Chapter 16: Myth—God Owns Solid Rock

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Myth—God Owns Solid Rock

Still, it startled me and was unexpected. Often we resist the very idea

of speaking of tongues and we restrain it from happening. Weird or not, just let it happen. You’ll know if it is a gift of tongues because the words (or babble sounds) will flow freely and effortlessly from your spirit to God. If you have to “force” tongues from your mouth, it is not the gift of tongues. It

is only you pretending. A lot of Christians do pretend to have this gift, as they want to be part of the local “in crowd.” This is especially true in some Charismatic churches that believe you are not saved unless you do speak in tongues. This is not biblical. Listen to Paul.

“Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?” 1 Cor. 12:30 NIV

“I wish you all had the gift of speaking in tongues, but even

more I wish you were all able to prophesy.” 1 Cor. 14:5 NLT

Instruction: Not every Christian will speak in tongues and the Apostle Paul makes this fact clear. Therefore, tongues are a gift of the Spirit as are

other items. It is not a sign of salvation, as many Charismatics believe. Want the clearest sign of salvation? It is standing for God’s truth regardless of the impact it has on your life! Tongues are just another form of communications from our spirit to God’s Spirit.

“I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” 1 Tim. 2:8 NIV

Something magical happens when you start to lift up your hands in prayer to worship God. Try it sometime. I experienced a deepening of my faith at Living Faith Center. I remember closing my eyes, lifting my hands and also thanking Jesus for all that he had done for us. God had some very

important lessons to teach me. One of them occurred shortly after arriving in our new Goleta home. A friend of the family had lost his executive job and this was a serious thing at the time in the computer industry, which was in a recession. He was a Christian and told me that everything would work

out fine. I wondered to myself what I would do if I lost my job. It was the wrong thing to wonder. Soon afterwards, the company I worked for laid off