The Holy Spirit in my communion time spoke about the necessary spiritual food for today: that is the things we must of necessity do daily. The Apostle Peter talks about them in 1 Peter.2:5 which reads these words:  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

The fact is that as followers and lovers of Jesus we have to live out a spiritual life by offering spiritual sacrifices to God.The sacrifices must be acceptable to God which means they are not self centred or motivated but God centred.

 Jesus stated that if any man was to follow Him they must first deny self. The sacrifices of the Kingdom are not as in the world where it is all about self promotion and glory. 

So we will firstly look at what are some obstacles to answered prayer? The primary obstacle to prayer is not communing with the Holy Spirit. Romans.8:26.

Let’s look at the biblical evidence to support this statement. In John.6:63 Jesus says these words: It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

This is the clear foundation for any activity in God. Nothing birthed from our flesh no matter how well intentioned or motivated can produce spiritual results. What Jesus says is what brings life.

Remember even Jesus as the word made flesh never said anything until after He returned in the power of the Spirit after a forty day fast where He was tempted. Luke.4:14 & 15 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

Let us look at the Acts of the Apostles.4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: Acts.6:3  Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;  

This is the pattern in the new Covenant with anyone who did God. The Holy Spirit always has the preeminence.Galatians.6:8 reads these words: For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

This revelation on sowing and reaping by the Apostle Paul is infallible proof that Prayer begins in the Spirit and must be reaped in the Spirit. So it is more important to find out the purpose of the Spirit before beginning to pray from your own initiative. I recall a senior Minister of a Pentecostal denomination of a multiple Church body.

He spoke about a season where he took on a fast for sixty days on water only because he wanted to beat the forty day record of Moses and Jesus. He said he did not have any other plan or purpose for the fast but to beat the record of fasting for sixty days.

He went to say that after he reached the sixty day mark the Holy Spirit spoke to him and asked him, saying now that you have overtaken Moses and Jesus in days of fasting with water of what importance or significance has that made to anything in the Kingdom of Jesus and what have you accomplished?

He says he was so ashamed of himself and how he had wasted time doing nothing but starving his body because now the challenge was futile and he was being ridiculed by the Lord because he was in the flesh trying to accomplish a lust, worldly desire that was worth nothing.

He was sharing this sad story with ministers on the importance of working with the Holy Spirit before commencing on anything no matter how spiritual it looks.

He was using this example of a season of nothingness in his life to warn young ministers to spend more time seeking the will of the Holy Spirit before embarking on their plans. He did say that his congregation were very impressed by his feat but the Lord was not impressed. He gained nothing spiritual but got praise from men.

Finally let us look at the summary of the prayer life of Jesus. Everything He did was in the Spirit hence He always had God results. John.5:30. Jesus said the flesh profits nothing. So any transaction in the flesh will only bring losses. 

So today before you start blotting out prayers ask the Holy Spirit what you are missing?  Then allow Him to guide you on what you should really be praying about. You will be amazed at how refreshing and rewarding your prayer time will be.

Just one word from the Holy Spirit is all you need today to position yourself for the greatest answer of triumph you will receive and the steps on how and where to reap the answer. It will revolutionize your life as answers to prayer will become the daily reality in your life in Jesus name.  Amen.