The Shepherd- The Shepherd was the Shulamite’s one true love, and he had a number of attributes that set him apart from Solomon. Let’s look at what made him so unique.

Found God’s Choice doing God’s will- The will of God is discovered by doing what we already know to be the will of God. For instance when Eleazer was seeking a bride for Isaac he said, “I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” What this means is that we have made the will of God far too complicated if we were to do the things we know are God’s will then God would lead us from there.

The Shulamite did not necessarily know God’s will for marriage, but she definitely knew that the Shepherd had a shared calling with her because he was a shepherd. Solomon on the other hand was from a completely different walk of life, and had different goals, dreams, and ambitions. If someone has a definite calling they should never consider choosing a spouse, a job, town, relationship etc. that would take them one step away from that calling.

Unfortunately Satan will often offer a relationship with someone who is headed a different direction in life then you. To make things worse because they are different he will tell you that they are exotic, interesting, in short way better than what you have experienced before. This inevitably is deceitful men, and women are already so different in so many ways why would it be better to add to that. So that you not only have the standard differences, but a different calling, and different direction. Amos the prophet said, “how can two walk together except they be agreed?” The simple answer is they can’t. Different isn’t exotic it’s erroneous avoid it at all cost.

Looked at the countenance and words not outward attributes- Song of Solomon 2:14 says, “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.” The next thing that made the Shepherd God’s choice was his correct focus. As you study Solomon you quickly see that his primary ways of wooing were: alcohol, flattery, coercion, peer pressure, harlequin romance, power, and promises of security. He starts with flattery of her shape, proportions etc. The Shepherd on the other hand does not start with the physical, or external, but rather looks at her character.

One of the marks of a worldly suitor is their focus on the externals. The problem with this approach is that physical beauty is transitory, fleeting, and time has a way of taking it away from us. Character on the other hand is who we really are under the skin, and it is what will make a great marriage decades later. The shepherd started with the eyes, and the countenance. It has been said eyes are the windows to the soul, and I think that is very accurate. Someone’s eyes can reveal whats in their heart. Take for instance a disobedient child, inevitably they can’t look their parents in the eye because of what’s in their heart.

When the Shepherd looked into the Shulamite’s eyes it caused him to declare, “thou hast dove’s eyes”. What does that mean you may wonder. The following attributes that the Shepherd saw in his beloved made her an ideal mate.

Dove’s mate for life- He saw a woman that was commited to a lifelong relationship for better or for worse

Dove’s are very pure- A dove will never rest on a dead carcasse. He could see her commitement to purity

Dove’s can fly long distances- He could see in her a commitment to the long term vision

Dove’s are transparent- Dove’s have transparent eyelids , and this is a picture of the Shulamite’s honesty, and transparency.

Was under authority- The last that made the Shepherd an ideal mate was the fact that he was under authority. From the story we get the impression that the Shepherd was an older man, and furthermore the story tells us that the Shulamite’s father was dead. So the Shulamite could have said, “your father’s dead, and I’m an older wiser man so lets just get married”.

However the Shepherd was a man under authority. In the beginning of the story when the brothers moved the Shulamite to the vineyards to slow their relationship they accepted that. They could have said, “we know this is God’s will, let’s just go for it” instead they waited patiently for God to reveal to their authority the will of God. In the last chapter likewise they have a willingness to share their story with the family, and ask for marital blessing.

If you are considering a course of action that requires you to go against your God ordained authority, preachers, teachers, parents, employers, goverment. Then you are probably about to make a mistake, God leads through authority, and the king’s heart is always in the hand of the Lord. So today let’s analyse our decision making paradigm, and make decisions like the Shepherd, and Shulamite today.

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Most babies fall asleep to their mother reading them a story, but I fall asleep to her crying. Many have died, but I still have a little hope to live. I wish there was someone to tell her how I feel and that I’m alive. If only someone could hear my cry!

It has been a while now. I feel her moving about. I can tell she is nervous. She has been sitting for a while. I can hear names being called and after a name is called I hear footsteps and then a door closing. People are talking about something. She is getting up, she is opening a door. I think we are outside. I am so confused! What is happening? Now I hear nothing, nothing, but silence. Am I dead? Will I live?

Wait. Now I hear whispering and the name Jesus being uttered.

