Groaning in the spirit is praying in the spirit but at quicker pace than when you pray in tongues or in the spirit. When you pray in tongues or in the spirit you release your burdens a little at a time, slowly. But when you got deeper and deeper in the spirit, you begin to groan and then you release all the burdens at one go. It is like a tiger roaring. Sometimes this groaning is accompanied with tears but the end result is that the burden is entirely released out unto the Lord within a few seconds.
The groaning process is involved in a creative process that touches the very basis of God’s creative force. That is why we may not be able to reach the groaning straight away. You have to build up yourself to know the burden that the spirit is placing inside you and bring it forth. It is important to realize this because there is a gradual process whereby you build up your awareness of the burden inside you and it is only when you are fully aware of it, when you really feel its weight pressing down upon you that you have arrived at this stage. The reason why some people still pray in tongues or in
the spirit is because they are not fully aware of the weight of the burden that has been placed upon them.
And because they do not realize how heavy it is it does not bother them that much. Just like a man who carries a quarter of a ton of bricks. He realizes it is heavy and he may be complaining about it. But it does not really bother him because he has the strength or more than the required strength to carry it. But when he really has to carry twice the weight and finds that he has no strength to do it then he lets out a loud cry for help. It is the same here. There will be a burden but it is not that heavy as yet. It does not depress you so much. You have to let the Spirit move in you and increase your awareness of the heaviness of the burden. Then only will you be able to groan and travail for the release of the creative power of God to bring about what God has planned and purposed. Some people are foolhardy enough to start of their prayer life as if they are set for the grand prix or a I00 meter dash. They release all their energies at the very beginning in praying and groaning but half way through they are already weary and do not appear to have the inspiration or the strength to go on. This happens especially when people want to do night watch. Notice how all these marathon
runners start off slowly first.
They want to conserve their energy build it up first before releasing it fully so they can run the full distance. And it is not beginning of the race. During the race they have their judgment and discretion. There are certain places where they have to go faster. There are places where they can and should slow down. There is a strategy involved. So also, in our prayer life, we have to start our engines slowly. It is important to employ the right strategies so that we can move properly into the depths of the spirit. As you move into the depths of the spirit there are certain times when it is easier to groan than others. You may want to groan but you just cannot groan. You must then open yourself to the Spirit and allow the Spirit to build up the burden in your life and place the groaning into you. You will definitely arrive at the stage of groaning. Then it is that you have gone into the very depths of the creative process of prayer. The fullness of it is expressed in groaning. How do I know that I have reached that stage? Firstly, there will be a prayer burden that comes upon you.
The word labor in Galatians 4:19 is agonia. Paul literally was saying that he was agonizing for the
Galatians (agonia means to agonize). Think about what it means to groan. To groan implies pain. Nobody groans unless he is in pain. A groan implies discomfort. Spiritual groaning implies that you have reached the point when the Spirit of God begins to place His burden in you. You may sometimes literally feel the agony of the loss, the agony of the situation, the agony of a person’s life or a ministry. So the first sign is that there is an agonizing in pain. Genesis 2:2 On the 7th day God finished all the work that He had done and He rested from all His work. He rested and that tells you that on the 7th day there was a different operation from the preceding six days. God's Spirit when He creates something He brings it forth in the very cradle of creation that is the very fountain
of creativity is operating. And something great is involved. When you reach that creative force you enter the realm where it takes something out from you.
Groaning in the spirit is different from worshiping in the spirit. Worshipping in the spirit is
something very refreshing. But groaning in the spirit takes from you. You could come out from two three solid hours of groaning and all you want to do is to rest. When you reach that level it can even affect your natural body. The Bible shows us that when Jesus entered into this realm of groaning His body was affected. The very blood that dropped from him in Gethsemane came out in huge great drops. The blood vessels were so affected by what He was going through. He entered into
deep groaning because Jesus had to give birth to all of the new creation.
The groaning process is involved in a creative process that touches the very basis of God’s creative force. That is why we may not be able to reach the groaning straight away. You have to build up yourself to know the burden that the spirit is placing inside you and bring it forth. It is important to realize this because there is a gradual process whereby you build up your awareness of the burden inside you and it is only when you are fully aware of it, when you really feel its weight pressing down upon you that you have arrived at this stage. The reason why some people still pray in tongues or in
the spirit is because they are not fully aware of the weight of the burden that has been placed upon them.
And because they do not realize how heavy it is it does not bother them that much. Just like a man who carries a quarter of a ton of bricks. He realizes it is heavy and he may be complaining about it. But it does not really bother him because he has the strength or more than the required strength to carry it. But when he really has to carry twice the weight and finds that he has no strength to do it then he lets out a loud cry for help. It is the same here. There will be a burden but it is not that heavy as yet. It does not depress you so much. You have to let the Spirit move in you and increase your awareness of the heaviness of the burden. Then only will you be able to groan and travail for the release of the creative power of God to bring about what God has planned and purposed. Some people are foolhardy enough to start of their prayer life as if they are set for the grand prix or a I00 meter dash. They release all their energies at the very beginning in praying and groaning but half way through they are already weary and do not appear to have the inspiration or the strength to go on. This happens especially when people want to do night watch. Notice how all these marathon
runners start off slowly first.
They want to conserve their energy build it up first before releasing it fully so they can run the full distance. And it is not beginning of the race. During the race they have their judgment and discretion. There are certain places where they have to go faster. There are places where they can and should slow down. There is a strategy involved. So also, in our prayer life, we have to start our engines slowly. It is important to employ the right strategies so that we can move properly into the depths of the spirit. As you move into the depths of the spirit there are certain times when it is easier to groan than others. You may want to groan but you just cannot groan. You must then open yourself to the Spirit and allow the Spirit to build up the burden in your life and place the groaning into you. You will definitely arrive at the stage of groaning. Then it is that you have gone into the very depths of the creative process of prayer. The fullness of it is expressed in groaning. How do I know that I have reached that stage? Firstly, there will be a prayer burden that comes upon you.
The word labor in Galatians 4:19 is agonia. Paul literally was saying that he was agonizing for the
Galatians (agonia means to agonize). Think about what it means to groan. To groan implies pain. Nobody groans unless he is in pain. A groan implies discomfort. Spiritual groaning implies that you have reached the point when the Spirit of God begins to place His burden in you. You may sometimes literally feel the agony of the loss, the agony of the situation, the agony of a person’s life or a ministry. So the first sign is that there is an agonizing in pain. Genesis 2:2 On the 7th day God finished all the work that He had done and He rested from all His work. He rested and that tells you that on the 7th day there was a different operation from the preceding six days. God's Spirit when He creates something He brings it forth in the very cradle of creation that is the very fountain
of creativity is operating. And something great is involved. When you reach that creative force you enter the realm where it takes something out from you.
Groaning in the spirit is different from worshiping in the spirit. Worshipping in the spirit is
something very refreshing. But groaning in the spirit takes from you. You could come out from two three solid hours of groaning and all you want to do is to rest. When you reach that level it can even affect your natural body. The Bible shows us that when Jesus entered into this realm of groaning His body was affected. The very blood that dropped from him in Gethsemane came out in huge great drops. The blood vessels were so affected by what He was going through. He entered into
deep groaning because Jesus had to give birth to all of the new creation.
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