I don’t know what is wrong with people’s obsession with speaking in tongues for long. There is nothing wrong with desiring to speak in tongues for long but there is a problem if it is on top of your priority list.
When it comes to speaking in tongues, the length of the prayer session should never be on top of your priority list or else you won’t get any result out of your prayers.
I know this may sound pessimistic but it is the truth. I don’t take pleasure in bursting people’s fantasy bubbles; it just happens that people have so many fantasy bubbles and God has given me a needle to burst them.
Brace yourself! This may hurt but it won’t harm. I’m like a surgeon who must cut you open to remove a tumor that will kill you if it is not removed.
The Problem with having Speaking in Tongues for Long on top of your Priority List
Whenever we speak in tongues, God looks at our priority list and answers us according to the list. Jesus was very clear when He said that if a man prays with the intention of being noticed by others, when others notice him, he will have received his reward.
The same case is true with speaking in tongues when your top priority is the length of the prayer session. God will not bother to answer you if your top priority is to speak in tongues for 1 hour.
He will watch you pray in tongues for one hour and do nothing because that is what you wanted.
Some people may not want to accept this truth but it is exactly as I tell you. I have been a victim of what I am talking about. I know what I am saying!
Even if you intend to speak in tongues for an hour, make sure it is not your top priority. Better say to yourself “I want to speak in tongues for edification for at least an hour”.
That way, God will be obligated to edify you after you speak in tongues for an hour.
Believers who set out to speak in tongues for 3 hours, 5 hours, 10 hours etc must be very careful not to make the length of the prayer the main priority or else they will come out with nothing but disappointment.
The Factor that is more important than Speaking in Tongues for Long
Will you be surprised if I tell you that the Bible mentions this factor? I’m sure you’ve heard the scripture paraphrased before.
‘Obedience is better than sacrifice’. Have you ever heard such a statement?
Well, it comes from 1st Samuel 15:22.
The Bible says “But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
This scripture does not mention speaking in tongues in any way but I’ll show you how it relates to speaking in tongues.
These words were directed to King Saul who disobeyed God and offered sacrifices that he was not supposed to offer. Even though the sacrifice was offered, God was displeased with King Saul to the point of tearing the kingship away from him.
When it comes to speaking in tongues, this scripture remains true; to obey is better than to sacrifice and to heed better than the fat of rams.
Speaking in tongues involves obedience. The Holy Spirit guides us and God expects us to obey Him. If a believer disobeys the Holy Spirit while speaking in tongues, then no matter how much time he spends speaking in tongues the Lord will not be bothered.
This may not shock you until when you realize the ways in which we choose to offer sacrifices to God in disobedience when speaking in tongues.
One of those ways is when we prioritize speaking in tongues for long over communion with God. Speaking in tongues for long is a sacrifice but communing with God through speaking in tongues is a command.
The Bible commands us to pray without ceasing, to seek the Lord while He may be found and to call upon Him while He is near.
If you speak in tongues with the intention of hitting 3 hours on the clock and yet you have no intention to commune with God, you are offering sacrifices in disobedience. God will treat you the same way He treated King Saul.
Instructions given when Speaking in Tongues
The Bible tells us in 1st Corinthians 13:1 that it is pointless to speak in tongues if we don’t have love. Jesus commanded us to love one another the same way He loved us.
If we disobey the command of Jesus to love one another and spend hours speaking in tongues, we are no different than King Saul who offered the fat of rams to God in disobedience.
It may surprise you that many believers pray in tongues for hours with nothing to show for it but these are some of the mistakes that they make.
Sadly, even after hearing this, there are tongue speaking believers who will continue doing it. Before I came here to share this message, I shared it with believers I fellowship with and a good number of them despised it.
I don’t know if I should pity such believers or laugh at their foolishness. By telling them the truth, I did my part.
Speaking in tongues is a powerful gift of the Holy Spirit but it only makes sense after we have obeyed the commands that God has given us.
And the commands I have mentioned are only the general commands. God gives us specific commands as individuals. If we disobey the individual commands and speak in tongues hoping for a breakthrough, we will get nothing but sweaty foreheads and numb knees.
God entrusted me with knowledge about speaking in tongues and asked me to share it. If I refused to share it and continued speaking in tongues, do you think I would ever receive anything from Him?
I have made it a priority to be careful with obeying God more than speaking in tongues for several hours. I know that a little disobedience will nullify all the tongues I speak and I don’t want to waste my saliva speaking tongues that won’t yield anything.
If you are listening to me, please make it your priority as well.
Until next time…peace!