention and you begin interceding. Sometimes a particular burden remains upon your heart and you sense that you should stay with it rather than rush onward.

We remain sensitive without becoming careless.

There Is A Place For Praying Beyond Our Understanding

Paul writes:

“For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.” — 1 Corinthians 14:14 KJV

Then he says:

“What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also…” — 1 Corinthians 14:15 KJV

Notice Paul’s balance. He does not choose one and reject the other. “I will pray with the spirit.” And: “I will pray with the understanding also.” There is a legitimate dimension of prayer in tongues where our understanding is not producing the words. For Spirit-filled believers, this is not something to fear or treat as strange. It is one of the ways Scripture shows the human spirit engaged in prayer beyond the limitations of natural understanding.

But Paul also values prayer with understanding. We need both. There are times to pray clearly about what we know, using Scripture and understanding. There are also moments when we reach the boundary of what we know and continue yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit.

Do Not Make Tongues A Performance

Because praying in tongues can be misunderstood, we should guard its simplicity. You do not become more spiritual by trying to sound impressive. You do not need to copy another person’s rhythm. You do not need to become louder every thirty seconds to prove that something powerful is happening. The Holy Spirit is not grading pronunciation. Prayer in the Spirit is communion, not performance. This is especially important in corporate prayer. Sometimes we can become so aware of how everyone else sounds that we stop being aware of God. Someone beside us sounds as though she has already entered the third heaven, and suddenly we feel our own prayer needs an upgrade.

Stay with God. The secret place is not a competition.

“Building Up Yourselves”

Jude connects praying in the Holy Ghost with “building up yourselves on your most holy faith.” The picture is construction. Something is being built. A consistent Spirit-led prayer life strengthens the inner person. It trains us away from complete dependence upon natural reasoning. It develops spiritual attentiveness. It teaches us to remain before God when our minds do not have every answer.

Paul uses similar language in 1 Corinthians 14:4: “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself…” To edify means to build up. This does not mean praying in tongues replaces Scripture, obedience, character or understanding. You cannot pray for hours in tongues and use that as permission to ignore what God has plainly commanded.

The Holy Spirit who strengthens us in prayer is the same Holy Spirit producing Christlike fruit within us. True spiritual strengthening should eventually affect the way we live.

Sometimes The Spirit Changes The Direction

Have you ever begun praying about one thing and found another person or matter becoming unusually strong upon your heart? There are times when prayer develops that way. You may begin with your own needs and suddenly feel compelled to intercede for someone else. A Scripture comes to mind. A burden deepens. What was supposed to be a brief prayer becomes a place where you sense you should remain longer.

We should not make every experience mysterious, but neither should we become so rigid that the Holy Spirit has no room to redirect our attention. Prayer is relationship. And relationship requires attentiveness.

The Holy Spirit Will Always Draw Us Toward Christ

There is another safeguard worth remembering. Jesus said concerning the Holy Spirit:

“He shall glorify me…” — John 16:14 KJV

Genuine work of the Holy Spirit does not make us obsessed with spiritual experiences while Christ moves into the background. The Spirit glorifies Jesus. Therefore, deeper Spirit-led prayer should produce greater love for Christ, deeper reverence for Scripture, increasing obedience and a life that reflects Him. If our spiritual experiences make us proud, unteachable or fascinated with ourselves, we should examine what is happening.

The Holy Spirit builds Christ within us.

Go Beyond Mechanical Prayer

Today, do not rush through prayer simply because you know what you normally say. Begin with Scripture. Worship. Pray with understanding. But remain sensitive. If you pray in tongues, give yourself room to do so without performing for anyone. Allow yourself to remain there rather than constantly checking the time or wondering whether you sound spiritual enough.

If a burden comes strongly, stay with it. If Scripture comes to mind, return to it and pray from its truth. If the Spirit brings conviction, respond. If He redirects your attention toward someone else, intercede. The goal is not to create a dramatic prayer experience. The goal is yielded communion. Yesterday we discovered that through Christ we can come boldly to the throne of grace. Today we discover that when we arrive there, we do not have to depend entirely upon our own understanding or ability.

The Holy Spirit is present. So pray with understanding. Pray with the spirit. Remain anchored in the Word. Stay sensitive. And allow the Helper to take you beyond mechanical prayer into deeper dependence upon God.

Declarations

◆ The Holy Spirit is my Helper, and I depend upon Him in prayer.