A couple months later…

Wow! She is moving so much! I hear her yelling. Her muscles tighten as she yells. I think she is in great pain. Is it time? Will I die or will I see the light? I start to move I see a blur! It’s so bright! Light, light!!! I’m alive! I’m alive!

Finally we are home. I hear a bell and she says ,”come in”. As I turn my head I see five people taking off this red stuff that has words on it. ” Thank you so much” She says. ” No, thank you for saving your baby that God has made.” They reply.

After that I turn my head back to look up into her eyes. All I can think about is that I am safe in her arms, and soon I’ll be able to say I LOVE YOU!

By: Jessi Dinsmore (13 year old girl)

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Shulamite- The Shulamite was a shepherd girl from Shunem who was betrothed to the love of her life who was also a shepherd. When Solomon was returning from his summer palace in Megiddo he aparently was taken by her beauty, and tried to woo her with promises of wealth, and security. When he was unsuccessful in his first attempt he took her to Jerusalem to try to overwhelm her with His regal splendor.

Throughout the entire process the Shulamite carefully guarded her heart, and stuck to what she knew was right. There are many valuable lessons we can learn from this narrative let’s look at what made this young lady so special.

Her Love was deeper than some flashy worldy mans attention- In Song of Solomon 1:2-4 the Bible says,

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee”

In an effort to woo this young girl Solomon calls her into his tent, and begins his coarse flatteries, and alcoholic beverages. Isn’t funny how the tactics of the world never change? Still to this day worldly people use flattery, and alcohol to lure innocent people into sin. But the Shulamite wasn’t deceived, and states to her Shepherd love, “thy love is better than wine.” You see when we God brings us a relationship that is pure, and holy, and saturated with Agape love no amount of attention from a worldy person will distract us.

Her confidence was in things that matter- In chapter 1 verses 5, and 6 we see that the Shulamite’s confidence was in things that matter, “I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.”

Solomon always traveled with a full court, soldiers, advisers, and ladies in waiting, or his court. These women began to make fun of the Shulamite for the dark color of her skin. To which she replied, “I am black, but comely.” In other words she said I may not have the traditional look, but I’m still attractive. These wordly court women had bought into the same lies Satan has been selling for millenia.

Night and day through television, magazines, and the internet Satan communicates to young ladies a certain weight they should be, certain brands they should wear, or, a certain way their face or body should be shaped. This has led to epidemic levels of anorexia, and bulemia, and even drug, and alcohol abuse for those who feel like they just don’t measure up. Nothing could be further from the truth the Bible says we are fearfully, and wonderfully made, God formed us in the womb, and loves us just how he made us. So stop insulting God by denigrating your appearance, and be confident in who you are in Christ.

The Shulamite Goes on to tell the court women that not only was she attractive, but her appearance came by obeying her authority. Her widowed mother, and brothers seeing that her relationship with the Shepherd was moving a little to fast for their taste moved her from shepherding to the vineyard. In obeying her authority she had acquired her tan while doing what God called her to do. Someone who is under authority, sure of their of their calling, and confident of who they are in Christ will always be more attractive then some ditzy, “beauty queen!”

Her dealings were open to scrutiny- In verse 16 of chapter 1 we see that her dealings were open to scrutiny. Oftentimes in a wordly romantic relationship there is a lot of sneaking around as couples are doing things that should be rightfully saved for marriage. However the Shulamite states in verse 16, “Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.” In other words we are not going to hang out in some dark corner, but rather in the open fields where are actions are open to scrutiny. Beware of any relationship, action, or habit that requires secrecy it is probably sinful, because God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. So if your in the dark God is probably not involved.

The Shulamite knew that what she had with the shepherd was right, and thus she was not afraid of scrutiny or accountability. Is your life an open book for your authorities to read, or do you shirk accountability any chance you get?

She Guarded her heart- In chapter 2 verse 7 we see that the Shulamite carefully guarded her heart. Guarding your heart is another way of saying protect your meditations! You can’t just allow yourself to think on anything because your heart is a deceiver (Jer. 17:9), and it can be deceived if you dwell on wrong thoughts.

Lets look at how she guarded her heart verse 7 says, “I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.” I used to think she was perhaps talking about her shepherd lover sleeping in, but upon closer scrutiny the verse in the Hebrew is completely in feminine gender. So that this verse might be literally translated, “stir not up nor wake the love till she please!” What was she saying? These court women were trying to excite unlawful passions in Her heart for the wordly King.

