And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ – Matt. 25:25 NKJV
In preparing for Pentecost, it is a great time for our preachers to do a comprehensive review of the great gift of tongues. The greatest abuse of tongues is just not to speak much in tongues…to ‘hide it’ in our earthen vessels, so to speak. This does NOT please the Master, and we will give account for it before His judgment throne. The reason we do this is because of fear, which is due to sin, ignorance, or because we have been poorly taught. The times we live in demand that we walk in the power of God, and tongues are the key to walking in all the other gifts of the Spirit.
TONGUES – GOD’S WILL FOR EVERY BELIEVER
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Matt. 3:11 NKJV
John the Baptist prophesied that Yahshua would baptize His believers with the fiery Holy Spirit. This was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:3‑4 NKJV
Yahshua still baptizes His believers with the fiery Holy Spirit if they will seek Him for it. Consider what He said in John 7.
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 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 7:37‑39 NKJV
Yahshua said that if a believer thirsts for more of God and His power, they were to come unto Him and drink. The requirement is that you must thirst for more of God. Water is an interesting analogy here because you cannot survive without water for very long. You can go many days without food, but only about seventy-two hours without water. Being thirsty is almost a desperate cry for what you need to live. This is how you approach God to receive the gift. You say in your heart, “God, I desperately need more of You to live in me. I cannot live without Your living waters!”
Yahshua said that these living waters were to flow out of everyone who believes in Him, every born again one. Are you born again? Then you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit! Yahshua will come and baptize you if you ask Him. Out of your innermost being will flow spoken words like rivers of living waters that will pick you up and carry you to a new place in God. If you need someone to pray with you to receive, and no one can handle it locally, call me…you will receive ( 877-767-2558 in the USA and Canada, +15033025381 if calling internationally…make sure you have enough airtime for twenty minutes or so )!
UNDERSTANDING THE TWO TYPES OF TONGUES
…to another different kinds of tongues…1 Cor 12:10 NKJV
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 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.1 Cor 14:14‑15 NKJV
You can speak or pray in tongues two ways: from the Spirit of God being IN you, and from the Spirit of God coming UPON you. Praying in tongues by the Spirit of God being IN you is your normal, daily prayer language given you by God, which is, of course, a language of men or angels ( 1 Cor. 13:1 ). You pray in tongues by the Spirit of God at your will, making you fully responsible for it. The first time you pray in tongues is always by the Spirit of God coming upon you (Acts 2:3, 8:16, 10:44, 19:6). You ask the Baptizer to baptize you…and He does! Once you have received, you can then speak in tongues at will.
At times, you will be led to speak in diverse kinds of tongues as the Spirit of God comes upon you for a specific purpose. Many times these tongues are followed by interpretation from the original speaker or someone else. I have been led at times to minister healing by a diverse tongue with interpretation. You can only do this as you are led…it is not something you can do by your freedom of will. You can pray for it (1 Cor. 14:13) to come…and God is very willing to release it…but you cannot choose or decide to make it happen. Don’t ever ‘fake’ a gift of the Spirit!
YOUR NORMAL DIVINE PRAYER LANGUAGE
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 1 Cor 14:14 NKJV
The devil hates speaking in tongues. He has had to change his strategies against speaking in tongues over the years because of changing realities. He can longer say ‘it died with the apostles’ because over six hundred million born-again ones on earth now speak in tongues. So, he must get born again ones to ignore it or be so caught up in carnal realities that they don’t receive it. He must use it to cause division through carnal pride or ridicule it with malicious spirits speaking through believers. Devil, you are a loser! You lost at the Cross, and your fate is sealed forever!
As we continue this review, we will see the great life-changing value of praying much in tongues…bless God forever!
Remember dear ones; we must be about our Fathers business…