The Holy Spirit led me to study John 15:7 this morning and it really fed and encouraged me. I trust it will do the same for you.
Many believers refuse to even discuss the subject of speaking in tongues and utilizing tongues as a prayer language. How do I know? I used to be one of those who did not believe in speaking in tongues. Then I said, "OK, tongues may be for today, but for someone else, not for me." I received salvation in 1984, and finally in 1988 I yielded to the baptism of the Holy Ghost and have been speaking in tongues daily ever since. Let me share with you what I discovered in John 15:7, and at the end of this teaching I will ask you again, "Are Tongues For Today's Christian?"
John 15:7 says, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (KJV) I have confessed that scripture for many years, but this morning the Spirit led me to get out the Strong's Concordance and dig a little deeper. The word “abides" means to remain, to continue, to endure. That definition tells me that I must speak this scripture daily in order for it to be a reality in my life. Understand that "words" means utterance, or actual words or sounds. The Bible says in Acts 2:4 that the people were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke with other tongues "as the Spirit gave them utterance". Another definition of "words" means to pour out, to flow like a river. Now that sounds like what Jesus spoke about over in John 7:37-38 where it says, “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (KJV) Back in John 15:7, the word "ask" means to make a demand of something that is due. When you were a child did you ever demand something from your Dad? If you did, you probably only did it one time. He let you know that you should ask, not demand. Why? A parent will do everything he or she can for their child. The child does not need to demand. You are God's child if you are a believer on the Name of Jesus. So do not demand from God. Demand from the devil. The devil is the one holding back the answer to your prayers. The word "done" means to cause to be, or to generate.
Well, it sounds to me that if I continue confessing God's word over myself and my circumstances, and if I pray in tongues, I can then put a demand on the devil to get out of the way and let go of whatever he has been holding back from me.
So let me ask you one more time, "Are tongues for today's Christian?" Do you need prayers answered today? If someone has been talking to you about receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost and you have resisted, I am here to tell you today that you need the power of the Holy Ghost and tongues in your life. If you are in a church where the Pastor calls people forward to receive the baptism, I urge you to go forward and receive. If you are not in that kind of church, receive the promise of God, the baptism in the Holy Ghost right where you sit. You can do that the same way you got saved, asking and believing. It is time for all Christians to walk with Power!
