Thanks so much, Barry, for your answer to my post. You emphasised just what has been the richest part of my own experience--the joy of speaking in another tongue, in order to pray "as the Spirit gives utterance"....
For example:
When someone in church--or anywhere--asks for prayer, it is often an "unspoken need"
We have little idea about that need...God , of course, already knows what this need is.
In the natural, then, we pray, asking Him to please answer that person's concern.If we pray in other tongues as a prayer language, we can then pray first in English (or other 1st language :) ), then
continue to pray for them--in our prayer language-- as the Holy Spirit enables.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Another use is when we are praying for someone intensely, and just run out of either energy or wisdom
--sometimes both!
That's when the switch to our gentle prayer language seems most precious. We can continue to pray for a longer time,
using words we believe are known to God, but which are not understood by us.
(And we are no longer striving to pray in "just the right way"--The Holy Spirit, with our permission,
of course, intercedes with us)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mike, I appreciate your 2nd letter (also sent to me by John--Thanks, John!).I don't agree with a few of your points,but I--personally--hope we can "agree to disagree" on these? I certainly agree with Barry on one point--
there have been some false teachings, and other abuses among our charismatic brothers and sisters...
(Greater discernment is needed at times!)Hey, I know myself, and don't want the stess of defending my position, my certainty in Him.
(Especially when I am still recuperating from surgery :( )So, can we please just be friends in Christ?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Don Franscisco --one of my all-time favorite Christian artists--had the best song--- "Brother of the Son"
(also the title of his album) I think you all will like this one!
It has a line I often think of:
"Father, let Your Spirit grow inside me, till all that will not praise You is undone--
Help me keep my feet upon the highway, and grow to be a brother of the Son"I often pray this for myself---
Lord, if there is anything in me that is not of You--that does not glorify You--then I will that this be undone in me.Show me, Lord, and--with your help--I will let that thing GO!We are of different denominations on 5 Doves...and may not totally agree on it all.
Maybe there's a point or two all along that we're confident is of Him, but may --in fact--be something He doesn't desire in us.I think that when our Lord calls us Home on that glorious Day---all in each of us that "will not praise Him" will be left behind
(And, thankfully, we won't miss it a bit! :) )God bless!YSIC, Jan W in AZ