Please pray about this in terms of your discomfort with ‘tongues.’
—it’s not per se natural in the sense of being familiar, comfortable from familiarity etc. Of course it’s going to feel somewhat uncomfortable initially—IF ONE FOCUSES on the sensations vs on Jesus.
—Satan has a strong investment in tweaking up our natural discomforts with anything which would facilitate communication with or closeness with Jesus.
—we are, as mortals, usually, far too addicted to ‘fear of man’ and approval of others. How does one imagine approval for doing something there’s NO SCRIPT FOR—NO WAY TO “GET IT RIGHT” FOR YOU BECAUSE IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE UNIQUE FOR YOU BETWEEN YOU AND GOD.
—I think that’s ACTUALLY ONE of the strategies, objectives and benefits of tongues—it FORCES—in a sense—us to ‘get over our-selves’ and abandon to God. NOT in a possessed sense—HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT LIKE DEMONIC SPIRITS ON SUCH SCORES. He only comes and influences as in a dance where He’s invited.
—And, the enemy is always looking for a chance—often for months or longer afterwards—even with folks who are energetically praying routinely in tongues—the enemy is looking for a chance to get them to focus on the sensations etc. and to start doubting and feeling so uncomfortable that they abandon the whole thing because he knows how powerful it is in their relationship with God and against satan’s kingdom.
—And, as The Lord made clear to me one time when I no longer experienced the ‘electric Holy Spirit goose bumps’ types of sensations when praying in tongues—WAS I DOING IT IN FAITH OR NOT? DID I RECEIVE SALVATION BY FAITH OR NOT? WAS I GOING TO TRUST HOLY SPIRIT TO CONVEY HIS PERFECT MEANING TO WHATEVER SHOUDS I UTTERED, OR NOT.
—That settled it for me. Sometimes the electric Holy Spirit goose bumps are there and usually not. As one of the best pastors of my life said . . . we walk by faith, not by feelings. But praise God when the feelings come.
—Most often, the supernatural sensations are there when I’m ministering to someone and the anointing comes over me—as can happen when I’m praying in English or in tongues. When the experience occurs when I’m praying in tongues as with a stuck client situation or when functioning on the altar prayer team—the interpretation follows and I give that.
Perhaps you could consider going back to God and noting that you are eager to receive and practice all the Biblical Gifts of His Spirit that he has for you. That you’d at least like to be able to pray in tongues. Then step out in faith obediently with sound sequences not from a lanugage you have learned and see how God affirms such efforts with fruit in your life.
Thanks for sharing your testimony. I think you are quite accurate about Kenneth. Most of the greats of the Bible had flaws ‘worthy buckets of rocks.’
If someone is sold out to Jesus and overwhelmingly talks like it and more walks like it—that’s good enough for me.
It could very well be the discomfort is coming from the Holy Spirit warning us of something that is NOT from Him. That indeed takes discernment but to simply operate on the assumption that the discomfort is from the natural man and fight it could very well leave you fighting God.
—we are, as mortals, usually, far too addicted to ‘fear of man’ and approval of others. How does one imagine approval for doing something there’s NO SCRIPT FOR—NO WAY TO “GET IT RIGHT” FOR YOU BECAUSE IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE UNIQUE FOR YOU BETWEEN YOU AND GOD.
Scriptural support for that please..... Chapter and verses......
—I think that’s ACTUALLY ONE of the strategies, objectives and benefits of tongues—it FORCES—in a sense—us to ‘get over our-selves’ and abandon to God. NOT in a possessed sense—HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT LIKE DEMONIC SPIRITS ON SUCH SCORES. He only comes and influences as in a dance where He’s invited.
Scriptural support for that please..... Chapter and verses......
Besides, hello, for all I've heard this nonsense about *inviting* Him in, well, He's already IN the life of the believer. There is no need to *invite* Him in or to work. It already is God who works in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure. (Phil 2:13)
Perhaps you could consider going back to God and noting that you are eager to receive and practice all the Biblical Gifts of His Spirit that he has for you. That you’d at least like to be able to pray in tongues.
Tongues is the least of the gifts. Paul says he'd rather that we prophesy than speak in tongues. Why encourage anyone to go for the least? What's wrong with seeking and practicing the other gifts of the Spirit? Who do we ever see encouraging others to seek after teaching, preaching, wisdom, knowledge, discernment, helps, giving, acts of mercy, serving..... What's wrong with those gifts that nobody seems to want them?
Then step out in faith obediently with sound sequences not from a lanugage you have learned and see how God affirms such efforts with fruit in your life.
Manufactured tongues. What a novel concept.....
NOT!!! That is exactly the fakery and fraud that we're warning about. We do NOT have to *help* God along in exercising the gifts. He gives them AS HE WILL, not at our behest.
If God's behind it it will happen with NO help from us, complete and perfect. Telling people to work into it by making sounds is deception, plain and simple.
Then step out in faith obediently with sound sequences not from a lanugage you have learned and see how God affirms such efforts with fruit in your life = striving in the flesh