 We are going to talk about this beautiful gift, the gift of speaking in tongues. We're going to take a thorough biblical look and examine all of the truths around this topic. And I believe that you will understand and that you will be able to activate this beautiful expression of the Holy Spirit's power in your life. But first, I want you to write in the comment section telling the Lord that you want everything that He has for you. Let's begin here. And again, we're taking a thorough look at the gift of speaking in tongues. We're going to clear up a lot of confusion and really lay a solid framework for this particular subject or your understanding of this subject. Jude chapter 1 verses 20 and 21. Now, before we read it, I want you to note that this particular portion of Scripture is not specifically talking about the gift of speaking in tongues. Often, you'll hear this verse used in that context, but this particular portion of Scripture, again, is not talking about the gift itself, but we're still going to show how it is, we will say, involved with that particular expression of the Holy Spirit's power. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. So what does this mean, praying in the Holy Spirit? Well, to pray in the Spirit is simple. To pray in the Spirit is to desire an agreement with heaven, to speak aloud those petitions which originate in the will of the Father. True prayer in the Spirit begins in union with God. Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying in harmony with the will of the Holy Spirit, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and under the power of the Holy Spirit. So simply put, to pray in the Holy Spirit is to pray as the Holy Spirit desires you to pray. It's to flow with him. Now, I'm going to show you how that is involved with this particular subject, the gift of speaking in tongues in a moment. But first, let's take a look at what is the gift of speaking in tongues. Here are some scriptures that will help to lay the framework. First, Corinthians 617, what does the Bible say? But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Now, the next few portions of scripture that I'm going to give you are very short portions of scripture. And considering the context, we can still glean particular truths from these scriptures. So here in 1 Corinthians 617, the Bible tells us that the one who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. So context considered, we can glean this principle that your spirit is one with the Holy Spirit. Same thing, Romans 8, chapter 8, verse 26. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. So here again, we see a particular verse talking about the work of the Holy Spirit and prayer. But again, Romans 8, verse 26, is not talking about the gift of speaking in tongues. So Jude 1, 20, and 21 talks about praying in the Holy Spirit. So again, we've established that simply to pray by the will of the Spirit and his power under his guidance. And Romans 8, 26 talks about the Holy Spirit praying for us. So from Jude, chapter 1, verses 20 and 21, and Romans, chapter 8, verse 26, we see two very basic principles being established. Namely, that the Holy Spirit is involved in prayer and that the Holy Spirit desires in certain ways in regards to our prayer life. So the Holy Spirit has a will for your prayer life. The Holy Spirit has a will for how you express those petitions to God. So we've established the one who is joined with the Lord is one spirit with him. So your spirit is connected to the Holy Spirit. And then we've established that the Holy Spirit is involved in prayer. He in fact, prays for you and he has a will of his own regarding your prayers. Now let's take a look at 1 Corinthians, chapter 14, verses two through four. 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. Now there are those who will claim that this particular portion of scripture is talking about an earthly language. We're gonna take a look at that myth a little bit later on in the lesson, but first let's establish what the gift of speaking of tongues is. 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. But the one who prophesies strengthens and encourages them and comforts them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks the word of prophecy strengthens the entire church. Now I'll address more on this later too, but let me note here that Paul the apostle is not condemning the gift of speaking in tongues, rather he's comparing the gift of speaking in tongues with the gift of prophecy. He's saying that one benefits the entire church, while the other gift benefits the individual who's using it. So we can establish from this portion of scripture that in fact there is a benefit to speaking in tongues that can be personal. You're building your spirit. You're edifying self. It's almost serious. No one understands you, but the scripture couldn't be clearer here that there is in fact a benefit to the gift of speaking in tongues at least this particular expression of the gift and that is that you are strengthened spiritually. You're strengthened personally. Now first Corinthians chapter 14 verse 14 says this, For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don't understand what I am saying. So again, these are very short scriptures that we're taking from different chapters of the Bible, but we are also taking truths from these particular scriptures and those truths with the context considered are still very well established. So let's take all of these truths together. We've established that you are one with the Holy Spirit. We've established that the Holy Spirit prays and has desires concerning prayers Romans 8.26. We've established that when you pray in tongues, your spirit is being strengthened. We've established that when you pray in tongues, your spirit is praying. Watch this. If my spirit is one with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit has desires for my prayer life and when I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, then that means when I pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit is praying for me through me. You say, David, how did you conclude that? Well, I showed you. The scripture here establishes truths that are so basic that they have application to all different aspects of our spiritual walk and here we see again he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. So my spirit, the one with the Holy Spirit, my fellowship with the Holy Spirit is unhindered. This is you too. If you're a born again spirit filled believer and you have the Holy Spirit, the moment