How To Pray In The Spirit Pdf? The 80 Top Answers

“How to Be Guided by the Spirit,” New Era, Feb. 2013, pp. 16-18

In recent messages, prophets and apostles have taught us how to have the Holy Spirit as our constant companion.

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What do we know about the gift of the Holy Ghost? How does it work in our life? How do we recognize it? What must we do after we are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to have His ongoing influence and be guided by personal revelation and inspiration?

Because these are such important questions for each of us, members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles discuss them frequently. Here are some of the principles they recently taught.

How to Begin “Seek heavenly guidance each day. Life at court is tough; It’s a breeze through customs. Each of us can only be faithful for one day—and then another, and then another—until we have lived a lifetime of being led by the Spirit.” 1

“Sincere desire and worthiness invite the spirit of revelation into our lives.” 2 Pictogram

“(1) have a sincere desire to receive the Holy Spirit, (2) appropriately invite the Holy Spirit into our lives, and (3) faithfully obey God’s commandments.”3

How to Recognize Spiritual Guidance Picture of young man praying “The gift of the Holy Ghost…is a spiritual voice that comes into your heart as a thought or feeling.” 4

“Sometimes the spirit of revelation will be immediate and intense, sometimes subtle and gradual, and often so subtle that you may not even consciously recognize it. But regardless of how this blessing is received, the light it bestows will enlighten and enlarge your soul, illuminate your understanding (see Alma 5:7; 32:28), and guide and protect you.” 5

“Selfless acts of service and consecration purify our spirits, take the scales off our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. In becoming the answer to someone else’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own.” 6

“Sometimes when you’ve made a mistake, you might have said afterwards, ‘I knew I shouldn’t have done that. It didn’t feel right,” or maybe, “I knew I should have done that. I just didn’t have the courage to act!’ Those impressions are the Holy Spirit trying to guide you to good or to warn you about harm.”7

What to Do “First, put the word prayer on your to-do list.” 8

“As we honor our covenants and keep the commandments, as we continually strive to do good and to become better, we can have confidence that God will guide our steps.” 9

“Take care of your body. Be clean. … Stay away from tattoos and similar things that disfigure your body.” 10

“Exercise, adequate sleep, and good eating habits increase our ability to receive and understand revelation.” 11

“Renew [your] covenants by partaking of the sacrament every Sabbath.” 12

“I am always humbled and grateful when my Heavenly Father communicates with me through His inspiration. I have learned to recognize, trust and follow her.”13 Image weights, clock and sacrament tray

What to Avoid “Giving in to feelings of anger, pain, or defensiveness drives out the Holy Spirit.” 14

“Be careful with humor. Loud, inappropriate laughter will offend the spirit. A good sense of humor aids in revelation; loud laughter not.” 15 pictorial warning sign

“Another enemy of revelation is exaggeration or loudness in what is said. Careful, quiet speech favors the receipt of revelation.” 16

“You cannot lie or cheat or steal or act immorally and keep these channels free of interference. Do not go where the environment opposes spiritual communication.” 17

“Turn down the volume on the worldly noise in our lives.”18

God, our loving Heavenly Father, wants us to communicate with Him through prayer. He always listens to us when we pray. Daily prayer can bless you, your family, and those you pray for. It can also invite more peace into your life, help you learn more about God’s plan for you, and more. Here are ten ways prayer can improve your life, starting today.

Roman Catholic beliefs on Christian prayer

This article is about Roman Catholic beliefs about Christian prayer. For an overview of prayer in Christianity as a whole, see the article on Christian prayer

In the Catholic Church, prayer is “the lifting up of one’s mind and heart to God, or asking good things from God.”[1] It is an act of the religion’s moral virtue, which Catholic theologians identify as part of the cardinal virtue of the Justice.[2]

The prayer can be expressed vocally or mentally. The prayer can be said or sung. Spiritual prayer can be either meditation or contemplation. The basic forms of prayer are worship, repentance, thanksgiving and supplication, abbreviated as A.C.T.S.[3]

The Liturgy of the Hours, the seven canonical hours of the Catholic Church prayed at fixed prayer times, is recited daily by clergy, religious and devout believers.[4][5]

Daily prayer[edit]

In the Catholic Church, the laity are encouraged to pray daily the canonical hours contained in the Liturgy of the Hours, which are performed at seven fixed times of prayer. Clergy and religious are obliged to pray the prayer of the day.[4] Sources commonly used for praying the Liturgy of the Hours include the full four-volume set of the Liturgy of the Hours, the one-volume Christian Prayer Book, and various apps on mobile devices.[5]

Teachings about prayer[edit]

The Roman Catholic teachings on the subject of prayer are contained in the Catechism, where, to quote John of Damascus, prayer is defined as “…lifting up one’s mind and heart to God, or asking good things from God”. Thérèse of Lisieux describes the prayer as “…a surge of heart; it is a simple gaze to heaven, it is a cry of approval and love, encompassing both trial and joy.”[1]

