The New You and the Holy Spirit Part 5

As you step out in faith to pray in tongues and believe G.o.d for the interpretation, you'll receive exactly what you need from the Holy Spirit too!

CHAPTER 9.

GET STARTED.

Speaking in tongues is not something you do just once to prove you've received the baptism in the Holy Spirit; it's a powerful tool to edify yourself spiritually. Whenever you pray in tongues, you cause yourself to rest, you build yourself up on your most holy faith, and you keep the love of G.o.d active and alive in your heart. As you speak forth hidden wisdom and believe for interpretation, revelation knowledge will open up and supply answers you couldn't get any other way. That's why the devil has fought so hard against this gift! He's afraid of what would happen if speaking in tongues ever became part of your daily Christian life.

The Holy Spirit inspires the words, but you have to say them. "And they were all tilled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). Notice that the Spirit gave them utterance. It's not just purely the Holy Spirit speaking through you. He gives you a prodding and a desire, but you must do the talking.

It's similar to how the gift of teaching works. If I stood before a group of people and prayed "G.o.d, please speak through me, but don't let me say anything that's not of You" and then waited for Him to make me speak, I'd never say anything. It's my responsibility to step out in faith and start talking. G.o.d inspires the messages, but they come out through my personality, vocabulary, and mannerisms. G.o.d doesn't speak in Texas drawl; I do! The Holy Spirit supplies the content and I deliver it!

Fear short-circuits your ability to speak in tongues. You might have trouble at first, if you worry about it or try to a.n.a.lyze what you're saying. The Holy Spirit is inspiring you to speak, but it's your fear that's blocking it. Yield your tongue to the Holy Spirit, and then speak forth by faith the words He gives you.

BREAKTHROUGH!.

I struggled to pray in tongues for months. Even though I was convinced it was of G.o.d and wanted it, I had a hard time receiving my prayer language.

A man came over to my house in an attempt to help me.

He asked, "If you repeated something I said in Spanish, would you be speaking in Spanish?" I nodded. "Then if I spoke something in tongues and you repeated it, would you be speaking in tongues?"

"Yes, but I don't want to just repeat something; I want to speak in tongues on my own!" He kept insisting, so finally I gave in. However, I stopped after only getting through the first couple of words. Embarra.s.sed, I told him I wasn't doing a very good job repeating what he said.

He argued, "Yeah, but you were speaking in tongues.

That wasn't Englis.h.!.+"

By then I had reached my limit. "No; I don't accept that. I wasn't speaking in tongues!" He just threw up his hands in frustration and left.

Immediately after this, I was on my way to minister to someone. In desperation I declared, "G.o.d, I'm just going to start talking. I believe that You are going to help me speak in tongues." Then I began making up nonsense words and saying them out loud. It seemed silly to me, so I didn't feel very good about it. However, I realized that I'd said two words that did sound pretty decent.

Since they seemed like a real language to me, I figured they must be tongues. So I took those two words and started speaking them over and over again all the way to my destination.

Upon arrival, I experienced the best time of ministry I'd ever had before. I was convinced it was because I'd been praying in tongues. On my way home, I started praising G.o.d in the car and decided to pray using those two words some more, but I panicked when I couldn't remember them. After struggling so long to pray in tongues, I had forgotten the only two words I'd received!

Then I thought, I'll just get another two! So I started the process over again until another two words came. After using them for a while, I added a couple more. Within a few moments, I was speaking fluently in tongues!

Looking back, I know now that I could have spoken in tongues all along. However, I was under the false impression that the Holy Spirit would come upon me with such force that I wouldn't be able to keep myself from blurting out in tongues. When that never happened, I discovered He doesn't work that way. The Holy Spirit was just waiting for me to speak out in faith the words He'd been gently inspiring me to say.

Now it's your turn to do the same!

LET'S PRAY.

"Father, thank You for baptizing me in the Holy Spirit!

I'm so grateful You gave me this wonderful gift* Please help me to walk in all of its benefits!"

"Through speaking in tongues, I can draw on the power You've placed within me: for rest and refres.h.i.+ng, for You've placed within me: for rest and refres.h.i.+ng, for building my faith and keeping myself in Your love, and for revelation knowledge as interpretation comes,"

"I am a believer! Your Word says, 'These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues' (Mark 16:17). By faith, I will speak in tongues from this day forward, in Jesus' name. Amen!"

FATHER IS PROUD OF YOU!.

Now, by faith, say out loud those sounds coming up from deep within. You'll be talking in a language unknown to you, but the Holy Spirit is the One inspiring it. You'll be speaking in tongues!

Go ahead-practice awhile! Enjoy yourself in the Lord!

If you aren't fluent right away, don't worry-G.o.d is proud of you! When little children start to speak, their parents know what they are trying to say. Even though it's baby talk, they're pleased. Your heavenly Father is proud of you, even if your tongue isn't fluent yet. If you'll just keep using it and not worry about yourself so much, tongues will begin to flow out of you unhindered!

As your brother in the Lord, I welcome you to the Spirit- filled life!

RECEIVING JESUS.

AS YOUR SAVIOR.

Choosing to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the most important decision you'll ever make!

G.o.d's Word promises "that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that G.o.d hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:9-10). "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).

By His grace, G.o.d has already done everything to provide salvation. Your part is simply to believe and receive. Pray out loud, "Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Savior, I believe in my heart that G.o.d raised You from the dead. believe in my heart that G.o.d raised You from the dead.

By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!"

The very moment you commit your life to Jesus Christ, the truth of His Word instantly comes to pa.s.s in your spirit. Now that you're born again, there's a brand-new you!

RECEIVING THE.

HOLY SPIRIT.

As His child, your loving heavenly Father wants to give you the supernatural power you need to live this new life.

"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened...

how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:10 and 13).

All you have to do is ask, believe, and receive!

Pray, "Father, I recognize my need for Your power to "Father, I recognize my need for Your power to live this new life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit, live this new life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit, By faith, I receive it right now! Thank You for By faith, I receive it right now! Thank You for baptizing me! Holy Spirit, You are welcome in my life!"

Congratulations-now you're filled with G.o.d's supernatural power!

Some syllables from a language you don't recognize will rise up from your heart to your mouth (1 Cor 14:14). As you speak them out loud by faith, you're releasing G.o.d's power from within and building yourself up in the spirit (1 Cor 14:4). You can do this whenever and wherever you like!

It doesn't really matter whether you felt anything or not when you prayed to receive the Lord and His Spirit. If you believed in your heart that you received, then G.o.d's Word promises you did. "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24). G.o.d always honors His Word. Believe it!

Please contact me and let me know that you've prayed to receive Jesus as your Savior or be filled with the Holy Spirit. I would like to rejoice with you and help you understand more fully what has taken place in your life.

I'll send you a free gift that will help you understand and grow in your new relations.h.i.+p with the Lord. "Welcome to your new life!"

CONTACT INFORMATION.

Andrew Wommack Ministries P.O. Box 3333 Colorado Springs, CO 80934 Helpline: 719-635-1111 www.awmi.net Andrew Wommack Ministries of Europe P.O. Box 4392 Walsall WS1 9AR.

England Helpline: +44 (o) 1922 473 300 www.awme.net [image]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Andrew Wommack For over three decades, Andrew has traveled America and the world teaching the truth of the Gospel. His profound revelation of the Word of G.o.d is taught with clarity and simplicity, emphasizing G.o.d's unconditional love and the balance between grace and faith. He reaches millions of people through the daily Gospel Truth radio and television programs, broadcast both domestically and internationally. He founded Charis Bible Schools in 1994 and has since established CBC extension schools in other major cities of America and around the world.

Andrew has produced a library of teaching materials, available in print, audio, and visual formats. And, as it has been from the beginning, his ministry continues to distribute free audio materials to those who cannot afford them.