Our God is a Supernatural God
ICS Daily Devotions

1 Corinthians 14:4a (NKJV) He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

Ephesians 3:16 (NKJV) That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

Intercessory prayer should not wear us out. If it does, it means we are using our own strength. The key to intercessory prayer is to learn to rest in God, trusting that He is working in the spiritual realm after we have prayed. It is through faith and patience that we inherit God’s promises. We need patience because it is always a process, but that does not mean the breakthrough is not coming. That is why we need to engage faith the moment we start praying, because faith believes even when we don’t see it.

Intercessory prayer engages us in praying in the Spirit and in understanding, as we alternate between praying in tongues and in a known language. We are engaging our minds to pray based on what we know and listening to the Holy Spirit in our spirit. We can stop the intercessory prayer when we have finished praying through the items according to our knowledge or when the burden in our hearts has lifted.

Praying in tongues builds up the inner man and carries out intercession in accordance with God’s will. There is grace to sustain us when we pray for someone, and we need to remember that we are partnering with God, who cares for and loves the person we are praying for, even more than we do. Also, as the Holy Spirit intercedes through us, Jesus is interceding on the right hand of the Heavenly Father.

There are two ways to build up our inner man: listening to God’s Word and praying in the Spirit. Both practices help us strengthen our faith. The opening Scriptures reveal that praying in tongues helps us to be edified and strengthened by His Spirit, like charging an electric vehicle when the battery is low. It provides us with a relief valve when we are stressed, but we need to desire it, receive it, and use it daily because the Holy Spirit is a gentleman who will not impose Himself on us if we do not welcome Him in our lives or to work among us.

One of the Holy Spirit’s roles is to help, comfort, and teach us. Yet, as Christians, we often fail to fully engage His help because we cannot see Him or understand how He works. However, this does not mean He is absent. Rather, we need to learn to cooperate with Him and receive His help. When we refuse the Holy Spirit’s help, we shortchange ourselves. We need not feel uncomfortable with the supernatural. Instead, we must come to terms with the truth that we worship a supernatural God.

Reflection: How receptive are you to the Holy Spirit’s help or to the supernatural? What hindrances need to be removed?

Sermon Series: The Holy Spirit is our best stress release valve