Tongues for the Post-Modern Saint Part 2
Everything we knew about tongues is about to change – for the better. Because of modern science, we can now see into that which has been previously hidden. If you took the time to watch the video in my previous post, you will have the proper foundation for what I’d like to discuss at greater length, today. In the video called The Science of Speaking in Tongues, Nightline reported on a study conducted by Dr. Andrew Newburg of the University of Pennsylvania. During the study, Christians were asked to pray in English followed by tongues. MRI’s were taken during both forms of prayer and compared. When the subject prayed in English, the frontal lobes (which are responsible for language formation) were active. During tongues, that area of the brain grew quiet. The study concluded that Christians who pray in tongues are not cognitively forming the syllables, but are accessing the language from another place.
The Inner Man
The remainder of this post assumes that you are familiar with the concept of the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. It is not my purpose to reteach Holy Ghost 101. If you’d like to read more about the Nature and Purpose of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, I recommend the wonderful series of articles by Dr. Richard Dobbins as published by CBN.org.
Tongues originate from the union of the spirit of man with the Spirit of God. That union produces a prayer language that bridges the gap between what we know to pray and what Father wants us to pray. It is a grace that overrides our limited human understanding for the benefit of the eternal purposes of Heaven. As it is with all spiritual gifts, not only do tongues produce a benefit for the Kingdom, but also for the one who wields it. Paul prays in Ephesians 3:16, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” The inner man is called eso in the original Greek language meaning “internal inner”. Paul is speaking of the hidden man of the heart, which is the realm of our spirit. This is where we commune with the Holy Spirit. This internal inner place lies beneath our conscious faculties, in the depths of our subconscious being. Tongues operate from the realm of the subconscious -known to the saints as the spirit of man.
There are aspects of the subconscious/spirit man that we should understand.
1. It is the seat of our conscience. In Romans 7:22 Paul writes, “For I delight in the law of God after the inward (eso – internal inner) man.” When our actions are in sync with the renewed conscience of the inner man there is great joy. This is evidence of the New Covenant at work in our lives. Hebrews 8:10 tells us, “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to overwrite the fallen nature of man with the nature of God – bringing the believer into the likeness of Christ. This He does from the inside out, from the subconscious to the conscious.
2. It is where our gut instinct originates. This new conscience creates a predisposition to obey His desires. The choice to comply, however, remains fully our own. The Holy Spirit infused inner-man possesses sensitivities that protect and promote the Jesus-life. There have been times I’ve walked down the aisle of a store and suddenly felt grimy. Without knowing why, I looked around for the source of the malaise only to discover something filthy or defiling for sale. My subconscious / spirit man alerted me to the offensive objects (which no doubt smacked of demonic stench.) This same instinct works in discerning people and situations, protecting us from harm. My spirit man quickened by the Spirit of God knows when I am in danger before my conscious mind discovers the manifest evidence. Positively speaking, the inner man smells out opportunity for advancement long before I have cognizant confirmation. It is this inner “yes” or spirit of faith that causes us to jump into new things.
3. It is where fellowship with God flows from. Communion with God does not begin with outward activity. We do not pray, sing or worship to instigate fellowship with God. Our desire to connect outwardly is a result of the stirring of the Spirit of God within our inner man. True prayer is a response of deep calling unto deep.
4. Our spirit man / subconscious never sleeps. Even when our bodies are at rest, the subconscious is active in the form of dreams. The Spirit of God often communes with us in this subconscious state in the night. Job 33:14-15 states, “For God does speak–now one way, now another–though man may not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds.” While you are lying peacefully at rest, your spirit man is fully awake, conversing with the Lord. Once the alarm clock sounds, we awaken with a vague sense of instruction, but our subconscious has caught it all. Glory! There have been nights that I awoke praying in tongues. In His tenderness, He allowed me to fully rest and fellowship or war at the same time. How He loves us!
5. Our spirit man / subconscious is always in fellowship with God. Or rather, God is always in fellowship with our spirit man. Just as in the metaphor of marriage, we are one with Him. Because of this union, we can also infer we are one with His thoughts, intents, purposes and emotions – in the inner man. This oneness with God creates the tension Paul mentions in Romans 7:10 “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing.” Sin is the result of flesh winning out over spirit – of our desire to unify with our carnal flesh more than with the Spirit of God. Divine inner fellowship is the river of life that Jesus promised would flow from the belly of every believer. Those who drink of that perpetual inward spring will exceed the satisfaction of the flesh.
6. When accessed, the fellowship in the inner man will spring up into our conscious realm. This river of life will water every activity of our conscious day if we open the floodgate. Tongues is that floodgate. Tongues is the one activity that bridges the divide between the conscious and subconscious realms (if you will). Praying in tongues requires the conscious mind to partner with the spirit man / subconscious inner man to produce an audible prayer language that passes over the lips into the atmosphere. When we pray in tongues, the floodgate is open! This is a powerful truth with tremendous implications.
My next post will discuss tongues and other methods of releasing that inner river. Stay tuned.
Read Part 1 Tongues for the Post-Modern Saint
Read Part 3 Reducing Tongues to Hypnosis
Read Part 4 Tongues: The Key to Revealing the Mysteries of God
Read Part 5 Participating with Angels
One Response to Accessing the Inner Man