“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions . . .” (Ephesians 6:18) Praying in the Spirit (in tongues) is incredibly powerful! Tongues are a gift from God meant to help you, not something to fear.
If you are hungry to be more aware of and surrendered to the real presence of the risen Jesus Christ, I recommend the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. I accepted and began to regularly use that gift when I was twenty years old. It has and continues to enrich my life daily in glorious ways.
All Christians don’t speak in tongues, but I believe that God has made that gift available to any Christ-follower who wants it. It is humbling to think about speaking words that you don’t know that can sound like babbling. But if you will get past the fear of embarrassment or deception, the experience itself is magnificently life-revolutionizing. Praying in tongues always supernaturally stirs up my passionate love for Jesus.
The gift of tongues is miraculously received by faith, not by merit or by effort. A great example of receiving a miracle from God is Peter walking on water. When he saw Jesus walking on the water, Peter said: “Lord if it’s You tell me to come to You on the water.” (Matthew 14:28) Jesus replied: “Come.”
The gift of walking on water was offered to Peter. At that moment he had to decide what to do with Christ’s offer. Peter could wait for Jesus to move his legs, or Peter could move his own legs and step out in faith onto the water.
When Peter put his faith into action and shifted his weight from the boat to the water, a miracle happened. At that moment Peter didn’t sink. He walked on water. The miracle wasn’t that Peter walked. The miracle was that the water held him up as long as he kept his eyes and faith on Jesus.
However, when Peter thought about what he was doing he became afraid, doubted, and began to sink. Then cried out: “Lord, save me.” Jesus responded to Peter’s request by reaching out and holding him. Then Jesus and Peter walked back into the boat together.
Praying in tongues is very similar. Every Christian doesn’t want to speak in tongues. Some passively say, “If God wants me to have that gift He will give it to me.” However, the Bible says, “You have not because you ask not,” (James 4:2-3) and “Ask and you shall receive.” (Matthew 7:7)
When the disciples began to speak in tongues, the Bible says: “They began to speak as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:4) Notice who did the speaking. The disciples began to speak. They didn’t refuse to move their lips and try to hold back the strange sounds.
The King James Version says: “They spoke as the Spirit gave utterance.” The disciples spoke but the Holy Spirit gave them the words. It’s the same for you. To receive the gift of tongues, you have to move your own mouth and trust that when you do God will release an unknown language from within you.
The proof is in the application. You’ve read this far. If you want this simple and humble gift that will revolutionize your walk with Jesus, then here’s how you can receive it:
1) Humble yourself. Set aside all self-righteousness. (James 4:6) Ask God to search your heart. (Psalm 139:23-24) Listen quietly to Him. Acknowledge, renounce, and ask forgiveness for pride (James 4:6) and for any wrong behavior or wrong thinking that He reveals about you. Allow Him to forgive you and cleanse your heart. (1 John 1:9)
2) In the same way that Peter asked Jesus to let him walk on the water, ask God to give you the gift of tongues.
3) Then do what Peter did when he walked out of the boat and on to the water. Leave your comfort zone and speak (move your lips and make a sound) but not in your language. At that moment the rivers of living water that Jesus spoke about (John 7:37-39) will begin to flow from your innermost being as words you don’t know pour out of your lips. You will suddenly be intensely aware of the presence and reality of the living Jesus, and you probably won’t want to stop speaking. (I spoke for hours when I first received the gift of tongues.)
4) Pray in tongues every day. Refuse to quench or stop using the gift God has given to you. If you spoke in tongues in the past but don’t do it in the present, ask God to help you stir up the gift that He gave you back then. (2 Timothy 1:6) Step out in faith and begin to frequently pray in tongues.
5) Rely on God. If you trust Him, He won’t give you a counterfeit gift. He won’t let the devil give you fake tongues. Have confidence in Jesus’ words: “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11) Hallelujah! All glory to God and to Him alone!
“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer say ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.” (1 Corinthians 14:14-19)
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