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

Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'Facing Hostile Powers' (Acts 13:4-10)
"So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. There, in...."
Today's Verse
A daily devotional featuring a Bible verse, thought and prayer.
1 John 1:7
"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'Again, Time to Decide' (Jn. 10:19-21)
"When [Jesus] said these things [about laying down his life and taking it back up], the people were again divided in their opinions about him. Some..."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Evening Thought: Jeremiah 2:18
"By sundry miracles, by divers mercies, by strange deliverances Jehovah had proved himself to be worthy of Israel's trust. Yet they broke down 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