Dear Folks,
Like many Pentecostals, I
was a tongue talking, chewing and praying Christian. That is a good thing. I
have read and experienced the benefits of praying in tongues. I believe and
still believe there is nothing as powerful and potent as praying in tongues. So
let me clarify from start, THIS POST IS NOT AGAINST PRAYING IN TONGUES.
So imagine my amazement,
when years ago I heard ‘stop praying in tongues’, I mustn’t be hearing well.
No! I must be hearing crazy. Stop what? But then, the hearing lingers in my
spirit. I knew it was God but then I didn’t understand it. How can God say,
‘stop praying in tongues’? I began to remember scriptures, I said common, how
about Romans 8:26, Jude 1:20, Acts 2:4, Mark 16:17. But then I argued with the
WORD HIMSELF. I wanted to begin to banish the devil, but I knew it wasn’t the
devil.
Herein was the dilemma. It
wasn’t a problem that He said. It was why he would say it. I was stunned at the
oddity of it. Notice He wasn’t telling me PRAYING IN TONGUES WAS WRONG, He said
to stop.
There and then he led me
to these two verses 1Cor. 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’.
Now I saw, what God was
saying, yes my spirit may have been growing, my understanding – my mind wasn’t;
it was unfruitful – the Greek word for unfruitful is ‘akarpos’ – meaning
barren, not bearing fruit, and unproductive. My soul had zero connection to
God. I was not connecting with God in my soul (mind). Yes you worship God in
Spirit – but understanding comes in your soul, my soul was barren and
unproductive when it comes to prayer.
I didn’t get it but God
wanted to have the whole of me. He wanted me to know Him – to be able to
express my love to Him in words. To grow my understanding also. SPIRITUAL MEN
ARE THOSE WHO HAVE A SPIRIT AND SOUL CONNECTION TO GOD.
Tracking back, let me
inform you that prior to that, I did all my prayers in tongues. I didn’t even
say a word in understanding. I had problem in stringing words together in
understanding in public prayer. I was an executive in a campus fellowship, and
I would be stammering words in understanding in prayer, because what I didn’t
do in secret I couldn’t do in public. I bet, God got tired of me and He wanted
to get me out of it.
Last week, I wrote about
SPIRITUAL SNAG and a friend reached out to me – she could relate with it. I
told her to pray more but in understanding because I deciphered the problem was
with her soul - her soul wasn’t connecting with God, her spirit was saved. So I
said stop praying in tongues for two weeks, she said she was going to die --- I
laughed, the truth is IT GETS TO A TIME THAT YOUR SOUL FOR LACK OF
UNDERSTANDING GETS TIRED AND DISCONNECTED – THAT IS WHY YOU NEED RENEWAL BY THE
WORD, AND PRAYERS IN UNDERSTANDING.
Paul said, ‘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’. 1
Cor 14:15. Like Paul of old, I want to encourage you to pray in tongues, but
neglect not praying in understanding.
The Pauline prayers are in
truth one of the most potent and powerful prayers for the believer, and yet
they were not written in tongues, or do we think it was an interpretation of
Paul’s tongues. It therefore shows that the Apostles prayed in understanding
and we should to.
Let’s get out of this
mental belief that believers don’t have to pray in understanding. Yes I pray
more in tongues than understanding, but dear folks I don’t ever neglect PRAYING
IN UNDERSTANDING and you shouldn’t. Let your understanding be carried along in
your spiritual journey.
So back to my story, God
didn’t let me pray in tongues for like a month. Then He allowed me, no more
restraint, and this time I was trained and ready to do both. I had to stop the
tongue converse, to get my soul and understanding going. Let me round off with
Christ words in Mark 12:30, 33;
‘AND THOU SHALT LOVE THE
LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND,
AND WITH ALL THY STRENGTH: THIS IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT’. Mark 12:30
‘AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL
THE HEART, AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING, AND WITH ALL THE SOUL, AND WITH ALL
THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE HIS NEIGHBOUR AS HIMSELF, IS MORE THAN ALL
WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES’. Mark 12:33
You see even your soul is
important.
Your Greatness is Assured!
FA
Fisayo Adeniyi
Pursuing Purpose...
Twitter: @fisayospeaks
Facebook: Fisayo.Adeniyi
Whatsapp: +234-909-0518-35
fisayoadeniyi@gmail.com
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