7 Benefits of Tongues

JOHN HURSTON, PH.D.

 

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( Nikada/iStockphoto)

Ever wonder why having a prayer language is important? Here are good reasons to use one.

1. You know your spirit is speaking directly to God. The Bible tells us, "For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God … for if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays" (1 Cor. 14:2,14, NKJV). Praying in tongues can also be like a two-way street. When you pray in tongues, God will often give you wisdom and insight to see better ways of doing what you need to do.

2. You know you are praying according to the will of God. The Holy Spirit "makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:27). You may often be tempted to pray for what you want, but when you speak in tongues, you are instead praying God's will. This is important, for the tongue has great power, as Solomon pointed out: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21).

The Beginning of Wisdom

Written by Suzanne Benner

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”(Proverbs 1:7)

Beyond the connection between fearing God and righteous living, the Bible presents a tight link between the fear of the Lord and wisdom.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding.” (Psalm 111:10)

“The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28)

“A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil.” (Proverbs 14:16)

“The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom.” (Proverbs 15:33)

Once we’ve accepted that we need to fear the Lord, we pursue the path of wisdom. At the same time, seeking wisdom helps us understand what it means to fear God.

Transparency or Wisdom in Marriage?

I go back and forth between thinking that my spouse and I need to communicate and be completely transparent with each other so that our trust level and relationship can grow vs. thinking that I need to be wise and hide some things from him because if he really knew all about me then he would feel too safe, would get bored and will go find his adventure somewhere else. I’m still not sure which one is the right answer, but I do know that when you hide things, it gives Satan a foothold. It allows him to come in and whisper lies in your ear like, “he doesn’t really love you and he never did” or “you are completely worthless and your husband knows it, so you need to pretend”. I’ve always went with transparency in the past and it hasn’t served me too well, but with this different way I find myself wanting to sin more and slowly wanting to distance myself from him, I don’t think it is good either. Maybe I’ll just go with transparency and hope that he chooses me despite his boredom….or is that stupid? Still don’t know.

The Hidden Things of God

"Blessed art thou...for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 16:17)

Remember when you went to school and learned your ABCs? You learned them by using your five senses and your logical abilities to gather information and sort it out. That kind of knowledge is called natural knowledge and it's the only kind most people know anything about.

But in the kingdom of God, there's another kind of knowing. One that works its way from the inside out instead of from the outside in. It's called revelation knowledge.

Still In God’s Hands

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Job 1:13-22

READ: Job 1:13-22

In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. —Job 1:22

During my first year of seminary, I listened as a new friend described her life. Abandoned by her husband, she was raising two small children alone. Earning just over minimum wage, she had little chance of escaping the poverty and dangers she described in her neighborhood.

As a father, I was moved by her concern for her children, and asked, “How do you handle all of this?” She seemed surprised by my question and replied, “We are doing all we can do, and I must leave them in God’s hands.” Her trust in God in the midst of trials reminded me of Job’s trust (1:6-22).

A year later, she phoned and asked if I would come be with her at the funeral home. Her son had been killed in a drive-by shooting. I asked God for words to comfort her and for the wisdom not to try to explain the unexplainable.

Standing with her that day, however, I marveled as again and again she comforted others—her confidence in God unshaken by this terrible blow. Turning to me as we parted, her final words were a poignant reminder of the depth of her faith: “My boy is still in God’s hands.” Like Job, she “did not sin nor charge God with wrong”(v.22).

Consider The Clouds

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Job 37:1-16

Do you know how the clouds are balanced? —Job 37:16

One day many years ago my boys and I were lying on our backs in the yard watching the clouds drift by. “Dad,” one asked, “why do clouds float?” “Well, son,” I began, intending to give him the benefit of my vast knowledge, but then I lapsed into silence. “I don’t know,” I admitted, “but I’ll find out for you.”

The answer, I discovered, is that condensed moisture, descending by gravity, meets warmer temperatures rising from the land. That moisture then changes into vapor and ascends back into the air. That’s a natural explanation for the phenomenon.

But natural explanations are not final answers. Clouds float because God in His wisdom has ordered the natural laws in such a way that they reveal the “wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge” (Job 37:16). Clouds then can be thought of as a symbol—an outward and visible sign of God’s goodness and grace in creation.

