“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”
Jude 1:20
While the physical body grows primarily by feeding it with a proper diet, anyone who desires to be fit must be given to exercises. Muscles are built up through exercise.
We’ve emphasized on this platform that spiritual growth is possible when we feed on the word of God. Today, we will be looking at another factor that influences spiritual growth; Prayer.
Prayer is akin to the exercise that the physical body requires in order to stay fit. Prayer, generally, is an instruction and a non-negotiable exercise that a believer must consistently and fervidly heed and partake in (1 Thessalonians 5:18, Romans 12:12, Ephesians 6:18).
Apostle Paul made supplications for spiritual growth for the churches he established (Ephesians 1:16-19, 3:16-19, Colossians 1:9-11, Philippians 1:9-11). This informs us that prayer is also a potent tool that can cause spiritual growth in a believer.
Our emphasis on prayer as an aid for spiritual growth today will be based primarily on praying in the language of the Spirit – in unknown tongues. The opening scripture says “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,” Jude 1:20
The word ‘building up’ in the Greek is one-word ‘epoikodomeō’ which means to build upon. It insinuates the idea of putting brick upon brick. This is what prayer does. It solidifies the basic truth of our faith in our hearts and strengthens us for what God would have us do.
Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth reiterates this. It says, “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.”
1 Corinthians 14:4
The word ‘edify’ in the Greek is the word ‘oikodomeō’ which means to construct, build or embolden. When we pray, we exercise ourselves for spiritual growth.
Prayer is a vital part of the believer’s walk.
So, just like we eat and exercise physically, we will study God’s word and pray always!
Bible Reading Plan:
Mark 10: 17-34, 2 Cor 2, Psalms 97, 1 Samuel 6-8.