The Gift of Tongue
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October 03, 2010 |
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 "For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds
of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills." (1 Corinthians 12:8-11)
The gifts of the Spirit refer to special works of the Holy Spirit revealed through the love of God. The 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians, sometimes referred to as the 'Chapter of Gifts', records special works of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon individuals. The gifts of the Holy Spirit include the following: the word of wisdom; the word of knowledge; faith; healing; the effecting of miracles; prophecy; the distinguishing of spirits; tongues; and the interpretation of tongues. Additionally, there are other gifts such as love, vision, and divine clairvoyance.
Among these gifts of the Holy Spirit, the gift of tongues can be given to every believer who has accepted the Lord and received the Holy Spirit. This gift of tongue plays an important role in urging each believer to grow in spirit and faith. Every believer should have a heart-felt longing to receive it. What kind of benefits can we gain when we pray in tongue and how can we pray in tongue?
1. What Kind of Benefits Follow the Prayer in Tongue
1 Corinthians 14:2 reads, "For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries." When we pray in tongue, our spirit prays for what is necessary in spirit. We ourselves cannot understand what the prayer in tongue means. If we want to know what our spirit prays in tongue, we have to receive the interpretation from a person who has the gift to interpret the prayer in tongue.
When we receive the gift of tongue and pray in tongue, we can become filled with the Holy Spirit because our spirit can communicate with the Holy Spirit. If we listen to the Word of God by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we can realize its spiritual meaning easily and make our spiritual bread of it. We can then grow in spirit faster. To the same extent that we grow in spirit, our spirit prospers so that our spiritual eyes are opened, we can overcome tiredness and become a spiritual person. The Holy Spirit knows everything- the depths of our heart, upcoming trials and afflictions, the hope for the future and the will of God.
Therefore, if we pray much in tongue, we can drive away trials and afflictions that are coming, pray for what is the most necessary in spirit, which we don't know the thoughts of our inner person which is in us, communicate with God, so that we can receive His answers quickly. To the extent that we become spiritual men, we can tell what will come soon because we communicate with God and listen to the Holy Spirit and be guided by Him. In addition, through the prayer in tongue the hope is given for eternal life after death and our faith becomes strong.
2. How to Receive the Gift of Tongue and to Pray in Tongue
There are conditions to receiving the gift of tongue. The first of them is to receive the Holy Spirit by accepting Jesus Christ. The second, we have to humble ourselves with open hearts like children and to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit by crying out in prayer. If any believer fails to humble himself like a child or refuses to cry out in prayer because of shyness and awareness of the way others are looking at him, he cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit and he cannot receive the gift of tongue. Since the prayer in tongue is for our spirit to pray for what is necessary in spirit, we don't know what our spirit is praying, but as a result, our soul prospers. Here it doesn't mean our heart's desires are fulfilled. Our spirits and souls are in proper relationship and our souls then prosper. So then, what do we have to do in order to pray properly in the sight of God'?
1 Corinthians 14:14-15 reads, "For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also." It urges us to distinguish between praying with the spirit and praying with the mind and then to pray in both ways.
To pray with the spirit means our spirit prays and what our spirit prays for is to possess greater faith, to live according to the Word of God, and for the prosperity of our soul. To pray in tongue means we are praying for our spiritual necessities. In contrast, to pray with the mind is to ask for the prosperity in our home, work, business and to receive our heart's desires. In this sense then, we have to pray in both ways.
'To sing with the spirit' means to rejoice with the will of God, praise for the strength of God and express our gratitude. When we sing songs with the hymnal book, we sing with our mind. Similarly, when we are inspired by the Holy Spirit and overwhelmingly pray in tongue, we can sing in tongue. This is referred to as 'singing with the spirit.' If we sing with the spirit, our spirit becomes filled with the Holy Spirit and we can gently dance without knowing. If we go into deeper level of the fullness of the spirit, we can pray or sing with new tongues.
What is the new tongue? Mark 16:17 says that those who have believed are accompanied with signs and one of them is 'to speak with new tongues.' When we speak with new tongues, the enemy devil trembles. Let's suppose an example where a robber is trying to stab you. If you pray with new tongues, an angel moves the robber's heart and causes him to have a turn of heart. If the robber persists, the angel may cause the robber's hand to become stiffened. Since the new tongues have the power to prevent trials and afflictions, we can be protected all the time and He causes everything to work for the good.
Therefore you need to not only pray in our own physical languages for what is necessary in our daily lives on earth, but also pray with the spirit for what is necessary in spirit so that you can stay awake and lead a successful life in the power of prayer.
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