Speaking or Praying In Tongue

Hey! In my time spent with God, I learnt more about the subject of speaking or praying in tongue and the benefits, hence, I was so excited that I have decided to write a blog about this subject.

Why speak in tongue or pray in tongue?

There is a slight difference between speaking in tongue and praying in tongue

When we speak in tongue, often in the public, we need someone to interpret, if not, the tongue spoken will not have any meaning an it can't edify anyone in public or the person whom we speak to.

1 Corin 14:13 NIV
For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says

But when we pray in tongue, we don't need a interpreter. This is because we are not speaking or praying to man, we are speaking and praying to God. God who design the tongue for each individual will obviously understand what we are praying about. In fact, it is He who help us to pray or intercede for us when we pray in an unknown language.

1 Corin 14:2 NIV
For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit

Tongue is one of the many spiritual gift of the Holy Spirit

1 Corin 12:7-10
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

It is the simplest and most basic gift


Can anyone have the gift of tongue?

Yes of course. Because it is the simplest gift to achieve.

What do we expect the Holy Spirit to do before we can speak or pray in tongue?

Do we wait for God to zap us or expect something to happen as a indication that God is giving us this spiritual gift of tongue? Do we expect the earth to shake, expect fire come down from heaver, expect some sensational feelings like my body feel warm, my tongue feel warm etc before we can be filled with the Holy Spirit and start praying or speaking in tongue?

Of course NO. Just like a small child want to learn to speak, first start of with "ge ge, ga ga", then as time progress, they start to have more syllabus, more words, more sentences and then they start to pick up a language. Likewise. we need to have a desire to speak like a child, then we can start using ge ge, ga ga" to start our new praying language.

Can everyone can have this gift?

Yes of course. Anyone and everyone can have the gift of tongue to speak to God and for self edification.

How to speak in tongue?

As I have explain earlier, start with a desire and start speaking. When you decide to start you can start, when you decide to stop, you can stop. You can switch between tongue and the language you know.

1 Corin 14:15
So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind

Why should one speak or pray in tongue?

When we pray in tongue, we let our spirit pray and not our mind. Our mind has limited language and vocab, so what we can pray is limited by the language we know. But when we pray in the spirit and not our mind, that open up the spiritual realm and God gives us that language to pray to Him.

1 Corin 14:14
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful

Why allow our mind to be unfruitful in our prayer?

So that we can pray without ceasing. Focus on what we are doing, example driving, and yet still praying and speaking to God. Praying in tongue is speaking to God. 1 Corin 14:2

The Benefit

* Edify ourselves

1 Corin 14:4
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself

* Speaking to God directly

1 Corin 14:2 NIV
For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit