Praying in the Spirit: Meaning and Daily Practice

What can you pray when you do not know what to say? Praying in the Spirit begins with depending on the Holy Spirit's help. Prayer does not rest on finding impressive words or understanding every part of the problem before coming to God.

Paul places this instruction after the sword in the full armor of God. Daniel Duval teaches this passage as a call to pray in tongues, a spiritual language not learned through ordinary study. The wider call is to remain prayerful, watchful, and willing to pray for others while relying on God.

In Pummel the Devil, chapter 4, Daniel Duval, founder of Bride Ministries, teaches praying in the Spirit as prayer in a spiritual language, also called tongues. Paul writes, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,” in Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV). Supplication means asking God for help.

Duval places this prayer within the believer's offensive weapons. He teaches that it builds faith and strengthens the believer for spiritual conflict. It is not merely a way to become calmer before making a decision.

Paul's instruction also calls for steady prayer, watchfulness, and concern for all believers. The practice is meant to remain active through life, rather than be used once and set aside.

In the library's Prayers That Shake Heaven and Earth and the Morning Prayer teaching, spoken prayer is connected with acting on God's Word. Duval encourages believers to receive the gift of a prayer language and make use of it alongside prayer in words they understand.

Paul names six armor items in Ephesians 6:14-17: belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. He then tells believers to pray in the Spirit in verse 18. Prayer is part of the same instruction, though it is not pictured as a separate object to wear.

Bride Ministries counts this prayer as the seventh part of the armor teaching. The point is to keep prayer joined to everything that came before it. A list of spiritual equipment should lead to active dependence on God.

Daniel Duval describes prayer as giving strength to the use of the armor. A believer needs more than information about truth, faith, and hope. Those truths are brought to God in prayer and lived in the situations of the day.

The order also leads outward. After naming what believers should take up, Paul directs them to pray for others. Wearing the armor includes concern for the people beside you.

Paul describes prayer in a tongue plainly: “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.” (1 Corinthians 14:14, NKJV). The human spirit is praying, even though the speaker does not understand the words in the ordinary way.

He also says, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding.” (1 Corinthians 14:15, NKJV). Duval explains the first as spiritual language and the second as the language a person naturally knows. Both belong in prayer.

In Pummel the Devil, Duval connects receiving this language with baptism in the Holy Spirit, receiving the Spirit's empowering presence. He describes tongues as one of the gifts named in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. The gift comes from God, and believers should ask for it and use it.

His teaching includes prayer with understanding rather than replacing it. Scripture also addresses interpretation and order when tongues are used in a gathering. Those instructions help the gathered church receive benefit from what is spoken.

Prayer guards against spiritual weakness and trying to face the battle through personal effort alone. In Duval's teaching, praying in tongues directly builds up the believer. Jude 1:20 (NKJV) connects this with faith: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,”.

He compares the practice in Pummel the Devil to lifting weights. Repeated use strengthens spiritual capacity, helping the believer carry more responsibility in the spirit realm. First Corinthians 14:4 also describes a person speaking in a tongue as building up themselves.

The gift belongs with the power Jesus promised when the Holy Spirit came upon His followers (Acts 1:8). Duval teaches that the Spirit equips believers for prayer, ministry, and a life set apart for God. Refusing His help limits the way they engage that calling.

The benefit reaches others too. Ephesians 6:18 calls for prayer for all believers. A stronger prayer life should increase care for people, not become a reason to feel superior to them.

You may find yourself reading about God often but rarely speaking to Him about the day. Every difficulty becomes a problem to solve alone. Prayer begins only when all your other options have failed.

Another pattern is treating prayer as a task to finish quickly. You say familiar words but never name what is troubling you, ask for direction, or bring another person's need before God.

These patterns are invitations to return. They do not mean you must produce a strong feeling before you can pray again. You can begin with a specific request and a willingness to listen to Scripture.

Choose one concern you have been carrying by yourself. Tell God what you know and what you do not know. Ask for help with the next step. A short, attentive prayer can interrupt the habit of acting as though everything rests on you.

Duval recounts receiving his prayer language while still in high school. In Pummel the Devil, he describes being alone at home, putting on worship music, and asking God for the gift. He reports opposition from an evil spirit that turned the music down. He rebuked it in Jesus' name and continued praying.

He then began hearing sounds inwardly and feeling a stirring in his body. At first, making those sounds felt strange, and he stopped. When he resumed, he describes being filled with waves of joy and peace while praying in his new language.

Duval presents this as a gift received from God and encourages readers to seek it. He also says each person's experience will be different. The point is to receive and use what God gives, rather than copy every detail of his testimony.

Luke 11:13 supports his invitation to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit. You can come to God with that request and seek help from a trusted ministry leader as you learn.

First Corinthians 14:2 describes the person praying in a tongue as speaking to God and speaking mysteries in the spirit. Duval's teaching connects this with receiving insight beyond what the person already understands. The purpose is greater closeness with God and understanding of His work.

He also points to Paul's instruction, “Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.” (1 Corinthians 14:13, NKJV). Ask God for understanding as well as the words of prayer. This joins spiritual language with a desire to receive and respond to what God is showing.

Set aside a short period when you can pay attention. Read Ephesians 6:18, bring God a current concern, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray. Include one person by name and one specific need.

If you pray in tongues, you can include that practice while continuing to pray with understanding. Paul makes room for both. The aim is dependence on God, not meeting a quota of words or minutes.

Keep Scripture close. The sword of the Spirit helps you understand and apply God's Word, so your prayers are guided by what He has said. The shield of faith helps you continue trusting Him while you wait for answers.

Return to prayer during the day when a need arises. You can pray before a conversation, while considering a decision, or when someone asks for help. The Bride Ministries Prayer Library includes the Morning Prayer and other written prayers to help you begin and keep going.

To put this piece of the armor on out loud each morning, pray the Morning Prayer from the free Bride Ministries Prayer Library.