Must every believer speak in tongues?

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I'm going to explain the supernatural ability to speak in tongues (why you should and how). I pray as you read may the Holy Spirit guide your thoughts. Let's get right into it.

So when you gave your life to Christ, I mean that point when you accepted him to be the lord over your life, you were given the Holy Spirit as a seal of your salvation. This is seen in Ephesians 1:13(NIV)

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

The holy spirit as your seal came with many gifts one of them being the ability to speak in tongues aka praying in the spirit or praying in the Holy Spirit. Being able to pray in tongues is not set aside for only Apostles, Bishops, pastors and leaders in church only. It is a gift that everyone who believes through faith in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ can receive.

What really is praying in tongues?

Personally, I will say speaking in tongues is a supernatural ability for believers only to directly communicate with God in a language that can’t be understood by the human mind.

Let’s look at a few scriptures:

1 Corinthians 14:4a

 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself...

1 Corinthians 14:2

For if you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won't be able to understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious.

Now that we have an idea of what praying in the spirit is all about, let's ask these questions. Why are many believers not praying more in the spirit? Is it cause we think it’s spooky or scary or dramatic? Do we think we have to be “more aligned” with God to pray in the spirit? No, it's not spooky and the only “alignment” you need is believing in Jesus.

You are probably thinking must a believer pray in tongues? My answer will be the same to must every human take a shower daily? No, but there are many reasons why we should take a shower daily.

Here are some reasons why we should pray in tongues:

1.) It helps you pray in God's perfect will for your life. Speaking in tongues is the best way of praying God's will into every situation in your life. Imagine the sweetness of living in the perfect will of God, bliss! Sometimes, when we pray in our understanding we may be asking God for things that are contrary to his will for us. Praying in tongues gives the Holy Spirit the avenue to talk to God in line with what his will is for us.

Romans 8:26-27(NIV)

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

2.) It builds and strengthens your spirit. We are spiritual beings with a soul living in a body. Your spiritual strength is very important for your relationship with God and your earthly journey. Our communion with Jesus is in the spirit and we need to build our spirit to continually enjoy the communion. 

Jude 1:20(NIV)

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

 Ephesians 3:16 (KJV)

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

3.) Its the next-level way to magnify God. Magnifying God in your understanding is wonderful but doing it in tongues makes it a supernatural experience. You can sing and laugh in tongues to tell God how much he means to you when words fail you.

Acts 10:46

For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,

4.) It opens you up to the 9 supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:8-10 (KJV)

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

So with the above reasons as to why you should speak in tongues, I probably have you excited about receiving this wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit. Here are ideas on getting this gift:

1. You have to desire it
2. You have to ask for it
3. You have to believe you have received it

Sometimes all you need is a push. Some may ask and believe and get the ability to pray in the spirit immediately you open your mouth. While others may get the gift while praying with someone that already has it (Iron Sharpens Iron) or through laying of hands by someone who has received it already. There are no limitations to receiving this gift, I know people that received it over a phone call. The most important thing is the desire.

Be confident, open your mouth and begin to speak. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It may sound like gibberish at first but the more you say it the more you feel it. Open your mouth and God will fill it. It is likened to learning a new language, you start with small phrases until your vocabulary is fully loaded. The more the practice the more words you learn. Don't be scared of making mistakes, just open your mouth and let it flow. Keep saying the words that fall into your spirit, yield to the Holy Spirit.

I pray that we will come into the full manifestation of what God has purposed for us in Jesus name, Amen.

With love,
Bibi

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