Robin J Johnson
Thank God that we are never left alone. Heaven’s resources have been given to us so that we can live a life of victory, which glorifies our God.

Everything we could ever need for life and complete devotion to God has already been deposited in us by his divine power. For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing him who has called us by name and invited us to come to him through a glorious manifestation of his goodness.
2 Peter 1:3

So when it comes to our prayer life we have been given a tremendous advantage through His gifts. One such gift is the ability to “speak in tongues”.
Assuming that you are filled with the Holy Spirit, as did the writers of the NT of those who they wrote to, speaking in tongues is a normal and anticipated practice by disciples of Jesus. It is a powerful, uplifting and incredible gift for each and every believer.

They were all filled and equipped with the Holy Spirit and were inspired to speak in tongues—empowered by the Spirit to speak in languages they had never learned!
Acts 2:4

The enemy attacks

Down through he ages and still today, speaking in tongues has been discredited, criticised, maligned and abandoned by many. From simply mocking and saying that people who speak in tongues are speaking a whole lot of nonsense to vicious attacks where it is claimed that they who speak in tongues are from the devil.
When the enemy goes all out to discredit something that the Lord has made available to us, then we can be sure that he knows the damage it will do to him and the power it puts into our hands. He will try everything in an attempt to stop us from using this gift. It is clear from the Scriptures that speaking in tongues is a legitimate and necessary experience for the true believer following Christ.

When someone speaks in tongues, no one understands a word he says, because he’s not speaking to people, but to God—he is speaking intimate mysteries in the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:2

Keep praying

How many times have you found yourself in that place where you just do not know what to pray. The right words escape you and you are almost tempted to stop and not pray at all. Or you sit in silence with some kind of hope that God will read your thoughts. True, He is able to know your very thought, but we are not told to think, we are instructed to pray.

One day Jesus taught the apostles to keep praying and never stop or lose hope.
Luke 18:1

Prayer was never meant to be silent. Imagine walking into a room to meet someone who you have a close relationship with and all you do is to sit there in silence saying nothing. The relationship is certainly not going to go anywhere and in fact will probably deteriorate.
I can imagine the other person saying something like, “What on earth do you want, say something, I can’t live like this, you’ve got to talk to me!”
There are no “silent” prayers in the Bible. Even in the Psalms where we are often encouraged to “mediate” the meaning of the Hebrew words indicate that sound is made, something is verbalised.

Pray in the Spirit

The apostles Paul encourages us to pray with our minds, therefore having understanding and also says to “pray in the Spirit”.

So here’s what I’ve concluded. I will pray in the Spirit, but I will also pray with my mind engaged. I will sing rapturous praises in the Spirit, but I will also sing with my mind engaged.
1 Corinthians 14:15

Let me encourage you, to speak in tongues not only when you do not know what to pray, but make a daily habit of speaking “mysteries” to your God and Father. Speaking in tongues enables us to express that which is inexpressible.
Obviously the apostle Paul knew the value and importance of speaking in tongues.

I give thanks to God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
1 Corinthians 14:18

Pump the well

Do you speak in tongues? Do you do it regularly? I do and am blessed, encouraged and receive from the Lord the very thing that my heart is seeking after, especially when I am seeking revelation. I “pump the well” as I sometimes call speaking in tongues and I become aware of what the Holy Spirit is saying to me.
This very article came about by me praying and speaking in tongues as I was seeking the Lord. I was attempting to write, but I could not find the inspiration or focus needed. Too many conflicting thoughts racing through my mind. So this morning I went for a long walk along a long bay, stilled my thoughts speaking in tongues and in the stillness of my spirit, I heard the Spirit’s leading.
Speaking in tongues is a powerful and fruitful experience. It builds you up and sends your prayers straight to the throne room of our God. It is participating with the Holy Spirit Who knows the mind of God for each and every situation.

But you, my delightfully loved friends, constantly and progressively build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith by praying every moment in the Spirit.
Jude 1:20

Do not forbid speaking in tongues neither neglect it, just do it!
(Scripture references used are taken from the Passion Translation NT.)
We appreciate you taking the time to read our blog. If you have been blessed and encouraged by reading this article and/or previous ones and are able, you may like to give a gift to help us spread the word and inspire more men to become “men of prayer”. To donate please click here.