 to receive the gift of speaking in tongues. Before we talk about that you must understand that it is the will of God for every believer to speak in tongues. There are two types of tongues. There is the ones for private edification and then there is the ones that are for public edification that have to be given with either interpretation or they are given in tongues that people in that setting understand. For example, the ones for public edification. We know that when you speak in tongues you don't need to have interpretation for that. In 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 2 3 and 4 Paul says, for he who speaks in the tongue does not speak to men. So these tongues are not to men, it's your prayer language like we call it, but to God for no one understands him. However, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. He who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in the tongue edifies himself and he who prophesies edifies the church. And so this tongue belongs to everyone. People who say, well I don't need to speak in tongues or this doesn't belong to me then let me ask you a question. Does being edified belongs to you as a Christian? Of course it does. In Jude 1.20 it says that, but you beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith praying in the Holy Spirit. So there are examples of believers praying in tongues in public setting without interpretation. The 120 disciples in the upper room, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts chapter 2 verse 4 and nobody was there to bring interpretation. House of Cornelius, when Peter preached the message of the good news, they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Acts chapter 10 verse 46, the believers in Ephesus. When Paul laid hands on them, the Bible says the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. And so this gift of tongues, the prayer language belongs to every believer and we all should desire this gift and we should practice this gift and the Bible says those who believe they will speak with tongues. Then there's also the gift of tongues which is for the public edification of the church and it's supposed to be accompanied with interpretation as we see that in 1 Corinthians 14.5, 1 Corinthians 14.18 and we see that also in 1 Corinthians 14.23, 24 and 25. Tongues is not only something that we can pray with but we can also speak in tongues. And so it's not just in prayer time, we can also speak in tongues at will. We can also sing in tongues. And so the Bible says that in 1 Corinthians 14.14 where we can pray in tongues, it says in Acts chapter 2 verse 4 we can speak in tongues. And then in 1 Corinthians 14.15 it also talks about us singing in tongues. It's one of the most beautiful Christian experiences that you can experience as a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit. So now how do you receive this wonderful gift? Number one is you have to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Why? Because the Bible says he who believes out of his belly will flow the rivers of living water. And so the prerequisite to these rivers flowing out of you is your faith in Jesus Christ. Now it's important to understand when you believe in Jesus you receive the Holy Spirit. But when you are speaking in tongues you release the Holy Spirit. The Bible says he who believes out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. It does not say that once you become a believer that these rivers will flow out of the throne of God or out of some kind of a heavenly tabernacle. They flow out of your belly, out of your spirit. They flow out of your innermost where the Spirit of God lives. So you don't need speaking in tongues so you will be saved. You are saved by the blood of Jesus through the grace. You're saved through the gift of Jesus's grace. But once you are saved you have this well. You have this river of living water that wants to be released through your mouth. And that river is the fullness of the Holy Spirit. That river is this precious gift of the Holy Spirit called speaking in tongues. So the first and foremost you must receive the Holy Spirit by salvation. You must receive Jesus by salvation. And then when you do that you already have the living water. You already have the river and now it's all about releasing it. So step number two is you have to relax. Relax. In other words you have to surrender. Why is that? If you remember in book of Acts chapter 2 verse 2 it says that, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the house where they were sitting. I want to emphasize the sitting part. Disciples were not straining. Disciples were not striving. Disciples were not struggling. Disciples we don't even see that they were kneeling and praying. They were praying but they were sitting. Sitting is a relaxed position. The Holy Spirit came upon them when they were sitting. A lot of times what happens is when prayer is being offered for the infilling of the Holy Spirit people are striving. You could see like they're really like oh God give it to me. It's not like they're just pleading with something that God just really does not want to give them. Like you see like they're birthing something. It's like this travail. My friend it's a gift. You receive this gift. You don't earn this gift by working hard praying earnestly. And the harder you try to earn it it's going to escape you because it's a gift you received and it's a gift you release. So the speaking in tongues is