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
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 Cor. 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 Cor. 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 Cor. 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 Cor. 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 (Rom. 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" (Eph. 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"
(Rom. 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 Cor. 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.
Written by Larry Sparks
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.
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