BANQUET OF LIFE MINISTRIES
The Depth &
Mystery of Tongues
1 Corinthians 14:18 (KJV)
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
Ephesians 6:18 (KJV)
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Ephesians 6:18 AMP
Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).
Eph.6:18 tells us 4 things;
a) God wants us to pray always. He said to pray at all times. He didn't say, complain at all times or whine at all times. Many times, we talk and worry at all times instead of praying at all times!
Pray on every occasion and in every season...
Pray when your husband is driving you crazy and your wife is driving you nuts
The reason is because when you pray always, you learn how to pray well. If God tells us to do something always, then that thing must be very important. This is corroborated by 1Thess.5:17
b) God wants us to pray with ALL prayer and supplication in the spirit. In other words to pray with ALL manner of prayer. There surely must be more than one manner of prayer. There must be more than one way to pray. I've found out that many believers are unfamiliar with 3 manners of prayer;
- praying in tongues
- prayers of travail and groaning
- spiritual warfare
These 3 dimensions of prayer are unfamiliar terrain for many Christians. We speak in tongues but we don't really pray in tongues. Then travailing and groaning prayer is like calculus for many of us.
c) pray with supplication
d) pray with watchfulness. This means to keep alert in the spirit and endeavor to SEE what will be unveiled to you as you pray.
Prayer is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end. True prayer brings revelation. Prayer brings you to the place of SEEING and KNOWING
1. God has provided the means for us to be able to pray always ALL manner of prayer and supplication. He has provided a means for us to be able to watch and engage in spiritual warfare.
2. This is by Praying in the Spirit also known as praying in tongues.
WHAT IS TONGUES
● Tongues is the initial evidence of The baptism in the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:4; 10:44-46
● Tongues is a New Testament blessing. When the Holy Spirit came upon people in
the Old Testament, they either prophesied, or shook vigorously and physically empowered to do some things. But they never spoke in tongues. Under the New Testament, when the Holy Spirit fills a person, he speaks with tongues. That tongues represent an outflow of the infilling of the Holy Ghost.
When I speak and pray in tongues therefore, I am demonstrating that the Holy Ghost has filled me. When you take the communion, you are demonstrating and making a statement that Jesus is alive. When you're baptized in water, you make a statement to that you're dead to the world and have a new life. When you speak in tongues, you are stating that you're full of the Holy Ghost. You're reminding yourself, principalities and powers that you're full of the Holy Ghost
● Tongues is a supernatural language. You're divinely enabled to speak a language you've never learnt.
● Tongues is the surest way to access the realm of the spirit
● Various tongues are identified in the bible; tongues of men, angels, worship,
prayer, edification, fire, 1Cor.13:1
● Tongues is a line of direct communication with God. 1Cor.14:2. It's a hotline. It's
God's language, the language of the spirit. The bible says that we are strangers and sojourners in this world. When you live in a strange country where you don't understand or speak their language, what a relief it is when you suddenly find someone who speaks your language? You're able to communicate.
● Speaking in tongues a spiritual exercise which makes you more spiritual.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:7-8 NKJV)
This is a guaranteed and established law. Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. This law is universal. It applies to Christians and non Christians. You will reap what you sow. Therefore if you are tired of what you're reaping, change what you're sowing. Think of what you like to see in your life. If you want to see love, sow love. If you want to see money, sow money. If you want to see mercy, sow mercy. If you want to see help, sow help. The list is endless.
If you sow nothing you will reap nothing. Be a sower. Sow daily and after a while you will begin to reap daily. Sow with your hands and sow with your mouth. Those are the two ways to sow. Sow daily and you will reap daily. God wants you to be blessed daily. That's why the bible said this;
Psalms 68:19 (KJV)
Blessed [be] the Lord, [who] daily loadeth us [with benefits, even] the God of our salvation. Selah.
And this;
Luke 11:3 (KJV)
Give us day by day our daily bread.
God's system of receiving is giving. God has so much blessing laid up for you. You cannot even imagine it. How do you receive them? Begin to give! Giving is the master key, the tool to receiving!
You give to receive. If you want to receive, begin to give.
If you want to receive daily, give daily.
If you continue to sow to your flesh, you will see more works of the flesh in your life. Anytime you find the following in your life, then you have been sowing to your flesh:
● being sexually unfaithful,
● not being pure,
● taking part in sexual sins,
● worshiping gods,
● doing witchcraft,
● hating,
● making trouble,
● being jealous,
● being angry,
● being selfish,
● making people angry with each other,
● causing divisions among people,
● feeling envy,
● being drunk,
● having wild and wasteful parties, and doing other things like these. (Galatians
5:19-21 NCV)
The Bible teaches that you can sow to your spirit. If you sow to your spirit, you will become more spiritual. You will become more godly. You will see more God in your life. When you pray in tongues, you are doing something spiritual and thereby sowing to your spirit.
People sow 1hr prayer a week in their spiritual life and they expect angels to be flying about. They want to see fire and thunder. It doesn't work that way! You have to sow more into your spiritual life. You have to pray more. You have to be hungry for God.
3. Prayer is a very spiritual thing. Praying in tongues builds your faith. Jude 20. It takes faith to speak a language you have never learnt. As you pray in tongues, your faith is built and energized.
DIVERSE KINDS OF TONGUES
1. Tongues for edification. 1 Cor.14:4. When you speak this tongues, you are edifying yourself. This is the tongues that edifies, charges and refreshes you. Jude 20.
