Morning Dew

Key Passage: 1 Corinthians 2: 9-16

Key Text: Jude 20 – “But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;”

There is a part of us human beings that tend to trivialise the common. Whatever is easy to come by, we treat as unimportant and non vital. It’s just like us to think that because something is so readily available, we can take it for granted or worse still that we don’t need it. Recently I was in London during the recent heat wave and I was in the underground going for a meeting in Knights Bridge. The tubes were so hot and congested, that I found myself gasping for air. I almost passed out in the experience and it made me appreciate the air we so easily breathe and sometimes don’t realise how so vital it is. Because something is so readily available does not make it less important.

Today, I feel a deep need to remind the body of Christ of the often neglected, yet powerful and vital gift of God in giving us the power to pray in an unknown tongue, or what we refer to as speaking in tongues.  Before I delve deeply into this subject, let me first say that, our generation is blessed. We so easily get filled and baptised in the Holy Spirit that it has become commonplace and in some cases trivialised. But it was not always like this. In the early days, people were known to spend weeks, month and in some cases years seeking God for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had ‘tarrying’ meetings and prayed fervently till God came and baptised them with His Holy Spirit. In those days, once you get filled, you are treated like a celebrity. You dare not think what you got is common and you do everything to keep the fire burning.

These days, it is almost the opposite. Before you lay hands on people they get filled and speak in some of the most glorious tongues you have ever heard. But do they know what potential power God has just deposited in their lives?

The bible is very clear in 1 Corinthians 14:2 – “For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].” Praying in tongues is praying by the Holy Spirit and He helps us to pray the perfect prayers concerning any issue we bring to God.

Also in Romans 8:26 we read “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.” The bible says we do not know what to pray and how we ought to pray, so God gave us the Holy Spirit to help us in our prayers. The Holy Spirit knows the heart of God perfectly and when He intercedes for us, He prays the perfect prayers according to God’s will.

In Jude 20, the bible tells us of something quite powerful about praying in the Spirit. “But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;” This scripture tells us that our faith is built up as we pray in the Holy Spirit. We rise like and edifice, we soar like eagles and we catch the realms of God when we pray in the Holy Spirit. The bible tells us that when we pray in tongues we edify or build ourselves up.

Truth is I have noticed a neglect of this powerful gift in the church and I am wondering how many things we are missing out on because we do not pray as often in the Holy Spirit.

Let me encourage you to return to praying in the Holy Spirit and if you are not filled in the Holy Spirit and desire to be filled, let me encourage you to find a bible based Pentecostal church close to you that believes in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and ask the leaders to pray with you.

But for the believer that is filled, go back to praying in tongues for 30 minutes, one hour or even two hours daily and see how divine incidences start to break out all around you. Perhaps that issue you’ve been praying for so much just needs a five-minute blast in tongues to deal with it.

Pray in tongues because it is God’s gift to help you have an unfair advantage in this world.

Let’s pray: Father God, please forgive me for neglecting this gift of the Holy Spirit. Today I ask that you rekindle the fire and passion of praying in tongues and enable me never to treat this powerful grace as common. I thank you for this special ability in Jesus name. Amen.