One of the greatest gifts from God for New Testament believers is the gift of tongues, which is, praying in the Spirit. This is why Satan is so opposed to tongues!
All throughout the Book of Acts we see that when believers received the baptism of the Holy Spirit – when they were FILLED with the Holy Spirit – they began to speak in tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. When you are born-again and ask God to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you will receive this wonderful, precious gift. Luke 11:9-13 Have faith to receive, ask in simple faith, and then believe you receive. As you do, you must open your mouth and speak by faith. The sounds and words you utter will not be any language you recognize. As you open your mouth and speak by faith, the Holy Spirit will give you utterance and you will speak in tongues. You will pray in the Holy Spirit!
Tongues is one of the greatest weapons we have and we must be devoted to praying in the Spirit.
There will be times when the Holy Spirit burdens you to pray. When this happens, immediately stop what you are doing, find a quiet place, and pray in the Spirit - which is in tongues - until you feel the burden lift. Old-time Pentecostals understood the importance - and power - of "praying through."
When we pray in the Spirit, we pray the perfect will of God. When we pray in the Spirit, we pray exactly what the Holy Spirit knows we need to pray. When we pray in the Spirit, we communicate directly with God without interference. When we pray in the Spirit, we not only pray on our own behalf (edifying ourselves) but we also pray on the behalf of loved ones AND believers all around the world (intercessory prayer).
The Holy Spirit knows WHAT we need to pray and WHEN we need to pray. He knows about situations we do not know about. And He is searching the earth look for people who are willing to yield themselves to Him to spend time in prayer, not only for their own behalf but also for the body of Christ in the world. Before we can obey and serve Him in this way, we must first be willing. We must be willing; then, we must be obedient!
Praying in tongues – praying in the Spirit - is one of the most powerful ways in which we can pray, which is why Satan (and religion) is so opposed to it.
Ephesians 6:18:
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Jude 20:
…dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:26-27
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
1 Corinthians 14:14-15:
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
