“But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!”
Jude 1:20–21 (MSG)
Jude spent most of his letter warning believers about false teachers—people who trusted instinct instead of the Spirit, twisted grace into a license for sin, and followed their own desires. But then, in one brief and powerful shift, he told us what true believers must do instead. While false teachers depend on self, the people of God depend on the Spirit. We build ourselves up, not through striving or emotion, but through prayer empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit includes praying in tongues, praying as the Spirit leads, and praying with the Spirit’s power. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:4 that when we pray in tongues, we edify ourselves—literally charging our inner man like a battery. We’re strengthened in our faith because our spirit is praying directly to God, bypassing the limits of our mind, will, and emotions. Romans 8:26–27 says the Holy Spirit intercedes when we don’t know what to pray, expressing what words cannot. Many believers shy away from this gift because it’s been misunderstood or misused, but setting it aside only weakens us. God gave us this gift so that His Spirit could build us up from the inside out.
When we pray as the Spirit leads, we’re responding in real time to God’s heart. Ephesians 6:18 tells us to “pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Spirit.” Sometimes it’s through words, sometimes through tongues—but always in surrender. Praying in the Spirit keeps us right at the center of God’s love, because we’re talking with Him, not complaining to the world. 1 Peter 5:7 says to cast our cares on God—prayer is how we release them.
False teachers build platforms; Spirit-led believers build faith. One depends on intellect; the other on intimacy. Acts 1:8 reminds us that power comes only when the Holy Spirit fills us. Without His power, all we have is willpower—and that runs out fast. So pray in the Spirit. Let Him fill you, strengthen you, and build you up. That’s how you stay right in the center of God’s love and live the real life Jude described.