With An Ant’s Focus

Written by Gail Morris

Is your best never good enough? Talk to a mentor. 

“Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer…” (Proverbs 30:24-25)

While in an Ecuadorian rainforest, our group came across a long trail of army ants. They were thorough and determined to build their home. Proverbs 30:24 tells us that although ants are small, they are extremely wise. The ant highway was proof. There was a clean swath four inches wide across our leaf-littered walking trail. It was as slick as a newly waxed car. Busy workers raced in a straight line on this spic-and-span patch of dirt. Each followed the previous worker up the bark of an ancient tree, then, disappeared into dense foliage.

Finding Joy in Difficulties?

Gail Rodgers
Are you confused and not sure what to do or where to turn?

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I have always been a bit uneasy with James 1:2 where Jesus followers are encouraged to “consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds”. When I find things in God’s word that are hard to understand I “camp” on them for a time and ask God to reveal His wisdom.

Recently I taught four sessions at a weekend women’s retreat. One of the sessions included the wise counsel of 2 Corinthians 12: 9 & 10 where Paul tells us the words the Lord spoke to him when he asked about something that was deeply challenging him in his life. The Lord’s reply was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul goes on to say that because of God’s promise to be his strength right in the midst of his weakness, he can “delight in difficulties”!

Did Jesus Evade the Leaders' Question?

J.C. Ryle

Note the consummate wisdom with which Jesus replied to the question put to Him (Matthew 21:23-27). 

His enemies had asked Him for His authority for doing what He did. They intended to make His answer a handle for accusing Him. He knew the drift of their inquiry and said, "I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?"

We must understand that in this answer of our Lord's there was no evasion. To suppose this is a great mistake. The counter question He asked was in reality an answer to His enemies' inquiry. He knew they dared not deny that John the Baptist was a man sent from God. He knew that, this being granted, he needed only to remind them of John's testimony to Himself. 

The School of Hard Knocks

Daily Inspiration

By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach

How good are you at learning those important lessons we all get from the school of hard knocks that we call life? I ask that question because discovering what works for you and against you is a critical part of gaining wisdom. And, since nobody can escape this inevitable aspect of life, I know that you have all had your own personal experiences with finding things out the hard way. However, as I always say, the only thing worse than making a mistake is making a mistake and not learning anything from it. And learning from our mistakes is the focus of my message today.

Learning is an interesting, yet complicated endeavor for us humans. It’s also idiosyncratic because people tend to learn things in different ways and, as a result, react differently to various forms of teaching. Years ago I used to teach learning theory to college students. In academia, your ability to learn and then answer questions about what you’ve learned is the key to progressing and getting good grades. One thing that I learned as a teacher was that the method used for recalling information often dictated how well certain students performed on tests.

WHAT GOD HAS PROVIDED

Galatians 6:3 - If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself

 Satan promotes his lies in the world by encouraging us to self-deception. We deceive ourselves when we think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. "But I know who I am," you say. "I'm a child of God, I'm seated with Christ in the heavenlies, I can do all things through Him. That makes me pretty special." Yes, you are very special in the eyes of God. But you are what you are by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10). 


The life you live, the talents you possess, and the gifts you have received are not personal accomplishments; they are expressions of God's grace. Never take credit for what God has provided; rather, take delight in accomplishing worthwhile deeds which glorify the Lord.


Furthermore, we deceive ourselves when we think we are wise in this age (1 Corinthians 3:18, 19). It is the height of intellectual arrogance to assume wisdom without the revelation of God. "Professing to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:22). 

What Did You Say?

Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).

Friend to Friend

Fruit is one of my favorite foods. When I go grocery shopping, it always takes me longer to get through the fruit section than any other area of the store. I spend what some might consider a ridiculously long time picking out what I hope will be the juiciest apples, the plumpest grapes and sweetest bananas. Experience has taught me to quickly discard any piece of fruit that is bruised, mushy or discolored. I shake cantaloupe and thump watermelons. Ripe strawberries have a unique sweet scent and only the reddest cherries will do. Plums and tomatoes must be firm to the touch, bright in color and wrinkle-free while the more wrinkles the better when it comes to choosing passion fruit.