A daily devotional moment by Chris Garcia
1 Corinthians 14:1–5 (NKJV): Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit, he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
So many times we approach God as a forcefield or some feeling. We are approaching Him Who lives. We are approaching our Heavenly Father who is alive through the Spirit. Many times, the Holy Spirit has to remind me. "Chris, I am a Person. It’s not just a prayer list. It’s not just a prayer chart. It is not something that I need you to clock in on. No, I want you to be with Me." That is praying in the Spirit. When you begin as you are waiting before God and drawing near to Him. There is a sensitivity that builds and occurs in your heart. God begins to make you sensitive. The Spirit of the Lord begins to rain upon the crevices of your heart and makes you sensitive to His leading and voice. We often mistake waiting to hear a physical voice. But our first disposition must be to be with Him. Do you want to hear the Lord? Do you want to pray in cadence with the dance of the Spirit? Do you want to pray in tune with the Spirit? Then let go of everything else and make your priority just to simply be with Him and I guarantee you that it will not take long before you start to know and discern the voice of God. Many look for a voice. Many look for a booming experience. Many look for the spectacular but they miss the supernatural. There is a definite difference. Spectacular is like, "wow it’s going to happen this way." While the supernatural is more like, "No it is going to happen My way." The supernatural isn’t always spectacular. Living in a way that is full of the fruit of the Spirit is not always spectacular but it is supernatural because man cannot do that alone. Praying in the Spirit is not always spectacular. It is like leaning against the chest of Christ and hearing the rhythm of His heart. This is what God is after. Do you want to pray in the Spirit? You then have to understand that you are praying with a Person. God does not move by formula or form. He moves in a relationship. Because the Father always relates to His sons and daughters.
First Corinthians 14:2 says this, “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit, he speaks mysteries.” So what do we see here in this verse? We see that the man or woman of God, who prays in an unknown tongue, does not speak to man. Why? Because men understand language. Men understand cultural languages and expressions. But the man or woman of God who speaks in a tongue does not speak to man but to God. For no one understands. Because it is not meant for them to understand. Because He is speaking to God in His spirit, he speaks mysteries. Did you know that you are a tripartite being that has a body? When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see a reflection of your physical body staring back at you. You have a soul, which is your mind, your will, and your emotions and then you have your spirit. Which is the part of you that has been born again. That has been recreated in Christ. That has been connected to Him. They that are joined to the Lord, the Bible says, are one Spirit with the Lord. Where are they, in one Spirit? They are in their spirit. The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit. That we are the children of God. The way in which the Spirit communicates to us is not just through our body or through merely the soul or the mind or our thoughts. No my friends, the primary way in which the Spirit speaks is the bearing of witness within our own spirit. This is why prayer is so essential. This is why spending time with Him is so essential. Because when you do that, you are accessing the inner man. The Spirit man, your spirit who has been born again is being strengthened and fine-tuned to hear Him. Don’t get discouraged when you don’t hear Him right away. Don’t get discouraged when you hear nothing. You are being fine-tuned at that moment. Both in your relationship and your ability to hear Him and know his voice.
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