Hello 1nebody,

Wow! We bless the name of the Lord for bringing us to the end of another week. Indeed, God is faithful.

Today, I will be reviewing this message by Pastor Poju Oyemade at the Global Impact Church’s 2024 Recharge Conference.

There are so many opinions about speaking in tongues flying around these days. I have heard it both ways; either your faith is not strong enough if you can’t speak in tongues or you speak in tongues out of lack of depth of what to pray about.

But what does the Bible say about it? Pastor Poju, first of all, challenged the norm about speaking in tongues using 1 Corinthians 14:18-19 “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church, I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.” He stressed that speaking in tongues is not for public ministry, it is devotional. It is for your private time with your God. It is a devotional gift that should be done to God and not people – 1 Corinthians 14:2 “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.”

He further explained that when you use tongues as a devotional gift, out of it comes public ministry. If you must edify the church, you must be grounded first, you must have been edified yourself before you can be successful at edifying the church because it is what you drink that will flow out to others (John 7:38).

Pastor Poju titled this message 7 benefits of praying in the Holy Ghost. Before I list out those benefits, here are a few takeaways on why praying in the Spirit is important for our Christian walk.

  • We pray in the Spirit because the human mind needs reawakening to the knowledge of God.
  • It is about recharging your battery. 1 Corinthians 14:4 “Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.”
  • You can’t operate in the Spirit or the prophetic if you don’t pray in tongues (Mark 16:17). The gift of the tongue, if done properly and understood will open doors to other areas.

7 benefits of praying in the Spirit

  1. Tongues should be employed in your worship of God privately (1 Corinthians 14:14-17 ). When you pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit brings certain things to your remembrance. It is called the quickened word.
  2. You are praying the perfect will of God through speaking in tongues. You can’t pray the perfect will of God in your understanding (Romans 8:26-27). Instead, you are praying what Pastor Poju called “the permissive will of God.” God in His infinite mercy will allow things that are not necessarily His perfect will for us. Only tongues can get you to the perfect will of God (Romans 8:25-26). Because we are not God and can’t see the plans and future He has for us, that’s why praying in your understanding can be detrimental. Praying in your understanding is about what you can get from God. However, praying in the Spirit is about what God is giving.
  3. You are praying mysteries unto God. One of our weaknesses is that we can’t know the exact mind of God in any situation. God has provided something for every season and situation and our journey is to pray to receive the grace God has made available. Avoid strife because it only shows that there’s more and that’s not what God is giving you. If it doesn’t fit, you have to acquit. The Holy Spirit inspires you to pray about things you are not aware of, things you don’t know are in existence.
  4. It activates your faith. Praying in the Spirit and faith are connected. You will operate in higher levels of faith if you spend enough time praying in the spirit (2 Timothy 1:5-7). It is what is in you that God quickens. So, praying in the Spirit brings to remembrance what you already know
  5. To enter into rest concerning things. You don’t have it but you are certain it will be fine (Isaiah 28:11-12). When you enter into rest, the Holy Spirit will show you what is to come.
  6. The Holy Spirit energizes your body. He quickens your mortal body.
  7. Your spirit becomes awakened and alert. It helps you to prepare for anything. Nothing should take you unawares. Extended times of praying in tongues and communion with the Spirit are the key to everything.

God bless,

Dasola