She was saying I’m sensing that my heart is being deceived, and I won’t allow you to stir up inappropriate meditations in my heart. Plain, and simple she was guarding her heart. Satan, and the world are constantly trying to excite wrong passions, and mediations in our heart we must constantly avoid meditating on wrong things.

She didn’t go on feelings alone but relied on the truth In chapter 6 verse 11 we see that the Shulamite did not rely on her feelings, but rather clung to truth. The Bible says, “I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded. Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib. Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.” The Shulamite finding herself in Jerusalem far from home decided to venture out into the vineyards, do what she loved to do, and was called to do. You see through the guidance of God, and her authority she had determined that herding sheep, and working in agriculture were her life’s calling.

However while she was pursuing her calling Solomon came upon her suddenly in his chariots, and tried to woo her. She immediately tried to leave to guard her heart. To which he responded, “return!” Solomon tries to make more out of the moment then is there. Satan is that way from time we are little kids he paints for us what I call the “disneyland romance” in other words a romantic love story that causes us to “fall in love.”

As if we didn’t have a choice, and we just fell into a hole or a trap. Love isn’t something you fall into it is a daily choice. A daily choice to yield to God’s agape love for this person, and love even when it’s not “romantic.”

Solomon tried to make this “chance” meeting into something it wasn’t, but the Shulamite didn’t buy it , and responded wisely. She said, I didn’t come out here to the gardens for romance, but rather to pursue my calling. You see this young lady was called of God to be in agriculture, and so you could whisk her away to Jerusalem, but she was more interested in her calling than the coarse flattery, power, and wealth of Solomon.

She was under authority- In Chapter 8 the Shulamite returns home after Solomon realizes she is too virtuous to choose him over God’s best for her life. She immediately returns home, and tries to get her authority to approve the marriage. You see when your in God’s will your life is completely available to your authorities for guidance, and correction. The Shulamite could of said my dad is dead, and your not my boss: to her mother, and brothers. Instead she embraced her authority.

The brother respond to her request for the blessing of her marriage with a question. Are you a door, or a wall? If you are a door then your heart is available to anyone who wants to turn the knob, and have a piece. If you are a wall this means you are virtuous, and your heart is guarded from choices that are less than God’s perfect plan. Isn’t sad how are modern philosophy of dating turns us into doors? We often have given away dozens of pieces of our heart before we actually find God’s perfect mate for our life. The Shulamite could honestly say however that she had guarded her heart from the most powerful man in the land, and saved herself for the shepherd.
The end of this story finds the Shulamite right in the center of God’s will with the full blessing of her authority on her decisions. We can all learn some lessons from the Shulamite, and find God’s best for our life.

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2. Discover your motivations for sticking to this new habit. Write down all of your motivations for forming this new habit on a piece of paper. We all have different motivations for accomplishing things. For example, you may want to get in shape, lose weight, lower your blood pressure, or feel youthful. Look at how this forming this new habit will benefit all areas of your life, not just your spirit or soul, but your body as well. God wants you to glorify Him in all things! So consider how this habit will affect your relationship with God, spouse, children, job, income, social contacts, and physical health. The more thorough you are when doing this exercise, the easier it will be for you to follow through! Keep writing until you can’t imagine a life without this new habit.

3. Examine the consequences for quitting this new habit. Along with the reasons why you should finish your goal, write down the ways you will be negatively affected if your life does not change dramatically. Again, consider all areas of your life: spiritual, physical and emotional. We all have urges to quit things. Have powerful reasons not to quit ready and accessible, so you are prepared when doubts come.

4. Make a public commitment. Be fully committed. This will do the trick every time. Accountability is a powerful stimulus to stick to a new habit. So tell everyone you can, at church, blog it, twitter, facebook it. When you have publicly committed to a goal or new habit your much more reluctant to quit.

5. Choose an accountability partner to support you in your development to help keep you focused and motivated. An accountability partner will help keep you on track. You can report your progress (and failures) as you go along. They will be there for great advice, for moral support, and to help keep you going when you want to stop. Marks of a good accountability partner are:

a. Unity- Either an accountability partner of the same gender or your spouse is preferred so you can comfortably share your inward struggles and failures.

b. Solidarity- Someone who understands your struggles and has developed past them can often be more effective in helping you. They know where you are coming from, and can speak from experience.

c. Transparency- Pick a partner who can have forthright and candid conversations with you. Accountability is not useful if you are lying about your struggles or progress with your partner.

