I watched a testimony of a girl who was baptized with the Spirit. She went to her room and was led to go see her friend. She offered to pray with her friend and after they had finished she felt led to pray in tongues. She knew speaking in tongues wasn't permitted in the presence of someone who cannot understand but the Spirit was leading her so she did. After she was done speaking in tongues, her friend told her, "I know you were speaking in tongues, but I understood every word you said."

Video of the testimony for anyone interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjpKiFK_Q3w

Another thing: sometimes while praying in tongues I mentally pray with meaning. For instance my mouth will be going and in my mind I'm thinking, "Oh God I lift up ..."

It's more difficult than doing one or the other exclusively but helpful.

Brother Michael I am so glad you brought this up for most of us who have gone further and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit has experienced doubt concerning the speaking in tongues.

When I first spoke in tongues I doubted and I talked to my Pastor who immediately sat me down and encouraged me immensely. He told me to keep praying and I did and over time it developed on it's own. The older saints around me who spoke in tongues sounded much better than what I was speaking and that bothered me because I thought I might have not received the genuine kind. Many years later after praying in tongues I don't even give it a second thought. It comes natural to me as speaking to people. The deeper the prayer the deeper the syllables.

And we all know it's not about speaking in tongues it's about fruit. However, I love praying in tongues because it strengthens my spirit and also when that burden of prayer, that overpowering sense that God wants you to pray about something or for someone it can be quite intense. I have had few of those moments and they are not something that you look forward to but when they come you know that God is doing something and you weep and pray through. Thank God.

But your doing fine brother. Keep praying in tongues and a whole world of opportunity will open up to you in the Spirit.

I am glad you shared your heart here with us and we pray that your encouraged to continue on regardless of what the devil may say. The devil is all talk, ignore him.

I'd like to second Approved's post, Michael.


For you also ...


"Jesus Christ is all in all."

"Satan brings the carcass of self and pulls it about, and because that is corrupt, tells us that most assuredly we cannot be saved. But remember, sinner, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that is the instrument — it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Christ, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Christ, the author and finisher of thy faith; and if thou dost that, ten thousand devils cannot throw thee down, but as long as thou lookest at thyself, the meanest of those evil spirits may tread thee beneath his feet." -Charles Haddon Spurgeon



Have you seen this before? :)

G'd is the Mighty Creator of all languages, so He is able to do extraordinary things when His children are in need of something far above our own power or ability.
I remember some 25 years ago, when I was sharing the gospel to a family. We did not speak each others language, so the Holy Spirit give me their language to speak at that very moment.
They responded and it was a wonderful to see the Lord working like that.
I believe the Lord is always looking for way’s to reach people and in this case He used to give me this.
It was not the last time something like this happened in my life, but I always try to be very careful in the area of spiritual things.
To walk in faith and be led by the Holy Spirit is living a life of miracles.
It is “stepping out in faith” and asking for wisdom to do so. The Lord wants us to act wisely in all we do.

Shalom,
browny

Michael, to me, speaking in tongues was not something that I had heard of, nor was it preached about to me, ever.

I was baptised in a church that expected tongues, however, to be given with the Ruach haKodesh. It was expected that I would come up out of the water literally speaking in this holy and sanctified manner. Unfortunately, not being raised in the church, I had no idea of this.

It didn't happen, and did not endear me to the church, or the church to me. I strayed very far from the faith, and churches of any kind for many years. Then, about fifteen years ago I heard Joyce Meyers on TBN speak about the subject, and that as a gift of the Ruach, you need to ask Adonai for the gifting in prayer, and believe that you receive it, just as any other gift of the Ruach, or any good thing that you might desire of Adonai.

I called the ministry, and asked to pray with someone for this gift, and once having prayed together, my prayer partner asked me to attempt the use of tongues. Oddly, it was a strain to search blindly out in a verbal manner. My tongue seemed rooted to the roof of my mouth, and all that came out at first was a gargling noise!

My prayer partner said not to be discouraged, but to continue to attempt the speaking of tongues on my own. After hanging up the phone, I did try again, and again, and after about fifteen minutes, the words of whatever language I was speaking slid easily out of my lips.

I found myself in odd moments remembering that I could speak so, and should, finding that I felt most comfortable singing in tongues, the music also being gifted to me as I sang, and changing from praise to anguish and back again as the Ruach willed, since I didn't understand a word or syllable that I spoke. I often used it as a way to pass the time when waiting in line, or waiting for a ride.

But after speaking and singing in tongues for many years, I have found that the experience is completely seperate from what I think about during the experience.

In fact, as I was reading this thread, I began to sing in accordance with familiar songs being played on Sirius 'the Message' on TV, using what words I didn't know, but keeping time with the songs and their changing tunes, and at the same time hearing the other words, and understanding what I was reading all at the same time!

I have demonstrated once to a friend who wanted to know what it sounded like, and she said that it sounded asian or eastern, and that I seemed like a little kid singing.

So much for public performance of what is to me a very private thing. I think the gifting of tongues can work more than one way, depending on what the Ruach desires, but
I have never been tempted or told to speak in public, and that when I sing in tongues, I sing under my breath so that no one hears me. I do not burst forth with tongues, so to speak, :), but have to make a conscious decision to speak so.

It is always easy, like turning on a switch, but seems to slip away if I don't concentrate on the music I am hearing, or if I speak, if I don't somehow feel as if I am reaching out and making a connection.

I have no doubt that if the Ruach needed me to make a statement in public, I could do so, and someone would understand, but on the other hand, I have never felt prompted to do so, just as I have no doubt that if a translation was needed somewhere, sometime, I could be used this way, but really don't anticipate the need.

I do, however know, once you have prayed for the infilling of this gift, there is no reason whatsoever for YHVH to refuse to gift the person praying, as it seems to be specifically for us to speak to Him privately, and for Him to speak though us as He desires.

Mark 16:15-17.
15. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; (((they shall speak with new tongues;)))

Q


p.s. So far as I know, I never had the infilling of the Ruach haKodesh at my baptism, and though tied in trust to Yeshua, not having the Ruach working in me made my journey a very slow and painful one, while in the time since I received tongues my entire life has been reworked, and continues to astonish me with changes I had no idea were being worked in me. For anyone thinking they are moving towards Yeshua too slowly, or not at all, praying as I did with a partner, asking for all the gifts of the Ruach haKodesh, might be key to your spiritual progress.