1 Corinthians 16:13
Have you ever been working around the house, vacuuming and doing the laundry while the television was on? If so, you know that the television can be on for hours giving out all kinds of information, but because you’re not paying attention to it, you have no idea what’s being said.
At other times, however, you can sit down in front of the television and watch it very attentively. You can become more aware of what’s on TV than what’s happening around you. You can tune out the ringing phone and the barking dog and tune in to the television to such a degree that you don’t miss anything that’s happening on it.
That’s what we do when we watch in the spirit. We tune in to our hearts or our inner man. We observe closely the leadings and impressions on the inside of us. We keep our spiritual eyes and ears attentive to see what God is saying and doing.
If you’ll watch your heart, you’ll sometimes realize you’re picking up on what someone else is experiencing. For example, you might find yourself feeling depressed when you have no reason for feeling that way. Everything may be going just fine in your life. You’ve been perfectly happy but suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, feelings of depression sweep over you.
What’s happening? You’re perceiving by the Spirit what someone else is going through.
That’s often the way a burden of intercession for the lost will come upon me. I’ll just be going along my way, fellowshipping with God, watching and praying when all at once I’ll feel like God has forsaken me. I’ll feel totally lost.
That’s not really me feeling lost. I’m not separated from God. I’m just identifying with a lost person. I’m feeling what they feel so that I can pray for them.
Remember this, if something is abnormal for you, if there is no natural reason for it, it is probably emanating from your spirit. So stop using your head trying to figure it out. Just be alert and on guard and when you sense something like that, yield to the Holy Spirit and pray. You don’t have to know who or what you’re praying about. You don’t have to understand the situation with your brain.
Just pray in tongues and trust the Holy Spirit to handle it.
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 4:23
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”