you were born again, you receive the Holy Spirit and you're one with him now. And so your spirit is one with the Holy Spirit. Your spirit is in union with the Holy Spirit. Your spirit has fellowship with the Holy Spirit. So when you pray in the gift of tongues, when you pray using this beautiful expression that the Lord has given to you, you are praying from that connection. You are praying from that union with the Spirit of God. So when I pray in tongues, those prayers of the Spirit begin to flow out of me. Why? Because my spirit who is one with the Spirit is the one praying when I pray in tongues. And so we see how Romans chapter 8 verse 26 can be involved with this particular expression of God's power. We see how Jude chapter 1 verse 20 to 21 can be tied into this. Again, not directly, but by way of indirect principle. In that when I'm praying in tongues, I'm praying according to the will of the Spirit. When I pray in tongues, I'm praying under the guidance of the Spirit. When I pray in tongues, I'm praying by the power of the Holy Spirit. So let's recap and then we'll move on. He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with him. My spirit, one with the Holy Spirit. Romans 8, 26, the Holy Spirit, prays. 1 Corinthians 14, 2, and 4, and 14 establishes the fact that when I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying. So if my spirit is one with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit prays, then that means when I pray in tongues, those prayers of the Spirit are being expressed now as I begin to pray. So you're partnering with the Holy Spirit when you pray in tongues. Now this leads to the question, well, what are the benefits of speaking in tongues? Well, when you take together all of those biblical principles that are clearly established in Scripture, then you can conclude that whatever is strengthened by my spirit is strengthened when I pray in tongues. So some might ask, well, how do you draw then the connection? What then causes you to make that conclusion that when you pray in tongues, you get boldness or holiness or an intensification of the spiritual gifts or there's clarity to the voice of the Holy Spirit? Well, that's because praying in tongues edifies me personally. That's because praying in tongues causes me to be strengthened spiritually, personally. And so whatever is strengthened, here's the connection right here. Whatever is strengthened when my spirit is strengthened is strengthened when I pray in tongues because to pray in tongues is to strengthen the spirit. And this is why we can say that there's an increase in holiness. This is why we say there's an increase in boldness. You can hear God with greater clarity. Why? Because you're edifying your spirit. Spiritual gifts become more intense. Why? Because those spiritual gifts are strengthened when your spirit is strengthened. A clarification of revelation as you go through the Scripture. Why? Because this spirit is gaining strength. Dreams and visions begin to intensify. There's a hyper spiritual awareness that you begin to develop when you practice praying in tongues. This is why I tell believers practice praying in tongues maybe 10, 15 minutes a day at least and tell me if you don't see the difference. Why? Because that intensification comes because of the fact that my spirit is being strengthened. And so we as the church should desire this. So let's recap again and then we'll move even deeper into this concept. So the gift of speaking in tongues originates from the spirit. It's a gift of the spirit. The Holy Spirit prays. Romans 8, 26. 1 Corinthians 6, 17. My spirit is one with Him. 1 Corinthians 14, 14. When I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying. Therefore, when I pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit is praying for me through me. And 1 Corinthians 2 and 4 make it clear that when I pray in tongues, I am being strengthened spiritually and therefore whatever is strengthened when my spirit is strengthened is strengthened when I pray in tongues. Now let's address some of the misunderstandings around this particular expression of the Holy Spirit's power so that you can do away with the confusion and then learn to activate that gift. Now, some believers get a little nervous with that gift, activate. What do you mean by that? I thought the Holy Spirit gives us gifts. I thought the Holy Spirit is the one who decides what we get. And that is true. It's up to the Holy Spirit what gifts become deposited in you. But it's up to you to cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit in order to see the manifestation of those gifts in your life. Like, for example, if the Holy Spirit should give you the gift of prophecy, if you don't open your mouth when the Holy Spirit says to open your mouth, you're going to stifle that gift. If the Holy Spirit's giving you the gift of healing and you choose to never lay hands on the sick while you're stifling that gift. So in the same way, we have to learn to not stifle that beautiful expression of the Holy Spirit's power. And so when I say activate, I simply mean cooperate with the Holy Spirit in a way that you begin to see the gift used in your everyday life. I want to first point out to you that there are various different expressions in regards to the gift of speaking in tongues. And as you begin to study the scripture, these distinct expressions become undeniable. Let's take a look at the first one. Now, I have created the terminology around this subject, personal, proof, and prophetic are the three different expressions. I created the terminology, but the terminology was used and created because I saw the various different expressions already there in scripture. So though the terminology will help you to memorize and see these distinctions, the scripture is the one that established the principles themselves. So first Corinthians chapter 14 verses one through four. We just read it. Let's read it again because I want you to get it in your spirit. Let love be your highest goal. But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives, especially the ability to prophesy. Again, we see the contrast between tongues and prophecy. Four, 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. The one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. But a person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally. But one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church. So here we see the personal expression of the gift of tongues. And this is the use of the gift of tongues that edifies you personally. Next, we see the proof expression or the proof gift, the proof tongue. Acts chapter two verses four through six. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time, there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. So here we see that this was heard as an earthly language. The believers are speaking aloud by the power of the Holy Spirit. Those around them hear this language in their own languages and then they begin to receive messages from God in that way. And it drew their attention. It caused them to become bewildered. They're watching this with great curiosity, wondering what exactly is happening. Well, that is the proof tongue. By the way, those who say that the gift of tongues shouldn't be used in public should read Acts chapter two. Those who say that we shouldn't pray in tongues in front of the unbeliever should read Acts chapter two because that's exactly what happened there. Next, we see the prophetic expression of the gift of tongues. And this is what you see in 1 Corinthians 14, 26 to 28. This is the one that Paul regulates in the context of public assembly. While my brothers and sisters let's summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation, God has given. One will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time and someone must interpret what they say. But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately. So how does this particular expression look? Well, imagine that you're in a church service and people are beginning to receive from the word or maybe people are enjoying the worship of God and they're just singing unto the Lord or maybe someone is standing up there giving encouraging words and people are all receiving as the gathered body of believers. And then someone stands up and begins to speak in tongues to interrupt what is being spoken aloud that's actually blessing those who are attending. And no interpretation is given. Well, if the whole church service was that where no interpretation was given, sure, the one who was speaking in tongues will be edified because that's a personal expression of the gift of tongues. What about the rest of the body of the church? What about those who are gathered? And so 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verses 26 to 28 is talking about regulations on the prophetic expression of the gift of tongues which is to be used in tandem with the gift of interpretation. This is not talking about the proof tongue like in Acts chapter two. This is not talking about the personal tongue like in 1 Corinthians 14 1 through 4. This is talking about the gift of tongues that collectively commands the attention of those assembled for the sake of giving them edification through the tongue and then interpretation. But the reason that this could become a problem is because if there is no interpreter and all anyone ever is doing is speaking in tongues in a public assembly, then how are those people ever going to receive? Now let's embolden the lines of distinction between these expressions. And again, these are undeniable expressions of the gift of tongues. So let's take a look first at how the lines of distinction are emboldened in regards to the benefit that the gift offers. The personal tongue benefits the individual. We already saw that in 1 Corinthians 14 4. The prophetic tongue benefits the church. We see that in 1 Corinthians 12 7 which we'll read in a moment and 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 26. The proof tongue however benefits the unbeliever. Just see 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 22. The interpretation requirements are even different. The personal tongue requires no interpreter or no interpretation to be beneficial to the individual. Again, see 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 4. Now some might say, well, brother, that's just one verse. How do you gather truth from one verse? My question would be how many times does God have to say something in order for it to be true? So the Bible already very clearly tells us that when someone prays in tongues for the personal benefit, they are strengthened personally. The prophetic tongue requires an interpreter to benefit the church by contrast. That's 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 26. So the personal tongue requires no interpreter or interpretation to be beneficial to the individual. The prophetic tongue requires an interpreter to benefit the church. And then in Acts chapter 2 verse 8 we see that the proof tongue requires no interpreter for the interpretation to be understood by the unbeliever. So we see the benefits are different. The interpretation requirements are different. And then how it's understood is also different. 1 Corinthians 14-2. The personal tongue is understood by no one but God. The prophetic tongue is understood by the church with the aid of an interpreter. 1 Corinthians 14-27. And the proof tongue is supernaturally understood by the unbeliever Acts chapter 2 verse 8. Notice in Acts chapter 2 there were no interpreters. So there you see it's a very different expression of the gift. So these are very obviously different expressions of the gift of tongues, but it is still the same gift used in various different points of context. Now here's one of the myths that I want to address in regards to this particular gift and that is that Paul the Apostle discouraged believers from praying in tongues. Now for that you just look at 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verses 1-4 which we've read several different times. And this is an often misunderstood portion of Scripture. Remember Paul the Apostle is not condemning the gift of tongues. He is comparing the gift of tongues with the gift of prophecy. He's not saying that praying in tongues is bad. He's saying that praying or that prophesying is better in the context of public church assembly because prophecy actually benefits everyone who is gathered. So it's comparison not condemnation. Paul was not against the gift of tongues, but he definitely favored the gift of prophecy at least in the context of public church assembly. Again, he's not condemning. He's comparing. He's not saying that the gift of tongues has no purpose. He's saying that prophecy has a greater purpose in the context of church assembly. In fact, Paul the Apostle encouraged people to pray in tongues. See 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 5. I wish you could all speak in tongues. But even more, I wish you could all prophesy for prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues unless someone interprets what you are saying so that a whole church will be strengthened there. Again, we see the point of this regulation is in regards to the public assembly of believers. 