6. Find inspiration from God on a daily basis. Inspiration is one of the best motivators, and it can be found everyday in the Word of God and by prayer. Every day, ask God for new inspiration for your meditations, and it will help sustain motivation over the long term.

7. Always think positively about what God is trying to accomplish. Cast down all negative thoughts while you monitor your thinking. According to the Bible, what a person thinks is what they become. The Bible also tells us that all thoughts that are negative, unbelieving, or untrue need to be pushed out, and replaced with positive (truthful) thoughts. Positive thinking based on God’s Word can be amazingly transformational.

8. Give it time – be patient. This is often easier said than done. Our 21st century thinking causes us to expect instant results. When you think about your goals, think long term. It has taken you years to develop the problems and mindsets that have led you to this new habit. So obviously, it will take God some time to change your thinking and bad habits.

9. Track your progress without condemnation. When you are not being consistent or lapsing, ask yourself “Why?” But be careful not to “beat yourself up” over a lapse. Ask God to help you have the strength to finish what you started.

10. Plan for a marathon, not a sprint. This is going to take a little time. Here are some methods for not burning out:

a. Break your goals into smaller, mini-goals. Sometimes large or long-term goals can be overwhelming. Instead of saying you are going to read a whole book or run 10 miles, say you will read 10 pages during lunch, or jog 1 mile during your lunch break.

b. Don’t burn your self out the first week in your enthusiasm for a new life. Plan out a course of action where you slowly increase your effort over time, then prepare for God’s grace on your behalf to keep it going. Keep a pace that you can reasonably maintain till you accomplish your goal.

11. Make the habit enjoyable. One reason you might be tempted to put off this new habit is because it is hard work. This might be true, but the key to success is to find a way to make it fun or pleasurable. For instance, if you do not enjoy memorizing scripture, try making it into a song or a game. If you do not enjoy reading, try reading the book with someone you enjoy, rather than watching television with them. If you focus on making this habit enjoyable, the duty of it will become delight.

12. Just do it. You are going to have to conclude that you are going to just do it! This is essential. Your life has come to the point, that you need to change something. Stop making excuses and just start doing the new habit! Here are some thoughts to help you with this:
a. Just get started. There are some days when you will not feel like getting out of bed, or reading, or exercising, or whatever your new habit is. Instead of thinking about how hard it is and how long it will take, ask God for help to start then do it! He will help you.

b. Make it a rule to never skip two days in a row. This rule takes into account our natural tendency to miss days now and then. We are not perfect. So, you missed one day … now the second day is upon you and you are feeling lazy, apathetic, or discouraged … tell yourself NO! You will not miss two days in a row

c. Commit to this new habits for a minimum of 30 days uninterrupted. Research tells us that it takes a minimum of 3-4 weeks to develop a new habit. Don’t quit. Permanent, habits are just around the corner.

13. Chart Your Progress with a journal. A journal will help track how you are progressing. Make a habit of looking back on your previous day to see how you are progressing. Then, at longer intervals, (weekly, monthly, etc.) look at previous days in your journal to see how you are developing through your struggles and see the victory. You will be amazed at the progress that you will see in hindsight.

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The first interpretation takes a literal approach, and says that Song of Solomon is a story of King Solomon wooing a young shepherd girl, or “the Shulamite.” Therefore the book was held in high regard by Jewish people as sort of a marriage manual, and in fact Jewish males were often forbidden to read it before they were thirty. The problem with this interpretation as we shall see through this series of posts is that Solomon takes a very externally focused path to woo this girl, and furthermore acts more like a ladies man than a man of God.

Another interpretation explains the Song of Songs as an allegory of Jehovah’s love for Israel, or in a New Testament context Jesus’ love for the Church. While I believe this is a good application for Song of Solomon, it is not the primary interpretation. While it is an excellent picture of our intimacy with God it was primarily written about real people with an interpretation that implies to us in concrete, not abstract or allegorical ways.

The correct interpretation in my opinion is that Song of Solomon is not about Solmon at all. Rather it is a story about a young woman trying to find God’ will for her life, and discover her destiny. Along the way she is severely opposed by the flesh the world, and the devil in her choice of the right calling, and right mate. So lets look at the choices this young lady was faced with, and in so doing understand how to determine God’s will for our lives.

