A loss of faith is something that thousands of Christians deal with every day in one way or another, whether its discouragement about God’s involvement in their faith or what’s going on in their church, or the confusing messages coming from the pulpit about speaking in tongues, or the tools you need for spiritual transformation.

No matter what you are discouraged about, the root cause is always the same: the gospel that is being preached from the pulpit is not the gospel of Jesus’ covenant and that means that spiritual neglect is taking place. Spiritual neglect and spiritual abuse go hand-in-hand and they are the reasons why God has sent apostles back into the church.

In Apostle Estelle Tolmay’s latest blog, Disambiguating Restoration, she writes,
“Satan’s long-game is to numb believers to God by the repeat exposure of counterfeit calls for change and revival. Satan’s mock-restoration tactics have worn down the believer’s trust in God’s ability to truly restore His church.”

Many ministry leaders and believers don’t really think about the impact that mock-restoration tactics have on them. False ministers offer a variety of worship styles as if God daily changes how He wants to be served and you’re left to figure out what God is in the mood for.

This rollercoaster of highs and lows leaves the believers soured to receiving any kind of direction from God’s restored government and tune into their gut feelings, aspirations and imagination to guide them out of this confusion. But God has a better plan.

If your pastor is neglecting to teach you about Jesus’ covenant, then you may be discouraged from accepting all the tools of Jesus’ covenant. There are 9 tools that Jesus’ blood sanctified, and these are the tools that God wants our faith to be joined to: Jesus’ spiritual government (starting with the apostle’s office), His truth (the foundation knowledge we use to build with God), His Holy Spirit that seals our adoption and bears witness to Jesus; the gifts, calling, the graces of God, prayer, preaching and prophecy.

I’d like to zero in on the first tool of our sanctification – prayer – specifically, praying in tongues. It’s vital to understand God’s covenant design for prayer. There are a few things I want to draw from Apostle Eric vonAnderseck’s Terms Glossary to get us started, so we’ll go there first.

– As a person yields to grace and acknowledges that God sent Jesus Christ to shed His blood to provide a new covenant, God accepts his faith and declares him righteous, and his faith is divinely sealed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, witnessed by tongues. (Acts 2:4)

– Our birth into God’s family and kingdom is given this sign of life. (Acts 11:15-17)

– The tool of tongues is the trademark of the Spirit. It is the divine seal of our faith. We give utterance to tongues in prayer that the Holy Spirit may make intercession for the infirmities of our soul… (Acts 2:4; Rom. 8:26-28)

– When a believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit God puts His Spirit within him, identifying him as belonging to God through adoption, placing him in the body of Christ, being called a child of God… (Rom. 8:14-16)

– This baptism of the Holy Spirit is the down payment of our eternal inheritance. It is the first token you receive whereby God identifies you as belonging to Him. (Eph. 1:13)

We can see the great value that God placed on the new covenant prayer (speaking in tongues). The baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of tongues is like the many facets of a diamond that sparkle brilliantly as God establishes His presence in our faith.

Yet the value God places on praying in tongues is hidden from many believers and they are hesitant about speaking in tongues. Some say they were taught that you can only speak in tongues when you’re in church and if there’s no one present to interpret tongues, then it’s fake and that offends God.

Others say, “If God wants me to do it, I’ll just do it suddenly that way I know it’s not fake and I didn’t make it up. I don’t think I have to want it, or desire it. There may be other gifts God has for me and I want to be open for that.”

And others misuse the tool of tongues. They pray in tongues and wait for God to speak to them, which is the same as the misuse of prophecy we see on social media. When the tool of tongues is cut off from God’s new covenant in Jesus it is not joined to the work of the Spirit in you. It’s a powerless tool.

These hesitations and misuses of tongues actually come from the neglect to teach the difference between the two kinds of tongues, the prayer language and the gift of tongues that needs interpretation. Fear comes from neglect. And you’ll see that. Whenever there is spiritual neglect, we will also see believers fearful of misapplying tongues.

If your pastor neglected to teach about God’s new covenant in Jesus and the importance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the seal of your adoption by the sign of tongues, you may be discouraged from accepting God’s plan for you to pray in tongues.

The Apostle Paul also dealt with fear about tongues and how that fear and the neglect of tongues became a conversation starter. There’s a reason why he said in 1 Corinthians 14:18, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all.” He was dealing with the same questions: do we all speak in tongues? Can’t I have a different gift from God?

Every question that believers have about tongues creates a narrative that is based on their own personal experiences outside of covenant. Not understanding God’s purpose for tongues leads believers to assume they don’t need it.