This kind of tongues builds you up.
It charges you like you charge a spiritual battery.
It strengthens the man on the inside. There is a man on the inside. The bible calls him the hidden man of the heart. 1Pet.3:4.
This man is the real man. He is the spirit man. When you speak the tongues for edification, you are strengthening, building, energizing and fortifying that inward man.
2. Tongues for revelation. This is the tongue of mysteries. 1 Cor.14:2. He speaketh mysteries...
What is a mystery? A mystery is a hidden thing that is now made known. In the Greek it is called mysterion. It means a secret confided only to the initiated and not to ordinary mortals.
God has secrets which are reserved only for the initiated, that is those who are born again. Being born again initiates you into the realm of mysteries.
These mysteries are secrets of ruling, reigning and having dominion in life
These mysteries represents the ways of God and his hidden purposes
These secrets are the way out of every trap and harassment of satan.
Daniel must have known a secret for him to descend confidently into the lions den and come out unscarred.
The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. (Psalms 25:14-15 NKJV)
In the FEILD of magic, there are things known to the initiated which are unknown to the inexperienced.
When you speak in tongues of revelation, you are activating the realm of mysteries. Paul the apostle had abundance of revelation because he spoke in tongues more than them all... 1 Cor.14:18; 2 Cor.12:7
ABUNDANCE OF REVELATION
Think about it. Paul had abundance of revelation. 2 Cor.12:7. Revelation was not a scarce commodity to Paul. He even said he saw things that were not lawful to utter. Yet, tongues was the gateway into this abundance of revelation.
There's nothing a New Testament christian wants to know that he cannot know.
It is an abuse of redemption for any of us to be mishandled, harassed, embarrassed and afflicted by satan unend.
You can see and know anything you want to see and know in the spirit realm. Christ told the disciples everything they wanted to know. And he said when the Holy Ghost comes, he will guide you into all mysteries.
John 14:26 (KJV) 26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Think about this: He shall teach you all things.
All Things!
This is the super-gateway to the realm of mysteries. And praying in the tongues of revelation is the key.
3. Tongues of intercession.
So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy]
Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will. [Ps. 139:1, 2.] (Romans 8:26-27 AMP)
Intercession means standing in the gap or pleading in the behalf of another. You activate the tongues of intercession when you place someone on your heart to intercede for and depend on the Holy Spirit to pray through you for them. Then you start praying in tongues.
4. Tongues of Warfare
This is when you switch to the warfare mode of tongues. I found this expression of tongues to be more intense and aggressive. Watch out for when the Holy Spirit is giving you the tongues of warfare. He's using your prayer expression to tear down demonic strongholds.
Consider this scripture;
Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom? Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies? Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. ThroughGod we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies. (Psalms 60:9-12 NKJV)
The Holy Ghost leads you into battle and he gives you the tongue of warfare to fight.
5. Tongues of Worship
Paul said,
1 Corinthians 14:15 (KJV) 15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will praywith the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I willsing with the understanding also.
This is when you start singing in tongues. It is so beautiful. This expression of prayer is simply heavenly! I discovered that it also soothes your muscles, nerves and relaxes you. It's the best massage ever.
6. Tongues of Men.
This is a human language spoken somewhere in the planet which the speaker has never learnt.
When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all surprised, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were completely amazed at this. They said, “Look! Aren’t all these people that we hear speaking from Galilee? Then how is it possible that we each hear them in our own languages? We are from different places: Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near Cyrene, Rome (both Jews and those who had become Jews), Crete, and Arabia. But we hear them telling in our own languages about the great things God has done!” They were all amazed and confused, asking each other, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:6-12 NCV) Acts.10:44-46
4 Dimensions of Prayer
● Praying in the spirit
● Praying with the spirit.
● Speaking in tongues
● Praying in tongues
THE DEPTH OF PRAYER
How do you navigate and switch between all these tongues? This is the gift of diverse kinds of tongues. You must open up to the Holy Spirit as you pray. When you open up to him and allow him to pray through you, he will move you in between tongues.
Also be conscious of these diverse kinds of tongues and open up to them as the Spirit gives you utterance.
You see, they spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4.
The utterance comes from the Holy Ghost. Once you begin to yield to him, you can start sensing some different tongues and shades of spiritual language flowing forth. Yield to it and Speak it forth as the spirit gives you utterance.
Spiritual men are needed these days. They are the key and answers to the challenges of men. Spirit men are the key. Not administrators, presidents, doctors etc.
Human problem is getting more and more complicated. And spiritual men are needed.Many pastors are not spiritual. Many church leaders are not spiritual. It takes a spiritual man to raise spiritual people. Someone can build great buildings and lead large congregation and has done it through the powers of his mind- soulish powers. You don't need to be spiritual to make money or lead people. Most world leaders and successful entrepreneurs are not spiritual.
But you must be spiritual to raise spiritual men and change the spiritual, moral, economic and social landscapes of nations.
When you listen to some men speak, you just know that they are not spiritual men. They are carnal soulish men wearing The garb of spirituality.
Spiritual men dissect the conditions of people; they move in the realms of God. They cause changes and make impact. And it doesn't take them long to do that.
Spiritual men see deeply into the spirit. They have accurate understanding of the moves of God. They see angels. They make predictions easily. They arrest demons. Demons are spirits and spiritual men know where they hide and how to hunt them. They don't need too much effort to do that.