Question: “Do you usually ascend when you pray in tongues? How long does it take before someone ascends? Should you close your eyes when praying to ascend?”
Some people refer to this experience as ascending, while others call it soaking in the Spirit. In essence, they are describing the same spiritual experience.
The first thing you need to understand if you desire to go deeper into the Spirit is that focus is extremely important. The sharper your focus is, the easier it becomes to soak in prayer.
While many believers struggle with maintaining focus during prayer, learning to temporarily set aside physical concerns and distractions goes a long way.
The desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit are often in conflict with one another, just as the Apostle Paul explains in Galatians 5:17. Fulfilling the desires and demands of the Spirit requires silencing the flesh. This is one of the reasons why fasting strengthens your spiritual life.
Brief Escape
Our physical responsibilities constantly demand our attention, causing us to focus on the seen rather than the unseen. But when we want to enter a deeper spiritual experience, we must temporarily shift our attention away from those physical concerns.
When you set aside those distractions, even for a short period, it becomes easier to focus on the Spirit.
Sometimes this means intentionally deciding that for the next hour or two, you will focus entirely on spiritual matters. You may choose not to think about your physical needs during that time, trusting that God will take care of them.
After that dedicated period of prayer, you can return to your normal worldly responsibilities and cares.
I often compare this to how people who drink alcohol intentionally choose to forget their worries for a few hours. Of course, their method is unhealthy, but the principle of temporarily stepping away from daily pressures is similar.
The Bible even contrasts these two states in Ephesians 5:18, which instructs believers not to be drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit.
The difference is that when someone is filled with the Spirit, they return strengthened, refreshed and with sorted issues. But when someone becomes drunk with alcohol, they often return feeling worse than before, only to find their problems staring them in the face.
Let’s also take the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture describes Him as a deeply prayerful person, free from worldly cares. Because of His intimate relationship with God, He spoke with confidence and authority, saying, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me” just before raising Lazarus from the dead.
Dedicated prayer time
In my own life, there was a time when I strongly desired wisdom from God. During this period, I had many physical cares, and because of this, I intentionally decided to fast and switch off my phone for several days. By doing this, I removed most of the distractions that normally occupied my time.
With those distractions removed, I spent several days focusing on prayer and seeking God. During that time, I had an encounter, and the Lord revealed certain secrets to me. Later, I returned to my normal routine and applied the lessons I had received.
Then I scheduled another similar session and repeated the process until it became a habit.
Maintaining deep spiritual encounters daily can be difficult because it requires a lot of sacrifices that may interfere with your normal daily activities.
However, you can schedule such periods intentionally. Some people fast once a month, others once a week and so on. Each person develops a rhythm that works for them.
The important thing is to create dedicated moments where you focus on prayer and studying the Word of God without distractions. When you do this consistently, entering deeper spiritual realms becomes easier.
Conclusion
The time it takes to enter these realms varies from person to person, depending on how easily they get over distractions.
As you grow spiritually, you reach a point where soaking in the spirit becomes much easier because your mind is stayed on God and less dominated by physical concerns.
I hope this has been helpful. God bless you.
If you would like a Google Meet video call with me to discuss your praying in tongues experience, use the button below.