The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. - James 5:16
In our past few CHRISTIAN SOLDIER editions, we’ve looked at some of the evil signs that tell us we’re close to the return of our Lord Jesus. In our October edition of CHRISTIAN SOLDIER, we’re going to look at this issue from God’s side, which is the only side that counts. We’re going to look at one way Christians will be effectively fighting against Satan, his demons and the myriads of useful idiots who do the devil’s bidding. Without doubt, in these perilous times, one of the most powerful weapons we have to wield against the forces of darkness is the weapon of prayer. Prayer is powerful. But there is one special kind of prayer that many Christians haven’t used, but are using now more than ever. It’s the weapon of praying in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gives us utterance.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. - Acts 2:4

In the book of Acts, there are five recorded instances where people were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues. You’ll find them in Acts chapters 2,8,9,10 and 19. Its exclusive for the dispensation of grace, which is the church age that believers live in today. In no other dispensation do we find the Holy Spirit given as He has been given now, which is why the New Testament is a better covenant based upon better promises (Hebrews 8:6). Only after Jesus was glorified and sat down at God’s right hand, could the Holy Spirit could come as He has (John 16:7). That took place on the day of Pentecost, fulfilling the promise Jesus made before He ascended back to Heaven (Acts 1:8). 

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39
 
Notice two things in this passage that deal with the future. First, this gift of the Holy Spirit hadn’t yet been given while Jesus was still alive on earth. It was for after He died and rose from the dead. Second, notice this gift is promised for those who would believe on Jesus. You can’t be filled with the Spirit until you’re saved. Sinners can be saved, but they can’t be filled with the Holy Spirit. Being born of the Spirit is different than being filled with the Spirit (John 3:5-8). Salvation and the infilling of the Holy Spirit are two separate events. A person can be saved and not be filled with the Holy Spirit, but God has made this subsequent gift available because He knows how badly His children need it.  
But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake." - Acts 9:15-16

I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; - 1 Corinthians 14:18.

Paul knew how powerful it is to pray in other tongues. In his letter to the Corinthian Christians, all of
1 Corinthians 14 is devoted to the importance of receiving this great gift from God, and exercising it consistently. There is a very important truth these two verses reveal when studied side-by-side. Jesus told Pau he would suffer greatly for His name’s sake, and he sure did! Read 2 Corinthians chapters 1,4,6 and 11, and see how greatly Paul suffered for the gospel. Satan tried over and over to kill this man because of his message. This is why he prayed so much in tongues. Paul suffered a lot, so he prayed in tongues a lot. He knew praying in tongues was a tremendous source of strength going through the many tests and trials from the devil. In fact, there was a specific demon assigned to afflict as much pain and torment on Paul as possible. Paul called this evil spirit a “thorn in the flesh”. 

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 
- 2 Corinthians 12:7 
If anyone in the New Testament knew the importance of using every weapon at his disposal in this great fight for souls, it would be the Apostle Paul. There’s a reason why Satan hated him so much, and why he told the Corinthians he prayed in tongues more than all of them combined. More than any other writer in the New Testament, God chose Paul to reveal the divine mystery of the church age (Ephesians 3:1-9). Neither the angels of God, Satan or Old Testament saints knew the details about God’s plan of salvation. It was a secret known only to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Romans 16:25/1 Corinthians 2:7-8). If the devil knew what God was planning for the church via our Lord’s crucifixion, he never would’ve crucified Jesus. God revealed all of this to Paul and commissioned him to go preach it everywhere (Acts 9:15). The world was finding out about our Lord ‘s complete victory over Satan (Colossians 2:13-15/Ephesians 1:19-23).  Paul was called to fulfill the Word of God. That means he was given the responsibility to finish writing this revelation, so the whole world would know what actually happened when Jesus rose from the dead and ratified the New Testament (Colossians 1:25). This is why Paul was the devil’s number one target. Satan doesn’t want people to know he’s a defeated enemy. He doesn’t want people to know Jesus, not him, now holds the keys of death and the grave (Revelation 1:17-18). This is why Paul was “given” this “thorn in the flesh”. Nothing was easy for Paul. This evil spirit tried to hinder, harass and do whatever he could to either kill Paul, or stop his ministry at every level. This is why Paul prayed in tongues as often as he did, and why he was strong to the finish line of his life. At the end, he told Timothy he had fought the good fight, finished his race and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). In these end times, multitudes of believers worldwide have awakened to the power available to them when they are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin praying in other tongues.  
We quoted James 5:16 at the beginning of this Bible study for a reason. God declares that our effective and fervent prayers are powerful - they avail much. That means they always produce the victories needed, no matter how hard the devil works against us. It’s true! And one of the best ways to ensure our prayers are both fervent and effective is to pray in the Spirit – to pray in other tongues. God knew we would need a prayer weapon like this for the times in which we live. It was part of His secret plan of redemption, which was unveiled through Paul’s epistles after the day of Pentecost. This is why the devil has fought with all his might to convince Christians this gift doesn’t exist, or did in the past but not now, or is really just another name for being born-again.  
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!
- Psalms 27:14. 

