ASKING FOR GIFT FROM THE LORD

on sunday while i was on duty.. (sori not chronological order, if u realised coz i blog by theme.) praying in the spirit... while the praise and worship was going on, i just felt i was very distracted. so i continue to pray in the spirit, asking the Lord to align myself with Him. and i just felt so led to just continue praying in the spiritual language. and while praying, i just felt that the Lord want to say something to me. i tried to listen within, but i just couldnt, while i continue to speak in tongues, and i felt that it is something deep within me that i nd to dig it out.. im not sure if wat i described was appropriate or not, but i meant that it is something deep in our well, that we nd to be able to dig it out. the deep calls to the deep. anyway, i just felt the worship was a bit noisy for me to hear anything as i try to listen and listen deep within me. but i just cldnt hear anything or rather i cldnt get it. felt the scripture in 1 Kings that God is not in the thunderstorm or the earthquake, but He is in the still small voice. i kept that in my heart.

at nite, when i was doing my QT, i started to inquire of the Lord abt this that happened in the morning. and i just felt impressed on 1 Cor abt the part of speaking in tongues in Chap 14. my eyes caught these:

But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching? .. For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? ... Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. 1 Cor 14: 6, 8, 12-13

as i read, i felt that the Lord has want me to ask Him for the gift of the interpretation of tongues! wow, i got so excited! i knew that the gifts of the Spirit are as it is called 'gifts', so it is fully by the discretion of the Lord. but i felt that this was the Lord's invitation to me to ask Him for the gift! James said that the Lord will give liberally to those who asked from Him. so, yar, im asking the Lord for the gift now! :)

and like i posted later, after i finished my QT, i couldnt sleep so i decided to find something to read, and i went to my bookshelf, and actuali just randomly chose the John Bevere's Drawing Near. honestly speaking, in my opinion, i felt that this wasnt his best book compared to his others, so i dun think it is a coincidence that i actuali picked up that book, and i just flipped thru and i caught sight of the chapter titled, "The Language of Intimacy"..ohh.. i din realise that there is topic title for each chapter. i felt dry when i 1st read this book, after reading abt the 1st 2 chapters, i put it back. so i proceeded to read it, and i realise it is toking abt the heavenly language. wat issit for? the language that speaks to God, etc. wow, i felt this book is linked to wat i have been praying, and it brought much clarity to me.

this morning, i decide to pick up that book agn, and this time, i flipped and i realised that the preceding chapter - The Promise of the Father- is toking abt the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. it explained very very clearly abt the baptism of the Holy Spirit and tongues. honestly speaking, i hv looking into this matter for a some time, im very convinced in speaking in tongues and baptism in the Holy Spirit coz i've got the experience. but then, if u tok to evangelical Christians who dun believe in that, experience is not enuf to convince them, after all, they hv not experienced it themselves. they want proof from the Word of God. (wats the problem with Christians arguing with Christians?) so John Bevere expounded the issue very clearly and rather concisely and even the part in 1 Cor which sometimes reading it caused some confusion also. yes! it is explained in context and from scriptures! but he managed to explain those passages clearly and also distinguished 4 different tongues. it is a commandment to be baptised in the Spirit. wow! i was more convinced than ever aredi!! :)

anyway, just to tok a bit of my experience of my baptism in the Holy Spirit. i was saved in 1998, got water baptised in 1999. being in a Pentecostal church is not exactly ez when i am not Spirit-filled yet, but of coz, i am saved. coz i cldnt feel the presence of God, couldnt speak in tongues when the Pastor asked the congregation to pray in the spirit(of coz, pastor will say, if u dun pray in the spirit, pray in english.. but, hmm..pray wat??). i dun even understd wat the pastor is preaching abt, though in context i think i do, but i not reali also.. and when i read the scriptures, i dun even noe wat it is toking abt.. i will only realised some on and off grammar mistakes...:P and my english quite good one lei. (yar, not by our natural mind, but by the spirit rite? but i somply cant at that time). when i prayed to God, is like toking to myself..hvg a soliloquy.. then the words will bounced off the wall and the ceiling..:P

but even though lidat, i wasnt at all keen to ask for it, or rather i have the attitude of 'if God wants to give me, He will give me, dun nid to ask'. now then, do i noe that God do want us to ask from Him this gift. anyway, it wasnt abt a few years later that i was baptised in the Holy Spirit. i was in a praise and worship service and i started to speak in tongues and i actuali din noe i was speaking till i realised i was speaking in tongues!Praise the Lord! the atmosphere was different straight way! i actuali felt the spirit-realm opening up to me, i felt the presence of God, i cld understd the scriptures and best of all, God seemed real to me for the 1st time!(though, in faith, i believed i was saved, and there is God, i was still struggling coz im not living in it.) So, this experience caused me to believe in speaking in tongues and baptism in the Holy Spirit coz it caused me to live differently! :D

[ yar, i got it very late in comparison with most Pentecoastal and Charismatic Christians, but the delay of getting the gift caused me to appreciate it even more! ]