The Role of the Holy Spirit - Part 4b ( Speaking in Tongues)

There is another form of tongues, which is solely prayer unto God, and is usually not understood by the one praying and by others listening in, nevertheless he was speaks in this tongue, speaks mysteries unto God, and edifies his own spirit. Thus, this type of tongue speaking is for personal edification, or for one's own personal devotional time with God. When and where this type of tongues is interpreted, then only can it edify others as well.

1 Corinthians 14: 2   For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.

1Corinthians 14: 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.  

1 Corinthians 14: 14  For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.

I personally received the Gift of Tongues when I was thirteen years of age, I was reading a book on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, suddenly,  I burst out in a language I did not understand. It took me many more years to understand this experience. Tongue speaking has enriched my personal prayer time with the Lord. I am able to pray longer, as many a time I tend to be lost for words in God's presence. Other times, I have prayed in tongues when I actually did not know how to pray about a matter, I simply asked the Holy Spirit to help me pray in accordance to God's will, and then, by the help of the Holy Spirit, I prayed in tongues. There have been times during my personal prayer time, that I had stood in prayer for others, speaking in tongues, and not long afterwards those people I bore up in prayer had approached me about something they were going through that God saved them from.

I remember a story a man of God told me about. He woke up at dawn one day, disturbed about his son who was travelling back home in the morning from a holiday. He did not know why he was unsettled in his spirit so decided to pray in tongues. He prayed for hours ,and then at last, felt some peace. It was later that he found out his son had mistakenly breached an Immigration law, and had been held up , and was told he would be processed for court and certainly liable to be convicted. His son did not even know about the said law and had flouted it in ignorance. But as we all know, ignorance is no excuse in law. God rescued this young son of the Minister of God, and he was pardoned. The man of God then understood why God had woken him up to pray. He had no inkling what he was praying about in tongues, but just knew it was concerning his son. 

The Word of God teaches us in Romans 8: 26- 27 that In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

There are times that we pray so earnestly in tongues and our utterances sound like groans. All of these are intercessions made by God's Spirit through us, in accordance to God's Will.

Finally, I shall end with this scripture that I recommend you reflect on - 1 Corinthians 14 : 39
So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.

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