I once had a conversation with someone who expressed their frustration with praying in tongues. They felt like their prayers were ineffective and that there was no impact at all. They even questioned if it was worth continuing to pray in tongues.
It’s common for people to feel as if their efforts in praying in tongues are fruitless. In this article, I will expound on this phenomenon and explain what to do if you find yourself in this situation.
When praying in tongues, there are four different reactions: positive, negative, mixed, or no reaction at all. Before understanding why there may be no reaction when praying in tongues, it is important to comprehend the other three outcomes.
Positive impact
The reactions you experience are all dependent on your will. As mentioned previously, when praying in tongues, you are allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you. By doing so, the Holy Spirit brings positive impact such as feelings of joy, receiving visions, and other revelations from God.
Negative impact
On the other hand, any negative reaction while praying in tongues may occur if there are evil spirits present within you that are being challenged. In such cases, these evil spirits may resist, leading to a negative impact during your prayer in tongues.
It might be puzzling to some individuals why they feel worse or experience increased turbulence in their lives when they pray in tongues compared to when they don’t. This is often due to the fact that the enemy does not want you to pray in tongues and does not want to let you go.
When you begin praying in tongues, the enemy will retaliate by attacking you in order to make your life more difficult, hoping that you will stop praying in tongues. This is why sometimes you may experience a negative reaction when you start praying in tongues, as there is a struggle for your attention between the Holy Spirit and evil spirits, both vying to use your body.
Mixed reaction
If you have not yet made a decision to live a pure life and allow the Holy Spirit to work within you, or the contrary which is to lead a sinful life and allow evil spirits to work within you, you will likely experience this mixed reaction.
At times, you may sense a calling to deepen your relationship with God, while other times you may feel overwhelmed by the allure of sin. The temptation to sin can seem irresistible, but it is often a result of the Holy Spirit urging you to grow spiritually, while evil forces try to lead you astray.
This internal struggle can cause your life to swing between two extremes, from fervent prayer to deep sin. If you find yourself in this situation, it may be because you have not yet committed to choosing which path to follow.
No reaction
There is a peculiar situation where you pray in tongues and there is no reaction at all. This is a unique case, and I will use an illustration to help you understand.
Imagine someone knocking on your door. You would either tell them to come in if the door is open, or you would go and open the door for them.
The Bible tells us in Revelations 3:20 that Christ is standing at the door knocking, and it is up to us to open the door for Him to come in.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Revelations 3:20
Sometimes people accept Christ into their lives, but they do not give permission to the Holy Spirit to come in and fully take charge of their lives.
It’s like saying “come in” to someone at the door, but the door is actually locked. This may lead to confusion because the door has not been opened, even though the person is being welcomed.
Receiving the Holy Spirit is divided into two parts. Firstly, one must make a confession inviting the Holy Spirit into their life. Secondly, one must open the door for the Holy Spirit to dwell within them. This process is similar to the concept of receiving salvation as outlined in the Book of Romans.
And if you will confess with your mouth our Lord Yeshua, and you will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall have life.
Romans 10:9
These two actions are necessary steps to receive the gift of salvation. Similarly, when desiring to pray in tongues, the initial step is to confess and welcome the Holy Spirit into your life. This is then followed by aligning your lifestyle with the will of the Holy Spirit which is crucial for Him to work effectively within you.
Merely inviting the Holy Spirit without aligning your lifestyle may result in dry and ineffective tongues. While negative influences are expelled by inviting the Holy Spirit, positive reactions cannot be experienced without actively allowing the Holy Spirit to work within you.
This may lead to a sense of emptiness and lack of direction when praying in tongues.
In case you find yourself in this situation, the best course of action is to align your lifestyle with the Holy Spirit. This may sound confusing at first, but it is actually quite simple.
All you need to do is make a confession through prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to come into your life and guide you according to His will. Then, open up to God about anything you may need to change or do differently in order to allow Him to work in your life.
By doing so, God will naturally lead you towards the right path and help you remove any obstacles that may be hindering the Holy Spirit from working in your life.
If you feel like your life is stagnant and your prayers are not having any impact, take the time to reflect on your actions and ask God to reveal what is holding you back. Once you are set free from these obstacles, you will start to experience the positive impact of the Holy Spirit in your life. Blessings!