A future post will explain why most initiations into speaking in tongues just produce babble that is of the flesh. But my OP will identify 3 proven principles for genuine glossolalia. Admittedly, the Holy Spirit cannot be limited to a specific operation formula. For example, when I was speaking in tongues at age 16, a visiting Lutheran pastor interrupted me to say he was an interested spectator who didn't believe in modern speaking in tongues. I didn't argue with him, but merely touched him gently on the forehead and he just exploded in other tongues!
(1) Praying in tongues is a form of praying in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:14). So to speak in tongues authentically, it is advisable to first learn to "pray in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18; Jude 20) in your own language. Paul makes it clear that praying in the Spirit is a key to waging effective spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:11-18). Praying in the Spirit is spontaneous Spirit-directed prayer as opposed to consciously formulated prayers of intent.
(2) The expression "lost in praise" designates a particular type of praying in the Spirit that is often a launching pad for speaking in tongues. Being lost in praise is a type of intense longing for God in which the eruption of joy triggers spontaneous and uncontrolled praise in one's own language. It is the Lord who guides the praise: "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise (Psalm 51:15)." This type of praise is superior because it reflects and derives from "the inner being" and "my secret heart" with which I am usually out of touch (51:6). Much of what we pass off as praise is forced and mechanical; so the Spirit's intervention is needed to create a "willing spirit" (51:12)." If our worship is too much of a head trip rather than a heart eruption, we may lose the Holy Spirit as an active force in our lives: "Do not cast me away from your presence and don't take your Holy Spirit from me (51:11)."
(3) To learn to pray in the Spirit, one should first learn how to "walk in the Spirit." Walking in the Spirit is often misunderstood as mere conscious obedience to God's Word, when in fact it is more mystical than that--the believer must master the art of being "led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25)." Unless the believer has mastered this art, they will not experience all "the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23)."
In my next planned post, I will share my testimony of how I learned to pray in the Spirit.
(1) Praying in tongues is a form of praying in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:14). So to speak in tongues authentically, it is advisable to first learn to "pray in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18; Jude 20) in your own language. Paul makes it clear that praying in the Spirit is a key to waging effective spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:11-18). Praying in the Spirit is spontaneous Spirit-directed prayer as opposed to consciously formulated prayers of intent.
(2) The expression "lost in praise" designates a particular type of praying in the Spirit that is often a launching pad for speaking in tongues. Being lost in praise is a type of intense longing for God in which the eruption of joy triggers spontaneous and uncontrolled praise in one's own language. It is the Lord who guides the praise: "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise (Psalm 51:15)." This type of praise is superior because it reflects and derives from "the inner being" and "my secret heart" with which I am usually out of touch (51:6). Much of what we pass off as praise is forced and mechanical; so the Spirit's intervention is needed to create a "willing spirit" (51:12)." If our worship is too much of a head trip rather than a heart eruption, we may lose the Holy Spirit as an active force in our lives: "Do not cast me away from your presence and don't take your Holy Spirit from me (51:11)."
(3) To learn to pray in the Spirit, one should first learn how to "walk in the Spirit." Walking in the Spirit is often misunderstood as mere conscious obedience to God's Word, when in fact it is more mystical than that--the believer must master the art of being "led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25)." Unless the believer has mastered this art, they will not experience all "the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23)."
In my next planned post, I will share my testimony of how I learned to pray in the Spirit.