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 39. So my dear brothers and sisters be eager to prophesy and don't forbid speaking in tongues. So no, Paul the Apostle was not against the gift. Another myth that I want to cover is this idea that praying in tongues should not be practiced in public or in group settings. Now again, I already gave you the illustration or at least the idea that Paul was communicating when he regulated the gift. What he's trying to prevent here is a public assembly of believers where the gift of tongues is the only gift that's in operation with no interpretation. And the problem there is that people will find it difficult to receive because no one's interpreting anything. Now sure, again, that individual who's speaking in tongues may receive edification. But what good does that do for all of those who have gathered? So that's what Paul the Apostle is trying to prevent when he writes his regulations. We see that very clearly laid out in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 6 and verse 19 where Paul writes, Dear brothers and sisters, if I should come to you speaking in an unknown language, how would that help you? But if I bring you a revelation or some special knowledge or prophecy or teaching, that will be helpful. But in a church meeting, I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than 10,000 words in an unknown language. So he brought order. We saw that in 1 Corinthians 14, 26. While my brothers and sisters, let's summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. So there again, what's the purpose of his regulation? So that everyone can benefit from this particular expression of the gift. Now this does not however mean that we should never collectively pray in tongues. I want to stress that point because often believers become confused when they see maybe in a church assembly where everyone is praying in tongues together and they say, wait a minute, I thought we weren't supposed to do this without an interpreter. Well, that's if the person who's praying in tongues commands the collective attention of those who publicly assembled. So if that individual stands up and interrupts a sermon or stands up and interrupts the worship or stands up and interrupts prophecy or some encouraging word, well now there better be an interpretation because you just interrupted and no one's receiving anything. But again, this does not mean that there's never a public expression that's to be used. This does not mean that we can't collectively pray in tongues together. In fact, I'll show it to you in scripture. Acts chapter two verse four and everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. Nobody stood up and said, hey, wait a minute guys, we're not all supposed to be doing this publicly. Hey, wait a minute guys, we're not all supposed to be doing this without an interpretation. In fact, they had no interpreters but the people were still able to understand the language they spoke. We see this again. In Acts chapter 19 verse six, then Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. Well, they spoke in tongues. Didn't say one individual at a time. They just started speaking in tongues. Nobody stood up and said, hey, wait a minute guys, we need an interpreter. Why it wasn't something that was interrupting a church service and giving no benefit to the body of Christ. Nobody stood up and scolded the group of believers. The Holy Spirit didn't pull back and demand that they wait until a later moment to pray in tongues. Why would the Holy Spirit pour out a gift in a public setting that was meant for private use only? 1 Corinthians 14-22 says, so you see that speaking in tongues is a sign not for believers but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers. Now how is speaking in tongues supposed to be a sign to the unbeliever if we're not supposed to pray in tongues in front of unbelievers? How is speaking in tongues supposed to be a sign to the unbeliever if we're always supposed to do it privately? So again, the regulations that Paul placed on the gift of speaking in tongues were for a very specific scenario where someone is interrupting a church service to give a tongue with no interpretation. But if you want to keep the order by having everyone take a moment, maybe two or three minutes to collectively pray in tongues or maybe during the worship, that's how they express their worship to God and Paul did write that you should do it privately unto God instead of interrupting the whole church service. So when the church begins to pray in tongues together, if they want to take a few minutes to do that, why not? Well, shouldn't everyone benefit? Well, if everyone's praying in tongues, they will. So this is a very specific thing that Paul is giving in terms of the regulation. The context matters and we can't pretend that it doesn't. The other myth I want to take a look at is this idea that tongues is only an earthly language as opposed to a heavenly one. This is a popular view that isn't at all supported by Scripture but it gets repeated a lot and for some reason has just had some traction. Let's take a look at 1 Corinthians 14-2 again. And again, how many times does God have to say something in order for it to be true? Just once. 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. Let me ask you this. What earthly language is understood by no one on earth but God? And what earthly language could have the power to strengthen you spiritually even when you don't understand it? That's a heavenly language. It's still beneficial as we see in verse 4. Think about Acts chapter 2 where they say, well, those were languages. And here's what's interesting. I want you to watch for this. Watch very carefully. You see, there's this belief that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased for today. No, it's not supported at all by Scripture. It's just asserted as a worldview and people say, well, how come you don't address it so often? I don't address the satanism often because it can die all by itself. It's not something that really I see as necessarily a serious threat, especially as people begin to study the Word and experience the power of God. But I do think there needs to be a point of clarification so that the confusion is addressed. You'll notice though that when someone points to Acts chapter 2, they'll say things like, well, look, in Acts chapter 2, it