…we read this, said by Jesus after His resurrection:

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.'” Mark 16:15-18

_________________________

Yesterday’s post by Kim Potter, at A New Thing Ministries, told of an instance related some years ago by a mother who was interviewed on a morning television show. Her seven-year old son had been playing alone out in the yard one day when he was attacked by a mountain lion. Immediately, upon hearing the ruckus, she ran out to separate them; but her strength wasn’t powerful enough against the lion. As a believer in Christ and the believer’s ability to pray in tongues, or pray in the Spirit, she began to do so. She shared, “Three sentences into praying in the Spirit, the lion released my son and ran away.” What a demonstration of the power of praying in tongues….

Kim’s article shared these scriptures:

1 Corinthians 14:2: 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.

John 16:13: Jesus said, 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; and He will tell you things to come.

Ephesians 6:18:  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit….

Romans 8:26: Paul said, For when we do not know what to pray, the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us. 

_________________________

The following are simple notes that I took from a message on praying in tongues given at Covenant Family, a church listed below. It explains…

Praying in tongues helps you to pray longer…to pray much…without ceasing….to pray without words…. (Remember, Jesus wanted His disciples to pray with Him one hour…)

tongues are a strong avenue for prayer, communicating with God

helps you in overcoming the flesh….

praying in tongues causes you to pray beyond your own thinking….the Holy Spirit does perfect praying….

In John 7, Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him… They basically were saying “Go to Judea and prove Yourself there…” but Jesus only was guided by His Father’s direction and timing…

God’s plans for our lives are timing dependent… We must seek the Lord on it… Praying in tongues helps us synchronize with God’s timing….

In Acts 16:6-10, the Holy Spirit forbade or blocked certain routes… Some translations say “the Spirit of Jesus”… That night Paul had a vision…directing him to go to Macedonia… The vision gave him the map or plan…

Holy Ghost prayer will get you to where you’ll know for sure….(God’s direction in any matter of life)

Praying in tongues makes us sensitive to God’s plan(s)….

You dictate when the utterance comes… It will give us boldness in sharing the Lord…

In Acts 2:14, Peter, on the day of Pentecost, shared with the people regarding the filling of the Holy Spirit… “This is that, which was spoken by the prophet Joel.” (Acts 2:17-21) The people had said, “We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” A wonderful work of God is praying in tongues… (3,000 came to know the Lord, Acts 2)

In Acts 3, the man at the Beautiful Gate was healed….(5,000 came to the Lord). Peter and John were taken into custody, then were released and came to their own companions and prayed… Acts 4:29-31: “‘Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” 

We are to be overflowing with the Holy Ghost. The end time is a prophesying generation…

Matthew 26:69-75 relates Peter’s denial about knowing Jesus. But he went on to win souls after he was filled with the Holy Spirit…

Praying in tongues is getting drunk in the new wine (the Holy Ghost)…

Drink the Spirit of God… Use “draws” of Him…from the well, through speaking/praying in tongues… You’ll start feeling His presence….

In Acts 19:1-7, Paul at Ephesus found some disciples and asked them “‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”… And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all.”

Preachers with most notable miracles (of healing) are certainly always baptized in the Holy Ghost.

Praying in tongues…from 1 Corinthians 14:15-17… spirit and understanding… you’re blessing God… “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.”

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Commune with the Lord daily…speaking in other tongues… Purpose in your heart to start praying in tongues…..

Then (after the message) came a Word from the Lord on how He has ordained, by such, to work through His people…

The notes above are from a message given at Covenant Family Church, pastored by Keith Eggert. It was given by Dan Walter, who has been much involved in the healing ministry. Further messages on the ministry of the Holy Spirit or other topics are available in the website archives. http://www.covenantfamily.cc

For reading material, you could visit http://www.rhema.org and browse their bookstore (recommend “Why Tongues” booklet) or other teaching books and articles.

The Kim Potter article referenced above was featured at: http://www.anewthingministries.com

While we may not always see the power behind praying in the Spirit, as in the lion account above, we can be sure it is a powerful aspect of prayer to use and grow in.

P. A. Oltrogge