In my last post, I mentioned some ways that our prayer language is a powerful spiritual weapon:
1.) It renews our mind, a major battleground where spiritual warfare goes on, so that we think like Jesus thinks. This enables us to recognize when the enemy is injecting “foreign” thoughts, so that we can take them captive and get rid of them quickly.
2.) It builds our faith, according to Jude 20. We take on the faith of God as we interact deeply with Him in our prayer language.
3.) It enables us to pray rightly, with accuracy, because it is actually the Holy Spirit within us breathing the prayers, according to Romans 8:26, 27.
4.) It helps us to hear God clearly, so that we can be effective in our warfare. (I will talk about this in greater detail in my next post.)
Because the devil knows what a powerful weapon our prayer language is, he tries to stop it in any way he can. Doubt is his main tactic. He almost always tries to convince the newly baptized-in-the-Spirit person that nothing really happened, so that he or she will not attempt to pray in tongues again.
Sometimes people doubt their prayer language is real, because it sounds funny or halting. However, there are known languages in which a halting hesitancy is part of the language. There are languages that have very few syllables, in which the majority of the communication is done through voice inflection alone. There is even a language which is entirely made up of clicking sounds in the throat. Never belittle your prayer tongue, no matter how odd it may seem to you!
The devil will also attempt to use cessationist teaching, which says that the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 (including healing and miracles) are not for today, to cause people either to doubt the prayer language they already have, or to avoid seeking to receive it in the first place.
You may find that doubts attack you about your prayer language’s effectiveness while you are in the midst of using it. This is the time to press through, past your mind, and use your prayer language in faith anyway. When I am praying for my pastor, especially when I am backing him up in prayer while he is preaching or laying hands on the sick, I almost always experience a doubt battle in my mind over whether my prayers in tongues are doing anything. I press through and continue to pray in the Spirit anyway. I do not listen to the doubts in my mind. This is merely the enemy’s attempt to get me to stop praying.
The devil fears what happens in the spirit realm when we pray in tongues.
Next time we will talk about how our prayer language enhances our ability to hear God’s voice.
Previous: The Power of Your Prayer Language (Part 4)
Next: The Power of Your Prayer Language (Part 6)
Excerpted from Lee Ann’s book, The Intercessor Manual
The Baptism in the Spirit: Why You Need It & How to Get It, by Lee Ann Rubsam (CD or mp3)
Out of the Fire 
How do I know what my prayer language is? How many types of prayer languages are there? One of the ladies at my church asked me if I knew what my prayer language is. How do I answer her? I know that I do speak in the Spirit, but I am new with this experience. Out of all the articles I have read, yours explains the prayer language the best, although as listed above, I still have a few questions. Thank you.
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Hi Mary,
You don’t have to know what your prayer language is. Most of us never do. In fact, you may speak in more than one. Many of us have had the experience of occasionally finding ourselves praying in a different prayer language from time to time. When I have been in spiritual warfare or intense intercession, at times my prayer language has been extremely different than how it normally sounds. One lady that I know always speaks in a different language when it is a public message in tongues, than what she does in her private prayer lanuguage. I frequently find that Hebrew or Greek words show up in the middle of my praying in tongues, even though I do not generally speak in either Hebrew or Greek.
As to how many, according to one web site, there are over 6700 languages in the world today. There are also dialects beyond those 6700, and dead languages that no one speaks anymore. You could be speaking any one of those at any given time. In addition, you could be speaking the language of angels, rather than an earthly tongue. 1 Corinthians 13:1 says, “…Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels ….”
I’m glad the article series has helped you! Blessings — Lee Ann
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i appriciate your pages very much! I just recieved my prayer language a few days ago and I’ve been speaking in tongues practically no stop since because I’m so overjoyed and happy about it, but I was growing concerned that I only seem to be saying about one sentance full of syllables and they just keep getting scrambled around each other so I was wondering why there isn’t more too it, and I thought maybe I’m just saying the same thing over and over! I was also thinking that maybe it was going to take time for it to develop more. Maybe it will but I was happy to read what you said about some prayer languages are only a few sylables with different enphasis in the voice. Just knowing that it can be different makes me feel good! Thanks a lot!
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Your prayer language probably will expand over time, and you may even find that you speak in different prayer languages at different times. I sometimes speak in an entirely different language than the customary one.
Also, even if you are saying the same sentence over and over, it could be something very important that needs to be prayed continuously. It could also be a statement of praise to the Lord. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 14 that when we speak in tongues, we are communicating with the Lord Himself. Very likely much of what we pray in tongues is praise and adoration of Him.
Many blessings! Keep using that prayer language!
–Lee Ann
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I would like to be able for God to bless me with this. I struggle with my prayer life and now reading The Battlefield Of The Mind by Joyce Meyers. I believe what the bible says about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I would like to recieve this so that my prayers will be more powerful and the Holy Spirit can do whatever He wants too in me.
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Hi Johanna,
God will be faithful to baptize you in the Spirit and give you your prayer language, as you continue to seek Him for it — Luke 11:10-12. Many blessings and may God see to it that your desire is accomplished.
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I recently started speaking in a language that sounds like an Asian/Native American language.
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I’m so glad you received your prayer language, Tuere! I encourage you to make it a habit to pray in it often throughout each day. 🙂
Blessings,
Lee Ann
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