For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Isaiah 28:11-13
Through my years of bible study, I had always understood that the deepest and most revelatory understanding of Scripture came through a line by line study of the Word, particularly with an in-depth study of the original language, whether it be Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. There are even studies with the terms precept in their titles, all of which promote a deep understanding of God and His Word. While I certainly value an in-depth study of the Bible and taught in-depth studies for years, I often came away with an understanding in some areas but confusion in others that only left me with more unanswered questions. It was a vicious cycle of feeling convicted, condemned, and uncertain as to whether God truly loved me. I know this may not have been the intention of the study or the teacher, but the effect was NOT the joy of the Lord nor the Good News of the Gospel as promised in the New Testament. I realized something was very wrong!
It wasn't until I started praying in the Spirit that revelation of this deadly form of study was made clear. I found teaching on grace and came to understand that these precept studies often extract grace (which points to Christ and His redemption) and insert the Mosaic law (which is harsh, unforgiving, and judgmental) - or worse than that - combine grace with the law. According to Jesus, this combination is tantamount to pouring new wine into old wineskins, which ruins both! (Luke 5:38). Furthermore, Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 3:7-9 that this mixture of grace and law is actually the ministry of condemnation and death! No wonder I always came away from bible study and church feeling like an ole dirty, low-down, rotten sinner!
Where is this joy, peace, and rest promised in the Gospel? I often asked myself. It certainly didn't come from these in-depth Bible studies, but it did begin to come when I prayed in the Spirit and began to look at the Word with a fresh set of eyes - through the eyes of grace and NOT the law. Well, isn't this what the Father prophesied in Isaiah 28? The rest promised by Him will not come through line upon line study - the Pharisees had been studying Old Testament Scripture for years before Jesus arrived on the scene and they were blind to the ways of God. No, the Father said that the rest IN HIM would come through stammering lips and an unknown tongue. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:21 that this prophecy was fulfilled through the Holy Spirit-given prayer language.
As we see in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, a deep revelation of the Old Testament prophecies were downloaded into the apostles and disciples, all of which POINTED TO JESUS, not the law! Just look at the bold sermon Peter preached to the Jews on that day of Pentecost 2000 years ago. As soon as he was baptized with power from on high, he spoke with other tongues and his understanding of how Jesus fulfilled Scripture grew astronomically! Even on the road to Emmaus, Jesus taught those two disciples how all the Scriptures pointed to Him! By the Spirit, He opened their eyes to the truth of His fulfillment of all the law and the prophets. (Luke 24:27-31). Bottom line: if your precept studies don't point to the finished work of Jesus, then reject them as deadly!
Religion rejects tongues, just as Isaiah prophesied and Paul explained in his New Testament letter to the Corinthians. Religion will continue to insist on a line upon line study of the Word without any revelation given by the teacher (and comforter), who is the Holy Spirit! While Jesus may be mentioned, there is often a great focus on sin, the law, and judgment that brings about condemnation and fear. This is NOT the good news of the Gospel! Just as Isaiah prophesied, this refusal to accept God's perfect plan will cause many to fall backward, be broken, snared, and taken!
In order for us to truly hear from the Lord and our heavenly Father, we must learn from the Holy Spirit who will always point solely to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the only teacher who will lead and guide us into all truth. Yes, there may be repentance and correction, but it will be done gently and in the spirit of love not in the spirit of condemnation and fear.
If you've been warned by well-meaning denominational teachers to reject tongues as unnecessary (or even of the devil), consider praying to the Lord and reexamine the Scriptures with a fresh set of eyes. Ask Him to enlighten your understanding so that you may come to truly see what Isaiah 28 is actually telling us. (Ephesians 1:18). In these days and times, we need to be walking in the fullness of what the Lord Jesus died to give us! Amen to that!
Showing posts with label tongues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tongues. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Pray in the Spirit!
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:18-20
Our final weapon against the enemy is the most powerful, and it is praying in the Spirit. I don't think any of us truly knows what goes on in the spirit realm when we pray in our prayer language. Paul tells us in Romans 8:26 that the Spirit prays for us through groanings and utterances that cannot be understood. And why is that? Because our human minds cannot pray the necessary specifics and details that only God would know.
Our final weapon against the enemy is the most powerful, and it is praying in the Spirit. I don't think any of us truly knows what goes on in the spirit realm when we pray in our prayer language. Paul tells us in Romans 8:26 that the Spirit prays for us through groanings and utterances that cannot be understood. And why is that? Because our human minds cannot pray the necessary specifics and details that only God would know.
I love how John tells us in John 11: 33, 38 that as Jesus prayed for Lazarus to be raised up, He groaned and sighed within Himself, which I believe was Him groaning/praying in the Spirit. Just recently, an exciting historical discovery was made when ancient scrolls were found in the Vatican describing Jesus bringing a stillborn baby to life. It is intriguing that the writer of the scrolls claims Jesus looked to heaven and prayed in an indecipherable tongue before the miracle happened. How interesting!
In John 4:23-24, Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that a time was coming when God's people would worship Him in spirit and in truth. Before the Spirit came to indwell people as God's born again children, God was worshiped via the Mosaic law through the sacrificial system. People had to go to their priest, rabbi, or a prophet to hear from the Lord. Now, we can speak to and hear from the Lord as we sit in our family rooms or as we go about our days, all because the Holy Spirit was given to us as our comforter and guide who dwells inside of us. How amazing! He prays through us, searching the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10) Again, the ramifications of this wonderful gift are astounding.
One of the side effects of praying in the Spirit is a boldness to preach the Gospel with divine revelation that points only to Jesus! Just look at what the timid, scared Peter did on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out and he and the other disciples prayed in other tongues. (Acts 2). The boldness Peter displayed in preaching how Jesus fulfilled prophecy exceeded anything he or any other priest or rabbi had demonstrated before. I can personally attest that my revelation of how Jesus fulfilled Scripture grew by leaps and bounds when I began praying in my prayer language.
Again, if we truly understood the power of praying in the Spirit, all of us would probably pray night and day! It must be powerful and deadly to the enemy because religious people fight it tooth and nail! But tongues is in the Bible, so I'll keep on believing and praying! Amen to that!
In John 4:23-24, Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that a time was coming when God's people would worship Him in spirit and in truth. Before the Spirit came to indwell people as God's born again children, God was worshiped via the Mosaic law through the sacrificial system. People had to go to their priest, rabbi, or a prophet to hear from the Lord. Now, we can speak to and hear from the Lord as we sit in our family rooms or as we go about our days, all because the Holy Spirit was given to us as our comforter and guide who dwells inside of us. How amazing! He prays through us, searching the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10) Again, the ramifications of this wonderful gift are astounding.
One of the side effects of praying in the Spirit is a boldness to preach the Gospel with divine revelation that points only to Jesus! Just look at what the timid, scared Peter did on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out and he and the other disciples prayed in other tongues. (Acts 2). The boldness Peter displayed in preaching how Jesus fulfilled prophecy exceeded anything he or any other priest or rabbi had demonstrated before. I can personally attest that my revelation of how Jesus fulfilled Scripture grew by leaps and bounds when I began praying in my prayer language.
Again, if we truly understood the power of praying in the Spirit, all of us would probably pray night and day! It must be powerful and deadly to the enemy because religious people fight it tooth and nail! But tongues is in the Bible, so I'll keep on believing and praying! Amen to that!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Pressing In For Healing - a Personal Story
And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. Exodus 15:26
I've written a book and Bible study on divine healing, taught it for years, listened to countless teachings from anointed teachers and preachers and have stood on these Scriptures and truths many times for my own healing and for my family and friends. I have witnessed miraculous, quick recoveries, some that took days, and others longer, but in every case where the believer stood in faith, healing came. At the same time, I have seen several believers throw in the towel because manifestation didn't happen in their time frame. They gave up and caved in to the devil's lies, believing they would never be healed and that it was God's will for them to be sick. I have to admit, I was always a bit judgmental of those people, but now I have more compassion because I recently experienced the same strong temptation to give up and quit.
As a parent, the worse thing imaginable is see your child hurting. The first thing you want to do is make things right. But what about those situations where you have to watch them suffer in pain and aren't able to do one thing about it? Except pray! Recently, my husband and I were in that situation with our youngest child who had to be whisked to the ER not once, but three times, for excruciating, relentless abdominal pain. With no fever, perfect blood and urine tests, and a clean ultrasound, two sets of doctors were stumped as to the cause, diagnosing severe constipation. When the pain worsened and we were forced to go back to the ER this last time, a CT scan was done and the culprit was revealed: a hidden kidney stone!
Now, when your child is writhing in pain and can't be given pain meds because the doctors are 100 percent sure emergency surgery is inevitable for some horrible, off-the-charts diagnosis, and that child is begging for mercy, let me tell you, if you've never been tempted to give up and quit on your faith, then that day has come! The enemy whispers lies to your mind in countless ways, pressuring you to fall to the floor and prepare for the worst! The spirit of fear descends on you in a blanket of darkness and hopelessness threatens to take root in your soul.
Fortunately, the Lord has given us our prayer tongue, so the Spirit is able to pray the perfect prayer needed in these situations. I paced the halls of the ER while my husband held our daughter's hand, trying his best to comfort her. We both prayed in tongues like crazy, quoted Psalms 91, and cried out to Jesus, not caring what anyone thought. Finally, I called Kenneth Copeland ministries and had a sweet lady on the prayer line pray with me. We came into agreement that healing was ours, that the pain would be bound, that the demonic forces would be stilled, and there would be a shalom peace - that we all would enter into the Lord's rest. After that, I heard the Lord tell me to "rise up and stand firm in all I had learned and come to believe." Years of Bible study and revelation came to a boiling point that night - I either believed or I didn't!
A peace came over my husband and me even though our daughter still suffered. Finally, the diagnosis was made and a treatment plan was devised. Our prayers were answered! She was able to receive pain meds for a situation that was easily fixable compared to all the horrible things the doctor had been expecting. We felt like we had won the lottery!
We declared healing and slept peacefully that night. After a quick, noninvasive surgery the next day, we went home and now things are 90% back to normal. Sure, the healing didn't happen instantaneously, but healing was ours. I won't criticise the method or timing! But we had to press in, and hard, with our faith, while our child cried and moaned in pain.
Why did this happen? I do not know. It was certainly an attack of the enemy. Why was the enemy able to attack like that? I don't know. I don't ask. The disciples asked Jesus the same thing about the man born blind - who had sinned, him or his parents? Wrong question. Jesus taught them that focusing on man's sin is not where we should look. Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. John 9:3-4.
I don't look to why this happened, I look to Jesus. His word to me the next night in my sleep-state was this: I am the God who healeth thee! That's straight from Exodus 15. In my sleep-prayer, I saw myself and my entire family being sprinkled with the blood of Jesus and then covered with the feathers of His wings so that we dwelled in a secret, hidden place. That's straight from Psalms 91, the secret place of the Most High which is the Holy of holies. That's a very good place to be! What can man do unto you if you dwell there? What can the devil do to you there? Sickness, disease, poverty? No-thing! Absolutely NOTHING!
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Psalms 91:1-2.
I've written a book and Bible study on divine healing, taught it for years, listened to countless teachings from anointed teachers and preachers and have stood on these Scriptures and truths many times for my own healing and for my family and friends. I have witnessed miraculous, quick recoveries, some that took days, and others longer, but in every case where the believer stood in faith, healing came. At the same time, I have seen several believers throw in the towel because manifestation didn't happen in their time frame. They gave up and caved in to the devil's lies, believing they would never be healed and that it was God's will for them to be sick. I have to admit, I was always a bit judgmental of those people, but now I have more compassion because I recently experienced the same strong temptation to give up and quit.
As a parent, the worse thing imaginable is see your child hurting. The first thing you want to do is make things right. But what about those situations where you have to watch them suffer in pain and aren't able to do one thing about it? Except pray! Recently, my husband and I were in that situation with our youngest child who had to be whisked to the ER not once, but three times, for excruciating, relentless abdominal pain. With no fever, perfect blood and urine tests, and a clean ultrasound, two sets of doctors were stumped as to the cause, diagnosing severe constipation. When the pain worsened and we were forced to go back to the ER this last time, a CT scan was done and the culprit was revealed: a hidden kidney stone!
Now, when your child is writhing in pain and can't be given pain meds because the doctors are 100 percent sure emergency surgery is inevitable for some horrible, off-the-charts diagnosis, and that child is begging for mercy, let me tell you, if you've never been tempted to give up and quit on your faith, then that day has come! The enemy whispers lies to your mind in countless ways, pressuring you to fall to the floor and prepare for the worst! The spirit of fear descends on you in a blanket of darkness and hopelessness threatens to take root in your soul.
Fortunately, the Lord has given us our prayer tongue, so the Spirit is able to pray the perfect prayer needed in these situations. I paced the halls of the ER while my husband held our daughter's hand, trying his best to comfort her. We both prayed in tongues like crazy, quoted Psalms 91, and cried out to Jesus, not caring what anyone thought. Finally, I called Kenneth Copeland ministries and had a sweet lady on the prayer line pray with me. We came into agreement that healing was ours, that the pain would be bound, that the demonic forces would be stilled, and there would be a shalom peace - that we all would enter into the Lord's rest. After that, I heard the Lord tell me to "rise up and stand firm in all I had learned and come to believe." Years of Bible study and revelation came to a boiling point that night - I either believed or I didn't!
A peace came over my husband and me even though our daughter still suffered. Finally, the diagnosis was made and a treatment plan was devised. Our prayers were answered! She was able to receive pain meds for a situation that was easily fixable compared to all the horrible things the doctor had been expecting. We felt like we had won the lottery!
We declared healing and slept peacefully that night. After a quick, noninvasive surgery the next day, we went home and now things are 90% back to normal. Sure, the healing didn't happen instantaneously, but healing was ours. I won't criticise the method or timing! But we had to press in, and hard, with our faith, while our child cried and moaned in pain.
Why did this happen? I do not know. It was certainly an attack of the enemy. Why was the enemy able to attack like that? I don't know. I don't ask. The disciples asked Jesus the same thing about the man born blind - who had sinned, him or his parents? Wrong question. Jesus taught them that focusing on man's sin is not where we should look. Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. John 9:3-4.
I don't look to why this happened, I look to Jesus. His word to me the next night in my sleep-state was this: I am the God who healeth thee! That's straight from Exodus 15. In my sleep-prayer, I saw myself and my entire family being sprinkled with the blood of Jesus and then covered with the feathers of His wings so that we dwelled in a secret, hidden place. That's straight from Psalms 91, the secret place of the Most High which is the Holy of holies. That's a very good place to be! What can man do unto you if you dwell there? What can the devil do to you there? Sickness, disease, poverty? No-thing! Absolutely NOTHING!
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Psalms 91:1-2.
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