TONGUES is a precious gift from God

You can't change the gainsayers, Just let their criticisms and ignorant comments go in one ear and out the other, and just carrying using the gift that the Holy Spirit has given you and enjoying the blessings that come with it.

You can't fix yourself and you shouldn't be trying to fix yourself either. And that is the problem really with this thread. Rather than bearing the cross of obedience and denying oneself - we instead try to fix ourselves. It is all about self. Do you think that fixing others is done through prophecy? Do people get healed with prophecy. I believe that you think they do? If that is so - then we should be weeping because things are gone terribly wrong.

And yet for all that can be said of the gift of tongues as a prayer language - that is not the issue. How we pray is really a matter of how we are gifted even if we do agree to yield to Satan mistakenly. The larger issue is not a personal thing at all. It is the churches and what is said there is the real issue. Was this thread to simply promote a gift of tongues as a prayer language? If it was then it has fallen onto the rocks because it has provoked an almost endless derision which you call the gainsayers. How will ignoring them prove fruitful when we are concerned for the churches? Are we concerned for just one man - or are we simply concerned for ourselves? If that is what we are concerned with then it is a simple matter to agree when one man says his prayer language has proven to deliver him from spiritual oppression.

The one thing to bear in mind are the many people who will read your post and be encouraged in the Lord by your testimony. Ignorant people will remain ignorant no matter what you say. Isaiah spent over 60 years preaching God's Word to a disobedient, obstinate people, and when he asked the Lord why he was continuing to preach while no one was listening to him, the Lord told him to preach it anyway, because once they have heard the Word, they will have no excuse at the judgment.

I believe that tongues is a wonderful gift and I have been praying in tongues for over 50 years and seen the Lord do some wonderful things as a result. It is an integral part of my prayer life, and I wouldn't have much of a prayer life without it. At least one intercession in tongues as led by the Spirit brought a critically ill person in hospital back from the brink of death. I have also had the experience of having my tongue understood by a New Zealand Maori lady in church who said that I was speaking encouraging words of faith and love in the Maori language, a language I had never learned.

I have absolute respect for the Holy Spirit and the prayer language that He has given me to maintain a close fellowship with the Lord in the Spirit. To make light of or speak disrespectful of tongues (or any other spiritual gift) is to disrespect the Holy Spirit who gives it to people according to His will.

You can't change the gainsayers, Just let their criticisms and ignorant comments go in one ear and out the other, and just carrying using the gift that the Holy Spirit has given you and enjoying the blessings that come with it.

We know while Jesus was being nailed to the Cross and the mockers began, He said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing. But as we read throughout His ministry, and we saw how He had to make himself invisible to escape a couple of times when the Zealots picked up rocks to Stone Him, His heart was Broken. His Feelings were tested. And at times, we even see him lash out calling them Full of Dead Bones and Vipers. I totally believe His Heart was the purest of all and He felt the Pain of being Mocked, Scorned, and Rejected.

I know in my own life, people think if you're too smiley and joyful, you are a funny kind of person. It literally takes everything within me, and I have over 25+ years in 3 Self Defense Techniques, to not just floor those who are ignorant towards me. I can visibly see them lying in a puddle of their own blood because at times their words catch me off guard. I have to immediately seek forgiveness and get my mind back onto God. It's the hardest Test of my life. It is my [Paul's Version] Thorn in my side.

The World is cruel, the People of the World are even crueler.

So to say, you cannot be hurt if your heart is Right with God is a mistake. We tend to forget, what we face day to day, is far less than what many others are facing. And it is just possible, what we do face, is more harsher than what others face.

But each time it happens, I can see I handle it better and better.

The people who know me well, know I would give the shirt right off my back if they were in need. But the World see's that as weakness and tries to jump on that and tear me down. I don't cry, I have learned to keep quiet, I have learned to forgive them in my mind and heart quicker, I even pray for them. But, it still is painful. It still feels like a knife running inside of you. Yes, we are more than Conquerors! But, we are also created to Feel how wicked this World is, in order to understand just How Good Our God is!

Oblio-

Those others didn't ask for Holy Spirit guidance, as we are all supposed to, thus they revealed themselves to be of an outward form of godliness.
We increasingly need to be very careful before sharing, ask for His guidance, I have heard the teaching that the adversary isn't privy to things until we speak them, then he can attempt to work his evil.
blessings

I shared these thoughts a few days ago and last night I was given Scripture and meaning towards these thoughts.

Revelation 3:10
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation that shall come on all the world, to try them that dwell on the earth.

Isaiah 26:20-21
20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.


Most people think Revelation 3:10 means the Church is Rapture'd and won't face the hour of Temptation.

But the Holy Spirit instructed me I am facing these trials that have been more severe and greater recently so I can [overcome] the Hour of Temptation. Think of the Hour of Temptation in terms of [[the most severe peer pressure to Sin and Cave In to be like the World]].

I am going to suggest, if the World does not attack you when you are out and about, YOU NEED TO SEEK GOD IN A DESPERATE KIND OF WAY!

If people are not making fun of you, talking trash about you, lying about you, there is something desperately WRONG with Your walk in God. We are this CLOSE to the END of this Age and if the World looks at you and doesn't feel threatened, it's because you are closer to the World than you are to God!

I have been more attacked by 'Christians' than unbelievers. what did Jesus say about being aware when everyone speaks good of you?

this forum took a turn some time back and now it's really sewing itself up. I have never seen so many absurd ideas about scripture as is being presented by new members lately...most of the people I knew who actually were biblically coherent have left and some have been banned. I like to discuss scripture but not twisted scripture, so you end up refuting things and the BDF is a war zone

most of the so called prophetic types are preaching false things and they are not rebuked when their nonsense does not come to pass...instead excuses are made. itching ears. this is worldwide....everywhere

I certainly do not believe the 'church' is going to be raptured out of the mess and many will turn in actual believers who have not gone sideways and accepted deception. I've already seen this happen several times

big news flash: tongues are not going to save you. turning away brothers and sisters in Christ who do not speak in tongues will condemn your hard heart. many of the so called miracles occurring in churches are demonic and not of God.

I come from a very conservative background and have sometimes watched with my mouth open the goings on in churches that believe all the goings on are God inspired.

it's not about tongues and never was. there are also false tongues and I've heard that once or twice. sends a shiver down your spine

I am not attacking tongues and for that matter I am not attacking anything. but folks need to examine themselves and get real

that's it though....just took a minute or two but going to be busy for awhile

I'm only on page 4, and i really want to read everything before i comment, but this is where I'm at. I used to think that tongues had ended with the apostles because that was what i was taught. Then one sister at a mixed denominational ladies Bible study made a comment about who was anyone else to judge her in this, and that got me thinking. I didn't want to judge her when this was something that she truly believed and her heart was searching for God. Then there was this lady at a church i attended who had been a mentor to me, and she told me once about her experiences with tongues. She told me a story about miraculously being able to speak to someone in his language, which was one she had not been trained in. She also told me about being alone in her prayer room speaking in tongues in a heavenly language just between her and God, but she didn't understand it. She just knew that the Holy Spirit was speaking for her. That's the part i don't get. I'm not saying it's not true because I respect this woman and haven't ever heard her speak anything unbiblical. I don't get it, though. I don't get what the point is if you can't even understand it yourself. I do believe that the Holy Spirit intercedes for me, but I don't think it has to be in a special language. It could be that He just knows how to put words to something that i can't articulate. However, if God works in this way through some people, I'm not trying to limit Him. I'm interested. I stay in tune to these discussions, but I'm not judging either side. I do think that when it's public there should be interpretation/understanding from the listener. I also believe that one does not have to speak in tongues to have the Holy Spirit. We all have different gifts, and we have multiple gifts, but there's no one gift that proves you have the Holy Spirit on its own. I think that asserting that only encourages one to fake it. That's where I'm at for now, but I'll keep reading your posts as i have time. Thanks to all of you who back up what you're saying with scripture. I was a little disturbed to see a post that was almost all scripture with the disagree symbol. Be careful how you treat each other, guys.

Have you considered the inherent hypocrisy of your premise? If you take up your cross and follow him, YOU are the one taking up the cross. It's not wrong to be involved in your own improvement. Such as:


WE renew our minds by reading, pondering and doing the word of God. We choose to submit to the actions... God does the miraculous part.

However, there is also truth in the idea of US not being able to fix ourselves. Which is again why we need the Spirit (speaking in tongues) to pray things we (with the best of our understanding) simply DO NOT know and therefore cannot utter. That's one of the main functions of speaking in tongues "for if I speak in an unknown tongue my SPIRIT prayeth," but my understanding isn't contributing to the improvement.

Love in Jesus,
Kelby

the reason for the empowering of the Holy Spirit must be what Jesus said would happen after the Holy Spirit came upon us.Acts 1:8
To have the power to be a witness.

What are we witnessing? The resurrected Lord. ONe who is a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ are testifying HE who was dead is now alive! The Holy SPirit speaks to this very truth by confirming it through Signs and wonders. On the day of Pentacost 3000 were saved after Seeing the power of God on the 120.

Acts 4:33 is also a great very which speaks to this point as does all of the Book of Acts.


3 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

I'm only on page 4, and i really want to read everything before i comment, but this is where I'm at. I used to think that tongues had ended with the apostles because that was what i was taught. Then one sister at a mixed denominational ladies Bible study made a comment about who was anyone else to judge her in this, and that got me thinking. I didn't want to judge her when this was something that she truly believed and her heart was searching for God. Then there was this lady at a church i attended who had been a mentor to me, and she told me once about her experiences with tongues. She told me a story about miraculously being able to speak to someone in his language, which was one she had not been trained in. She also told me about being alone in her prayer room speaking in tongues in a heavenly language just between her and God, but she didn't understand it. She just knew that the Holy Spirit was speaking for her. That's the part i don't get. I'm not saying it's not true because I respect this woman and haven't ever heard her speak anything unbiblical. I don't get it, though. I don't get what the point is if you can't even understand it yourself. I do believe that the Holy Spirit intercedes for me, but I don't think it has to be in a special language. It could be that He just knows how to put words to something that i can't articulate. However, if God works in this way through some people, I'm not trying to limit Him. I'm interested. I stay in tune to these discussions, but I'm not judging either side. I do think that when it's public there should be interpretation/understanding from the listener. I also believe that one does not have to speak in tongues to have the Holy Spirit. We all have different gifts, and we have multiple gifts, but there's no one gift that proves you have the Holy Spirit on its own. I think that asserting that only encourages one to fake it. That's where I'm at for now, but I'll keep reading your posts as i have time. Thanks to all of you who back up what you're saying with scripture. I was a little disturbed to see a post that was almost all scripture with the disagree symbol. Be careful how you treat each other, guys.

I won't lie I kind of got mad at God today. I have waited I have prayed I have given him my faith I have believed for so long without ever recieving and yet I still can't have just one miracle. I shouldn't have done it but I was so angry that I told him to prove his promises saying to him how obviously I am not able to have a miracle and then said prove me wrong other wise don't tell me to believe and have faith because I have given you everything I can

maybe some people just can't have miracles......

Thats happend with the first time church, of course.
But for to be a witness today for others, you no need to perform miracles. ( except the Lord is doing it). To talk and act as an child of God today is an witness, for that you dont need a special gift.

I see we agree and not in private discussion or attending the same church or being persuaded by those who do not pray in tongues