Page 0: Page 1: “A Praying Spirit” Ray of Hope Community Church, Nashville 2011 Lenten Bible Study Series with Pastor Espinosa & Rev. Renita 5:30-6:00am, M-F Page 2: Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18. Page 3: Page 4:  To pray means to forget the self; an extremely difficult, though possible, act. What takes place in a moment of prayer may be described as a shift of the center of living--from selfconsciousness to selfsurrender. By Abraham Joshua Heschel Page 5: The Spirit helps us in our weakness Romans 8:26-28 Page 6: What Does It Take To Get You To Pray? Page 7: Page 8: Difference Between… Praying in the Spirit means to pray in harmony with the will of God. Being God Himself, the Spirit knows and can interpret God’s will to us. You pray often and you pray regularly. Prayer is not infrequent and prayer is not hit and miss. Being "devoted to" prayer means that you are not haphazard and you are not forgetful. It means you take steps to see that it is part of your regular life, the same way eating and sleeping are.  Praying in the Spirit  Having A Praying Spirit Page 9: As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. Psalm 42:1 Page 10: What an incredible blessing to have a desire, a sincere desire and hunger to say Yes Lord Page 11: Doesn’t mean that every minute you are praying. It means persist in prayer. Persevere in it. Stay at it. Be devoted to it. Don’t give up or slack off. Be habitual. It’s the opposite of being occasional or sporadic about prayer. Don’t be hit and miss about it. Page 12: What Do You Do When You Don’t Know What To Do? Who among us does not have dear ones facing difficult and varied life challenges. Job losses. Unexpected changes. Divorce and other relationship stressors. Surgery and cancer treatment. The list goes on. We can't fix anything for our dear ones. We can merely be present. And we can pray. Page 13: Page 14: Page 15: Page 16: Lord, we are heartbroken over the devastation in Japan, the lives lost, This is not the first time recently that there have been earthquakes or flooding, but it doesn’t keep our hearts from hurting. It reminds us how quickly life can change and how short our time on earth is. It reminds us that we live in a natural world. It reminds us to call unto you Lord. Page 17: Page 18: Page 19: A PRAYING SPIRIT Written by Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark-Terrell Lord, give me a praying spirit A praying spirit Lord, Help me to say yes Yes, yes Lord Yes, yes Lord A praying spirit throughout the day, oh A praying spirit, in every, every way A praying spirit, so that I might stay Oh Lord, I want a praying spirit, lest I pray, oh Lord Lord, give me a praying spirit A praying spirit Lord, Help me to say yes Yes, yes Lord Yes, yes Lord Lord, when I pray, give me what to say Lord, when I pray, give me what to say… And I want to say yes) Yes, yes, yes, yes Lord… Page 20: