Prayer Cycle 5: Holy Spirit
Every word Jesus said carries weight. When he made sobering statements, he meant them. He never resorted to scare tactics.

Every time Scripture repeats one of Christ’s statements, that further emphasizes its weightiness.

Three times in the Gospels, we read Jesus’ statement: “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven” (Mark 3:29; see also Matt. 12:31-32; Luke 12:10.)

Whoever blasphemes slams the good name of. Whoever blasphemes calls evil what is holy.

Blaspheming is opposite of hallowing. Jesus stated, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name’” (Luke 11:2).

The Bible identifies one God only, who reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We cannot honor the Father as holy while marginalizing, minimizing and even maligning the Spirit named Holy. We cannot honor Jesus as Lord while stiff-arming Christ in us. And so we cry, “Holy Spirit, reveal Yourself to us. Show us how You related to Jesus while He walked the earth. Teach us by experience to relate to You in the same way. By our lips and our lives, may we hallow Your name!’”

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So why did Jesus speak of blaspheming the Holy Spirit? “He said this because they were saying, ‘He has an evil spirit’” (v. 30). They saw supernatural works beyond their understanding and control. They saw miracles that challenged their religious parameters and threatened their status. In response, these leaders publicly attributed to Satan what the Holy Spirit had done.

Ask God to snatch from the fire those, today, whose teachings are frighteningly close to blaspheming the Spirit. Pray that people who have been taught lies about the Spirit will reject the lies and embrace the Spirit of truth.

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Call to Prayer 2 (see Isa 11:1-5)
Long before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah prophesied, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD” (vv. 1-2).

Confess aloud all the names of the Holy Spirit listed in Isaiah 11:1-2. Praise God that this Spirit rested on Jesse’s descendant, Jesus. Thank the Father that, even when Jesus became human, He did not judge by what His eyes saw or by what His ears heard. In the power of the Holy Spirit, He judged righteously.

When we confess Jesus as Lord, His Spirit indwells us, purposing to relate to us as He related to Jesus during His days on earth. Invite the Spirit of the Lord to rest on you and on the Body of Christ corporately in such a way that His wisdom and understanding, His counsel and might, His knowledge and fear of the Lord are manifest in our lives.

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Call to Prayer 3 (see Luke 1:26-38)
When an angel appeared to a virgin named Mary, telling her she would give birth to a son, Mary asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (vv. 34-35).

Mary gained insight into God’s mystery because she asked a question, listened to what God revealed and responded in faith. Because Mary asked, we know: The same Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation overshadowed her, accomplishing the miracle of Jesus’ conception. The Holy One begat the Holy One.

Reread the angel’s words above. With Mary, ask, “How can this be?” Pray to walk in new understanding of the way Father, Son and Spirit relate to one another and to you.

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Call to Prayer 4 (see Matt. 1:18-21)
“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’” (vv. 18-20).

What the Holy Spirit conceives, God confirms. Sadly, few get the message. What awe Mary and Joseph must have felt every time the baby moved or kicked in Mary’s womb! God had made clear to both: Holy Spirit did this. So what did everyone else think about Mary’s baby?

Ask for eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is doing. Confess that He always conceives the life of Jesus. Admit that you personally and the Body of Christ corporately will always come to wrong conclusions about what is happening unless God shows us. Ask for courage to embrace what the Spirit is doing, even when others cannot see that what’s occurring is holy.

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Call to Prayer 5 (see Luke 3:15-22)
The baby conceived by the Holy Spirit grew up. One day, he appeared at the place where his cousin John preached and baptized. “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’” (vv. 21-22).

Remember Isaiah 11:2: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse. . . . The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him . . .” Invite God to show you the scene described in Luke 3:21-22: see and hear Jesus’ baptism, the descending of the Holy Spirit “in bodily form like a dove” and the Father’s voice speaking. Marvel at the mystery of God’s unity – not coerced, not rigidly uniform, not forfeiting identity – three, yet one. As you worship Him, what does He say to you?

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Call to Prayer 6 (see Luke 12:1-12)
Luke shows us another view of Jesus’ startling statement about blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Here’s how Luke sets the stage: “When a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: ‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy’” (v. 1).

How remarkable! In the midst of a mob, Jesus warns His disciples about the religious leaders. Among other things, He says, “"I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever publicly disowns me will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” (vv. 8-10).

Reread verses 8-10, noticing the crucial role our words play. It matters what we say about Jesus. It matters what we say about the Holy Spirit. It matters whether we hallow their names. Reread verse 1. It matters whether the things we say match the things we do. It matters whether the things we say match what God is saying. Ask, “Son of Man, Spirit of God, under what conditions am I most susceptible to speaking against You? In what ways am I most susceptible to hypocrisy? How do I guard against these sins?” When He answers, respond in prayer to whatever He says.

