Speaking in tongues - Biblical sieves

God is very much alive and working today as ever; the sieves given here will help you discern where you stand especially when it comes to speaking in tongues.
Enlarge ImageThe subject of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is still highly controversial among some Christian denominations. Several believe that some of the gifts are not present in the Church today while others believe they are all for today as well. I will not go into this subject now, but I will try to differentiate, try to set some clear delimitation when it comes to speaking in tongues.

How do you know your speaking in tongues is from Adonai, His Son Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit respectively? In my opinion, this gift is more difficult to discern because the other gifts are more obvious therefore less subjective. However, as Christians we should be able to make a clear distinction between the Holy Spirit and anything else, distinction made with the Bible, the Word of God. So if you one day receive this gift (as I did), how do you know it is from the right source, from the Holy Spirit?

The following questions were very helpful in my case and they offer several sieves to clarify your position:

1. Is it Biblical? Is the speaking in tongues a Biblical experience? If what happens to you is not Biblical, then there is no point going any further with the questions. But because the case of speaking in tongues is Biblical, we can go forward to check it. Right, so far the answer is "Yes".

2. How is its manifestation? Is it Biblical or not? In this case, does the speaking in tongues control you or do you control it? The Bible says that "The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets" (1 Corinthians 14:32 ). So obviously, the Holy Spirit respects our will and will not produce chaos causing you to speak uncontrolled in the middle of the service or so. Adonai is the God of order.

3. You have committed yourself to God trough baptism and you have Jesus Christ as your Redeemer. Will any other spirit be able to cast out the Holy Spirit that God put in your heart? No. "If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God."1John 4:15

4. Will Adonai mock you giving you an evil spirit when you asked for His Holy Spirit’s gift? No! "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:11-13

5. You confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, your Savior. However, other religions’ priests do speak in tongues as well, but do they confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? No, they do not; they acknowledge whatever the spirits they invoke lead them to say. Yet they do speak in tongues, but is their speaking in tongues from Christ? No, obviously not.

"This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." 1 John 4:2-3
"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves The Father loves His Child as well." 1John 5:1

6. The fruit of the Holy Spirit, are they present in your life? You should be able to answer "yes" and so should answer those closest to you who know your daily life because these fruits must be visible. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

"We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him."1 John 2:3-4

"Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him."
1 John 2:10-11

Right, now you can ask yourself if you see a difference between "before" and "after" speaking in tongues experience. As for me, I saw some clear differentiations:

-a faith depth difference, I have seen and come to know for a fact that God has answered my prayer and demonstrated me that the gifts of the Holy Spirit exist and are available today as well;

- a deeper willingness to pray (my willingness to pray has never been so intense although I had it before and I liked praying);

- increased love for people and God then before, more understanding of the sinful human nature;

-the Bible is even more alive when I read it, it was alive before but now it is even more;

-a strengthening of the Christian faith testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of Adonai (God) and the Holy Spirit is indeed working, speaking, changing life to holiness;

-the power to forgive that by my own means …I would have never had, trust me!

God does not give you the gifts of the Holy Spirit when you are perfect - this would mean that no human being would ever get them during his life on Earth – however the gifts help you a great deal in the process of spiritual perfection, of living the holy life God wants us all to live in. May God protect us all against all evil!
By Claudia Miclaus