◆ I am growing beyond mechanical prayer into living, Spirit-led communion with God.

◆ I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with understanding also.

◆ My prayer life is firmly anchored in Scripture and increasingly sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

◆ I refuse spiritual performance, comparison and every pressure to imitate another person’s prayer life.

◆ As I pray in the Holy Ghost, my inner life is being strengthened and built up in faith.

◆ I receive grace to remain in prayer beyond the limitations of my natural understanding.

◆ I am becoming sensitive to the burdens, Scriptures and prayer directions the Holy Spirit places upon my heart.

◆ The work of the Holy Spirit in me is producing deeper love for Christ, obedience to His Word and Christlike character.

◆ I yield myself afresh to the Holy Spirit and welcome His help as my prayer life grows deeper, stronger and more surrendered.

My Prayer For You

May the Holy Spirit lead you beyond routine into deeper communion with God. May He strengthen your inner life, sharpen your sensitivity, teach you when to pray with understanding and when to remain beyond understanding, and continually draw your heart toward Jesus as you learn to depend upon His help.

September 16, 2026 0 comments

RESTORING HER PRAYER ALTAR

by Elizabeth Vela August 16, 2026

written by Elizabeth Vela

Day 16 of Her New Beginning: 31 Days of Healing, Identity, Renewal and Purpose

Jeremiah 33:3 KJV

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

There are some things in a woman’s life that do not disappear suddenly. They fade quietly. Prayer can be one of them. Most women do not wake up one morning and decide, “From today onward, I am going to neglect my relationship with God.” Life simply becomes busy. Responsibilities multiply, people need us, work demands attention, family matters arise, and sometimes one problem seems to introduce us to another before it leaves.

We tell ourselves that when things settle down, we will return properly to prayer. When the pressure reduces, when the children become less demanding, when the financial situation improves, when this project is completed, then we will find our rhythm again. The problem is that life rarely volunteers to become quiet simply because we requested it. If communion with God is continually given whatever time remains after everything else has taken its share, eventually we may discover that very little remains.

This is why renewal must bring us back to the altar. I use the word altar deliberately because prayer is more than another good Christian habit. Throughout Scripture, the altar represented encounter, worship, surrender, sacrifice and remembrance. Abraham’s journey was marked by altars. Noah came out of the ark and built an altar. Jacob encountered God and built altars. The altar represented a place where a person met with God and responded to Him.

One of the most powerful pictures appears on Mount Carmel. Israel had wandered from God, and Elijah was calling the nation back. Yet before the fire fell, 1 Kings 18:30 tells us, “And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.”

I find the order significant. We often become excited about the fire, but Elijah first repaired the altar. We pray for fresh fire, fresh anointing, fresh encounters and greater spiritual power, but sometimes God is drawing our attention back to the place where the fire is supposed to burn. Before asking for another public manifestation, perhaps there is a private altar that needs attention.

When Prayer Becomes an Emergency Number

There is nothing wrong with bringing our needs to God. Jesus taught us to ask the Father for daily bread, and Scripture invites us to make our requests known unto Him. Yet prayer becomes much smaller than God intended when we approach Him only because something has gone wrong.

Without noticing it, our prayer life can become a spiritual emergency number. “Lord, provide. Lord, open this door. Lord, touch my child. Lord, fix this situation. Lord, change him. Lord, please speak to that woman.” Depending on the week, there may even be one or two people we would like God to speak to rather firmly!

We can smile about it, but there is something deeper here. God wants more than a relationship in which we appear mainly when we need His intervention. Sometimes I have entered prayer wanting God to change something around me and discovered that He wanted to address something within me. I wanted an answer, but He was touching my fear. I wanted the situation to change, but He was dealing with my impatience. I wanted somebody else corrected, and the Holy Spirit somehow turned the conversation toward me. Prayer can be wonderfully inconvenient like that.

The altar is therefore not only where circumstances change. It is where the woman praying is changed.

Hannah shows us this beautifully. She came before God in bitterness of soul and poured out her heart. Yet before Samuel was conceived, before the visible answer arrived, 1 Samuel 1:18 says that Hannah “went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.” Something had happened in the presence of God before anything happened in her circumstances.

There are moments when prayer changes your countenance before it changes your situation. You enter carrying something that feels enormous, but after spending time with God it no longer occupies the same amount of space inside you. The problem may still be there, but God has become bigger again in your consciousness.

