A Tool to Accomplish the Job
It's something that keeps coming back up in my time with God over the past few months.
There is a specific reason we were given the Gift of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of that Gift being speaking in tongues. It was by design. It has precise function. Odds crumble with its use while dreams are built successfully with its aid.
Its effectiveness is highly devastating to Satan's operations. The Holy Spirit is not an ornament! It is the power of the Godhead inside you.
Besides building yourself up, the function of praying in the Spirit is like that of a tool for a job. A hammer is given to be used, not to be worn as an ornament on your tool belt! Raising a barn requires a hammer in order to get the boards nailed up. The goal behind the barn is that the birthing animals don't freeze that winter! Where is the connection? Just as the hammer is a tool given to accomplish the job/mission, praying in the Spirit is an important tool, not to be showcased on your tool belt, but to get the job accomplished that God is wanting done.
Track with me. I am going somewhere with this and I want you to see how the pieces fit together to understand how we got there.
Jesus told His disciples to pray, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Luke 11:1-2) And if you ask anything according to the will of God, He hears and it shall be done. (see I John 5:14-15) Praying in tongues is praying the entire, perfect will of God.
I John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (NKJ)
But if we are to ask/pray the will of God, there are times we don't know what His will is, or for instance: we do not know about a given situation, let alone the details involved with it. The Spirit does.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and (they) began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
This is where praying in the spirit comes into play again... "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the (Holy) Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He (the Holy Spirit) who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." - Romans 8:26-27 (NKJ)
There have been many times in my own life where I knew something was up, and sensed there was a need to pray, but I didn't know what it was about let alone the will of God in the situation... But the Holy Spirit did and gave me utterance as I prayed in the Spirit. Later, (on numerous occasions) I found out the life and death details and saw how the Spirit intervened! Think of a time where you had an "instinct", or a thought, or a knowing about something that your head couldn't know... you may have not been aware of tongues and its function at the time and so didn't pray. The Spirit does not give you promptings in vain and never to bring fear... promptings come because God wants to intervene and move in on the situation.
* Praying in the Spirit is 1. A highly effective tool 2. The will of God is accomplished despite the limitations of your mind. Ok...next... Here's where the tracks meet amazing!!
How does praying in the spirit affect a situation?...
It affects the situation because the function of the Holy Spirit is to transform every word of God into a visible reality.
2 Corinthians 3:8 How will the ministry (function) of the Spirit not be more glorious?
Just look at the Beginning... there was formless emptiness... the Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the waters. What was He doing? The Spirit was waiting for the Word... His function is to act on every word of God like water on a seed; and to manifest it into a visible reality. Look:
Genesis 1:1-3
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the (Holy) Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
(NIV)
Did you see how the Spirit rushed in on the situation, moving on the spoken word of God. In this case that word was: "Let there be Light!" and the Holy Spirit manifested it!
Or again... do you remember in Luke where the angel spoke God's word to Mary and the Holy Spirit of God hovered over her in response to that word. The word became flesh - just as the word became light and we beheld its glory. (Luke 1:35, John 1:1-3,14) Both cases, the Holy Spirit's function was to manifest God's words in that situation.
So again, how does praying in the spirit affect a situation?
When you are praying in tongues, the Spirit is giving you utterance... thus it is God's words you are speaking out... The Holy Spirit moves in on those words just as He did from the Beginning! Manifestation occurs; the will of God accomplished. The Spirit moves in, intervening in situations, setting things up, preventing other things, aiding, providing, protecting, giving the advantage, accomplishing, strengthening, guiding, setting free, giving life... even raising the dead.
What I want you to become aware of is this: things are moving in the spirit realm that will manifest in the physical realm when you pray in the spirit.
Do you see how that praying in the Spirit is a tool, not a showcase! You are in obedience to Jesus' command to pray: "Your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven." The Holy Spirit acts on those words, and things happen... You are speaking the word of God over yourself, loved ones, others, and situations you do not even know about. But you are working in partnership with God, getting His will accomplished on the earth as it is in heaven. It is the time of harvest, and he has called labors into the vineyard even unto the last hour. You don't have to be a preacher for God to use you. You need the tool.
In conclusion: The Holy Spirit with the evidence of Speaking in Tongues, is a Gift, a tool that God has given to each child of God. It is an advantage He gave you for your calling here - whether you are a firefighter, a nurse, a teacher, a spouse, a parent, business owner, etc...
Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you…”
Jesus said
Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry (wait) in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Life and death really are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). When you yield that tongue to the power of the Holy Spirit... light happens, because God is speaking utterance through your lips. You can use that tool at any time of day, but there will also be times where the Spirit of God urges you to do so because of a situation He wants to move in on - your obedience to pray in the spirit affects the outcome!
See articles: "You in the Power and the Power in You" "The Fuel in the Engine, the Power to Succeed" for more on the Holy Spirit and How to Receive the Holy Spirit.
Luke 11:13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?
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