was languages all the while ignoring 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verses 2 and 4. And usually the people who say this are the very same who complain whenever someone takes a narrative from Scripture and then uses that for a prescriptive text. They'll say, wait a minute, there's a difference between prescriptive and descriptive. Yet that same rule doesn't somehow apply to Acts chapter 2. So either we believe that you can glean spiritual truths from narratives or not. Either we believe that we can glean some example of how we should practice our faith as believers from narratives or not. And so I believe that you can glean spiritual truths from biblical narratives. Again, not necessarily prescriptive, but there has to be a consistent standard. We can't just jump from standard to standard because it fits our worldview. So Acts chapter 2, yeah, okay. There is an example there of people speaking in multiple languages. But remember, that's just one expression of the gift. Those who insist that the gift of tongues is strictly the ability to supernaturally speak in an earthly language one does not know are asserting an assumption. Please hear this. Yes, we all agree that a language is being spoken. Whether or not it is earthly is debatable. Some may point to Acts 2. And yes, in that narrative, the believers were speaking in earthly languages. However, other expressions of the gift are clearly described in scripture. Context dictates meaning. So the cessationist can insist that the gift of tongues is strictly an earthly language, but that's all that he can do, insist upon it. The question becomes, what kind of language is being spoken? Is it a heavenly one? Well, see 1 Corinthians 14, 2, and 4. Scripture is very clear here. So if one wants to deny the gift of tongues being used in many churches today, he can do that, but he cannot pretend that there isn't a legitimate biblical framework for this belief. At the very least, it must be admitted that the issue is debatable. It is definitely not cause for contention over differing views among brethren. So again, what earthly language does no man on earth understand? What earthly language can edify you personally, even though you don't understand it? So is it a language? Absolutely. It is a heavenly language. And even when you look at the original language that the Scripture was written in, you look at the Greek in the New Testament and you see the gift of tongues being talked about. Yeah, you look at the Greek and you'll see that it says language, but the context specifies what kind of language that is. And that is, of course, a heavenly language. Next thing I want to address is that the gift of tongues is not for every believer. And I think this might be the last, yeah, cause the other myths will cover later. Maybe the spiritual gifts are no longer in operation. Why didn't Jesus pray in tongues? Some will say you could become demonized if you attempt to pray in tongues. We'll forego those for now because I want to get right to the activation of this gift. And I believe that as your mind becomes cleared of confusion, you can now better focus on the truth. And in focusing on the truth, your faith becomes stirred to receive what God has for you. I've received thousands, literally thousands of testimonies from people all around the world who've received this teaching, who for years were never able to pray in tongues, who then had it activated in their lines because of the truth of Scripture. So let's take a look at this myth that the gift of tongues is not for every believer. And then we will take a look at the activation of this gift. Then again, by activation, I simply mean surrendering to the work of the Holy Spirit in a way that allows for the gift to come forth. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives you the gift. The Holy Spirit is the one who empowers the gift. The Holy Spirit is the one who decides how to distribute spiritual gifts. But even among the use of spiritual gifts, we must choose to cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit. So again, you can't be taught to speak in tongues. Now you can be taught to release it. You can be taught to surrender to the Holy Spirit so that the gift can be used, but you can't learn how to receive the gift. The Holy Spirit can give you the gift only. So when I'm talking about how to, I'm teaching you how to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in such a way that what God gave you begins to manifest, not how to receive something that He hasn't given to you. So gifts cannot be taught in that sense. Let's look at 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 29 through 31. And this is where this idea that not every believer can speak in tongues comes from. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 29 through 31. Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not. So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts, but now let me show you a way of life that is best of all. So take a look at this particular portion of scripture, because in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul the apostle is talking about the gifts of the spirit and he's talking about the gifts of the spirit used in the context of the church. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 7 tells us that the spiritual gifts are others centered, meaning God gives us these spiritual gifts so that we can be a benefit to others, so that we can strengthen others in the church. The spiritual gifts are not for our own benefit. That's a key point to remember. But again, the context matters because this is talking about the public use of spiritual abilities, namely the spiritual gifts. Now let's break this down. Word of wisdom and word of knowledge, okay? Word of wisdom is being given wisdom from God and then you use that wisdom to benefit your brother or sister in Christ. But nobody will stand up and say, wait a minute, the Bible says do all have the word of wisdom. Therefore only certain believers should be able to operate in the wisdom of the spirit. No, that would be silly. Or when they say word of knowledge in the scripture, nobody stands up and says, wait a minute, if you're using knowledge given to you by God, you're out of line because not every believer is to have knowledge given to you by God. Well, that's what the word of knowledge is. The gift of faith. That ability to help stir the faith of another believer. Well, nobody is saying that you can't encourage someone in their faith. No one is saying that you can't pray for someone to be strengthened in their faith. Whenever you encourage someone in their faith or pray for someone in their faith, nobody stands up and says, wait a minute, not all have been given the gift of faith. You need to stop what you're doing. Same thing for healing and miracles. When I pray for the sick, yes, that may be operating in the gift of healing, but that doesn't mean that you can't pray for the sick just because you don't have that particular gift. The gift of healing, I believe, is a particular focus or a special area of grace that becomes an area of focus for an expression of ministry. So the healing ministry, someone who has dedicated their life to using that gift. They operate in that gift and it's done so in the context of church assembly. But no one's going to stop you and say, hey, only certain people have the gift of healing. Don't believe for your dying child. Hey, only people, only certain people have the gift of healing. Don't believe for your loved one's healing or miracles. Do all have the gift of miracles? Do all have the gift of healing? So only certain individuals are allowed to believe for God to move on their behalf. That's not what Paul is writing, but about prophecy and discernment. Only certain believers are allowed to hear from God. Only certain believers can tell the difference between demonic spirit and the Holy Spirit and the spirit of man. So why then do we apply that reasoning to the gift of tongues? Because people naturally are afraid of the gift or there has been a lot of misinformation spread about the gift and so of course that leads to some confusion in the area. But remember Paul is talking about the context of public church assembly when he's talking about the gift of tongues and tongue interpretation. So the type of gift he's talking about here is the expression of the gift that's to be used in tandem with the gift of tongues interpretation. He is not talking about the one that we see in the book of Acts and that would be the proof tongue or what we see mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14-22. He's not talking about the personal edification that we receive from the gift like in 1 Corinthians 2 and 4. He's talking about the expression of the gift used in the context of public church assembly that commands the collective attention of all those assembled and therefore requires an interpretation. He's talking about tongues and tongues interpretation not a personal prayer language. And so we can even read in... Let's continue here. Go to Acts 2-4 again. It says all of them were filled. Every single one of them. Why would Paul the apostle? Think about the fact that he says, I wish you all spoke in tongues. Paul writes, I wish you could all speak in tongues. Now why would Paul the apostle wish for something that was contrary to the will of God? And why would the Holy Spirit allow for that desire to be recorded in the Scripture if it indeed were contrary to God's will? So no, not all have the gift of tongues and tongues interpretation but every believer can pray in a personal tongue to God. How do you know that? Let's look at Acts chapter 2 verse 39 where Peter stands up speaking of the gift of tongues and the coming of the Holy Spirit. He says, this promises to you, to your children and to those who are far away all who have been called by the Lord our God. So here he's saying that what you're saying, what you're hearing, everything that's taking place right now is to you and your children and to those who are far away and all who have been called by the Lord our God. What were they singing and hearing? Acts 2.33 And the Father, as he promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us just as you see and hear today. It was the Holy Spirit coming upon them and they were singing it and they were hearing it. They were seeing the power of God move and they heard what? Them speaking in tongues and that the Scripture says is for all who have been called not just a select few. Now, again, I said we'd forego these myths but I'll touch on them just briefly. We don't have time necessarily to get into each one of them. The gifts are no longer in operation. Now, the belief that the gift of tongues is no longer in operation in the church is a part of a greater thought process that would be cessationism, which is to say that the gifts have ceased. Now, cessationism is based on speculation, arguments from history and poor biblical interpretations specifically of particular verses that talk about knowledge being partial and incomplete. You can see in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 about that. And then you take a look at verses 11 and 12 and you see that it's not talking about something that has happened here and now. Myth number six, Jesus didn't pray in tongues neither should we. I don't deny that Jesus didn't pray in tongues but Jesus didn't pray in tongues because he was perfect. The gift of tongues supplements your prayer life and Jesus needed no supplement for his prayer life. Myth number seven, you could become demonized if you attempt to pray in tongues. This one is just fear mongering at its worst. Luke chapter 11 verses 11 to 13, Jesus very clearly tells us that if we ask for the Holy Spirit, he's not going to send something else. Myth number eight, that you can't control the gift of speaking in tongues, that it's going to be something that just overtakes you and you have no choice in the matter. Well, that's not true because as we just read in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, Paul the apostle lays on a whole chapter on how to use the gift and how to regulate the gift. Why would he write that? If it couldn't be regulated or controlled? So no, none of those things are true. Let's take a look here at the main thing, okay? Let's talk the main thing here. Let's get down to it. All of those objections are intellectual objections that people develop as a result of poor biblical interpretation and as a result of poor biblical teaching that comes with a very, how shall I say, a very aggressive approach. It's, you know, in other words, it's like this religious pharisaic framework that gets thrown on to people and it really obstructs the flow of the Holy Spirit's power in their lives. But let's get down to really what prevents someone from praying in tongues. And I'm going to give you this answer and many might be offended by it but then the truth will set you free, okay? So we now understand the gift and we understand some of the confusion that's been cleared up. And now I want to teach you to activate that gift. So