BY CLIFTON JONES
Throughout this prayer manual I have used the analogy of school. If what we have discussed so far is high school, what I’m about to share with you is college. The subject to be introduced is to prayer what
electricity is to a skill saw. Together we are going to explore, examine, and learn about the very power of prayer.
Jude 20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”
Jude gives us some insight as to how to build up yourself, by praying in the Holy Ghost. I am going to say here and now, that I believe that praying in the Holy Ghost and praying in the spirit, and praying in
tongues, are all the same. I am confident that this is a God given way to keep yourself built up. I know we are accustom to prayer lines, people requesting prayer for more power, or to ‘pray my strength in the Lord;’ but quite the contrary, we know that no other person can pray your strength in the Lord. That is our personal responsibility, to build or keep building up ourselves by means of the Holy Ghost. Our worship to the most High God would be at a much higher level if we would all heed this precept. If and when we come to the worship place, already charged with divine readiness, we won’t have to spend so much time trying to get ourselves to do what we should be doing. Praying in the Holy Ghost, or praying in tongues, is a technique that can only be employed by Spirit filled believers. And I might add, those believers must be delivered from age old traditions, which have robbed us of many privileges, which were given for our freedom.
A. TALKING IN TONGUES
There has been much excitement the past few years over the phenomenon of speaking in tongues. To many, it is just a curiosity; to others a passing fancy. To the more serious, it is called the “second blessing.”
The Bible, however, characterizes speaking in tongues as a necessary and essential component of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Traditionally, Apostolic believers have embraced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues as the foundation and capstone of their faith. Recently, there has been an immeasurable and alarming number turning away from this precious truth. So then, while others are investigating and experimenting with the “second blessing,” some Apostolics are now saying that it’s not necessary, or if you speak once, that’s all you need to do. With this in mind, I feel compelled to speak on this issue. I was praying one morning, and I was just speaking in tongues. When I stopped, the Lord brought to my attention, I Corinthians 14:14,15: “For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the
understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”
The Lord said to me, “Did you notice I said pray with the Spirit first and then with the understanding?”
I know this will go against all Apostolic traditions, especially, if you are one of those who feel that the spirit must move upon you in a mighty way before you can began to speak with tongues. It is to be regretted, that we have not seen ourselves as spiritual persons, able to move in the flow of the Spirit of God at all times. You see, the Spirit will cut the way.
Now you may ask, “Do you mean to go right into a prayer meeting and start talking in tongues?”
“Yes! That’s exactly what I mean. Why shouldn’t you? It is the Spirit which giveth the utterance.”
You have the Spirit, why not let Him bring you up to another level. I know that tradition has blocked some minds, so that they may not be able to enter into this flow right away; but the sooner you start, the sooner you will began to enjoy this level of spiritual freedom.
Notice that the text states, “I will pray with the spirit” and then “with the understanding” also. Everybody isn’t accustomed to speaking in tongues at will, or may I say freely. There is no need for despair. God is a ‘right now’ God. Once you decide to know more about God, and take Him at His word, He will reward your decision with fellowship. He will meet you at the very spot and bless your soul.
“Can you speak in tongues at will?”
“Yes! I’ve been practicing it for years.” I personally believe that a child of God should practice speaking with tongues everyday. This will keep you fresh in your relationship with the Spirit of the Living God.
I am not just concerned about praying an hour, but I don’t want an hour to pass without praying. When you develop the freedom of talking in tongues, you will gain a great advantage in keeping that flow fresh and alive. Remember, you never spoke with tongues until you received the Holy Ghost, that added dimension gave you the ability to communicate with the Lord supernaturally.
When performing a job, it means so much to have the necessary equipment. I tried once to take the heating element out of my water heater. I used the tools I had around the house. They were the wrong tools for that job. I then, went to my neighbor’s home to borrow his tools. He had some tools, but they were either too large or too small. I ended up doing what I should have done in the beginning. I got a plumber. Of course, it took him almost no time to get the job done. Why? Because he had the right tools for the right job, and knew how to use his tools. If and when we plug into the Holy Ghost, as we should, we are going to discover it is more than a sign that one has received the Spirit. We are going to be lead into a very enlightening
relationship with spiritual things.
We should be willing to do anything we can, to get away from operating in the natural, because everything that is natural fell under the curse. That includes your head and all of your physical and mental faculties. That is why Jesus stressed to Nicodemus, he needed a spiritual birth in order to see the kingdom of God. We have allowed our operating in the natural, to rob us of many spiritual truths. When God gets ready to communicate deep secrets to His followers, He doesn’t began with their heads, but with their spirit.
Proverbs 20:27 “The spirit of man [is) the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.”
When this text was written, candles were the main source of light. Had that same scripture been written in our day it would have said light bulb. Anyway, when God gets ready to communicate, He turns light on in
our spirits. If you will keep your spirit alert by talking in tongues daily, you will be more susceptible to His information. Anytime we operate out of our heads, rather than out of our spirits we are likely to miss God.
When you were born again, only your spirit was changed, everything physical remained the same. You heard yourself speaking with tongues, that was God’s way of letting you know that He had taken up residence in your spirit. And from then on, He would convey His mind to us by turning the light on in our spirits. Prayer, supplemented with talking in tongues are the very power tools of God. You can get so much more work done in the spiritual realm when you faithfully use these tools of God.
Psalms 18:28 “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.”
God will light your candle, but you must release God in you. He’s not going to break in, nor kick the door down to get in. You’ve got to release Him. How did you recognize that the Lord had filled you when
you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit? You heard yourself speaking in tongues. What part of your anatomy did he use? Your mouth. How many people have you ever witnessed receiving the Holy Spirit with their mouths shut tight? How many altar workers say “open your mouth”. I’ve even heard them say, “open it wide.” I am saying that the same mouth you used to let Him in, open it often and let Him out (release God in your spirit). Use that same mouth to speak in other tongues,”. . . For out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water.” “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.”
Job 32:8 “But [there is] a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.”
And you thought you had understanding because you went to school, or you sat under the teaching of Pentecost’s best. No! No! No! You can sit under the most learned teachers in the world, and still miss it. It’s not where you were and who you sat under. It is what you did with what you got; whether or not you allowed your rivers to flow. There are people that have been around the church for years, and they are as
dry as hot air popcorn. If they would get truly anointed, you would have to rush them to the emergency room. They serve the Lord carefully. They are careful not to get too involved. They are careful not to get anointed, because they’ll loose their composure, and may soil their clothes. We need people that are so careful that they won’t go in and out of the house of the Lord without touching His spirit.
You and I have not really worshipped until His spirit overshadows our spirit. If you leave without making contact with God Almighty, you have not worshipped. You just attended a meeting.
Your freedom in talking in tongues makes you keen when it comes to making contact with the Lord. Flowing in the spirit of God gives you access to revelation in your spirit. Let me stress again, we spend too
much time drawing from the natural realm of life. To the neglect of valuable spiritual insight, let us see I Corinthians 2:9-14:
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his
Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.”
Here we can see that the word of God supports the idea that the Holy Spirit is our teacher and revelator. As we communicate with the Lord through talking in tongues, our spirits receive divine insight. NO! I am not saying that one cannot receive insight praying in English or his/her own language, I am simply saying it just comes slower. Remember your spirit is God’s light bulb, and when He chooses to reveal something to you, He will turn light on inside you. And through freeness of communication, your spirit man is observant to receive information from the spirit realm. This is one of the priceless aspects of talking in tongues tradition has guided us around. I am not saying that a person who speaks in tongues is automatically spiritual, yet I am saying that it is a God given way to receive from, and to know the things that are given us by the spirit. If I am not an authority on this subject, at least I have many years of practice.
B. THE DIVINE ENERGY OF PRAYER
So if you are clear on what has been taught, you are clear about the fact that speaking in tongues is your way of releasing “divine energy.” This is your way of letting God light your candle. It’s your way of raising the flood gates so your rivers can flow. It’s your way of entering into a spiritual intermingling of God’s Spirit with your spirit. Then your spirit will dominate your flesh; your flesh will have to be silent because of the energy you receive from the supernatural.
