On the last Sunday of July 2022, I announced to the brethren of Firstlove Assembly Lagos, Nigeria that beginning from that day and all through the month of August, we would observe corporate online prayer from 11pm to 12 midnight. That was prompted by the Spirit. It turned out that that initiative spanned beyond the plan to run it for two months; it has run for about a year. On several occasions, my pastors and leaders would ask me for the theme or speaker of some meetings. My practice is to wait on the Lord in prayer and meditation until I sense what the Spirit is saying. As a rule of thumb, the primary source of guidance for a child of God is the Spirit. This is expressly stated in our text.

“The flesh won’t prompt you to pray.”

Someone may ask, “How do I know that it is the Spirit that is prompting me to do a thing?” Well, one way of knowing is to find out what that leading does to the flesh. The flesh will never lead you to do what will inconvenience it. The flesh won’t prompt you to pray. If you ever get any urge to get up and pray, I can state authoritatively that it came from the Spirit. The flesh won’t prompt you to give your tithes and offerings. The flesh is a hoarder, not a giver. The flesh won’t urge you to forgive your spouse or apologize. It is too proud to do that. You can employ three questions to decipher whether or not the signals you are getting are from the Spirit or alternative sources. Always ask: “Is this self-mortifying?” Note that what is self-mortifying is spirit-edifying. “Is this God- glorifying?” “Is this beneficial for the greatest number?” If you answer yes to these questions, give it a shot.