Paul: Prophecy and Tongues

At first glance, 1 Corinthians 14 reads like a pastoral manual — Paul instructing the early church on how to behave during worship. But through the interpretive framework offered by Neville Goddard, this chapter reveals profound truths about the inner dialogue of the soul, the creative power of imagination, and how the individual mind governs and shapes experience.

Tongues: The Fragmented Speech of the Unawakened Mind

“He who has the power of tongues is talking not to men but to God: for no man has knowledge of what he is saying; but in the Spirit he is talking of secret things.”
—1 Corinthians 14:2 

Neville taught that the Bible is not a historical record, but a psychological drama—everything takes place within the mind of the individual. In this view, “speaking in tongues” is symbolic of inner speech disconnected from conscious direction. It reflects the fragmented and often contradictory chatter of the mind that hasn’t yet been disciplined by intention.

To speak in tongues, then, is to speak from the subconscious without understanding or clarity. It is the inner babble of imagination—desires, fears, worries, and assumptions—spoken without awareness of their creative power. These are the “secret things” Paul speaks of, because they form and shape experience even when the conscious mind does not grasp them.

Neville would say this kind of speech corresponds to the untrained use of imagination—where your assumptions run wild, unobserved, and uncorrected.

Prophecy: Speaking with Understanding

“But the word of the prophet gives men knowledge and comfort and strength.”
—1 Corinthians 14:3 

Prophecy, in contrast, is conscious inner speech — the Word of God. It is deliberate imagination, spoken with clarity and purpose. Neville often said, “Your inner conversations are the seeds of your future.” To prophesy is to assume a state consciously, to speak as if your desire is already fulfilled, and to hold that assumption until it hardens into fact.

In Paul’s terms, prophecy edifies—it builds up the structure of your life. It gives strength—it urges the mind toward belief and persistence. It gives comfort—it aligns the mind with the peace that comes from knowing 'It is done.'

To prophesy is not to predict the future as an external seer, but to declare it from within, knowing that imagination creates reality. It is to bring order to the inner world, the “church” within, so that it operates in unity and direction.

The Church Within: Order in the House of Imagination

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
—1 Corinthians 14:33

Neville often taught that the Bible's references to churches are allegories for the inner faculties. The “church” is your own inner state of consciousness. And as Paul insists here, it must not be confused or chaotic. Speaking in tongues without interpretation represents a chaotic mind, full of movement but lacking direction. Prophecy represents a mind in alignment, imagining lovingly and with purpose.

The entire chapter is an exhortation to bring the mind into order, not to suppress emotion or mystery, but to direct them meaningfully. Tongues, without interpretation, are energy without structure. Prophecy gives voice to faithful imagination—the true creative power of God.

Interpretation of Tongues: Translating Inner Feelings into Understanding

“For if I make use of tongues in my prayers, my spirit makes the prayer, but not my mind.”
—1 Corinthians 14:14  

“What is it then? I will make prayer in the spirit, and I will make prayer with the mind: I will make songs in the spirit, and I will make songs with the mind.”
—1 Corinthians 14:15

This is perhaps the most Neville-like passage in the chapter. It insists that both the feeling and the understanding must be present. You may feel a desire rising within, but unless it is shaped into a clear assumption, it remains unfruitful. The power of imagination must be harnessed through deliberate and repeated assumption.

Neville would say, don’t feel longing—assume the wish fulfilled. That is praying in spirit and understanding.

Even Instruments Without Meaning

“Even so things without life, giving a sound, such as a pipe or a harp, if they do not give a clear note, how will it be clear what is being played?”
—1 Corinthians 14:7 

This verse extends the metaphor beautifully. Neville’s teachings often warned about vague desire—an undefined assumption has no power. Your inner speech must be clear and specific if you want it to materialise. A trumpet with no clear note creates only noise. So too does the imagination that is scattered and unfocused.

Your assumptions must form a coherent tone—an emotional resonance that matches the end you seek.

Let All Things Be Done Unto Edifying

“So then, let it be your desire to have the prophet's power, and let it be your desire not to do things without order.”
—1 Corinthians 14:39–40  

“Let all things be done in the right and ordered way.”
—1 Corinthians 14:40

This is the final message of the chapter: imagination is sacred. Your thoughts, assumptions, and inner speech must not be left to wander aimlessly, like unknown tongues. They must be disciplined, interpreted, understood, and directed toward what you want to experience.

Paul's message, reinterpreted through Neville’s teachings, is this:
Bring your imagination into divine order. Prophesy deliberately. Assume lovingly. Interpret your inner speech and hold it in faithful silence until it becomes flesh.