7.35 Testimony – Florence: Discovering the power of praying in tongues
I came from a Christian family and was a third-generation Christian. I studied in a mission school and attended a conservative Methodist church on Sundays with my family. Church was dry and I had very little revelation of the Lord. I cannot recall having any experiences of the Lord as a child and teenager.
When I was 14, my father fell ill and was hospitalized. He lay unconscious throughout his 2-week stay at the hospital. As I looked at him, I wanted so much to do something to help him but I realized that I did not even know how to pray. I needed God at that moment but did not know how to reach out to Him. I felt so helpless when I saw life ebbing away from my dear father and my heart cried in pain. That experience stuck in my heart. I needed to know God and to experience His power.
When I first met Joshua, I had backslidden and wanted to get back to God. One day, Joshua brought me to a Christian meeting where an anointed teacher of God was teaching on the subject of the Holy Spirit. At the end of the session, an altar call was given for those who wanted to receive the baptism in the Spirit. Joshua asked me if I would like to receive. I said yes without hesitation.
I went forward for the altar call. When hands were laid on me, I fell under God’s power and prayed out in a new prayer language even as I lay on the floor, enjoying God’s presence. With great hunger in my heart, I took off with this new prayer language and my prayer life was transformed. I began to experience God in a very real way for the first time in my Christian life.
Each night, I would spend hours praying in tongues in the quietness of my hostel room. I poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father in words that went beyond the expressions of the human intellect. I enjoyed the communion with God. He began to speak to me about many things and I developed a greater sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Frequently, the Holy Spirit would show me things to come. Once, I was walking to a Christian bookshop when a vision flashed across my mind and I saw a specific brother at the bookshop. When I reached the bookshop, he was there like I had seen in the vision. On another occasion, I was going up an escalator at the subway and the face of a sister flashed across my mind. I had not met this person for years but to my surprise, I saw her coming down the escalator in the opposite direction. I discovered that she was battling with a physical condition and the Lord used me to encourage and to pray for her.
My grades in school also improved. With a stronger spirit-man, I felt that even my memory and understanding increased significantly. The Holy Spirit would even tell me what topics to study for my university examinations. It was always accurate and I was always prepared. During the examinations, He would give me the wisdom on what to write. I experienced the Holy Spirit as my helper, teacher and guide.
With the prayer language of tongues and a greater sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, Christianity became a living relationship. God had never been as real in my 20 years as a Christian.
When I was 14, my father fell ill and was hospitalized. He lay unconscious throughout his 2-week stay at the hospital. As I looked at him, I wanted so much to do something to help him but I realized that I did not even know how to pray. I needed God at that moment but did not know how to reach out to Him. I felt so helpless when I saw life ebbing away from my dear father and my heart cried in pain. That experience stuck in my heart. I needed to know God and to experience His power.
When I first met Joshua, I had backslidden and wanted to get back to God. One day, Joshua brought me to a Christian meeting where an anointed teacher of God was teaching on the subject of the Holy Spirit. At the end of the session, an altar call was given for those who wanted to receive the baptism in the Spirit. Joshua asked me if I would like to receive. I said yes without hesitation.
I went forward for the altar call. When hands were laid on me, I fell under God’s power and prayed out in a new prayer language even as I lay on the floor, enjoying God’s presence. With great hunger in my heart, I took off with this new prayer language and my prayer life was transformed. I began to experience God in a very real way for the first time in my Christian life.
Each night, I would spend hours praying in tongues in the quietness of my hostel room. I poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father in words that went beyond the expressions of the human intellect. I enjoyed the communion with God. He began to speak to me about many things and I developed a greater sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Frequently, the Holy Spirit would show me things to come. Once, I was walking to a Christian bookshop when a vision flashed across my mind and I saw a specific brother at the bookshop. When I reached the bookshop, he was there like I had seen in the vision. On another occasion, I was going up an escalator at the subway and the face of a sister flashed across my mind. I had not met this person for years but to my surprise, I saw her coming down the escalator in the opposite direction. I discovered that she was battling with a physical condition and the Lord used me to encourage and to pray for her.
My grades in school also improved. With a stronger spirit-man, I felt that even my memory and understanding increased significantly. The Holy Spirit would even tell me what topics to study for my university examinations. It was always accurate and I was always prepared. During the examinations, He would give me the wisdom on what to write. I experienced the Holy Spirit as my helper, teacher and guide.
With the prayer language of tongues and a greater sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, Christianity became a living relationship. God had never been as real in my 20 years as a Christian.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 10:51 PM
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