Author’s note: I’m sending this out especially to bless our 22nd group intern teachers, who are challenged to pray in tongues one hour a day. But I think it will bless all of you! When I began to pray in tongues for hours daily, miracles began to multiply in my life. As a teacher, I try to explain WHY in this article. Love you!
THE CASE FOR PRAYING IN TONGUES FOR HOURS!
…I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all…1 Cor 14:18 NKJV
Perhaps the greatest abuse of the gift of tongues is just not to do it very much. The master rebuked the servant that buried his talent instead of using to advance the master’s purposes. There has been so little clear teaching of the value of the gift of tongues that many believers see no benefit in it at all. Many pastors fail to put an emphasis on it because they do not believe in it as well, or don’t know how to minister the gift to others.
The Master put a strong emphasis on speaking in tongues…
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:38-39 NKJV
Notice that He said rivers…not a creek, or a stream, or even a river, but rivers. I think of a fountain on top of a mountain with great torrents of water gushing up and out in all directions, moving with the lay of the land and pushing rivers of water.
The river of God is full of water ( Ps. 65:9 ). How full are your rivers?
THE TRASH PILE PRINCIPLE
My friend Don has a trash pile that needs to be burned every once in a awhile. Depending upon the size of the pile, we may go up there with up to a gallon of kerosene fuel to light and burn the pile. The pile will burn for hours until it is all reduced to ashes. The first prophetic statement about speaking in tongues was not spoken by Jesus, or even Paul, but by John the Baptist, and it concerned fire, and burning up the trash…
…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matt 3:11-12 NKJV
Fire is used for cleansing or purifying. The fire of the Holy Spirit that is in you will be released through the operation of praying in tongues much. The fire will burn up that which is worthless in your life like doubt, worry and fear. I’ve seen also where the Holy Spirit will burn up worthless habits in your life, which for some people may be watching television or reading the newspaper…or other things. Look at what Paul wrote…
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors–not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Rom 8:12-13 NKJV
How much trash do you have in your trash pile? And, how much more are you adding to it each day? The Holy Spirit has a major work that He wants to do in all of our lives, of healing old wounds, of delivering us from long held torments and fears, of cleansing and purifying the bride who is fit to meet her Bridegroom. When you pray in tongues for hours, it’s just like letting that trash pile burn until the trash is all gone, burned to ashes. You will be refreshed and cleansed within, and prepared for the Master’s use.
One thing you must understand about the gift of tongues – God intended for it to be an integral part of every believer’s walk from day one of their new life in Christ ( Acts 2:1-4 ). Don’t blame God for religion’s unbelief. The Word and the Spirit, together, are the two legs that everyone is to stand on.
THE MATHEMATICS OF FAITH
“According to your faith let it be to you.” Matt 9:29 NKJV
There are at least seven categories of faith, biblically speaking. The two most prominent are God’s faith ( also called spiritual faith or the gift of faith ) and your personal faith, as exemplified in Matthew 9:29. Faith is mathematical. Matthew 9:29 can be explained in a mathematical sense. If the thing you are seeking requires a hundred units of faith to be received, and you have only sixty, you will not receive it, or you will receive it partially. This is why people get partial healings. If something requires one hundred units of faith, and you have two hundred units, you receive it every time. This is why as people get older and wiser, life becomes easier. They know how to operate faith to receive the things they need.
Your faith is effected by those who impart into your life. For instance, I have great faith for work, and jobs, and have never gone a day in my life without a paying job. The reason? My father never went a day without having a job, and he imparted his faith to me.
You can have great faith in certain areas, and weak faith in others. I have great faith for work, and not so great faith for typing. Early in my youth, I took a typing class in summer school. I lasted three days! They gave us these clunky, WW2 era typewriters to work on, and they sat me next to a girl who was a genius at typing…before long, I was out playing baseball!
How does this relate to praying in tongues for hours? Speaking in tongues builds your personal faith!
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit… Jude 20 NKJV
Let’s say you have only sixty units of faith, and you need one hundred. You begin to pray in tongues…after a while, you realize you have more faith, but not enough yet. So, you keep praying…your faith keeps growing. Then, like water spilling over a dam, your faith prevails and you receive what you need.
Faith can be built. Something that can be built can be explained mathematically. I know this may challenge some of your romantic ideas about faith. But honestly, this is the only way God could be just and impartial to all men, which is the righteous basis for Him to be able to judge all men. According to your faith, let it be to you…
THE WEIGHT OF THE GLORY
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself…1 Cor 14:4 NKJV
…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man...Eph 3:16 NKJV
You are a person with three parts: spirit, soul and body. Which part of you gets edified, or built up, when you pray in tongues? Your inner man, the spirit of man, which is the dwelling place of the Godhead in you. Actually, that is some what of a trick question, because we know scientifically that the whole man is benefited when you pray much in tongues. But specifically, it is the spirit that is built up. Why is that important?
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you… Acts 1:8 NKJV
To answer that question, you must understand God’s precise use of words in the Word. The word in is different than the word upon. We talk about the Spirit of God being IN you, but what about the Spirit of God being UPON you? The Spirit of God is in you as a permanent reality. But it is as the Spirit of God comes upon you that you have the power of God in your life. How does this relate to speaking in tongues much?
…in the morning, then ye shall see the glory ( KABOWD – weight ) of the LORD…Ex 16:7 KJV
Your spirit has to strengthened, built up, so that it can carry the weight of the glory of God. The stronger your spirit is, the more the Lord can put of the weight of His glory upon it. This is why Peter’s shadow healed people. There is evidence to show that Peter kept the hours of prayer in the Temple which would amount to five hours of praying in tongues each day, assuming he prayed in tongues each hour ( And why wouldn’t he? He had heard all of Jesus’ teaching on the Holy Spirit and had gone through the great experience of the day of Pentecost! ).
All the great Pentecostal heroes of the past hundred plus years ( Seymour, Lake, Wigglesworth, Roberts, Hagin, Prince and others ) all testify to the powerful effect of praying much in tongues had on their ministries. Why? Because of what I just told you…
PRAYING THROUGH
This concept is really the culmination of all that I said so far. The old pentecostals used to talk about praying through until the glory manifested – PUSH – pray until something happens. Pray until God manifests Himself. People who want a God experience but haven’t had it, are people who have not prayed through.
You see, God is not on your schedule…you must submit to His schedule. Most people fail to benefit from a physical workout because they refuse to push through the physical pain ( not injury pain ) necessary to build strong muscle tissue. It is the same in prayer! You must push through what I call soulish resistance until the glory falls. Then you will be empowered with Heaven’s glory!
One time, as I prepared to teach a course on the gifts of the Spirit, I prayed in tongues from seven thirty in the morning until three thirty in the afternoon. I prayed until God said, “You are ready.” The miracles that happened that week were life changing and dramatic. The power of God came because I ( and perhaps others ) prayed through until the glory came. If you want the glory, you have to pay the price ( no pain…no gain! )…
Sit your little self down right now and pray in tongues out loud for sixty minutes. Tell your excuses and emotions to go take a hike! Do it again…and again…everyday…twice a day…until the passion comes, until the glory comes, then do it some more! Your life will never be the same again!
Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…