The speech that facilitates your growth         Bible Reading: I Corinthians 14

For most of us who grew up attending church, we must have been taught that in order to grow spiritually, we should read our bible and pray everyday. Surprisingly, many Christians could attest that they read their bible and prayed everyday, but they did not seem to be maturing spiritually even though they have been doing so for years. Sometime I do not blame such people. This is because I noticed that most times we are usually taught “what we ought to do” but less emphasis is placed on “how we ought to do it”. That is why in my previous edition of this subject, I made attempt to explain how we ought to read our bibles in a way that will help us to grow spiritually.

In like manner, if you have ever been taught to pray everyday in order to grow, did you bother to ask the question – which kind of prayer?; what do I say to God?; Does it require that I tell God 77 times everyday that “Lord, help me to grow spiritually”?; which position should I maintain during such prayer?; what about the location – mountain, valley or bedroom? It is amazing that when some Christians visit Doctors and complain about their physique, they are advised to watch their diet. Most times, they inquire further “what kind of foods should I eat? How often should I eat? Etc.” But when they come to church, they throw away their inquisitive mind. If they are told “pray everyday”, they just rush out and start praying whatever they like, inventing prayer points with effects that doesn’t rise beyond their ceilings.

Beloved, at every point in our lives, the bible gives us detailed answer to every question we have.  Sometimes we see these answers only if we are willing to make further inquires. So let’s see how we are told to pray in order to grow spiritually.

“When a person speaks in tongues, he helps himself grow”. I Corinthians 14:4

“Dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by prayingin the Holy Spirit” Jude 1:20

Do you read your bible effectively and you do not pray in tongues? If yes, then you are like a bird attempting to fly with just one wing. Rising high and maintaining balance may not be easy. The verses above are so clear. You help yourself grow spiritually by praying in the spirit. Every believer should endeavor to pray in tongues everyday. I Corinthians 14:5 says “I desire that ye should all speak with tongues”. Praying in tongues should not be for some of us but for all of us because spiritual growth is expected from all of us.

Many people wonder why Paul grew rapidly and did many great things on earth. Apart from his in-depth study of scriptures, he also showed us one sure secret to his success. He said in 1 Corinthians 14:18 “I thank God, I speak with tongues more than you all”. Sometimes I wonder what made him so sure that he spoke in tongues more than all the early Corinthian Christians. It must have been that he spoke in tongues everywhere at every time. It must be that when he wasn’t talking to others, he must be praying in the spirit. It must be that he did it several hours in a day – while walking, while on a journey, while praying, etc. Have you ever desired to perform exploits like Paul, then you should have also desire to speak in tongues more than us all, or else, the equation is incomplete. You only desire an output without a corresponding input.

Beloved, let’s start small and God will help us to improve. If you have not been serious about it, you should make a change today. You can decide to speak in tongues 30 minutes or 1 hour everyday for the next one month, and increase the tempo as the days go by.

NB: If you do not speak in tongues and you don’t know how to go about it, you can read articles on ourPrayer page in www.christlifeline.org or send a mail to info@christlifeline.org and a counselor will attend to you.

– tope aladenusi