Through prayer one recognizes God’s power and goodness and one’s own need and dependency. It is therefore an act of virtue in religion, which implies the deepest reverence for God and accustoms a person to expect everything from him. Prayer presupposes faith in God and hope in his goodness. In both, God to whom one prays moves the individual to prayer.[6]

Prayer Expressions[ edit ]

voice prayer [edit]

Prayer can be divided into vocal and mental types. Voiced prayer is that which is done using an accepted form of words, read or recited; such as the Sign of the Cross, the Liturgy of the Hours (worship), the Angelus, grace before and after meals, etc. Spiritual prayer is that which is performed without the use of words or formula. Catholics are exhorted to beware of underestimating the utility or necessity of aloud prayer. Common chant prayers include the Lord’s Prayer (Vater Unser, Pater Noster), the Ave Maria (Ave Maria, Angelic Salutation), the Glory Be (Gloria Patri, Minor Doxology), and the Apostles’ Creed (Symbolum Apostolorum).

Catholics consider loud prayer to be an essential element of the Christian life. The chanted prayer can be as simple and uplifting as “Thank you, God, for this beautiful morning” or as formal as a mass celebrating a very special occasion.[7]

When two or more people gather to pray, their prayer is called congregational prayer. Examples of congregational prayers are the Rosary, devotional prayers including novenas and litanies, class prayers and especially the Mass.[7]

song [edit]

Ambrosius introduced the antiphonal singing of the Psalms “in the Oriental style” in Milan.[8]

Spiritual prayer[edit]

Spiritual prayer was defined by John A. Hardon in his Modern Catholic Dictionary as a form of prayer in which the feelings expressed are one’s own and not those of another person. Spiritual prayer is a form of prayer in which one loves God by speaking to him, pondering his words, and pondering him.[9] It is a time of stillness that focuses on God and one’s relationship with Him. It differs from oral prayer, which uses set prayers, although mental prayer can be continued through the use of oral prayer to enhance dialogue with God.[10] Spiritual prayer can be divided into meditation or active spiritual prayer; and contemplation, passive spiritual prayer.[11]

meditation [edit]

Meditation is a form of reflective prayer that involves thoughts, imagination, emotions and desires. There are as many methods of meditation as there are spiritual masters.[12] Ordinary or active spiritual prayer consists of two operations; one belongs to the mind that uses imagination, memory, and understanding to consider a truth or a mystery. The other operation depends on the will, compelling one to love, desire, and ask for the good suggested by the mind, and to make resolutions to attain it. According to Teresa of Ávila, at this stage the soul is like a gardener who laboriously draws water from the depths of the well to water his plants and flowers.[13]

contemplation [edit]

Contemplative prayer is a silent mindfulness contemplating God by contemplating and worshiping His attributes. Teresa describes contemplative prayer [oración mental] as “…nothing but close sharing among friends; it means frequently taking time to be alone with him whom we know loves us”. In this inner prayer we can still meditate, but our attention is on the Lord Himself.[14] Contemplation, like all prayer, is a mere gift and not something that can be achieved.[15]

Forms of prayer[edit]

The tradition of the Catholic Church emphasizes four basic elements of Christian prayer: (1) prayer of adoration/blessing, (2) prayer of repentance/penitence, (3) prayer of thanksgiving/gratitude, and (4) prayer of supplication/request /Intercession. These elements are easy to remember using the acronym ACTS: Worship, Repentance, Thanksgiving, Prayer.[3]

Worship is man’s first attitude, acknowledging that he is a creature before God. Worship is the form of prayer that most directly recognizes that God is God. It praises and honors God for himself, far beyond what he does, but simply because he is.[16]

In its broadest applications, the word “blessing” has a variety of meanings in scriptures. It can be taken in a sense synonymous with praise; says the psalmist: “I will praise the Lord always; praise will always be in my mouth.”[17][18] The prayer of blessing expresses praise and honor for God and is man’s response to God’s gifts.

Repentance is sincere regret or regret for sin,[19] the determination to avoid sin in the future,[20] and the turning of the heart to God,[21] with hope in His mercy[22] and trust in the help of his grace.[23][24] Repentance is similarly a sorrow of the soul and abhorrence for the sin committed, together with a determination not to sin again.[25] The Catholic Church also offers the sacrament of penance, through which members can receive forgiveness of their sins from Jesus Christ through his ordained priests, according to the words of Jesus Christ to his apostles: “Whose sins ye shall forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins you shall keep, they shall keep.”[26]

Gratitude is thanking God for what He has given and done.[27]

Catholics pray the Lord’s Prayer in Mexico

A supplication is a request to God asking Him to fill a need.[28] Through supplication, Catholics confess their dependence on God. This expression is not meant to instruct or instruct God what to do, but to appeal to his goodness for the things we need; and the appeal is necessary, not because he is ignorant of his own needs or feelings, but in order to give a definite form to his desires, to focus his whole attention on what is recommended to him, to help one in our close personal relationship appreciate him. The expression need not be physical or vocal; internal or mental is sufficient.[6] Supplication is, at its core, an act of faith, since the one who prays must first believe in the existence of God; and second, that God is willing and able to grant the request. The catechism states that asking for forgiveness, combined with trusting humility, should be the first phrase of a supplication (see repentance above). Jesus said that we should bring all our needs before God in His name and assured that “whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you” (John 16:23). You can ask for God’s help in every need, no matter how big or small. According to the Catechism, Christ is glorified by what we ask the Father in his name.[29]