There are a few things that Apostle Paul did to get believers back on track with God’s purpose for tongues. And this points to the importance of the apostles’ calling placed in the body to redirect the conversation about God’s purpose for the baptism of the Holy Spirit evidenced by tongues.

Before we get into the teaching, I want to share a divine dream God gave me about the importance of the active presence of the apostles in the church.

In this dream God shows how His true riches are hidden from the carnal eye but is in plain sight to His restored government. This is because they have the lens of truth that allows them to see past the things that are appealing to the natural man. Those who are without the foundation of truth are not able to see what God values, nor are they able to find the treasures that are hidden in Christ.

In my dream I was in a house and saw large bundles of money in odd places. On a pantry shelf I saw what looked like a small vending machine with rolls of money orderly tucked into each slot. There was an abundance of available resources, but the problem was that it was hidden from view of the woman who lived in the house. It was hidden behind packages of junk food and bottles of spices. She had no knowledge it was there.

The Lord next showed me a cardboard box on the floor filled with items for a yard sale. I knelt down and started pulling things out to get to the bottom because I knew there was a tin box of money at the bottom. I reached the tin box and I pulled it out. When I opened it up it was filled to the top with large rolls of money.

I got up and I went over to the woman who lived in the house and I told her, “There is so much money in this house and it’s hidden in plain sight.”

I showed her the box and she said she knew there was an abundance of provisions, but she could never find it. I then proceeded to show her the pantry with the shelves full of spices and junk food and behind it was big rolls of money orderly tucked into the vending machine. End of dream.

As we take this dream to covenant, the first thing that God points out is that His apostolic stewardship reveals and directs believers to God’s true riches – the covenant of Jesus Christ and the tools that He approves of.

God makes abundant provision for our faith to touch Him and to receive His gifts. These are the things that all believers seek after, yet sadly many fail to find. Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to treasure hidden in a field. Once a person finds it, he’s willing to sell all that he has in order to buy the field and get the treasure.

Matthew 13:44
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Just to be clear, Jesus is not talking about earthly treasures of this world. Not fame or fortune or the prosperity message. Jesus is talking about the treasures of the heart, the durable riches, the eternal treasures, which so enrich the soul with God’s divine substance and fruit that a person would sell everything to get it.

In the dream, the Lord points out the blindness of heart and confusion that presently rules the church. The woman in my dream (representing the false church) is seen collecting stuff she no longer wants and getting ready to sell it in a yard sale, and doesn’t realize that God’s true riches are among the stuff she’s collected and now wants to recycle out for a bit of cash in hand.

Apostle Estelle’s dream that she shared in her article also points to this same behavior, as God differentiates false reforms and recycled messages from His true restoration. Believers are constantly called upon to try new reform methods, while ignoring the true call of God to partake of Christ in His covenant. They are throwing away God’s provision in Christ.

The Lord points out that even though His covenant provision in Jesus is so abundant, yet the value of the tool of tongues and all the tools of the new covenant, and the new priesthood go unnoticed. It requires apostolic stewardship to reveal the spiritual value of the things of Christ.

When something is said to be hidden in plain sight, the term is used to “describe situations where something is hidden right under our noses but goes unnoticed due to its unassuming appearance; the idea behind hiding in plain sight is to remain unnoticed by those who are actively searching…” (CrossIdiomas)

This word of knowledge in my dream describes the condition of every believer who is actively searching for the life of Christ and true spiritual transformation, but cannot see Him, nor find Him.

God gifted the church again with the apostolic stewardship and terms of His new covenant in Jesus, but believers were taught to expect God to do something else.

The woman in my dream has a two-fold meaning, representing both the church under false leadership and the individual believer who is under that persuasion, or spell.

Remember that in the dream I saw what looked like a small vending machine with rolls of money orderly tucked into each slot. There was an abundance of available resources (in Jesus’ covenant), but the problem was that it was hidden from view of the woman who lived in the house. It was hidden behind packages of junk food and bottles of spices.

Let’s take a moment to look at that.

Ministers who preach a false gospel know that God’s true blessings are hidden in Christ, but they spice their teaching with the many different flavors that appeal to the nature of man to make the spiritual things of God’s kingdom more interesting and enjoyable. They fill their belly with junk food doctrines and spiritual traditions that keep the soul empty and spiritually impoverished. They never reach beyond these things to obtain the true covenant riches in Christ.

God places great value on all 9 tools of His covenant. The bundles of money that I saw pertains to the abundance of God’s spiritual riches that are given to those who are using all 9 tools of Jesus’ covenant. Through these tools we gain the true blessing which is the fruit of Christ and we are not lured away.

