PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT SERIES

PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT TO ENTER THE SPIRITUAL REST

Praying in the Spirit is different from the charismatic gift of tongues

        Now the prayer language that you received when you are baptised in the Spirit is different from the gift of tongues as recorded in 1 Cor. 12. If you read carefully 1 Cor. 12 is a gift of various kind of tongues. In 1 Cor. 12 the gift of tongues is God speaking to man in an unknown language. It is from God towards His people. But here in 1 Cor. 14:14-15 It is we born again Christians speaking to God. We must understand that the direction is different. When God speaks to His people in an unknown tongue, it needs interpretation. When the people of God speak in tongues to God we don’t need to interpret. He understands all languages. He understands all the dialects. Our God understands all languages especially the gift of the Holy Spirit that causes us to speak in an unknown language. That language is unknown to the speaker but known to God. Sometimes it is a heavenly language. Sometimes it is a language of a tribe or race or nation on the face of this earth. So here when Paul speaks about the baptism in the spirit, he speaks about the spirit within us talking in a new language to God. Jesus said in my Name they shall speak in new tongues. That tongues will help us move into the spirit realm.

Praying in the Spirit leads us into a spiritual rest

        In the beginning it may be necessary to pray in tongues for hours to move into the spirit realm. It may take you six, seven, eight hours of praying in tongues to get into the realm of the spirit. Later on, it may take you in a shorter time. The reason is that when you are acquainted with the spirit realm, you can move easier and easier into the spirit world. And it can take you just 15 minutes to get into the realm of the spirit.  If you are new your mind starts going in all directions, distracted by the things of life, the cares of life, the purpose of life, the goals in this life. And as you began to pray to God in the spirit over and over again, you will reach a point where your mind is suddenly quiet. At that point the presence of God begins to manifest.

         I do not understand why for some people it takes them eight hours, some people six hours, some three hours. I do not understand why it takes different people different amount of time to get a breakthrough. But one thing I do know. If you persist and continue, you will breakthrough into the spirit realm. And as you continue to move in the spirit realm, you become acquainted with the spirit realm then you can breakthrough faster and faster. You mind comes under control. It is the realm of rest. It is the realm of Canaan. For us it is the spiritual Canaan.

         Let's look at Heb. 4:1-10 Therefore since the promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest as He has said: " So I swore in my wrath, 'they shall not enter my rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: " And God rested on the seventh day from all His works",and again in this place: "They shall not enter my rest." Since therefore it remains that some must enter it and those to whom it was first preached did not enter, because of disobedience, (Here the author refers to the people of Israel. Before they entered the land of Israel, God promised the land of Canaan shall be the land of milk and honey, a rest for them. And God told them to enter. But they did not enter. And even though after they have entered, here the author says in verse seven,) again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," (Now in David’s time they have already entered the land of Canaan. And in David’s time and in King Solomon’s time that was when Israel reached the peak in the promised land of Canaan. Yet in the peak in the promised land of Canaan God says in) Heb 4: 7-8, Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. So in the time of king David, the Holy Spirit through David pointed to another rest coming. Not a physical rest. Another rest that is coming forth. An eternal rest, a rest for God’s people. He was pointing to a spiritual land of Canaan. It says in verse eight, if Joshua had given them rest, then he would not afterwards have spoken of another day. So he looks forward more then the physical land of Canaan. Verse 9 there remains therefore a rest for the people of God. There remain a rest for the people of God. Now all these apply to us. For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his work as God did from his. The Hebrews were already born again, baptised in the Holy Spirit, taught in the word of God, strong in the Hebrew tradition, strong in Christian tradition and yet the author to the Hebrews says in Heb 4:11 let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.