Intercession is a supplication that leads to praying like Jesus. He is the only great intercessor with the Father on behalf of all people, especially sinners. As the body of Christ, we are also called to intercede for one another[30] and are encouraged to seek intercessory prayers from those members of the body of Christ who have preceded us[31][32] and are in heaven[33] [34] and from the holy angels .[35][36] Mary, Mother of Christ and our Mother[37] is especially asked to intercede for us because of her communion with her Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, and our devotion to her, to the saints, to the holy angels. and to one another, does not lessen, but increases the understanding that Christ remains, above all, the Head of the body of Christ and the One Great Advocate before Our Father in Heaven.

Psalms [edit]

The Psalms have always been an important part of the Catholic liturgy. From earliest times to the present day, Christians have viewed the Old Testament as the forerunner of Christ. The evangelists cite the words of the Psalms as on the lips of Jesus during his passion. In this sense, ancient monks and nuns in the Egyptian desert heard the voice of Jesus in all of the Psalms. They believed that the Psalms were written by King David, but they also believed that the pre-existent Christ inspired David to write the Psalms (Ps. 110:1). For this reason they prayed the entire Psalter daily. This tradition has grown and changed, but it still lives on, true to the old practice. In Christian monasteries and many religious houses around the world, professed men and women gather three to seven times a day to pray the Psalms.[38]

The Liturgy of the Hours focuses on singing or reciting the Psalms. Early Catholics also used the Psalms in their individual prayers. By the end of the Middle Ages it was not unknown for lay people to sing along to the Lesser Office of Our Lady, which was an abbreviated version of the Liturgy of the Hours and provided for a fixed daily cycle of twenty-five psalms being recited.

Devotions [ edit ]

Devotions are prayers or devotional exercises used to demonstrate reverence for a particular aspect of God or the person of Jesus, or for a particular saint.[39] Catholic devotions take various forms, from formalized prayers such as novenas to activities that do not involve prayer such as Eucharistic adoration, veneration of the saints, and even horticultural practices such as tending a Marian garden. Common examples of Catholic devotions are the Rosary, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Sacred Face of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the veneration of various saints, etc. The Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican publishes a register of devotions and devotional practices.[40 ] The Rosary is a devotional meditation on the mysteries of the joys, sorrows and glory of Jesus and Mary. Lucia dos Santos said: “The Most Holy Virgin, in these last times in which we live, has given a new efficacy to praying the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem no matter how difficult it is, temporal or higher anything spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, our families… that cannot be solved through the rosary I tell you there is no problem, I tell you no matter how difficult it is that we cannot solve through prayer of the Holy Rosary.” [41] In his 2002 encyclical Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Pope John Paul II emphasized that the ultimate goal of the Christian life is to be transformed or “transfigured” into Christ, and the Rosary helps those believers to draw nearer to Christ by contemplating Christ 42]

Spiritual bouquet [ edit ]

A spiritual bouquet is a collection of prayers and spiritual acts given or offered for a specific purpose.[43][44]

Learning to pray[edit]

Although many promises are associated with prayer, Pope John Paul II, in his book The Way to Christ, warned against “mechanical prayer” and pointed to the need for self-reflection before prayer.[45] And in his message for the 42nd “World Day of Prayer” he said:

“We must learn to pray: learn this art again and again, so to speak, from the mouth of the divine master himself, like the first disciples: ‘Lord, teach us to pray!’ (Luke 11:1).”[46]

In the Catholic tradition there are many legends about the power of persistent prayer. In the fourth century, Monica of Hippo is said to have prayed for the conversion of her son Augustine for fourteen years[47] and he eventually became an influential figure in Christian thought.

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

This article was co-authored by wikiHow contributor Amy Bobinger. Amy Bobinger has been a writer and editor at wikiHow since 2017. She particularly enjoys writing articles that help people overcome interpersonal hurdles, but often covers a variety of topics including health and wellness, spirituality, gardening and more. Amy graduated with a B.A. in English Lit from Mississippi College in 2011 and now lives in her hometown with her husband and two young sons. This article has been viewed 385,752 times.

Article overview

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To offer a well-rounded prayer to God, begin by turning to God and acknowledging His greatness. Take a moment to appreciate the fact that He is willing to listen to your problems and take an interest in your life. Then thank God for His goodness and mercy and share whatever is on your mind, whether it’s an upcoming event, something that’s bothering you, or a question you have. You can also devote part of your prayer to asking God for forgiveness or praying for people you know. When you’re done, thank God again and say “Amen.” To learn how to talk to God about your problems through prayer, scroll down.