the Holy Spirit you already received at salvation and now it's about releasing that and it's not about striving. It's not about struggle. It's about surrender. It's about relax. Rest in his love for you. Rest in the fact the Spirit of God is in you. Rest in the fact the rivers of living water is in you. It's about releasing it. It's no longer about receiving the Holy Spirit. It's about releasing the Holy Spirit. It takes the pressure off. Your striving doesn't is not necessary. Childlike faith stretching your faith and surrendering is the key. Number three your choice is involved. The gift is received but it must be released. The Bible says that open your mouth and I will feel it. The scripture says that they spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. The scripture does not say the Spirit spoke in tongues. They spoke in tongues. Your choice is involved. The Lord is not going to force it upon you. The Lord is not going to override your free will. This is not domination. This is not control. The Spirit of God doesn't control believers. The Spirit of God gives believers self-control. Not spirit control. Spirit fills us. He doesn't drive us. He leads us. He doesn't control us. So your choice is involved. Everything that has to do with the Holy Spirit involves your choice. It's going to have to be your choice to open your mouth and release the sound. You know when the water is connected to your house through the water pipes? You have the water already. The pressure is there but the water won't come out until you open the faucet. It will not come out until you come and you turn the knob. And that's kind of what happens. You already have the Holy Spirit as a Christian. But your choice is involved. The city doesn't come to my house every time I need to drink a water or I need to use water from the hose. I don't call the city. No, it's now up to me to open it and use it as much as I want or not use it at all. And the water is still there. So people who don't speak in tongues say, well, I've got one seat. He will give it to me. That's just not how this works. Your choice is involved. Number four, your faith is needed. So not only your choice is involved, it takes faith to speak in tongues. For those people who think that they're just gonna, something just comes on them and just takes over them and it requires absolutely no faith, I can tell you one thing. That's not the way the Lord works. Everything with God works through faith. He who comes to God must believe that he is and he's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him, including speaking in tongues will require faith. Now how does that look like practically? It takes faith to trust God to add meaning to the sounds that you release as the Spirit of God fills you, the sounds you release from your spirit, the sounds you release from your belly, the sounds you release from your innermost, you release them and you trust God to add meaning to them. My friend David Diga Hernandez shared a story of one girl. She was learning to pray and the way she prayed was she first prayed with her father and then her father let her pray on her own. And so one time he overhears her praying and he hears her reciting the alphabet. And so he kind of was confused the next day he overhears her praying again, reciting the alphabet. And so he comes to her, he said, hey honey, quick question. Why are you praying A, B, C, D, E, F, G and you're just praying through the alphabet? She's like, oh, that is simple. I just give God the letters and I'm trusting him to rearrange it as he wants it. And that's kind of how speaking in tongues is, you release the sound by faith as the Spirit of God fills you and God adds the meaning and that takes faith. That takes faith. And so the Bible says, open your mouth and I will fill it. Number five is you have to remove every fear that when you speak in tongues, it will be your tongues or demonic tongues, especially demonic tongues. So many people are afraid that what they're going to speak is going to be demonic. You know, it will be your tongues in the sense that it will come from you. So there's nothing, there's no fear about that, but it won't be demonic. The scripture says clearly, for if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him in Luke 11 verse 13. Your Heavenly Father is not going to give you a stone. He's not going to give you a demon. He's not going to fill you with some demonic entity when you ask him to fill you with the Holy Spirit. You can trust in that. That's why it takes trust, to trust in him. It's not going to be some kind of a just you, it's going to be the Holy Spirit speaking through you because the Father will fill you because you asked him to do that. Jesus will baptize you in the Holy Spirit because you asked him. So I just want to encourage you right now. Reject those voices of the enemy, the moment you start speaking in tongues that is of the devil. If you desire to speak in tongues, honestly, just pray that with me right now. Say, Lord Jesus, fill me with your spirit. Lord Jesus, baptize me into your Holy Spirit right now. And right now just release the sounds that don't come not from your mind, but from your spirit. From your spirit. You may say, that's it? Yep, just like that. And just pray. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, precious Jesus. Fill your people right now with your presence. Fill them with your precious presence. Let the rivers of living water flow in Jesus' name. Amen.