Five Things We Will Learn
- Why extended praying in tongues brings breakthrough, peace, and clarity.
- How God uses tongues to humble our minds and unlock revelation.
- The three “mysteries” God often reveals while praying in tongues.
- A practical 20/20/20 prayer rhythm you can start today.
- How short, regular fasts stoke hunger and sustain a life in the Spirit.
How Corey Discovered the Power of Tongues
In the early 2000s, Corey and his wife moved into a 24/7 prayer environment and were immediately met with intense spiritual pressure—strange presences at night, sleeplessness, and a constantly sick child. Out of desperation he told the Lord, “I’m going to pray in tongues until peace comes.” Sometimes the shift came in twenty minutes; on other nights it took two hours. But it came. Peace settled on the home, sickness lifted, sleep returned, and Corey’s own anxiety began to break as his inner man grew strong. He learned to fight offensively in prayer instead of just reacting to darkness.
Extended Tongues: Charging Your Spirit for Breakthrough
Corey calls praying in tongues a way to “charge your spiritual battery” (Jude 20; 1 Corinthians 14:4). Extended times of tongues strengthen the inner life so that thoughts, emotions, and desires align with the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit who raised Jesus “gives life to your mortal body” (Romans 8:11). It’s David’s pattern: first “strengthen yourself in the Lord,” then ask for direction (1 Samuel 30:6). Build up first; then you can hear.
Why Tongues Offends the Mind—and Why That’s Good
God often hides glory in humble packages—like Bethlehem’s manger. Tongues looks weak to our intellect because it bypasses the mind, requiring humility and faith. Corey warns that many believers wear a “tongues badge” but rarely use the gift—living like “practical atheists” regarding this grace. Paul’s confession—“I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all” (1 Corinthians 14:18)—points to a devotional doorway into his revelation, endurance, and holy power.
Mysteries God Often Reveals in Tongues
When Corey prays in tongues for extended periods, three streams of revelation repeatedly open:
- Mysteries about God: Scripture “opens” and new insight flows.
- Mysteries about you: Identity, calling, and assignments clarify.
- Mysteries about people in need: The Spirit highlights names and needs—often before they reach out—so ministry arrives timely and tender.
Stories & Even Science
Jackie Pullinger saw near-total deliverance from heroin addiction among Hong Kong addicts who prayed daily in tongues. Healing evangelist John G. Lake called tongues “the making of my ministry,” and Smith Wigglesworth prayed in tongues continually. Corey summarizes it as the gateway gift—steward it, and it opens everything else.
The Kinds of Tongues—And When to Use Them
- Corporate tongues with interpretation (1 Corinthians 12) for public edification.
- Personal prayer language (1 Corinthians 14) for every believer’s private communion with God.
- Tongues of men and of angels (1 Corinthians 13) indicating varied expressions.
Sunday gatherings typically focus on edifying people; prayer meetings are God-ward, where tongues is freely expressed without interpretation.
Removing Roadblocks to Receiving
Hunger: “The hungry will eat.”
Trust the Father: He gives the Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13).
Faith + Action: You speak the sounds that well up; God supplies the language.
Break resistance: Forgive family lines that mocked the gifts; renounce pride, fear, and judgment. Humility receives what the mind resists.
A Simple Hour with God: Corey’s 20/20/20
If you have sixty minutes:
- Receive (20 min): Bible reading, light tongues, deep breaths, simple “I love You, Jesus.”
- Minister to God (20 min): Louder tongues, lifted hands—somewhere around minute 15 a “synchronization” often comes and He begins praying through you.
- Requests (20 min): Pray Scripture over your spouse, children, friends, and situations. Repeat the cycle as time allows.
Fasting That Keeps the Fire
Corey “tithes” the first three days of each month to the Lord—the Bridegroom fast (Matthew 9:14–15). Short, regular fasts tenderize the heart, sharpen discernment, humble the soul, and sustain hunger far better than rare marathon fasts.
A Pastoral Prayer to Close
“Father, fill us with the Holy Spirit. Let rivers of living water flow. Break strongholds, fear, and shame. Release deliverance and holy hunger. Fill us now, Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name.”