Are you looking for an excellent way to illustrate the value of praying daily in the Spirit? For this illustration, you will need barbells or dumbbells.
We all know the value of lifting weights. (Demonstrate by lifting and lowering the barbells or dumbbells as you share these thoughts.) With full confidence, we know that with each and every lift of these heavy objects physical change is happening in our bodies. Our muscles are being strengthened. Our stamina is being stretched. Each lift of the weight will cause today’s ten lift limitation to yield to a possible 12 lifts tomorrow and a possible 14 lifts the next day. A daily discipline will cause today’s 25 pound limitation to soon yield to a 50 pound limitation. Eventually, in mere weeks or months, you will look just like those wrestlers on television’s World Wrestling Federation wrestling matches.
Let’s take this one bit further. After you lift the weights that first lift, does your body feel any different? Of course not. Does it look any different? Nope. How about after the second lift? Again, of course not. So, do you quit because you don’t immediately feel or see the benefits of this exercise? It would be easy to quit because, after all, it’s not easy or convenient to do what you are doing. Why keep on keeping on? It’s because that you know that with each and every lift of those weights your body is getting a smidgen stronger. A lift … you’re stronger. Another lift … you’re even stronger. While it’s not visible right this very minute, because of your faithful discipline you know that each and every smidgen will become more and more visible and that you will soon be looking just like the professional wrestler Hulk Hogan.
Did you know that praying in the heavenly language that you received when you were baptized in the Holy Spirit can be compared to weight lifting? We learn from the apostle Jude that each and every time that you pray in your heavenly prayer language, your spiritual muscles are strengthened and stretched so that they can increase. Jude wrote,
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”
Jude 20
The apostle Paul further explains what happens as you pray in your heavenly tongue. He wrote to the Corinthians,
“He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself.”
1 Corinthians 14:4
Paul told you that your spirit is edified. Edified? Rather than use this word, the Amplified Bible tells us that the person who prays in an unknown tongue “improves himself” while the English Standard Version reads “builds up himself” and the New Living Bible says “is strengthened”. Isn’t this incredible? Praying in this unknown tongue causes a change to happen in your spirit. No matter what you feel or don’t feel, see or don’t immediately see, each and every syllable of your prayed prayer language is strengthening you in your spirit man.
So, don’t quit. Keep on keeping on. Pray in your unknown tongue every opportunity that you have throughout your day each and every day. Soon, your spiritual power will be seen not only by you but all those around.