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Call to Prayer 7 (see Luke 4:1-14)
Immediately after His baptism, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil” (vv. 1-2). Jesus’ words mattered – in fact, His victory or defeat when tempted hinged on what He said during those 40 days. When the devil finished these temptations, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit . . .” (v. 14).

Reread the verses above, asking God what He wants you to see about the Spirit and Jesus. How amazing that Jesus in His humanity relied on the filling, the leading and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Pray that the Body of Christ, corporately and individually, will operate this same way, so bringing great honor to God’s name. Ask to personally, continually experience the Spirit’s filling, leading and explosive power. Give God permission to expose and deal with anything that hinders. Commit to cooperate fully with Him.

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Call to Prayer 8 (see Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:16-20)
Isaiah said it first. Jesus read it aloud much later in his hometown synagogue: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Rolling up the Isaiah scroll, Jesus said to people who thought they knew Him, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:18-19,21).  

Jesus Christ attributed His earthly ministry to the Holy Spirit. The word Christ means Anointed One. Jesus declared, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me . . . has anointed me . . . has sent me.” Thank Jesus for the powerful proclamations listed in Luke 4:18-19 that He made while on earth. Confess that Jesus spoke with power because the Spirit of the Lord on Him anointed Him and sent Him. Thank the Holy Spirit that He has rested on, anointed and sent the Body of Christ to proclaim the same things. Invite the Lord to speak to you personally about what He has anointed and sent you to speak. Listen and respond.

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Call to Prayer 9 (see John 6:56-66)
One day, Jesus taught, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them” (v. 56). As a result, many of His disciples defected, grumbling, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (v. 60). Jesus responded, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life” (v. 63).

When Jesus spoke, the Holy One who rested on Him, filled Him, led Him, anointed Him, sent Him and empowered Him flowed out in His very words. The Spirit offered life and breath, vitality and refreshing, to hearers with open ears and hearts. But to people who judged according to what made sense mentally and what passed through their doctrinal filter, Jesus’ words sounded hard – tough, dry, unpalatable.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a true, life-giving teaching you’ve rejected as too hard to swallow. Agree aloud with Jesus’ declaration in John 6:63. Honor the Spirit as holy by eating and drinking what you previously would not accept – because you didn’t understand it and found it offensive or scary – but now, even without understanding, you recognize as life.

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Call to Prayer 10 (see Acts 10:34-38)
In Acts 10:37-38, Peter said, “You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”

Anointed with the Spirit, Jesus not only spoke as no one had ever spoken, but also did wonders no one had done. Thank the triune God for revealing Himself through acts of power when Jesus walked the earth. Honor His holy name: Ask in faith for Him to accomplish similar wonders in our day. Ask Him to anoint you with the Holy Spirit, investing you with explosive power to do good and to cure people who’ve been harassed and oppressed by the devil. Ask for faith to go about doing what God has put in you to do.

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Call to Prayer 11 (see Isaiah 42:1-4; Matt. 12:9-21)
In the synagogue on a Sabbath, Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand. Jesus did so even though He knew the Pharisees were looking for a reason to accuse Him. He did so even though, as a result, the Pharisees plotted to kill him. Matthew reports, “This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations’” (Matt. 12:17-18).

If Jesus had judged according to what the religious leaders thought, He would not have seen Himself as chosen, loved and very pleasing in God’s eyes. He would have avoided saying and doing the very things the Spirit had anointed Him to do.

Ask God for eyes to see, even in yourself, the sharp contrast between religious reactions and godly responses to the Spirit’s working. Pray for grace for yourself and all true disciples of Christ to delight God by moving with the Spirit, even when falsely accused and plotted against. Thank God that the good deed and miracles of the Spirit bring justice to the nations.

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Call to Prayer 12 (see Matt. 12:22-32)
Only Matthew tells what miracle prompted the Pharisees to say, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons” (v. 24). Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. When the demons fled, the man could talk and see.

Responding to the Pharisees’ accusation, Jesus said, “People will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy. But blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (vv. 31-32).

Jesus also declared, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (v. 28). Confess that the Spirit of God is God. As the Spirit works, God’s holiness manifests. As the Spirit works, God’s kingdom comes. Repent for treating the Spirit as a lesser god, to be viewed with suspicion and confined to working within limits we set. Pray that you personally and the Body of Christ corporately will speak highly of and yield fully to the Spirit whose name is Holy.

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All Scriptures quoted are from TNIV.