To understand this story you must first know the characters which are as follows:

The Shulamite- this is the young shepherd girl who is trying to determine God will for her life. She is in love with the Shepherd, but the strong advances from the rich, and powerful King solomon are very confusing to her. She must finally make a decision between her shepherd lover, and the wordly king. In this story the Shulamite definitely represents us.

The Shepherd- the Shepherd is a picture of God’s will for our lives, he was the Shulamite’s destiny. Throughout the story he is actively wooing the Shulamite, and trying to protect her from the advanced of King Solomon.

The Sovereign- Solomon is the King of Israel, and the Shulamite catches his eye not because of her virtue, but because of her extreme external beauty. Throughout the entire story Solomon uses flattery, power, and wealth to try to lead the Shulamite into a decision that will ultimately land her in a harem given to heathen idolatrous worship.

The Silly Women- these are the women of Solomon’s court they are deeply focused on sex, security, and silly talking as such they are a powerful representation of the world. These women repeatedly try to tease, and tantalize the Shulamite into unguarding her heart.

The Siblings- Ultimately in this story we discover that the Shulamite does not have a father in her life, but she has placed herself under the authority of her Brothers. These brothers represent our godly authority, and are an important part of a spiritual decision making paradigm.

In our nexts posts we will discuss each of these characters in depth and determine how to find God’s will for our life

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Groaning which cannot be uttered-
In verse 26 the word groanings is the greek word, stenagmos which means heart murmurings. It is used in Acts 7:34, “…I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them.” As the Holy Spirit births prayer burdens in our heart we have a fervent desire to express these things eloquently in prayer in such a way as to be answered. However often we can’t put words to the burdens of our heart, and we really just groan in our spirit, but don’t feel as if we’re accomplishing much. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit takes the groanings of our heart and turns them into intelligible prayers that God answers.

There are many examples of men and women who were so burdened for something that they couldn’t do anything but groan in prayer, but God answered them. An Old Testament example of course would be Hannah, she was in so much agony, and groaning in prayer for a child that the priest thought she was drunk.

In more modern times the example of Daniel Nash is instructive. He was one of Charles Finney’s advance men, meaning he would enter a city several weeks or months before a meeting just to pray. Finney relates a story of His prayer,

“When I got to town to start a revival a lady contacted me who ran a boarding house. She said, “Brother Finney, do you know a Father Nash? He and two other men have been at my boarding house for the last three days, but they haven’t eaten a bite of food. I opened the door and peeped in at them because I could hear them groaning, and I saw them down on their faces. They have been this way for three days, lying prostrate on the floor and groaning. I thought something awful must have happened to them. I was afraid to go in and I didn’t know what to do. Would you please come see about them?” “No it isn’t necessary,” I replied. “They just have a spirit of travail in prayer.”

In his travail for souls, like a woman in labor, all that Daniel Nash could do was groan. It is interesting to note that after Nash died, Finney stopped holding meetings, and took a church the groaning prayer warrior that had helped bring thousands to Christ through his meetings was dead.

According to the will of God- The Bibles says in verse 27, “…he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” What this means is that the Holy Spirit and God the father our in constant communion. The Holy Spirit takes our feeble prayers which have an inability to produce results, and turns them into prayers that are according to the will of God. Why is this important you ask?

1 John 5:14-15 explains, “…this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” Quite simply put the prayer that is according to God’s will is the prayer that He answers. So how do we know the will of God? Two ways, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God. This is why it is so essential to pray the word of God. When we claim one of the 7,000 promises of the Word of God in prayer, we are praying the will of God.

Likewise it is just as essential to incorporate the Spirit of God in prayer. Because He is God, He obviously knows what His will is. So instead of bringing the same prayer list you have been praying over for twenty years. Start asking God what should I pray for? When you pray for what He tells you, you will always have your prayer answered because it is the will of God. So now that we have seen the many benefits of praying in the Spirit, lets start doing it the results will be amazing.

