..............................................
Praying In Tongues
5 Ways That
Praying in Tongues Will Change Your Life Forever
LARRY SPARKS
One
of the most controversial and, sadly, most misunderstood gifts of the Holy
Spirit is praying in tongues.
I
am convinced that there is so much antagonism aimed at this gift because of the
incredible power it releases into our lives.
In
the same way that many reject the prophetic ministry because of abuses, misuses
and bad experiences, the same approach has been taken — perhaps in greater
extremes — toward praying in tongues.
Tongues
Is a Controversial Subject That Requires Our Attention
At
the end of the day, we need to be honest with ourselves and honest with the
biblical text.
This
unique gift of the Holy Spirit actually announced the birth of Christianity on
the Day of Pentecost.
It
was highly prized by the man who wrote the majority of the New Testament
(Paul).
It
equips believers to communicate with God on a unique level and empowers us to
effectively live the supernatural life.
In
short, it would make a lot of sense that the enemy would tirelessly fight
against something that has such strong potential to pillage his expansion of
darkness in our lives and on the earth.
Corey
Russell, a senior leader at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City,
wrote the book and curriculum The Glory Within not simply as a
teaching on the subject of tongues, but as a summons to experience the power of
a Person — the Holy Spirit.
In
the past, many books and teachings have emphasized tongues in almost a robotic
way.
What
was intended to be a source of supernatural power and a catalyst for deep
intimacy with God has been reduced to a mere theological position in many
charismatic churches.
Speaking
in Tongues Is More Than a One-Time Experience
The
Glory Within makes
the powerful point that tongues is not some spiritual merit badge we receive
when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, use it for a season, and then put it
out to pasture.
Evangelist
Reinhard Bonnke comments on the gifts of the Spirit, emphasizing that “they are not badges of honor but tools for
the job.”
The
gift of tongues is something that the apostle Paul deeply cherished, and he
provided nearly an entire chapter of instruction on it in 1 Corinthians 14.
This
is not a call to place an inappropriate emphasis on tongues, as many have done
in the past; it is, however, an invitation to re-evaluate where we stand on its
purpose, relevance and present-day power in our everyday Christian lives.
In
fact, Corey took the additional bold step and developed a DVD-based Bible
study focusing on how a lifestyle of consistently praying in tongues
significantly benefits your Christian life.
It
is not spooky. It is not exclusive to the super-spiritual. It does not even
signify elevated spiritual maturity.
Tongues
is a gift. It is a tool. It is powerful, available and absolutely
life-changing.
However,
many receive this gift at one point in their lives and taste its power, but
they never actually make it a part of their normal Christian lives.
This
is why Corey invites all readers and participants to “throw their badges in the
trash.”
Yesterday’s
encounter with God cannot sustain us for today. Yesterday’s touch is
insufficient for today’s trials.
Do
You Really Know Who Lives Inside of You?
In
these powerful resources, Corey takes you on a journey, revisiting some of the
most familiar and yet misunderstood topics on the Holy Spirit: Do we really
understand that God lives inside of us?
In
the introductory sessions about the Person of Holy Spirit — who He is, what He
does, and His purpose in the life of the believer — you will be absolutely
awestruck.
I
am convinced that if we really get a clear revelation of the fact that the
Genesis 1:1 God — the One who said “light
be” and light was — lives inside of us in the Person of Holy Spirit, it
would become impossible for us to change the subject.
We
would devote our lives to discovering how to see the living God accurately
represented in the earth through our lives.
You
will be inspired and encouraged as you discover who it is that decided to take
up residence in your spirit—and what He wants to do through you!
5
Ways Praying in Tongues Will Change Your Life Forever
Based
on The Glory Within, here are five
ways that praying in tongues will change your life forever.
1. Praying in Tongues Gives You
Supernatural Understanding of God’s Mysteries
"For
he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one
understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries" (1 Corinthians 14:2,
NKJV).
Corey
describes the Holy Spirit as the Google, or “search engine of heaven.”
God
is mysterious, yes, but the Spirit who knows everything about the mysterious,
expansive, glorious God is the same Spirit who lives inside of you!
And
furthermore, He wants to reveal mysteries to you about God, His will, your life
and the circumstances you are facing.
How
do we access this revelation? Communion with the Holy Spirit on His level — in
His language.
Remember, Paul defines Holy Spirit as the
One who “searches out everything and
shows us God’s deep secrets” (1 Corinthians 2:10, NLT).
As
you pray in the Spirit, you will discover things that were previously
mysterious and unknown will start coming into greater focus and clarity.
2. Praying in Tongues Grants
You Access to Other Revelatory Gifts of the Holy Spirit
"For
to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of
knowledge through the same Spirit ... to another prophecy, to another
discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the
interpretation of tongues" (1 Corinthians 12: 8, 10, NKJV).
Praying
in tongues actually unlocks other revelatory gifts of the Holy Spirit in your
life, namely the word of wisdom, word of knowledge, prophecy and discerning of
spirits.
Remember,
you are not praying on a natural dimension, but rather engaging on a purely
spiritual one.