        The bible tells us very clearly that when God first made the garden of Eden and all the creatures inside, on the seventh day He rested. That seventh day points towards a spiritual significance. And in the land of Canaan that God promised the Israelites that when they entered that land there were many nice things inside. You read in the Old Testament, God says that you will have houses which you did not build with your hands. You shall have fruit trees that you did not plant with your hands. It shall be land that bears fruits for you. In fact the two spies who were sent by Moses returned carrying one bunch of grapes. Just one bunch of grapes was so heavy that it took two men to carry it on a pole. It was a rich land. That was the physical land that they looked forward to. So the land of Canaan was a land of gifts. It was a land of milk and honey. It was a land of victory. They conquered all the nations that come against them in that place. They have foreign nations squatting on the land that God promised. They went in. They have victory. They have spiritual warfare in that realm. They have physical warfare. There was spiritual warfare because Joshua saw the angel of the Lord leading the Israelites army. And in the physical Joshua was fighting physically. It was a land that they fought. It was a land of gifts. Fruitful gifts, fruits physical fruits, a type of spiritual fruits. It was a land of gifts. God gave them houses. God gave them land. There all the tribes of Israel have rest. It was a land of blessings.

         Where is the land of Canaan for God’s people today? The bible speaks of a promised land for us. It is not just heaven. That land of Canaan is the land, a spiritual land that Jesus Christ has bought for us. The land of Canaan, the seventh day Sabbath was fulfilled in Christ. So in Christ all the inheritance is ours. We are heirs and joint heirs. And even though you are heir and joint heir it is not necessary true that you are enjoying the heir ship. All the promises are there in Christ. Jesus is the land of Canaan. I put it in another way - the spirit realm of blessings. You read in Eph.1 about how God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. In Eph. 2 it says that we are seated in the heavenly places. You read in Romans, Paul says that you are in the spirit. The land of Canaan is the land of the spirit realm, where all our blessings are in store in that realm. All of us have been promised the spiritual land of Canaan. The spiritual land of rest is the place where our struggles are over. Where all your desires are fulfilled, all the callings and gifting of God in your life are fulfilled in that land. That is the spiritual realm that God has promised you.

     Paul says in 1 Cor. 14:21 In the law where it is written:  with men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people. Paul actually took that quotation from Isa. 28:11. Lets look at Isa 28:11 and see the context by which he has taken that passage. For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to these people. That is the same passage that Paul quoted in 1 Cor. 14. So from 1 Cor. 14:21 we can conclude that Isa. 28:11 is talking about speaking in tongues. The two scriptures are in harmony. This prophecy points forward to God’s people enjoying his promise in future generation. Isaiah spoke that prophecy in Isa. 28:11. He was prophesying of a time coming when people will speak forth with tongues. For with stammering lips and another tongue he will speak to these people. Isaiah 28:11 speaks about praying in tongues, which results in Isaiah 28: 12, To whom He said, "This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest," And, "This is the refreshing" that God has promised. Jesus himself told us in John 7 that when you received the baptism of  the Spirit out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water. When you understand what the word of God says about the rest of God, it is directly linked to speaking in other tongues. When I first saw this scripture, I say God that is very funny. You say this is rest. When I first pray in tongues – it was a real sweat. I prayed until my tongue began to hang out. I say God this is hard work. You say this is rest. But the word is right. We have to line our experience with the word. And then God began to show me that there is labour involved in entering the rest. Heb. 4:11 let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedient. In some translation it says let us therefore labour to enter into that rest. See the rest is waiting for you. You have to labour to enter into that rest. When I complained about that, God says that is the labour to enter into the rest. And I continue worshiping God in tongues. Continued praying forth in tongues. And that was when I began to taste what the rest in the Spirit is like. And the Holy Spirit began to be more real to me.

        And I found out that God couldn't use you until you are at rest spiritually. Until you are at rest spiritually the anointing cannot flow through you. Until you are at rest spiritually God’s gift cannot operate through your life. Until you are at rest spiritually, you cannot begin to do the works of God. You will be struggling with your own works. So Jesus is saying he who is heavy laden come and take my yoke. It is the yoke that is the work involved. But He says my yoke is easy and my burden is light. There is a rest in the yoke of God. It is the works of God that He does through you. All you have to do is rest in Him. There is a spiritual rest more powerful that physical rest. We know what the physical rest will do to us. If you have been working hard day and night 15 hours a day for 6 straight days, you will know what it is to rest physically for just one day. And how refreshing that rest makes you. We know how recuperating, how reviving, how strengthening a good physical rest does to our physical body. But the spiritual rest is far, far above and more powerful. The spiritual rest is a refreshing. You never get stale. You never get tired. You can bring healing to a million people and you will still be at rest. When you enter into that spiritual rest, it is the reviving of your spirit, soul and body. It does something to your whole being.

