Building Yourself Up
Have you ever gotten up in the morning and you just felt tired and not really yourself? You looked in the mirror, and you saw someone staring back at you who needs a little “sprucing up”? So, you tried as best you could to make yourself look, and therefore hopefully, feel better. But you still felt tired and somewhat worn out.
This happened to me today, and I really did not feel like praying. I like starting my day off with reading God’s Word, and then I have my prayer time. But today, I finished up some chores in the kitchen, and drank my water, and then later I read my bible. After meditating on what I had just read, I got dressed. While I was getting dressed, I felt like singing to the Lord. You see, reading God’s word helped me to get excited about fellowshipping with Him! I was starting to sing to the Lord, and I noticed that I had no actual words that I was motivated to sing, so I just sang in the Spirit! At first, I wondered if what I was doing made any sense to God, because I was just singing in the Spirit to a made-up tune. But, nonetheless, I kept singing it. It almost sounded like I was singing in an African dialect, and it reminded me that my uncle was in Ghana. I continued to sing and sing, this jazzy-feeling African spiritual to God!
I knelt beside my bed and continued singing in my prayer language. Then, these words came to mind from Jude: “…building yourself up in your most holy faith.” I immediately recognized that this is what I was doing! I then felt like the Holy Spirit was prompting me to write about this morning’s experience. I picked up my Amplified bible and it opened to Jude! “But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;” (Jude 1:20 AMPC)
My sister in Christ, praying in the Spirit is one of the best ways to pray. Simply because, when you do so, your spirit man is speaking directly to the Spirit of God (or the Holy Spirit). I was feeling out of sorts. First, I read God’s word, which comes from God’s Spirit. I was then led by God, after feeding on His word, to begin to build myself up by singing in the spirit. You may be wondering whether singing in the Spirit is even scriptural. Well, it is. The Bible mentions singing in the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 14:15.
“Then what am I to do? I will pray with the spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me] and I will pray with the mind [using words I understand]; I will sing with the spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me] and I will sing with the mind [using words I understand].” (AMP)
Singing in the Spirit is an excellent way to start your day! And to sing from your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19) It certainly helped me that day and I believe that it will be able to help you as well!
Think about it: What is your morning routine? Are you spending time with God and thanking Him for the blessings in your life? Are you making your requests known to Him regularly? (Philippians 4:6-7)
Lean in: Do you want to find out more about praying in the Spirit? Watch my Youtube video entitled “The Importance of Prayer”. (Tania Scott - YouTube)
