In order to become a Christian, we must be born of the Spirit of God. But to live like a Christian, we must continually be led by the Spirit of God.
Paul applies this principle of being led by the Holy Spirit to our prayer life. Prayer is an essential part of a Christian's walk with God. It is how we communicate with God. After Christ's death and resurrection, we receive direct access to God. This access allows us the ability to pray for ourselves and the responsibility
to pray for other people.
All of us, from time to time, have had a need but didn't exactly know what to pray for or about. Paul refers to this moment as our weakness in Romans 8. But he was also telling us that God sends His Holy Spirit to show us what to pray for and how to pray.
To have an effective prayer life, we must have a close relationship with the Holy Spirit. Once we do, we can then submit to Him and allow Him to guide, to direct, and inspire us. The first way the Holy Spirit helps us is through intercessory prayer. To be effective, intercessory prayer must line up with God's Will as expressed in His Word. The apostle Paul constantly prayed for believers. He also asked them to pray that we would boldly declare the Gospel, and he encouraged us to pray one for the other. We all need intercession and are encouraged when prayer is offered to God on our behalf. Then Paul goes a step further, and he declares that the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us in accordance with the will of God. This is a remarkable promise.
GOD HIMSELF IS INTERCEDING FOR YOU.
The second way the Holy Spirit helps us in prayer is that He renews our mind, as described in Romans 12. Through the transformation of our mind, we begin to understand the will of God and can then pray according to the perfect will of God. Paul warns believers not to think like the world or be conformed by the world or live like the world. Instead, he urges us to allow the Holy Spirit to perform the renewing work within us. The renewing of our mind will transform us into the likeness of God in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness.
The third way the Holy Spirit helps us in prayer is that He puts the right words in our mind and mouth. The Holy Spirit helps us in our times of weakness and intercedes for us with all power. The Holy Spirit knows all things, and He has all wisdom, and we can freely ask Him to give us the thoughts and the words to pray. We often overlook His presence by failing to acknowledge who He is and His purpose in our lives. The Trinity consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All the divine traits of the Father and Jesus Christ are also in the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit lives within you. When you receive Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit abides in you, in the person of the Holy Trinity, guiding your heart, soul, mind, and body. Get to know God the Holy Spirit personally and learn to walk with Him daily. Once you do, you will never lose your way.