The Woman Behind the Strong Woman

Many women become very good at functioning while spiritually tired. Everybody sees the dependable woman who encourages others, keeps things moving, remembers what everyone else forgot and somehow knows where the missing item is after the whole family has searched for it.

But who sees the woman underneath all that strength?

The altar gives her somewhere she does not have to perform. She can tell God, “I am tired.” She can admit, “I don’t know what to do.” She can bring disappointment without pretending it does not hurt. The woman everybody calls for advice can come before God and simply say, “Father, I need You.”

Jesus Himself protected this place. Luke 5:16 says, “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.” There were always people who needed Him, yet He withdrew. He intentionally stepped away from legitimate demands in order to commune with the Father. If Jesus made room for prayer while carrying His assignment, we should be careful about treating prayer as something we will do only after everything else is finished.

Everything else is rarely finished.

“Call Unto Me”

Jeremiah 33:3 reveals something beautiful about God’s heart. He does not say, “Impress Me.” He says, “Call unto me.” The Creator of heaven and earth invites us to approach Him, and then He promises, “I will answer thee.”

Prayer is therefore not a religious woman speaking spiritual words into empty space. Someone is listening. Someone knows her. Someone sees what she cannot see.

Then God adds, “and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Prayer is not only a place of speaking; it is also a place of revelation. There are things we simply do not know, and that should bring relief rather than fear because we know the One who does.

Sometimes we have analysed a situation until even our analysis is exhausted. We have replayed conversations, imagined possible outcomes, spoken to friends and searched online until our phones practically know the whole story. Yet God still says, “Call unto me.”

There is wisdom that comes through communion. The Holy Spirit can bring something to your attention that you overlooked. He can give direction where there was confusion, expose something that looked harmless, place a person on your heart or awaken an idea you had never considered. Prayer does not make us less practical. It allows practical life to be influenced by divine wisdom.

Guarding the Fire

Leviticus 6:12 says, “And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out.” The priest did not manufacture God’s fire, but he carried responsibility concerning the altar. In the same way, we cannot manufacture the presence of God, but we can steward our hunger and guard our attention.

Sometimes restoring the altar requires practical decisions. Perhaps you need to protect a particular time. Maybe you need to open your Bible before opening social media. Perhaps the phone needs to stay on the other side of the room because “I am only checking one message” has a mysterious ability to become thirty minutes of discovering what complete strangers are eating, wearing and arguing about.

Intimacy requires attention.

There will be days when prayer feels powerful and days when it feels ordinary. Do not measure your relationship with God only by dramatic feelings. Some mornings you may feel overwhelmed by His presence; on others you may simply read Scripture, pray faithfully and continue your day. Both matter. Relationship grows through consistency, not merely through spectacular moments.

Your New Beginning Needs an Altar

This journey is about a new beginning, but your new beginning needs a foundation. A new opportunity without communion with God can become another source of anxiety. A new relationship can become an idol. A growing platform can become dangerous if the public woman is increasing while the private woman is becoming empty.

Before asking God to enlarge everything around you, allow Him to deepen what is within you.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet.” There is something beautiful about having a history with God that nobody else sees. No audience, no applause and no need to sound impressive. Just a daughter and her Father.

Perhaps your altar has become weak. Do not waste another week condemning yourself. Come back. Your first prayer does not have to be impressive. It may simply be, “Father, I miss You.” Perhaps you need to say, “Lord, I became distracted,” or, “I don’t even know what to say, but I am here.”

Before you rebuild the dream, restore the altar. Before you ask for greater influence, deepen communion. Before you carry everybody again, spend time with the One who has been carrying you all along.

Prayer

Father, draw me back to the secret place. Where busyness, disappointment, distraction or weariness has weakened my prayer life, awaken hunger in me again. Forgive me for the times I have wanted Your hand while neglecting Your heart. Teach me to enjoy Your presence, hear Your voice and treasure Your Word. Repair every broken place at my altar and let fresh fire burn in my relationship with You. May everything I build publicly flow from the woman You are forming privately. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today’s Declaration

My altar is being restored. I am returning to communion with God with a hungry and open heart. I will not allow busyness to consume the place that belongs to His presence. I will call upon the Lord, listen for His voice and build my life from fellowship with Him. My private life with God will strengthen my public life. Fresh hunger is awakening in me, and my new beginning will be rooted in His presence. I am a Wonder Model Woman.

August 16, 2026 0 comments