My Story - How I Got the Gift of Tongues
When I was 6 years old I went to the kids ministry at Church On the Move in Tulsa, Oklahoma. My parents and grandparents already had the gift of tongues along with my older sister Brooke. After they prayed for us I heard one word in tongues - "shuckubuh." I was too scared to speak it out in front of the other kidse girl who prayed for me but when I went home I embarrassingly asked my grandma Sandi if I had got it and I told her my word in tongues. She said that’s it Camille, keep praying that out. From then on every time there was a prayer circle at church I would pray in tongues and God gave me more to my spiritual prayer language. Since then I have prayed in tongues a lot over my life. When my parents were in Africa as missionaries for 9 months the missions leaders would have everyone pray for 1 hour in tongues every day and they saw signs and wonders and miracles over there. A few years ago a friend got me to pray 30 minutes a day in tongues and I noticed that when I did that it seemed that life just started lining up better. Ministry opportunities will happen, I’ll get to share the gospel to someone or pray with someone to receive Jesus, God will move things off my agenda list and I am able to spend more time with Him and on other more important projects. It’s like God just goes to work in your life as you pray out the will of God in tongues. This year I started using a habit tracking app called “Streaks” and I made a habit to pray in tongues for 5 minutes a day. It's just a good discipline to get the pump primed and to focus your attention on God and get more into the mind of Christ and can often lead to more time in prayer than the 5 minutes I set out to do.
I believe anyone can receive the gift of tongues from God. I have prayed with people to receive it. Once you have your prayer language, you’ll realize what a game changer it is in your spiritual life and want everyone else to have it too. It is often the first gift someone receives from God and seems to be somewhat of a gateway gift to the other ones like prophecy, interpretation of tongues, word of knowledge, word of wisdom… the Bible says the gifts are for the building up of the body of Christ. You can actually operate in any of the gifts as God enables you to. Tongues at it's core is a personal prayer language between you and God. No one else has your prayer language. That's the interesting thing, but you always can tell when someone is praying in tongues. It's like you can feel the spirit of God in it. God adds to your prayer language over the years and sometimes it changes for short spurts and it's like you know God is having you pray something out, then it usually changes back.
Some confusion comes in with the different types of tongues God uses. One is for personal edification of your spirit where you are just praying out mysteries, one is to be interpreted in the group or church setting where someone speaks out louder than the group and then God has them or someone else interpret it, and the 3rd is when God has you pray in tongues where you don't understand what you're saying, but God interprets it into someone else's language. That happened in the New Testament and it still happens today.
When you receive Jesus as your savior, the Holy Spirit come and lives inside you and He comes bearing gifts. Many believers get stop at salvation and holiness, which are so key, but don't realize that God has more to do in them and through them.
If you want the gift, just ask God for it. Sometimes you get it immediately and sometimes you get it later.
VERSES ON THE GIFT OF TONGUES & THE HOLY SPIRIT
Luke 24:49 KJV
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. - Jesus
Acts 19:1-8 KJV
“And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.”
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 4:31
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 8:14-19
Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
Mark 16:17-18
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
1 Corinthians 14:14-15 KJV
“For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”
1 Corinthians 14:22
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
Mark 1:6-8 NKJV
“Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.””
1 Corinthians 12:28
And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.
1 Corinthians 14:2
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. KJV
1 Corinthians 14:4
Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.
1 Corinthians 14:13
Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
1 Corinthians 14:18
I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. (Paul who wrote a lot of the New Testament said this)
2 Timothy 1:6-7
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Luke 11:9-13 NKJV
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Acts 1:5
For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 19:1-7
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.
Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
AFTER THEY GOT FILLED:
Acts 5:16
Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
VIDEOS TO WATCH ON THE POWER OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES:
Reasons to Pray in Tongues: Dr. Bill Hamon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F-D6_6Efpw
The Secret Weapon of Praying in Tongues - Richard Roberts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4nbzcHPLCQ
TO BE CONTINUED :)