The Advantages of Speaking in Tongues
Speaking in Tongues is one of the most powerful gifts God has given believers. Some may ask, ‘What is speaking in tongues?’ It’s the gift that comes in our lives when we receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. After He rose from the dead, Jesus told His disciples that they needed to be clothed with power from Heaven in order to be His witnesses and this would happen when they would be saturated (or baptised) in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-8). Ten days later, the disciples experienced this supernatural event and amongst other things, they began to speak in languages they had never previously learnt (Acts 2:1-13).
This spiritual gift (Speaking in tongues) remained with them and became a launching pad from which they moved in such astonishing power that even opponents of the Christian faith claimed that believers had ‘turned the world upside down’ (Acts 17:6). So why is speaking in tongues so special and how can it help us?
Firstly, speaking in tongues builds you up. He who speaks in a tongue edifies (builds up) himself (1 Cor 14:4). The New Living Translation says ‘A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally.’ It is a flow of spiritual power into your body and soul. It affects your mind, will and emotions. You will find that revelation will flow in your life as you practise speaking in tongues. You will gain understanding about yourself or things that may be affecting you. There will also be times where God will give you revelation about those around you so you can help them.
Secondly, speaking in tongues enables us to have an effective prayer life. What’s an effective prayer life? It’s a prayer life that produces results. I don’t know about you but I’m over fruitless praying. What’s the point of praying if it fails to produce results? When it comes to prayer, we often struggle because we’re not always sure how to pray properly. Many times we find ourselves in situations where we don’t know exactly what to say in prayer to God about our circumstance. This is where speaking in tongues is so valuable. The bible says we don’t know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Holy Spirit helps us to pray with groanings which cannot be uttered (Rom 8:26). This is languages that we haven’t previously learnt. Speaking in tongues helps to make our prayer life effective.
Thirdly, as we pray in tongues, we access the wisdom of God within us. Do you realize that as a believer you know all things? That’s not my opinion; that’s what the bible says. 'But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things' (1 John 2:20). I remember when I first read that bible verse I thought to myself ‘I can’t possibly know all things because I didn’t know what that verse just told me!’ I failed to understand that the knowledge of all things is in God who lives in my spirit. When I pray in tongues I pray in the Spirit and I unlock the wisdom of God hidden within me (I Cor 2:6-7; 14:2). All the answers you need are in Him and He is in you. The way to get them out is to pray in tongues.
There is much to say on this topic and the following audio recording goes into greater depth. It’s a free download so go ahead and discover the power of speaking in tongues!
The Advantages of Speaking in Tongues
Recorded at Transformers Christian Church
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