Tongues every day

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Greetings in Jesus Name

Reference is made to the question, Do you have to speak in
Tongues every day to be saved, and to the answers that have
been given. I don't want to add my $0.02 worth, or even 
answer the question, but I would like to make some comments
that may be food for thought. This may be a question that 
God must give each person a personal answer. 

I am afraid that we sometimes allow our beliefs to box God 
in. I know that I have sometimes been guilty of this. 
Please allow me to explain. I will have to start several 
years ago.

The Pastor of the UPC Church that I grew up in, did not 
teach that you must speak in tongues every day to be saved,
but many people in the Church believed this. One of the 
local Churches that we had fellowship with taught this. A 
Sunday school teacher had to speak in tongues before they 
could teach their class. The Pastor would set you down if 
you tried to do anything in the Church and he hadn't heard 
you speak in tongues that day. This got in my memory bank.

Then when I joined the U.S. Air Force, I found myself in a 
situation where I had no time or place to Pray. My home 
Church thought I backslid when I joined the AF. After a few
days of not being able to pray and speak in tongues, I 
began to believe I was backslidden. I lived in one room 
with about 60 men, but one day I acted like I was asleep 
and I began to Pray and talk to the Lord in my mind. I 
told the Lord that I was sorry I joined the AF and would He
please come back when I got out of basic training and could
go to Church. Then I heard God's voice. He said "I have not
left you." "I was with you today when you fell in that cold
water and had to run 5 miles in wet clothes." No I didn't 
speak in tongues but this experience changed my life. Basic 
training didn't get any easier, but I knew I could take 
anything as long as God was still with me.

Now for 34 years later. I work in a hospital and some want 
to talk or have you Pray for them. You can't talk in 
tongues or even get very loud. You have to allow the 
anointing to come on you and still conform with hospital 
rules. One day an old lady began to talk to me. Her husband
was very sick and I could tell that she didn't think anyone
cared. I ask the Lord to anoint me and give me wisdom. All 
at once tears started to run out of my eyes. I couldn't 
have said anything that would have been more effective than
those tears. God got the glory because you don't have to be
smart to cry.

Yes tongues are the initial (and only) sign of receiving 
the Holy Ghost, but we should never deny the anointing that
come after this initial filling, even if there are no 
tongues. Yes this anointing will go away if we don't take 
time to be alone with God on a regular basis. But for people
to think that they can't have the anointing because they are
in a place where tongues would not be appropriate is boxing
God in so that He can't work through us. Matthew 7:6 
explains this.

God bless and keep you and I love you all                                             
    
Floyd E. Avery      feavery@prysm.net