When I was a young woman, I passionately longed to know God, so I took this ministry’s Foundational Class that explained from the Bible Who He is. One thing I learned from God’s Word is that He wants me to speak in tongues. After over forty years of victorious and joyful living, I’m still blessed and thankful to speak in tongues! Why do I speak in tongues? God’s Word can teach us why we would want to speak in tongues.
Let me show you how I know that He wants all born-again believers to do so. Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus Christ spoke of the power that would be available to those who would be born again of holy spirit. This included speaking in tongues.
Mark 16:17:
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.
The Apostle Paul, by revelation from God, wrote the following to the born-again believers in the Grace Administration in which we live:
I Corinthians 14:5:
I would that ye all spake with tongues….
I Corinthians 14:18,37:
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all.
If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
So, why do I speak in tongues? Because God wants me to! It says so in His Word.
Just what is speaking in tongues? Well, when a person is born again, he or she receives the gift of holy spirit and the ability to operate the power of God by way of nine manifestations, one of which is speaking in tongues (I Corinthians 12:8-10). Speaking in tongues is the external manifestation in the senses realm of the internal reality and presence of the power of that gift of holy spirit within the born-again believer.
When a person speaks in tongues, what does it do? I will tell you. One thing it does is edify you as the speaker—it builds you up, makes you strong—spiritually. This also is recorded in I Corinthians 14.
I Corinthians 14:4:
He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself….
This manifestation has the unique ability to build up the believer in the spirit. I speak in tongues because I want to be spiritually edified—built up in the strength of the Lord—and to have the power of His might in my life. Just as I eat physical food to strengthen my physical body, I need spiritual food to build up the spirit.
Those who know this Biblical teaching and speak in tongues much in their private prayer life are greatly edified and built up in the spirit. They become spiritually aware and spiritually perceptive. This is another reason I speak in tongues!
And another thing that speaking in tongues does is allow me to communicate directly with my Father, God.
I Corinthians 14:2:
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God….
Another reason I want to speak in tongues is that it is praying with the spirit. And there is no selfishness in my prayer when I pray in tongues because my understanding is bypassed. I will never pray amiss when I pray with the spirit.
I Corinthians 14:14,15:
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.
The gift of holy spirit makes intercession for us when we pray in tongues; therefore, I can pray for the fulfillment of specific needs that are unknown to my senses mind. Romans 8 explains this for us.
Romans 8:26,27:
Likewise the Spirit [God] also helpeth our infirmities [“infirmity” in the Greek]: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit [the gift of holy spirit in manifestation] itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit [spirit, the gift], because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Our infirmity is that by our senses “we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” Speaking in tongues is the one way that we can always speak to God according to His will, and we can make intercession for the saints both as individual believers and collectively in the body of believers.
One more wonderful reason that I speak in tongues is to be strengthened with might in the “inner man”—the gift of holy spirit.
Ephesians 3:16:
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit [the gift of holy spirit in manifestation] in the inner man.
We have seen many benefits of speaking in tongues privately in our prayer life. Now that you know from God’s Word why you might want to operate this manifestation, would you like to learn how to speak in tongues? Detailed instructions are available in the foundational class on The Way of Abundance and Power. For information about a class in your area, visit the Contact Us page on www.theway.org. Enjoy freely availing yourself of the godly benefits concerning the manifestation of speaking in tongues. Then you too may tell others why you speak in tongues.