        Sometimes when you have been praying for many hours, you can feel your whole body becoming warm. Something is happening to your whole system. You have entered into the rest. And that is the rest that God is calling all people. God is saying cease from your own work. Your own works are nothing. God says come and enter into the rest. Come into the promised land of Canaan. And the Bible is telling us in Heb. 4 that don’t be disobedient like the Israelites who refused to enter into the land of Canaan. But here we have a spiritual land of Canaan the spiritual world. The Bible say enter it. Press into the spiritual land of Canaan.

Praying in the Spirit connects you to the spirit realm

         Now our tongues are involved if we want to enter into the rest, into the spirit world. Turn to James chapter 3 to see how our tongue is connected to the spirit realm. It says in James 3:5-6 even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindle.  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members of our body that it defiles the whole body, and set on fire the cause of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. That is talking about the evil spiritual realm. It talks about tongues as being used by evil forces. The tongue on its evil side can be very evil. It is a connected directly with the spirit realm. Do you know that of all animal creatures only man has the ability to use his words far above all the other creatures? Because we are made in the image of God, our tongue is directly connected to the spirit realm. In the book of Revelation, John said he saw Jesus Christ in glory and he saw coming out of the mouth of Jesus a two-edged sword. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. In the book of Eph. 6 it talked about children who want to live long. Obey your parents and guard your tongue. It is a quotation from the book of Proverbs. Our tongue is connected to the spirit realm and it can be used for evil and it can be used for good. Now if just the ordinary language and words are so powerful that Jesus said the words that I speak onto you are spirit and they are life, how much more when our tongue began to take hold of the language of God? It is a supernatural utterance that God gives in our spirit. And as our tongue become yielded and began to speak forth exactly what the Holy Spirit wants us to say, what power will be released from within us? The bible continues in James 3:8 no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil full of daily poison. Now he is being on the negative side. But he is getting us to see from the negative side how powerful it is. If it is so powerful on the negative side, how much more powerful is it on the positive side? James 3:10-11 out of the same mouth proceeds blessings and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be. Does a spring sends forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Verse 11 says that the words that flow through your tongue are like a river flowing exactly the way James vivify Jesus illustrations. The words that flows forth form your tongue can either be bad or be good. So notice that our tongue and our mouth are connected to the spirit realm.

        The mountain will not move until you believe that what you say will come to pass Mk. 11:24. Our words and our mouth are connected to the spirit world. There is one connection and one manifestation of the spirit world to the natural world. There is only one substance that is the spiritual substance that is manifested in the physical realm. See the spirit realm is the spirit realm. The soul realm is the soul realm. The body realm is the body realm. But there is one substance that is both tangible, that is touchable, feelable, hearable, seeable, in the spirit realm and in the physical realm – words. The word of God is invisible but it is heard physically. When God speaks through His prophets, the word is heard. Yet the word is not just physical. The word is spiritualised. And the word is written. There is potential power. There is only one substance that is real and tangible in the spirit realm and in the physical realm – words. And there is only one instrument by which words can be spoken forth – your tongue.

        And when we speak forth words, there is a spiritual dimension and a physical dimension. How much more when the Spirit of the Almighty God comes upon us, fills our spirit man and causes our spirit man to speak exactly what God wants us to speak. When you pray in tongues, you pray in the perfect will of God. If we by speaking the word of God in our own language could release great power, how much more when we began to speak forth in tongues which is the language 100% accurate that the Holy Spirit wants to release through our life? I encourage you, I urge you that God has given to us a simple gift to move in the great realm of the spirit.