When I use the term, ‘let your inner man talk,’ I mean begin to talk to God in that heavenly language. Raise those flood gates. Let your inner man speak. Go for it! Let us consider the teaching found in I Corinthians 14:1-4:
“Follow after charity, and desire spiritual [gifts], but rather that ye may prophesy. For he that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth [him]; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men [to] edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. Verses 14 &15: For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the
understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Verse 39: Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.”
PRAYING IN TONGUE YOU PAST THE LOCAL PRAYER MINISTRY AND INTO THE WORLD WIDE PRAYER MINISTRY.
We need more pray-ers, not people talking about prayer or even how they used to pray. I received some encouragement from another preacher recently, about the effectiveness of prayer language. He said it seems that you get more praying done and more answers to prayer while praying in tongues than at any other time. This is one secret the enemy of your soul hoped you would never discover. There are a lot of people with locked up spirits, and they don’t know where the keys are. Many of God’s children are spiritually constipated. If you check your dictionary, as I did, you’ll find that it means: to clog or make
sluggish, obstructed or bound. Out of all the things we may have considered to be important, there isn’t anything, after you get saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost, more important to your continued spiritual growth than prayer! You might think it’s the word instead. But if you are not praying, the word doesn’t stick like it does to the soul that prays.
Many ministers have preached their hearts out to people that did not have the capacity to receive what was being said because of the lack of prayer. On the other hand, sometimes ministers get blessed of God to
preach a stirring message. They look out and see a crowd and their ego says, “Look at the people that have come to hear me.” Foolishness! Lose your anointing and you are just like a dog that can’t bark, or an
automobile without an engine. Think of it this way. In the game of football there are 22 men on the field. When the running back gets the ball, he can break through the line, pass by the linebackers, dodge the
safety and get into the clearing heading for the goal line. If, suddenly, he decides he doesn’t want to score and throws the ball down, do you think the defense will still chase him? No! Its the ball they want and not the man.
Now, preachers, if you loose your anointing, do you think the crowds will flock to hear you? No! It’s the word they want. It’s the deliverance and the salvation that the word brings that they want-not you. Even the devil is not so much after you as he is after what you have. He wants you to give it up and say it doesn’t work.
WHEN YOU ABANDON YOUR DEVOTION TO GOD AND START LIVING LIKE SATAN WANTS YOU TO LIVE, HE’S NOT GOING TO KEEP CHASING YOU. HE WILL DESPISE YOU AND LITERALLY DROP YOU LIKE A HOT POTATO.
It’s sad to think that some of us received the Holy Ghost back in the 40’s, 50’s and in the 60’s but have not spoken in tongues since our initial infilling. Now some of the main criticisms against speaking in tongues is that you do not know what you are saying. However, since you are speaking to God when you speak in tongues then you really don’t have to know what you are saying, but rather to whom you are speaking.
I Corinthians 14:2 “For he that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth [him]; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.”
Please understand that when you speak in tongues you are speaking divine secrets. There are some things a husband tells his wife that he doesn’t tell other women. Those are marriage secrets, everybody outside of that marriage has no rights, and no privileges to know those secrets. Likewise, there are divine secrets through tongues that only the God that gives tongues can enjoy, and the devil and his crowd can’t know.
If you want to put the enemy in a frenzy, just begin to speak in that heavenly language. I can just imagine the devil instructing one of his demons to follow you to pick up information. You see, Satan doesn’t know everything, even though some people think he does. He sends those investigating spirits to find out what it is that turn you off, bum you up, or weakens your defense. But when you are talking divine secrets, they have to go back to the board meeting dumbfounded, having eavesdropped on a conversation they could not understand.
I was entering one of the variety stores in Philadelphia one day, and there was an Indian family just ahead of me. The mother and father were correcting their child in English, but when I got closer, they began to use their native tongue. I am sure the child knew what they were saying but I was left out because they used the family language. When you and I speak to the Lord in our heavenly language, we exclude Satan and the demons because they are not in the family. You see the Holy Ghost was poured out since he was kicked out, therefore he doesn’t know the language.
