Speak in Tongues, Silence the Enemy: The Power of Spirit-Led Prayer
Excerpted from Experience the Power of His Presence.
This is a good question asked by many intelligent people.
Why should anyone speak in tongues? Tongues merely express the language of God. In order for us to reach the will of God for our lives, we must be able to communicate with God.
Speaking in tongues is not a strange new doctrine. In fact, it’s been around for hundreds, even thousands, of years. God poured it out at the inception of the Church.
Before we cover several scriptural reasons for this practice, I would like to share an example that highlights the importance of speaking in tongues.
A CB radio gives you the ability to speak to other people pro- viding you are on the same frequency. Different people use differ- ent channels for a variety of reasons. Whatever channel you use to transmit or receive a message, the transmitter and the one receiv- ing must be on the same channel and have the squelch turned up loud enough to hear. CB radios also have a special channel for emergencies. Any time you need the police or emergency assistance you can switch to this frequency and no one else can monitor your conversation.
This may seem like a crude analogy, but in the spirit world many messages are being transmitted. The Bible says that satan is the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2 NKJV). If we stay on the same frequency, he can pick up our transmissions. But satan cannot monitor the emergency channel. His squelch cannot tune in because it is just a bunch of static to him. He cannot make out what we are saying. Praying in the Spirit is a frequency that satan cannot pick up.
Experience the Power of His Presence
T.D. Jakes
Bypassing Satan’s Radar
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down” (Revelation 12:10 NIV).
Since satan is the prince of the power of the air and comes before the presence of God, he constantly surveys our prayer life. No wonder we experience such adversity and opposition when we try to get close to God. To make our way to the throne of God, we must push past the enemy’s surveillance.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12 NIV).
Let me use another illustration. In the first Iraq War, the United States and their allies knew that they were up against some of the most modern, up-to-date defenses in all the world.
The war was waged in two parts. During the first part, known as Desert Watch or Desert Shield, the United States flew recon- naissance flights to monitor the movement and the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy.
Because of these reconnaissance flights, we learned that Iraq had employed the most modern, state-of-the-art radar systems. The United States knew if we were to be successful—with limited casualties—we would have to somehow bypass Iraq’s radar system. This was achieved by using stealth bombers, which enabled us to mount an attack without being detected on radar.
On the first night of the attack, the major bombardment was almost over before Iraq even realized what had happened.
When you pray in the Spirit, you go before the throne of God undetected by satan because you speak mysteries to Him. Your prayers are like stealth bombers that bypass his detection.
Praying in the Spirit enables you to pray healing, delivering, yoke-breaking, devil-stomping prayers without being shot at. You can go into God’s presence and receive ammunition to shake the gates of hell. That’s why satan fights people from praying in the Spirit. He confuses people regarding this truth because he knows he doesn’t have a weapon to defend against it.
Switch Channels
The apostle Paul uses the word tongues (plural) to show his multiplicity of languages. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels…” (1 Corinthians 13:1 NKJV).
Sometimes we need to speak in our natural language according to our heritage. Sometimes, however, our natural language is no match for the warring spirits between earth and the throne of God.
When prayers in our natural language are being intercepted and shot down, Paul tells us to switch channels. Allow the Holy Spirit within you to speak out on earth what Heaven is speaking into your spirit. This is praying in tongues, or praying in the Spirit.
Satan understands the human language. When we pray about a certain thing, our adversary causes principalities and powers in the atmosphere between earth and the throne of God to intercept our words. He attacks the very thing we pray about.
Satan does not understand the language of Heaven. God’s ways, which are so much higher than our ways, include praying in tongues. This leaves satan confused as to how to attack us. He may assign an evil spirit to attack our prayer life and report back to him so he can make a counterattack. But when we pray in the Spirit, or pray in tongues, we frustrate his plans.
Remember that tongues are spiritual and not fleshly. Satan works through our flesh. When our prayers switch from an earthly, fleshly, carnal language to a secondary, spiritual, heavenly language, satan is confused.
The believer is built up as the Holy Spirit pleads the life, the power, the joy, and the victory of God into your spirit. Hallelujah for the ability to speak out from earth what the Holy Spirit is speaking in from Heaven!
Interceding with Groans
Speaking in tongues places a great arsenal of spiritual weaponry at your disposal. Not knowing this, however, many believers struggle in prayer and intercession.
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can- not be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27 NKJV).
Romans 8:26 contains a word that is often overlooked, and that is the very first word, likewise. The word means “in like manner, or to be similar to.”
For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body (Romans 8:22-23 NKJV).
It points back to the two previous times the word groan is used in that chapter. Romans 8:22 refers to the groan of creation waiting for the redemption and restoration of this earth. Romans 8:23 refers to the groans of Christians as we await the completion of our redemption, the receiving of our new body.
The apostle Paul uses the same word for the groans of the Holy Spirit (vs. 26). The word groanings means “to groan with a sigh, or a sense of lamenting.”
This was very familiar to the Old Testament prophets. When they got in tune with the nature and character of God, they often expressed themselves in unusual ways. Their intercession for the people could be described as wailing, howling, or lamenting. They were speaking a language outwardly that God was speaking inwardly to them.
I like to explain it like this: When a child who cannot talk plainly wants something, he or she may be able to speak only portions of words. A stranger may not understand, but the child’s mother can make out the language. Even though the baby talk is barely intelligible, she understands the need. Taking a bunch of stammering, broken remarks, she interprets the language to meet the need.
Sometimes in order to get what you need from God, you must go from one language (our human intellect) to another language (the Holy Spirit).
Embrace the Power of His Presence
Most believers chase after God's gifts, blessings, and answered prayers, but there lies a deeper dimension that He longs to bring you into: His very Presence.
When it seems like your prayers are going unanswered and you feel like God isn't listening, you may find yourself in a valley, a dry place, a test, or a trial. These moments can make it seem like His help is far away. Yet, when you discover the Power of His Presence, everything changes!
Bishop T.D. Jakes, a New York Times bestselling author and founder of The Potter’s House, is one of the most influential evangelicals of our time. Having walked through his own valleys and trials, Bishop Jakes writes not as an expert, but as a fellow traveler. He reveals that the secret to flourishing and thriving in every season is found in the power of God’s Presence.
In these 40 inspirational entries, you are invited to:
Experience God’s closeness, keeping you stable through every storm.
Draw from the unlimited refreshing of the Holy Spirit, even while facing trials.
Stay anchored and immovable in God’s Presence, regardless of the storms around you.
Embrace God’s guidance through detours into your destiny.
Don’t let any circumstance, trial, or the enemy derail you from your divine destiny. Once you embrace the powerful reality that God is always with you, you’ll be anchored in the Presence of God―the One who will never leave you or forsake you.