We know God is never late, but sometimes its hard to wait for His help. There is a discipline in waiting on the Lord, especially in this day and age. Isaiah 40:31 tells us that those who wait on the Lord get their strength renewed, or exchanged, as it says in the Hebrew. As we wait upon the Lord, we exchange our strength for God’s strength, and there’s no better way to wait than by praying in other tongues! This is how we can continue to cast all our cares upon the Lord, constantly reassured that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Here are a few of many more scriptures that tell us about the rewards in waiting upon the Lord.  

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret — it only causes harm.
 
For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth. 

Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. - Psalms 37:7-9,34  
God wants to use all of us in greater ways. If you already pray in tongues, I urge you to immediately increase the time you pray in the Spirit each day. The global turmoil and degree of demonic deception demands it. God gave us this prayer weapon to effectively combat demon forces in the spirit realm – don’t try engaging the enemy without it!  If you're a believer but aren’t yet filled with the Spirit, these guidelines will help you receive this wonderful gift. Whether you’re Christian and this is all new to you, or you're a saved and seasoned veteran who knows the value of praying in other tongues, these guidelines will help maximize this wonderful weapon from God. 

1. KNOW THE PURPOSE FOR BEING FILLED.  Acts 1:8 tells us we receive power when we receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It’s a divine endowment of God’s power and boldness for witnessing. This gift is not just for your benefit, but for you to boldly bless others with the gospel. 2. KNOW THAT WE DO THE PRAYING, NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit doesn’t pray in tongues – we do! He gives us the words to speak, but we do the speaking. First Corinthians 14:14 says we pray in an unknown tongue. Acts 2:4 says they began to speak as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. 
Acts 10:45-46 says people heard them speaking in other tongues. Acts 19:6 says they spoke in tongues after the Holy Spirit came upon them. Paul said he spoke in tongues more than all the Corinthian brethren. 3. KNOW WHAT IT MEANS WHEN YOU'RE FULL. Acts 2:4 says when they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, they began speaking in other tongues. Some Christians will say that they’re filled with the Holy Spirit and don’t speak in tongues. That’s not what the Bible says. Praying in tongues is the evidence that you’ve been filled with Spirit. 4. KNOW YOU RECEIVE THIS GIFT BY FAITH, NOT FEELINGS. John 16:23-24 declares you’ll receive if you ask. Don’t go by feelings. Receive the gift by faith. The supernatural words are there in your spirit because the Holy Spirit always has the right words to give you to speak forth. Just give voice to them. 5. KNOW YOU’RE TALKING TO GOD, NOT MEN. Speaking in tongues is supernatural conversation with God
(1 Corinthians 14:2). He understands what you’re saying even though you don’t. Its your spirit in direct conversation with God, spirit to Spirit. 6. KNOW YOUR MIND IS LEFT OUT. Our intellect and natural understanding are unable to participate in this exercise! Our spirit is praying, but our understanding is unfruitful (1 Corinthians 14:14). These words are spiritual, from the Holy Spirit Himself. You won’t know them or understand them, but you don’t need to! The Holy Spirit is providing you with the perfect prayer to pray – because He knows everything and you don’t! That’s why this form of praying is so needed and powerful. 7. KNOW PRAYING IN TONGUES CHARGES YOUR SPIRIT. Jude 20 says we “build ourselves up” when praying in the Spirit. Praying in tongues is like charging a rechargeable battery. The good news is you never reach a limit when charging your spirit. The more you pray in tongues, the sharper you’re going to be in hearing the voice of God, and representing Him boldly wherever you’re told to go.
If ever there was ever a time for Christians to understand the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, now is the time. It must become top priority in our times of prayer, and consistently be utilized as often as possible.

And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? - Acts 19:1-2 KJV

This was the first question Paul asked when he met members of the Ephesian church. He thought they were already saved, but they weren’t. They were only disciples of John the Baptist. Once he knew that, he led them into the born-again experience, and right after that, into the infilling of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. He knew getting these believers saved was not enough. Getting them filled with the Holy Spirit was top priority after their salvation experience. Nothing has changed. Getting people to pray diligently in other tongues must be top priority for the body of Christ today. Thank God, many saints are embracing this wonderful gift, and working with the Holy Spirit to pray perfect prayers every single time, without having the need for knowing all the “details” of what they’re praying about. What a weapon! Use it!  
Determined Faith
God has given us exceedingly great and precious promises in the Bible but so many people go through life without receiving all that God has planned for them. Why? What is the secret to receiving all that He has for us? Faith.
With faith ... all things are possible. With faith... we are able to please God. With faith ... even just the size of a tiny mustard seed... we can move mountains.
The devil knows this. That's why he and his demons are dedicated to seeing your faith fail under pressure. Many obstacles are placed in your way to discourage you in the hope that you will give up. But God's promises, blessings, and rewards are on the line. To receive them you must be willing to develop Determined Faith.
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