Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
Psalm 25: 4-5
DISCLAIMER
Before continuing on with this blog, I would like to clarify for the sake of my brothers and sisters out there who may be confused. This blog originally served as a part 3 to my series “I’m not a Baptist”. The only reason these blogs were titled so was for the purpose of grabbing attention from my predominantly Baptist audience. I’ve established in my first blog that my doctrine and theology falls in line with the Southern Baptist world, my polity with the Presbyterian, along with other values from other denominations such as Anglican and Assemblies of God. So hear me loud and clear when I say the following.
I love those who are affiliated with the Baptist Churches, the Presbyterian Churches, the Anglican Churches, the Assemblies of God Churches, Friends, and etc. etc. My point is, I see strengths in each denomination, and I hate the divide between the Church over these boundaries of having to belong to one or the other. Each member in the body of Christ has purpose, and I can not say to my brother or sister that I have no use for them. So instead of dividing the body over denominations, I simply say I’m a follower of Jesus.
The supernatural things I’m talking of have nothing to do with any denomination. It’s simply my walk with God as a follower of Jesus Christ. I’m not trying to make a claim that these things are or are not associated with any denomination. The last thing I want is division in the body of Christ. So please talk to me if I need to further clarify myself. My goal from these related blogs is that the body of Christ might be strengthened, grown, and unified.
Now after that long, but necessary preface, this blog is on my experience of Speaking in Tongue. It is one of my favorite stories in which God has manifested Himself in my life.
MY BEGINNINGS
My junior year of college I had went out to campus lake of Wingate University desperate for more of God. The Holy Spirit was on fire inside of me after watching a missionary’s youtube video. In tears I ran to the wooden cross by the lake and told God I wasn’t going anywhere until He gave me more of Him. I walked with the Lord around the lake, palms up towards the skies, and all I could say repeatedly was “I want more, I want more, I want more”. By the time I had walked around the lake I had received nothing. So I sat and pouted as I looked out across the lake, and grumbled to God “ I should have known… you’ve given me nothing”.
Just then a great white egret flew into the lake and landed. I had never before seen one of these birds in my life, and I spent a lot of time out at campus lake with God. So I began to do some research on this bird. The thing that it was known for was that it would NOT actively search the water for fish to eat, but rather standing still in the water, it would wait until a fish came by to it, and then it would grab it. The Lord was trying to teach me a lesson: “[Don’t scramble grabbing for things believing that it’s your job to obtain them. Wait and it shall be given]”. “Wait” was my motto for that season (and many seasons after that). The Lord attached me to Psalm 25:4-5 (see scripture at top), and it has sense become my favorite Psalm.
So, I waited from that fall until the following Spring. The night before I left for Spring break to Florida, we had went with a friend to a church service. This friend had been battling for a long time with demons. In his life he had been sexually abused by family, had long ago dabbled in witchcraft, dealt with depression, suffered from alcoholism, and had been battling with homosexuality. After the service leaders laid hands on him and prayed for him to be released from these bondage’s and spiritual attacks.
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,”
Ephesians 6:18
Friends and I knelt at the altar praying hard for him during this time. We were warring hard for our friend! Then suddenly the words I was trying to pray were not coming out. I had no control of my tongue, and a different language came out of my mouth as I was trying to intercede for my friend. I kept trying to pray in English but I could not, and I felt an odd sensation from my head to my toes, almost as if oil had poured down my body. So I brought my prayer to a low whisper, as I realized that I for the first time may had just spoken in tongue, and wasn’t sure that it would be edifying for those around me to hear.
For a year or so prior knowing I had the ability to discern the presence of demons, and asking the Lord what do I do with this discernment, this night He allowed me to intercede for my friend in prayer beyond my English language. The Holy Spirit inside of me spoke while I had no words. Mind you I was initially very disappointed by this experience, because I had been asking the Lord very specifically to allow me to speak in tongue (Spanish) in Peru the coming summer. I asked for it wanting to share the gospel in a language I didn’t know on the upcoming mission trip. But he chose to give it to me differently. He gave it to me not as an evangelism tool, but as an intercessory prayer tool.
I questioned whether this gift was real, because for the next few days it did not continue. Before receiving the gift I had read all through Acts. I had just started 1 Samuel when I began asking God if what I had experienced was real. While in Florida for spring break, I read how Samuel prayed over Saul and he received the gift of prophecy. Samuel told Saul he would receive confirmation of this gift through a specific event that would take place in the future… and it did.
Within a few days into our spring break we went on an outing to a place, an amusement park of sorts, filled with alligators. As we walked into an opening, an oasis if you will, there was my confirmation… great white egrets filled this place. In the water, in the trees, and flying all around. Literally over a hundred, and I just cried. My first encounter with this bird the Lord said “wait” for more of him. Now this time, only the second time I had encountered this magnificent bird, it was a manifestation of them and the Lord was saying, yes you received from me, this is real.
NOW
Through out the race and before it, I have prayed in tongue against the presence of evil. I absolutely can not control this, I wish I could. However, the fact that I can not control it is a testimony to God that it is real.
The most recent use of this gift was praying for a teammates family member. This was the first time that the Lord allowed me to feel the presence of a demonic attack that wasn’t present with me, but seas apart as we prayed. Once again, while praying I had no control as the Holy Spirit prayed for this man through me.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
Romans 8:26
Only recently I’ve experienced a second form of praying in tongue. This started while at seminary, and instead of it being a prayer of intercessory, it was an overflow of joy from my heart when I had no words.
Once again, I had no control over it. My final thoughts on this are….
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…” Romans 12:6a
Speaking in tongue is not “special” and it doesn’t make you “special”. It is not the gateway into heaven. It’s just another one of the many gifts for expanding and edifying the Church. It’s not about the gifts, but the giver.
“But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.”
1 Corinthians 14:28
I do not speak in tongue out loud, but it is a private prayer language between God and I.
“Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.”
1 Corinthians 13:14
I can interpret for my intercessory prayer, because I know what I’m trying to pray in English, but it doesn’t come out. However, I’ve always kept it between God and I because I have discerned in the moment whether it would be edifying to those around me to hear or not.
“Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.”
1 Corinthians 14:5
Once again, I send out an invitation for conversation if you have concerns, questions, or thoughts. I hope this gives some insight to a topic that has been taboo to many.
You can be grounded and rooted in scripture, and operate in the gifts of the Spirit.