you know if you're a born again believer, you have an ability to pray in the spirit and by that I mean tongues. You have an ability to join with the Holy Spirit in your spirit which you already joined and to come into agreement with those prayers, Romans 8, 26, through the use of the gift of speaking in tongues to see all the benefits that it offers. But I'll tell you this one thing that's blocking. You may say, David, I've tried that before, it doesn't work or I feel pressure, I feel this. Look, all of that, let God be true in every man a liar. Let God be true in every man a liar because I've seen thousands, thousands of believers receive the gift of tongues or I should say release the gift of tongues after years and sometimes even decades of not being able to pray in tongues. Why? Because they come to know this truth. It all comes down to one word and again, you might not like it but I'm going to give you the truth. Why you can't pray in tongues? One word, it's ego. It's ego, plain and simple. It's ego. You say, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. I'm not prideful. No, I didn't say pride. Pride is an expression of the ego but it is not in and of itself, the ego. Ego is self. We get in our own way. We get in our own way. From the ego comes fear. That is, oh, is it a demon? Am I an angering God? Is this wrong? Where do we get those ideas from? From religious mindsets. Or maybe it's this, this sense of pride. I don't want to look silly. I don't want to admit I was wrong about the gift. I don't, it's pride preventing. Or maybe it's overthinking. Wait a minute. Could this just be me and we fret? Maybe this is just me. Maybe this is all my emotion. Maybe I'm doing this because other people are pressuring me. No, that's all ego. When it comes to receiving or flowing with the Holy Spirit, just relax. And I know that doesn't sound so spiritual, but listen to me. Relax. You're overthinking it. All it is, is the use of surrendered syllables and sounds. That personal prayer language. And right now I'm not talking about the proof tongue or the prophetic tongue. I'm talking about the personal prayer language. That's just this beautiful expression unto God. Well, some might say, wait a minute, Brother David, what if it's demonic and what if it's evil and what if it's an open door for the devil? Are you serious? Think about that. Really. I mean, when you cry tears in worship, that's just an expression of an emotion. You're not saying anything, but it's an expression are demons going to fill your tears? Or let's say you're so excited because you read something in scripture about the Lord's nature and you just shout with joy. That shout wasn't being spoken with understanding. There was no meaning in that shout. It was just an expression of your praise unto God. So why would tongues be any different? Look, at best, the gift of tongues is what I'm saying it is. It's this beautiful heavenly prayer language that comes from the Holy Spirit that allows you to express his thoughts as intense as you pray. At worst, it's just another expression unto God in faith, in trust, in praise, in joy. And let's say I'm humming a song. Is there any understanding? Are there any words in humming? No, you're just giving an expression. So let's be done with a fear mongering. Then some would say, well, David, is it just me? Is it just me? Well, it's going to be partially you. Name me any of the gifts of the Spirit that require zero participation from the individual. They all require our participation. Why? Because it's cooperation with the Holy Spirit. It's learning to trust Him. So you surrender those syllables and sounds. You speak aloud those syllables and sounds with no meaning, with no intention. And you allow the Holy Spirit to fill those syllables and sounds. If you're waiting for the Holy Spirit to come down from heaven, even though He lives in you, grab your tongue and start moving it around for you. That's not going to happen. It doesn't work that way. It's as the Spirit enabled them, not as the Spirit forced them. It's the fruit of self-control, not Holy Spirit control. I just surrender by exercising my free will to cooperate with the work of the Spirit. And so you'll notice it's kind of like driving a car. You turn on the engine. You get going at first. You're learning to drive. It's rigid. The turns are sharp. The braking is hard. The acceleration is awkward. And it's just like this new way of operating that's difficult to navigate. But then it becomes just this natural flow. And it's also like turning the key to that ignition. You give them the syllables and sounds. That's the natural. And then the engine kicks in. That's the supernatural. You turn the key by giving them syllables and sounds. And then the supernatural takes over. You do the possible. God will do the impossible. But you have to trust in the do it. You have to trust that he'll actually fill the syllables and sounds. You may say, Brother David, but what if I look weird? You are going to look weird. They called them drunk in the book of Acts chapter 2. That's okay. We who are charismatic, we embrace that a little bit. Not purposefully weird, but if it comes with the territory, so be it. Yes, some will mock you. Yes, some will turn on you. You know you're receiving something from the Lord. So it's up to you now. Say, Lord, I believe you deposited this in me. I believe it's for today. I want those beautiful benefits. I want that heightened prayer life, if you will. I just keep getting stuck right there. I just can't seem to cross that line. Well, you have to realize he's already deposited in you. You have to relax and stop overthinking everything. And then you have to release. You have to release. I'll tell you a story that I want to pray with you. There's a story about a man who was teaching his daughter to pray. And for the first night, he sat with her, prayed with her, showed her how to talk to God. And then he said, sweetie, tomorrow night, I'm not going to be in here with you. I want you to talk to God on your own, because it's a personal relationship. She said, okay, Dad. So the next night, he's putting his daughter to bed. He says, okay, now you're going to talk to God. The dad steps out of the room, cups his ear to the door, leans in, and he could hear his daughter's little voice praying. A, B, C, D, E, F, G. She was singing the alphabet. He chuckled, thought it was funny, walked away. The next night, same thing, she's singing the alphabet. The next night, same thing, she's singing the alphabet. Now he gets a little nervous. Wait a