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1. I am a debtor to all men. Ro 1:14
2. I am ready to preach the gospel. Ro 1:15
3. I am not ashamed of the gospel. Ro 1:16
4. I am without excuse to sin. Ro 1:20
5. I am without excuse to judge. Ro 2:1

6. I am blessed by being a doer and a teacher of the law. Ro 2:13, Mt 5:19
7. I am blessed by having my lawless deeds forgiven and my sins covered. Ro 4:7
8. I am walking in the steps of faith of our father Abraham. Ro 4:12
9. I am of the faith of Abraham. Ro 4:16
10. I am not under the dominion of sin or the law, but under grace. Ro 6:14-15
11. I am a slave of obedience leading to righteousness. Ro 6:16
12. I am in Christ Jesus, walking in the Spirit, and under no condemnation. Ro 8:1
13. I am set free from the law of sin and death by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Ro 8:2
14. I am fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law walking according to the Spirit. Ro 8:4
15. I am setting my mind on the things of the Spirit. Ro 8:5
16. I am spiritually minded and have life and peace. Ro 8:6
17. I am not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, the Spirit of God indwells me and I have the Spirit of Christ. Ro 8:9
18. I am indwelt by Christ. Ro 8:10
19. I am indwelt by the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead and I am receiving His life. Ro 8:11
20. I am a debtor mortifying the flesh to live after the Spirit. Ro 8:12-13
21. I am not receiving the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the Spirit of adoption whereby I cry out, Abba Father. Ro 8:15
22. I am a son of God led by the Spirit of God. Ro 8:14-16
23. I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ sharing in His sufferings and sharing in His glorification. Ro 8:17
24. I am a wretched carnal man, sold under sin, apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Ro 7:14, 7:24
25. I am inseparable from the love of God. Ro 8:38-39
26. I am a saint of God. Ro 1:7, 1Cor 1:2
27. I am justified by faith in the blood of Jesus. Ro 3:24, 5:1, 5:9, 8:30, 1 Cor 6:11, Gal 2:16, 3:24
28. I am saved from the wrath of God through Jesus. Gal 2:16
29. I am glorified. Ro 8:17, 8:30, 2 Th 1:10-12
30. I am dead to sin, but alive to God. Ro 6:11, 6:6
31. I am spiritually minded and have life and peace. Ro 8:6
32. I am revealing the glory of God. Ro 8:18
33. I am what the creation is eagerly waiting for. Ro 8:19
34. I am delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Ro 8:21
35. I am possessing the first fruits of the Spirit. Ro 8:23
36. I am groaning within myself eagerly awaiting the adoption of the sons of God. Ro 8:23
37. I am saved in this hope eagerly waiting for it with perseverance. Ro 8:24-25
38. I am being helped in my weaknesses through the prayerful intercessions of the Spirit according to the will of God. Ro 8:26-27
39. I am believing that all things work together for my good. Ro 8:28
40. I am called according to God’s purpose. Ro 8:28
41. I am predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. Ro 8:29
42. I am justified. Ro 8:30
43. I am glorified. Ro 8:30
44. I am believing God is for me. Ro 8:31
45. I am believing God is freely giving me all things. Ro 8:32
46. I am God‚s elect. Ro 8:33
47. I am interceded for by Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father. Ro 8:34
48. I am convinced that neither tribulation, nor distress, nor persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor sword shall be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Ro 8:35
49. I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me. Ro 8:37
50. I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Ro 8:38-39
51. I am a son of the Living God. Ro 9:26
52. I am not nor will I ever be ashamed. Ro 10:11, 1Pe 2:6, 1Jo 2:28
53. I am grafted into Israel‚s olive tree. Ro 11:19
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54. I am not conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of my mind. Ro 12:2, Eph 4:23
55. I am full of goodness and knowledge and able to admonish others. Ro 15:14
56. I am wise in what is good and simple concerning evil. Ro 16:19

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God led prayer- The amazing thing about partnering with God is you always know what to pray, when to pray, and how long to pray for, if your letting God lead. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said,
“Always respond to every impulse to pray. The impulse to pray may come when you are reading or when you are battling with a text. I would make an absolute law of this – always obey such an impulse.” You see God is omniscient, meaning He knows everything so rather than bringing the same prayer list you have been bringing for twenty years to Him ask Him what to pray for. No other relationship in the universe survives on 1 way communication, you have to listen. So why is it that we talk to God, and ask Him questions then don’t wait for an answer? God wants to tell you what to pray for why don’t we start letting Him.

Birthing- Praying in the Spirit is a lot like having a baby! The Holy Spirit impregnates our minds with holy passions, desires, and prayer burdens. Then as a midwife praying in us, and through us He births the prayer burden into being. Oswald Chambers said of this, “Is the Son of God praying in me, or am I dictating to Him?….Prayer is not simply getting things from God, that is a most initial form of prayer; prayer is getting into perfect communion with God. If the Son of God is formed in us by regeneration, He will press forward in front of our common sense and change our attitude to the things about which we pray.” Jonathan Edwards similarly said, “The true spirit of prayer is no other than God’s own Spirit dwelling in the hearts of the saints. And as this spirit comes from God, so doth it naturally tend to God in holy breathings and pantings. It naturally leads to God, to converse with him by prayer.”

Words are overrated- Newsflash, prayer does not require you to say a thing words are way overrated in prayer. For instance some times we don’t know what to say, sometimes God is trying to talk to us, sometimes God is searching our hearts. The Psalms state, “Be still, and know that I am God” we don’t have to talk all the time. In America with our TV, Movies, Radios, Internet, Text Messaging, etc. We feel as if we must always have noise going, and be communicating. It would scare the average Christian to death to just hang out with the Lord without it being in their planner, with an agenda, a prayer list etc. What happened to just having a relationship with God? That is what the Holy Spirit can accomplish through you perfect communion with God no words required. Just bringing us into a “spirit of prayer”.

Because, “words are overrated” may be a controversial statement lets hear from some past prayer warriors.

E.M. Bounds said, “It is better to have prayer without words, then words without prayer.”

John Bunyan said, “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”

Martin Luther said, “The fewer the words, the better the prayer.”

So today lets start listening to God, and letting Him lead you in prayer, acknowledge the Holy Spirit in the prayer closet. Acknowledge your inability to produce results, the fact you don’t know
how to pray. Ask for His help, His guidance, and listen to what He has to say.

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For we know not- Paul makes an amazing statement we don’t have a clue what to pray for. The most amazing thing about that statement is he includes himself. If anyone in all of history would pray right: he was educated at the feet of Gamaliel, was a pharisee of the pharisee’s, he was hand picked by God to take the Gospel to the gentiles. Furthermore, he wrote a large part of the new testament while simultaneously planting dozens of churches. Despite all of that Paul said apart from divine enablement I don’t know what to pray for. Paul knew that his flesh, and deceitful heart would make it impossible to ever pray the right prayer.

Well if the Apostle Paul doesn’t know what to pray for then we can be sure we don’t. Consequently we must be completely reliant on the Holy Spirit to be leading, and guiding our prayers. That is why it is a good discipline to be asking God what to pray for. You see we treat God like some cosmic Santa Clause, that’s just there to listen to all our wants, and needs. Don’t get me wrong God wants to take care of you, but what he really wants is to have a relationship with you. Relationships require two way communication not just talking listening. What relationship has ever lasted when one party always talked, and never listened. God wants to tell you what to pray for. So put away your Christmas list, and auctioneer voice, and start asking God questions then shutup and listen to His answers.

Why is it important to pray for the things God leads you to pray for instead of always whats on your prayer list? Because what God leads you to pray for He will bring to pass. 1 John 5:14-15 says it this way, “…this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” So if you pray according to the will of God He will hear, and he will answer.” But how do we determine the will of God? Two ways the word of God, and the Spirit of God. That is why it is tremendously important to pray scripture, but it is also important to be led of the Spirit in your prayer.

as we ought- In modern usage ought is an expression of desire with no real intention of follow through. For instance, “I really ought to go to the store”, or ” I really ought to start exercising.” That is not at all what ought means in this verse. The word translated “ought” is the greek word dei, which means that which is required, a necessity, or that which is legally binding. So for instance when Jesus says, “men ought always to pray, and not to faint” He is not saying it sure would be nice if you prayed. No way, He is saying it is legally binding upon you that you pray.

So in other words Paul is not saying, “you know we really should pray a certain way, but we don’t know how.” Rather he is emphasizing the fact that is it essential, and legally binding that we pray for the right things, at the right time, in the right way, but we don’t have a clue how to apart from the Holy Spirit. So in our praying we need set aside our agenda, and let God lead us. E.M. Bounds said, “it is better to have prayer without words, then words without prayer.” Take time to ask God how to pray, when to pray, and what to pray for. Then listen to what He has to say. Today lets make our prayers a conversation, a dialogue not a monologue.

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