Satan will attempt to imitate anything he see working in the kingdom of God. Nevertheless, that is no reason for us to abandon what was given us by God because a counterfeiter is in town. There are money
counterfeiters, but you still use money. If money counterfeiters haven’t stopped you from using money, don’t let the tongue counterfeiters stop you from talking in tongues. Sometime we hear people go so far as to tell about those who are tongue speakers, and did some immoral thing. That won’t build faith, let’s talk about those who speak often and live clean lives.
C. RELEASING THE DIVINE ENERGY OF PRAYER
Consider the phrase “He that speaketh…”.In the King James version of the New Testament, the suffix ” eth” at the end of the verb denotes continuation. We could read then this part of the verse like this: “He that continues to speak . . .” I believe in speaking in tongues everyday. I’m scripturally sound when I say keep talking, and don’t quit. If you keep this up daily, you will grow spiritually.
When you become sensitive to the will of God through prayer, your spirit man is energized through talking in tongues. You may be walking down the street, and instead of just seeing people coming and going, you will see them as God sees them. You will see their needs, reach over and shift into that divine secret language, and just go to talking. “He that speaketh.. The one that keeps talking, keeps building himself up.
Now some of you may not know about having flats, but most cars carry a jack. Some jacks have a handle, and you get it low enough, get it in the right groove, set the right lever, and start pushing, every time you push down on the jack, the car goes up until it reaches the height of the jack. So He that keeps talking, keeps coming up.
The Holy Ghost gave you something that He will operate in if you let Him. He will also leave it in you and won’t operate if you don’t let Him. Many of us have more of God in us than we are allowing to operate for us.
During our praise and worship, we have the foot work right, the singing right, the hand raising half way right, but what about the rest of God’s program? When was the last time you laid hands on the sick and
they recovered? How many demons have you cast out? The Living Bible says, “He that speaketh in a strange language helps himself grow spiritually.” Surely no one is against growing spiritually. He that
speaketh, edifieth himself, or charges himself up. And when we are charged spiritually, we are a help to the service of God. You can come to church and help the service move forward when you are charged. When
you’re not, you come in and hope that something will be said or done that will get you charged up, and that should not be. We are under obligation to keep ourselves built up.
When you allow that divine energy to flow through you by talking in tongues, you do yourself a favor. You are building yourself up, and helping yourself grow spiritually. You are not just flesh and blood, you are a spirit also. And the more you release God’s spirit in your spirit, the more your spirit is brought under subjection to His spirit. Speaking in tongues is one way of edifying yourself. Not that this is the only thing we need to do for edification, but we do need to do it. Sometimes we start building our prayer life and then stop, and the cycle repeats itself, start, stop start, stop. This comes from not releasing divine energy when we pray. Many of us make the excuse of being too busy. When you are too busy to pray, you are just plain too busy. Some of God’s children are so spiritually low that they need to call the job and tell them that you will not be in today due to sickness! Then, pull out the phone, turn off the TV. and disconnect the door bell so you won’t be disturbed. No, you’re not lying.
WHEN YOU, ARE SPIRITUALLY OUT OF IT. YOU ARE SICK!
PLEASE REMEMBER: When you are not praying you are playing. When you are not spiritual, you are carnal. When you are not God conscious, you are worldly conscious and humanized. So then, call the job, you need to spend all day and maybe all night trying to raise your spiritual level. Now you can argue or debate against it, but the Bible did say when you pray in an unknown tongue your spirit is praying. This does not mean you can’t pray any other way. This just lets you know when your spirit is praying, that is important. The spirit, when it prays, it energizes, edifies, builds up, refreshes and it filters God’s mind
into your spirit. You need that because you can’t get God’s mind into your spirit through your head. It comes through your eye gate (it comes through your spirit gate).
Since we are spiritual beings, spirit touches spirit. Our spirit reaches out and takes hold of His spirit. His spirit filters into us and teaches us what is in His mind. When we have the mind of God in us and a spirit that is in agreement, we are then able to obey His commandments.
THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS TAKEN FROM PRAYER CLINIC II, 1990, PAGES 117-130. THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY & RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.
