I can see it now! Those hearing you share these simple, easy-to-do, easy-to-understand illustrations are recognizing the importance of praying in other tongues. Lives are being changed! Keep it up!!!
Once again, I will give a brief, skeletal overview. Then, with the Holy Spirit’s help, you can personalize the illustration to become a powerful teaching tool.
The Importance of Praying in Other Tongues
Part 7 – Receive a Supernatural Refreshing
For this illustration, you will need a towel, Bible, and also a large clear glass (so its contents are visible) filled with ice and lemon aid.
I am sure that you will relate to this. Can you think of a time when as a child that you were out playing baseball or soccer in the summer’s unbearable heat? Or, perhaps as an adult you were out in the yard doing much-needed yard work under the brutal scorching sun? You know exactly what I am talking about. After a while, your entire body is so hot. Your clothes are soaking wet. (Tug on your clothes as though they are wet and you are trying to allow air to cool your body.) And you find yourself constantly wiping the sweat from your face. (Use the towel to illustrate wiping the sweat.) Now imagine getting a glass filled with ice-cold lemon aid. (Show the glass of lemon aid.) To help refresh your memory of what this is like, just watch me as I take a drink. (Take a swallow or two. Be over dramatic in showing your pleasure as you take that first sip of the lemon aid.) Within just a few sips of the ice-cold lemon aid, everything begins to change. All of a sudden, because of what I call the chill factor, your entire body is refreshed! It brings on a gigantic aaahhhh! (Be over dramatic and humorous as you say the aaahhhh.)
I love the aaahhhh factor for your body. (Put away the glass.) But, what about your spirit? Thankfully there is one. And, I want to use this aaahhhh factor to share one of the important reasons why I pray in other tongues. The Bible (pick up Bible) teaches us that when life is like the super hot day that I just described and is overwhelming and draining the oomph out of you, there is a refreshing that comes when we pray in the Spirit. (Isaiah 28:11-12) I come back to the phrase that I mentioned a minute or two ago. Praying in other tongues is a chill factor that brings the aaahhhh that causes a supernatural refreshing and a rest to our spirit. Why? Because as we pray in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit delivers a joy and peace to our spirit (Romans 15:13). The cares and stress will fall to the side as He lets us know that everything will be aaaahhhh (all) right.