minute. That's not how you're supposed to pray. So the next night, he enters his daughter's room and says, listen, I love that you're praying. I love that you're trying to talk to God. I love that you're embracing prayer. But I notice each night you're singing the ABCs, and I just wanted to correct that and let you know that's not how you pray. When you talk to God, you have to actually talk to him, to actually express how you're feeling and ask him questions and fellowship, and he's explaining how to pray. And she says, Dad, I am talking to him. I'm just giving him the letters, and he can arrange them however he wants. And that's really what the gift of tongues is. It's the language of the Holy Spirit. It's the language of surrender. Only those with childlike faith are able to unlock its power. We'll leave it to God to leave such immense power behind such a childlike act. You have to have the faith that he'll fill it. Many of us don't speak the syllables and sounds because we don't trust that the Holy Spirit will fill it. We think we'll be left alone speaking those sounds. We think some demon may come and enter our lives, which is a whole different type of fear mongering, but we must learn to trust the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues is the language of surrender. It's the language of trust. And behind that trust and surrender is great power. So here's what I want you to do. Many of you are about to speak in tongues for the first time, for the first time. And it's going to flow and you're going to be shocked at how easy it flows. I want to pray with you now. Father, I thank you that you have deposited the Holy Spirit within every believer. And I thank you, Lord, that you've given a personal prayer language to every believer. And now I pray, precious Jesus, that you would give your people boldness and faith. Stir their boldness and faith, I pray. Here's what I want you to do. Close your eyes, lift your hands. I'm not going to pray in tongues because I don't want you just copying what I'm doing. But I want you, eyes closed, hands lifted to just surrender in your heart and mind. Is this the enemy? No, it's not the enemy. Is this me? It's not just you. It's partially you. Will God be angry with me? No, He gave you the gift. Just begin now to release syllables and sounds. Empty of your intention, empty of your motive, empty of your understanding and He will fill it with His intention, His motive, His understanding. He will fill it with His prayers, His will, His desires. Just begin to speak aloud now. Those syllables and sounds, let it flow. At first it will feel forced. At first it may feel awkward. At first you may be insecure but then it begins to flow like a river. Release that sound now. Jesus, I thank you. Many of you now are beginning to finally release that. Some of you, you just spoke like a small utterance and then you stopped yourself. You had it right there. Just keep going. Just keep going. And you watch how there's this takeover, this flow that begins to develop. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Give them, Lord, that boldness to speak it aloud. In Jesus' name we pray. Say it because you believe it. Say, amen. Hey, listen. If you just prayed in tongues for the first time, I want you to write it in the comment section. Live or replay. I prayed in tongues. Write that in the comment section now. Let us rejoice with you, celebrate with you. I know the Lord is going to really do something in your prayer life as you begin to make use of that spiritual gift He's given to each and every believer. Also, if you think others need to hear this so that they can have their confusion cleared up around this area, go ahead and leave a like on the video and make sure to share this with at least two or three different people. And if you haven't done so already, subscribe to my channel to receive more teachings on the Holy Spirit prayer, spiritual warfare, and also we show video of the power of God in action from all around the world. And now I want to challenge you to partner with this ministry and what we're doing by becoming a monthly supporter of David Hernandez Ministries. There are people who have signed it from all around the world for monthly giving. And that monthly giving really does help us to plan and to project and it brings a certain stability to our growth as we continue to expand and take territory for the kingdom of God. So will you consider right now signing up to become a monthly ministry supporter? There's various different monthly amounts that you can do. But whatever you're able to do, I want you to know it matters, it counts. We need you in this fight against the darkness that's trying to overtake the world. We need you to stand with us as the army of God. We need you to stand with us as the family of God. We're seeing lives transformed all around the world. We're seeing people's lives trans... Listen, I was just in Singapore and there was a man who was interviewing me. He was interviewing me for one of the news outlets out there in Singapore. After the service, they had it set up in a room and I went in for an interview. And this man told me and he was an atheist for I think it was three years ago. He was an atheist and he said that this content helped him to get closer to God. And I'm thinking, that's why we do what we do. We do what we do because the lives are being transformed. And he said, I want you to know that all the way out here in Singapore, a life is transformed. All the way out here in Singapore, it's making a difference. Guys, that's just the content. That doesn't even count the Holy Spirit School. That doesn't even count the work that we're doing through our events. All of these are free, freely we receive, so freely we give. We walk by faith. We need your support. We need your help. So will you join me? Will you partner with me? Go to davidhernandezministries.com slash partner right now to sign up to become a monthly supporter. Maybe you were a supporter and you stopped for some reason. It's time to pick that support up again. You can also give a single donation by going to davidhernandezministries.com slash donate. But whatever you do, single gifts or monthly gifts, large or small, it all makes an impact. So help us on our mission. Get involved. Let's continue to see this ministry expand rapidly as we take territory from the kingdom of darkness by spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ all around the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. And until next time, remember, nothing is impossible with God.