1 Corinthians 2:7
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Ephesians 3:5
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

How do we receive the hidden riches? We transition our faith to Jesus’ covenant, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit, evidenced by tongues and by remaining consistent in the spiritual priesthood.

I’d like to revisit what I said earlier about there being two kinds of tongues. Let’s look at that a little more. You will find this same instruction in the IDCCST Course we offer for free. You not only learn the value of tongues, but discern the two manifestations of tongues to know how they are different. We’ll dig into a little bit of it here to help you get on the right track.

Tongues #1 – the first manifestation of tongues is the tool (token) of tongues and accompanies the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which all believers receive as the seal of the righteousness of their faith. We all receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and we all pray in tongues because God gives us all this same power that is necessary for fruit bearing.

There were 120 disciples gathered together to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit according to Jesus’ promise. And we’ll see that they were ALL filled with the Spirit and they ALL spoke in tongues, meaning that they ALL shared the same experience. (Acts 1:4-5, 15)

Acts 2:4
And they were ALL filled with the Holy Spirit and [they ALL] began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

This is the tool of tongues that does not need to be interpreted because you’re speaking mysteries to God and the Holy Spirit is making intercession for you. It’s your prayer language.

1 Corinthians 14:2
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

When we pray in tongues, we are speaking to God. Therefore, the prayer language is spiritual, divine and heaven sent and not meant to be understood because it pertains to the mysteries of God’s daily work in us.

Why does the sign of tongues accompany the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Why is speaking in tongues so important to God?

These mysteries have to do with the recovery of the soul from the fruits of iniquity, the healing of the soul from the effects of sin, and the release of the soul from that power. The Spirit of God is using tongues to make intercession for these things. The Apostle Paul brings this out in his teaching to the saints.

Romans 8:26-29
²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

²⁷ And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

The Holy Spirit makes intercession to God concerning the infirmities of our soul (vs. 26). This is why God gave the gift of the baptism of the Spirit, and this is why we pray in tongues, this is how our soul is brought into God’s care, through this form of contact.

The infirmities of the soul is the weakened condition of the soul because of the fall of Adam. Once conversion takes place God grants not only forgiveness of sins, but our freedom from the power of sin, and we experience daily healing of the soul from the damage sin caused to the inner man.

This inner healing is called regeneration. This is God’s purpose for us (vs. 28). Praying in tongues is tied to God’s divine work to transform our soul daily to be conformed to the image of His Son (vs. 29). Now you can understand why praying in tongues every day is a vital tool.

When the scriptures say that God “searches” the heart (vs. 27) this means that the Spirit of the Lord is making intercession as we pray in tongues, moving from room to room in the caverns of our soul to make steps for healing to take place. We’re talking here about your daily growth cycles in your priesthood. Praying in tongues is tied to your daily Christian growth cycles and Christian priesthood.

Tongues #2 – the second manifestation of tongues is called the gift of tongues with interpretation. This gift of the Spirit is not the seal. It is not your prayer language.

1 Corinthians 12:10
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

Tongues #2 is a gift of the Spirit and is manifested in the assembly of the saints with the gift of interpretation. The gifts are given as the Spirit wills (1 Cor. 12:11), but you can pray in tongues as often as you want to. You can pray in tongues anytime, anywhere.

In 1 Corinthians 14 Apostle Paul makes many distinctions to encourage the saints to continue forward and to keep using tongues and not to forbid it because when we speak in tongues we are speaking to God and we are edifying ourselves.

1 Corinthians 14:4
He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

1 Corinthians 14:39
Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

Our prayer language (speaking in tongues) is essential to the work of regeneration and Satan works to discourage and persuade the heart to refuse this tool. Satan knows that this is the tool that God designed for our cooperation with Him as He heals our soul and replaces the fruits of iniquity with the fruit of Christ.

True spiritual transformation is the normal everyday experience of those who have accepted God’s new covenant in Jesus Christ and use all 9 spiritual tools of His name to bond and build with Him.

Many believers have accepted the testimony of Christ; however, they are not sealed with the Spirit. These believers feel an inner void because they have not been brought into God’s care through contact.

They sense that they lost direction because their faith is not being governed by God’s active presence. After they believed, they were not sealed. So, let’s look at that scripture in Ephesians.

Ephesians 1:13
In whom ye also trusted, AFTER that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also AFTER that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.

Apostle Paul brings these saints back to their first experience with God bringing them into His house. He reminds them that AFTER they had heard the word of truth, AFTER they had believed Jesus to be the Son of God the Saviour of the world, and AFTER they had accepted the testimony of Jesus Christ and agreed to the terms of the covenant, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and spoke in tongues.

God removed all doubt of their salvation by giving them the first tool of their conversion which is a token of Himself.