Prayer is our most powerful weapon as believers. This is something we often forget, but how incredible is it that the Creator God of the universe invites us to a one-on-one conversation with Him, whenever we want? There are lots of ways to approach this, but what exactly does it mean to pray "in the Holy Spirit"? Let's take a look at the power of this prayer.

The prophet Elijah was thrown into the grips of a depression that only God was able to bring him out of. Elijah’s experience teaches us several simple, but valuable lessons we all need to remember as we walk with the Lord.

Jesus was God-incarnate. He was (and still is) both fully God and fully man, with a body that felt the same joys and pains that we do. The miracle of the cross, of Jesus sacrificing himself for our sins, paved the way for our salvation. But was there power in Jesus' actual physical blood, shed on the cross?

One of the greatest struggles encountered by many of God’s people is prayer. Our three deadly enemies, being the world, our own flesh, and the devil are all involved in keeping us away from this divine discipline. But even in the midst of our times of prayer, any one, or a combination of these enemies can rise up to distract us from fellowship with the Lord.

The world tends to increase our time spent away from prayer by busying, or overburdening us with things like work, school, and other necessary things. When it comes to our flesh, it wants nothing at all to do with the things of God. Flesh cries out to be satisfied—and prayer does not do that. “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” (Galatians 5:17).

Satan of course, is an enemy of prayer because he and his horde of principalities and powers know what can happen when the child of God invests quality time with the Lord.

Whether it is through intercessory prayer, petitions, or simply desiring to hear from Him for guidance, we are ultimately strengthened through our prayer times. Prayer has been designed by God to enrich the life of every believer. Even at its most basic level, prayer touches God. It is not “busy work,” i.e., something that we do just to say that we did it. Through it we are able to enter into intimate fellowship with the Lord.

Prayer also engages us into spiritual warfare. As stated previously, there are spiritual forces arrayed against us when we pray. Satan will do all that he can to frustrate our faith, and if we are not careful, he can convince us that God either does not care, or that He is not listening. In times when this does take place, we know immediately that the devil is a liar, because God has given us His Word which assures us that we can know that he hears us when we pray.

Let us take a look at five essential ways that we can know that God hears our prayers.

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Whether it was waiting to open presents as a child, or waiting for a big life event like marriage or a promotion as an adult, waiting is hard! But when we start to feel antsy, how are we to respond as Christians? Thankfully, the Bible has plenty of encouragement on how we can wait patiently on God's timing for the good things in our lives.

It's something we have all likely been struggling with this year. We know we are to be in the world, but not of it. However, God did still place us in our communities for a reason. So how are Christians to respond to the affairs of the world? Let's take a look at four things Christians should do, or not do, when engaging with our society and the world around us.

From the very dawn of human history, Satan has made his intentions clear. Man has been the object of his intense hatred. As he conversed with Eve in the garden through the serpent, his purposes become quickly evident.

With the words, “…did God say?” (Genesis 3:1), we are stunned by the sheer audacity of it all. This impudence is surpassed three verses later when he announces, “You will not surely die.” Questioning God and calling Him a liar? Satan’s opening salvo on our first parents would set the stage for what is one of the most momentous events in history: the Fall.

It is momentous in its far-reaching and detrimental effects on the world at-large, but most specifically, on the crowning achievement of God’s creation: man. God would ultimately respond to Satan’s actions with these words:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

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I was in a large bookstore some time back, and went upstairs to browse. When I got to my section, I noticed three teenage girls sitting on the floor shopping for Bibles for themselves. I was standing near them, and admittedly, I began to eavesdrop on their conversation. As I continued to browse, I could hear that they were comparing Bible versions, while reading passages.

For some reason, this really blessed me. To see young people, eager to have the Word, eager to read the Word, and eager to know the Word. I see that as passion; and that is the kind of passion that we need desperately. 

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“But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’” (Mark 16:7).

Here we see one of the most comforting passages in the entire Bible. It resonates with all the grace, mercy and compassion that is only available through the Lord. It also reveals the true heart of our Savior, as He sets forth one of His most essential qualities that should bring a praise to our lips on a daily basis. Without this distinguishing attribute, we would find it most difficult to live the type of life that would be pleasing to the Lord.

What is this essential quality? It is forgiveness. While the word does not appear in our verse, its fingerprints are all over it. We can see this divine act in the simple phrase, “and Peter.”

During this most painful season in his life, we can safely conclude that Peter may have been feeling like somewhat of an outcast. The severity of what he had done cannot be denied. He had denied ever knowing his Lord. Scripture records the actions of Peter and the disciples on this fateful night: 

“But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end” (Matthew 26:56-58).

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Unfortunately, there are many who have fallen under the pall of false teaching, and have done this very thing. In so doing, they have created a “curated Savior.” This means that they have taken wrong information concerning Jesus, as to who Jesus is and what he has accomplished on the cross on our behalf, and “carefully” created their own brand of Jesus.

There is a certain type of faith that the Lord requires, and shallow faith misses the mark. What makes shallow faith shallow and how can one break free from its clutches to experience the blessings of properly placed faith? Do you have the kind of faith that Jesus can commit himself to, or can He trust you at all?

“God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God” (Psalm 62:11).

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:31).

In these verses, we lay the foundation for what will follow. Each verse reveals two amazing things about the God we serve. First, God is omnipotent; He holds all power in His hands. This means of course, that He has no equal. Because of this inherent power that He possesses, this also means that He can do anything.

Secondly, God uses His power to work on behalf of people; especially those in the household of faith. God’s people can and should expect God to both intervene and intercede for the good of those who trust in Him.

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In modern English, a "fall from grace" usually refers to someone who has made a mistake and lost their credibility. But in Biblical terms, it has a much stronger connotation, hearkening back to Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. So can we as Christians fall from grace?