Don’t
be surprised if, while praying in tongues, the Holy Spirit gives you
supernatural insight about something, leads you to pray for people and unlocks
clarity over people, situations and even regions, enabling you to effectively
pray for and break off the spiritual strongholds that are influencing them.
3. Praying in Tongues Opens Up
the Bible in a New, Living Way as You Read It
"However,
when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for
He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will
speak" (John 16:13).
For
some modern believers, reading the Bible can feel like a life-draining
experience.
It’s
not just history. It is not a mere record of facts. Scripture isn’t just
stories.
The
same Holy Spirit who inspired the writing and assembly of the Holy Scriptures
lives inside of you.
He
wants to guide you through the Bible, make the words jump off the page, give
you understanding on confusing matters, empower you to apply God’s Word to your
everyday life, share prophetic promises with you and help you discover your
role in God’s unfolding story.
Corey
describes praying in tongues as a way the Holy Spirit “shines a flashlight on
Scripture.”
4. When Praying in Tongues, You
Are Speaking Directly to God
"For
he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God" (1 Corinthians
14:2).
As
you pray in tongues, you have a direct line to the president of the universe.
Sometimes
while praying in our native languages, we have the tendency to veer off and get
distracted. We may start complaining.
We
may start going through the routine laundry list of prayer requests — and by
the time we are finished reading them off to God, we feel more burdened than
refreshed (because we actively thought of every single one of those
circumstances as we listed them off in prayer).
Tongues
keeps us talking directly to God, praying in agreement with
His perfect will (Romans
8:26-28).
5. Praying in Tongues Empowers
You to Engage Spiritual Warfare From the Position of Victory
"Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18).
Praying
in tongues is not some magic formula that guarantees us some free and easy
lifestyle of health, wealth, prosperity and all of those fixings.
Jesus
assured us that in this life, we will experience tribulation (John 16:33).
In
the same passage, the same Jesus declared that He has overcome the world.
Victory has already been secured at Calvary.
In
times of trial and assault, it is easy for us to become weary in the place of
prayer, often not knowing what or how to pray.
Praise God for the Holy Spirit! Paul
reminds us "for we do not know what
we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for
us" (Romans
8:26).
When
in the heat of spiritual combat, it is easy to start praying prayers that agree
with the size of the attack, emphasizing the problem rather than focusing on
the size of the blood-bought victory that Jesus purchased at the cross.
Praying
in tongues empowers you to agree with God’s victorious battle plan for your
life and your circumstances, no matter what is going on around you.
It
does not deny reality; it simply positions you to agree with the higher truth
of Scripture: Victory has been purchased, and it is yours through Jesus Christ.
Tongues
Reveals the Wisdom of God
Again,
praying in tongues does not make you a better Christian. It does not instantly
elevate you into spiritual superstardom.
There
are many believers who speak in tongues but live like the devil.
However,
tongues is a relevant and available gift to believers today. Why tongues — something
that seems so foolish, uneducated and ungraspable to our natural human minds?
Keep
in mind that you are dealing with the King of the universe who arrived on
Planet Earth in a manger surrounded by farm animals.
He
is the holy God who died the death of a criminal on a Roman cross to make
atonement for the sins of the world.
Our
God is the One who deals in wisdom that is so infinitely superior to what our
natural minds can comfortably wrap around that, at first glance, such methods
appear downright foolish.
Birthing
His church with wind, fire and speaking in tongues would be another such
demonstration of God’s otherworldly wisdom. But consider the words of the
apostle Paul"
"But
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and
God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which
are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised
God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things
that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence" (1 Corinthians
1:27-29).
Just
because our minds cannot understand the whys of God’s ways, that does not give
us permission to ignore them.
Tongues
is surely a mystery, but at the same time it is a powerful gift that will not
only enrich your personal prayer life but will bring you into deeper intimacy
and communion with the Holy Spirit.
If
you are looking for a solid, biblical approach to the topic of praying in
tongues, I encourage you to look into Corey
Russell’s The Glory Within curriculum.
It
is ideal for Bible studies, small groups and church classes.
Corey’s
approach is fresh, nonthreatening and completely motivated by love.
Whether
you are looking to go to the next level in developing a lifestyle of praying in
tongues or you would like to have more clarity about the topic, The
Glory Within will be a blessing to you.
You can visit Corey Russell's website at www.coreyrussell.org.
Larry
Sparks is the author
of Breakthrough
Healing (Destiny
Image, 2014). He is a conference speaker, blogger, columnist and host of the
weekly radio program Voice of Destiny (www.thevoiceofdestiny.org). Featured
in Charisma magazine and on CBN’s Spiritual
Gifts webcast,
Larry is also founder of Equip Culture—a ministry that equips believers with
the tools and resources to live victoriously through the supernatural power of
God. Subscribe to his blog at www.lawrencesparks.com. Follow
him on Twitter @LarryVSparks.
Get Spirit-filled
content delivered right to your inbox! Click
here to subscribe to our newsletter.
No comments:
Post a Comment