Keeping in mind this understanding of our authority, let’s examine a crucial passage from Scripture in the context of our discussion on praying in the Spirit. Learning to put into practice the following verses from the book of Isaiah should be an integral part of our prayer life, as we pray both with the spirit and with our understanding.

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted.” Isaiah 43:25-26

What does God mean by the phrase “let us contend together”? We must remind Him of what He has said regarding our sin. The devil will try to condemn us, but we can mock him. We can remind God and the devil that God has forgiven our iniquities and will not remember our sins anymore.

When we confess our sins and ask God for forgiveness, He no longer remembers that we have done something wrong. With this confidence, we can enter into the presence of God with boldness and assurance.

The same principle applies to anything you pray for. Remind God in prayer of what He has said in His Word about your need. Argue your case before Him, presenting your arguments to be justified.

Don’t let these verses pass you by without putting them into practice. Plant them in your heart and use them. They are there for your good. God has said, “Let us contend together.” It is God who invites us to do so. You argue your case with Him, and He will argue His case with you.

Of course, when you argue your case, you may not always get the answer you desire. After arguing your case, God may present His. Remember, He said, “Let us contend together.”

I remember a particular time when I applied these scriptures to a challenging situation in my own life. I will share this example with you because it illustrates the connection between praying in tongues and arguing our case before the Father using words our mind understands. (Remember the analogy of the “two-wheeled bicycle” I mentioned earlier. We need both “wheels” in prayer to get where we need to go.)

My wife and I were preaching in Oregon when my sister called to inform me that my 68-year-old mother was in critical condition. My sister didn’t know what to do. I called my mother’s pastor, Brother Wood, to discuss the situation. He said, “Brother Hagin, Pat’s mom [that’s what we all called my mother] is asking for you. If I were you, I believe I would come home. The situation is serious.”

I discussed it with the pastor of the church where I was holding the meeting, and he said, “You can conclude the meeting and go home to take care of your mother.” So, I ended the meeting that evening. But while the service continued, I spent some time in a youth room next to the auditorium, pacing back and forth in the room, praying in other meeting rooms.

I leaned on my strong faith, preparing my heart to argue my mother’s case before the Lord.

I understood from Brother Wood’s report that Mom’s condition was critical, and she could easily die. After praying in tongues for a while, I said, “Lord, I want to argue my case before You about Mom. I can’t let her go, Lord. Mom did so much for us when I was six years old and our father abandoned us. She stayed with us and tried to make a living for the four of us until she had a nervous, mental, and physical breakdown.

“Furthermore, Lord, I am closer to Mom than all her other children because I was sick and afflicted in my early life, and I couldn’t run and play like the others. And after Dad left, I only had her to focus all my love on as a son.

“Lord, Mom has done so much for me and the rest of her children, and I have finally come to the point where I can do something for her. I know it’s selfish of me, Lord, but I can’t let her go. She’s only 68, and You promised us at least 70 or 80 years. I can’t let her go.”

Continuing to pray in tongues, I entered into the realm of the Spirit. The Lord then began to argue His case with me, while the Holy Spirit allowed me to interpret what I had prayed in tongues.

Remember that God said, “Let us contend together.”

The Lord said to me, “Paul said, ‘For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain’ [Phil. 1:21] and ‘I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better’ [Phil. 1:23]. And in 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul said, ‘We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.'”

The Lord then said, “Your mother will fare better if you let her go home. She has never heard you preach, and she doesn’t even have a glimpse of the faith message. She’s a spiritual babe who doesn’t know how to believe, and she will suffer. She would fare better if you let her go home.”

The Lord argued His case. It was now my turn to argue my case again.

In tears, I said, “Lord, I know it’s selfish, but somehow, deep down inside, I can’t do it. I love Mom so much, and You promised us at least 70 or 80 years. If Mom dies now, I want You to know that I won’t hold it against You, but I won’t rejoice either. I will continue to serve You and do Your will.

I don’t know what I’m going to do. But for as long as possible, every time I think about it, I will remind You that You let Mom go home early. And when I go to Heaven, every time I think about it, I will remind You.”

Do you know what the Lord said to me at that moment? He said, “Okay. I will do whatever you want.”

I said, “Give her at least 80 years.”

“Okay, I give her 80 years,” the Lord replied.

When Mom turned 80, she began to decline, and within two weeks, she went home to be with the Lord. But she had lived long enough for us to see her filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. Thank God for the authority of the believer! We are making progress in learning this authority, but it starts with learning to pray in the Spirit according to His Word!

Oh, there are depths in prayer that we know so little about! There is a place in prayer that so few people have reached. But if we listen to the Helper and follow Him, He will be faithful to lead us into this greater dimension of prayer.

I can tell you this: I am not satisfied with our situation as a body in this area of prayer. We are far from where we should be. But, thank God, I believe many are taking giant steps! We are beginning to move into this deeper realm of prayer and intercession with the help of the Holy Spirit within us.

This text is an excerpt from the book “The Power of Speaking in Tongues: Everything you want to know about Speaking in Tongues” written by Kenneth Erwin Hagin.

We invite you to read the following article “Respond to God’s call to prayer.”