        Don’t talk about raising the dead. Don’t talk about doing the greater works yet. Don’t talk about the healing miracles of God unless you have made used of the gift of tongues in your prayer language. Don’t talk about the working of miracles flowing through your life. You are wondering why the miracles are not taking place. You are wondering why the gift of faith is not operating. You are wondering and wondering, doesn’t this sound like an unbeliever? When right there God has given you that simple yet to the mind sometimes foolish ability to transcend this physical world into the spirit realm and speak and worship God in tongues. If you are neglecting that ability that God has given onto you, repent, because God has not given it to you just for you enjoy it once. It is your life. Your success or your failure depends on that release. The gift of the Holy Spirit started operating strongly when I moved into tongues. I used to wonder why don’t the other gifts of the Spirit operate like all the nine gifts. And God began to deal with my life and say you are not faithful to what I have given. I have given you tongues and you are not even practicing it. And if you think that praying in tongues one hour is long, that is a only peanut. If you are just praying one hour, that is just barely making it. You have to move deeper into the realm of the Spirit. Every successful man or woman of God today has always entered the realm of tongues.

Entering the Rest Separates the Believers from the Unbelievers

        The only problem is how can we enter that realm. You cannot enter and experience it in your flesh. You cannot enter and experience it in your mind. It is only in the spirit realm that we enter into His rest. 1 Cor. 14:20-22 brethren do not be children in understanding. However in regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. In the law it is written "with men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to these people and yet for all that they will not hear me says the Lord. Therefore tongues are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; a prophecy is not for unbelievers but for those who believes. Tongues are signs to unbelievers. Tongues are the signs that differentiate the unbelievers and the believers in the bible time. See in the Biblical times if you are a Christian you do get baptised in the Spirit. And those who have not, you will have people like Paul come in Acts 19 to lay hands on you. And you will get baptised in the Spirit and speak in tongues. All the 120 disciples in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost spoke in tongues. Everyone who wrote the New Testament spoke in tongues. But today it is different. You can be a Christian and yet not be baptised in the Spirit. In those days it was not. So Paul was saying all the Christians here are tongue talking, demon chasing, hand laying and spirit praising. All of them are worshipping God in tongues. Paul says that is the sign between the unbeliever and the believer.

         You say the devil also can counterfeit tongues. Yes, but it is different. If there is a counterfeit, there is a genuine. See if there is a counterfeit, then you should believe it more because there should be a genuine. So speaking in tongues is a sign to the unbelievers. The apostle who talks about love in 1 Cor. 13 is the same one who followed up with chapter 14 and talks about tongues as a mark of a Christian. If tongues is a sign on the believer that the unbeliever can read, so the believers have the signs and Paul particularly point to signs. When we talk about signs people talk about miracles, healing, and tongues is included. The reason God does it that way is to help you start at a place easiest for you. That is the first sign in your life. In the Bible when all the 120 praying in tongues, they said these people must be drunkard. They saw something on them. There was a mark on the believer which was a sign to the unbeliever. See in the Bible times talking in tongues was so common among all the people. If it were not so common they made sure they receive. In Acts 8 when those believers in Samaria were baptised in water, Peter and John came to look at them and they saw they have not received the baptism in the Spirit. Straight away they prayed for them. Every one of them was expected to manifest that gift of tongues in their life. Tongues is a sign for all believers to have on them to show to the unbeliever.

You ask, "Does that mean that everyone will speak in tongues?" Yes, if you have what the Bible says about the Baptism in the Spirit. What about the passage that Paul says 'not all speak in tongues?'  That is where many people are confused. Paul was talking about the gift of tongues from God towards the people. Not everyone has that gift of tongues, to bear a message in tongues to people.   But here in the baptism in the Spirit in 1 Cor. 14 we are praying in tongues towards God. In Acts 2 they were all filled with the Spirit. They spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. If Paul says tongues is a sign to unbelievers, could you afford not to have that sign on you to show to the unbelievers? If your spirit man is to be released to worship God, what will be the result? Speaking in tongues. Because speaking in tongues is your spirit man speaking. It is not your soul or intellect speaking.

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