God's Holy Fire: 'Pray in the Spirit'

Friday, January 23, 2026

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
— Ephesians 6:18 NLT

Key Thought

"Pray in the Spirit ...!" Paul is asking believers to pray consciously recognizing that the Spirit given them when they came to Christ (Ephesians 1:13) gives them direct access to God. That access allows them to pray what is on their hearts (Ephesians 2:18; cf. Romans 8:26-27) and to ask for knowledge, power, and boldness for others (Ephesians 1:17; Ephesians 3:16; Ephesians 6:18-20). In other words, the Spirit lives inside us and empowers our prayers, interceding directly to the heart of God and enabling our prayers to have powerful results! Our prayers are so much more than the words we say. We pray, consciously, alertly, and persistently, speaking to the Creator of the universe, assured we are heard, knowing that God will respond with power and grace in the lives of those for whom we pray!

Today's Prayer

O Father, thank you for your incredible gift of the Holy Spirit who makes my prayers much more than my words. Thank you that I can pray in the Spirit, speaking to you spirit to Spirit, knowing that I am heard and understood and that the Spirit conforms my prayers to your will. Thank you that such intentional praying brings powerful blessings for those for whom I pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

22 Related Resources by Heartlight

Pray in the Spirit
Devo: God's Holy Fire
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's..."
Pray in the Spirit for This
Devo: Together in Christ
"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."
Spurgeon AM Devo for Feb. 6th
Devo: Morning & Evening
"What multitudes of prayers we have put up from the first moment when we learned to pray. Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves; we asked that..."
Remember: Prayer Is the Heart of the Battle
Devo: Spiritual Warfare
"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me,..."
See All 22 Related Resources about Ephesians 6:18

Illustration

Illustration of Ephesians 6:18 NLT — Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Friday, January 23, 2026

A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Risk-taking & Faith-filled'
"Dear Beloved, What is the greatest obstacle that you face? What seemingly insurmountable forces are at work against you? Keep these two questions....."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'A Good City Is Good for You' (Je. 29:7)
"Also do good things for the city where I sent you as captives. Pray to the Lord for the city where you are living, because if good things happen in..."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'The News Spread Quickly' (Acts 11:1)
"Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'You Will Die in Your Sins' (Jn. 8:21-24)
"Later Jesus said to [the people] again, "I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going." The..."

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations