ORDEN DEL DÍA

It would be good to just stop here for a moment and think about the amazing thing God has done for us: He has provided a way for us whereby our spirits may pray apart from our minds:

"For if I pray in an unknown tongue, MY SPIRIT PRAYETH. . ."

(1 Cor. 14:14). Through this gift of speaking with tongues, our spirits can now communicate directly with God, Who is a spirit being.

You see, once you get filled with the Spirit, for the first time your own spirit can talk directly to God. Before that, you could talk to God with your mind and, of course, your emotions were involved. But speaking in tongues is a means of spirit-to-Spirit communication.

You may remember what Jesus said to the woman at the well of Samaria (John 4:4-26). The woman said to Jesus, "Our forefathers worshiped God in this mountain, but the Jews say we have to worship God in Jerusalem. What do You say about it?"

When Jesus answered, He didn't say that either of those views was right. Instead, He said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (v. 24). We don't have to worship God on a mountain in Samaria, and we don't have to worship Him in Jerusalem. God is a spirit being, and we can worship Him anywhere!

However, Jesus said that the time has come when you must worship God in spirit and in truth because He is Spirit. This gives you another indication of the value of speaking in tongues. When you pray in tongues, your spirit man is in direct contact with God, Who is a Spirit. Remember, Paul said that when

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you're praying in an unknown tongue, your spirit prays (1 Cor. 14:14). You're talking directly to God in a divine, supernatural way.

I know from my own experience the great difference between praying only with the understanding and praying with the spirit.

I remember what my prayer times were like as a young denominational boy pastor. At the time, I was born again, thoroughly saved, healed by the power of God, raised up from a deathbed, and the pastor of a little church. I was still living with my grandparents, my mom, my two brothers, and my sisters, where I'd lived ever since I was nine years old.

Sometimes I'd go down to Grandpa's barn and climb up among the hay bales where I could be alone with God and pray for an hour or so. During those times of prayer, I'd pray the only way I knew how—with my understanding.

I remember the times I'd try so hard to tell the Lord in English how much I loved Him and how wonderful He is. But even though I would stay in that place of prayer for an hour or two, it seemed like I never left feeling satisfied on the inside. How could I be satisfied? My spirit hadn't really had the chance to express itself. But after being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking with other tongues, I noticed that I never left that place of prayer dissatisfied again because my spirit was finally able to communicate with God!

Before I was filled with the Spirit, I remember something else that happened in my prayer life. It happened on more than one occasion, but one incident stands out in particular. As I was praying and endeavoring to tell the Lord how much I loved Him—using all the words in my vocabulary to try to describe all He meant to me—it seemed like my lips and tongue were having certain sensations. It was almost as if I could hardly make them speak English without slurring my words!

Now, it hadn't been that long since I'd been bedfast and partially paralyzed for more than a year. At one point when I was bedfast, my throat and tongue had been partially paralyzed and I wasn't able to speak clearly. So up in Grandpas hayloft that day as I endeavored to pray and my tongue felt thick and

wobbly, it reminded me of the time my tongue was partially paralyzed. I got scared, so I got up and left!

After that, I never stayed long enough for my tongue to feel that way again. As soon as I started sensing anything, I'd just stop praying and get up and leave! Then my tongue would go back to feeling normal again.

It was only after I got filled with the Spirit that I realized what was happening during those times of prayer in Grandpa's barn. The Holy Ghost was trying to give me utterance, but I didn't know that back then. No one had ever taught me about the Pentecostal experience. And since I had no one to talk to about what was happening to me during those times of prayer, I wouldn't yield to the Holy Spirit. I just got up and ran out of that place!

Later when I did get filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke with other tongues, I realized that if I'd yielded to the Holy Spirit back then, I could have spoken with tongues long before I did. You see, the Holy Ghost was in me all the time, and He was trying to fill me to overflowing!

I said to myself, Dear Lord, if I'd only understood, I could have been praying this way all along! I could have been edifying myself all this time. I could have been building myself up. I could have been talking to God supernaturally! But, thank God, I've taken advantage of that gift ever since then!