Who Really Does The Praying

So my discussion here should now have convinced you of the vital importance of establishing whose will should prevail in prayer. With so much at stake, and so much that can go wrong, how can one avoid coming to grief in prayer?

Well, the answer is two fold. First , as a Christian born “again” (or “from above” as an alternate reading allows), you have the Holy Spirit of God resident with your own spirit, Who will guide you in prayer.

1 Cor 2:11-16
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
(KJV)

Rom 8:14-17
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
(KJV)

Rom 8:26-27
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And 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.
(KJV)

And note well that this is the Holy Spirit of God guiding you in prayer. Not your father. Not your mother. Not another Christian, no matter how santified and educated. Remember:

Matt 23:8-10
8 But be not ye called Rabbi [teacher] for one is your Master[teacher], even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
(KJV)

But secondly, besides the subjective guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, there is also the objective guidance of the Word of God, the Bible.

2 Pet 1:19-21
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
(KJV)

We will know that we are truly being led of the Holy Spirit of God when our subjective experience of the Holy Spirit of God agrees with all the Holy Spirit of God caused to be written in the Word of God. The dealings of the Holy Spirit of God with our own spirits are subjective, but they can be mimicked by Satan or simply by our own fleshly desires.

2 Cor 11:13-14
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
(KJV)

1 Tim 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
(KJV)

I Jn 4:1
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
(KJV)

James 1:13-14
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
(KJV)

So our subjective perceptions of the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God must always be cross checked against the kind of guidance we see Him giving many other men and women in all the pages of scripture. For there is such a thing as “the whole counsel of God,” as opposed to just a part of it.

Acts 20:26-27
26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
(KJV)

And there is such a thing as rightly dividing [ “cutting a straight line” “expounding correctly” ] the word of truth.

2 Tim 2:15
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
(KJV)

And there is such a thing as “wresting” the scriptures.

2 Pet 3:13-16
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

I can tell you that the mistake of the Toyama missionaries was to make a hash of understanding the whole word of God.

First of all, they isolated one particular verse from the whole of the scriptures. Second, this verse that they isolated had a known reputation for not being clearly understood. And thirdly, they built an inference from the wording of this verse that was in flat contradiction to what the majority of the scriptures describe as being the true relation of man to God. It is no small wonder that they shipwrecked their faith.

Getting anywhere in Christianity is like riding a bicycle. One wheel is the subjective guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. The other wheel is a correct understanding of the written Word of God.

As you grow in Christ, your skill in handling each of these wheels grows, hopefully in tandem. It is possible to ride a unicycle of one wheel only, say either the subjective experience of the Holy Spirit of God only (in which case you can be deceived by the mimicking voice of the Devil), or just reading the word of God only (and becoming a spiritless and dispiriting Pharisee). But you are more likely to have a bad accident on a unicycle than on a bicycle.