"Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" That was the question asked of the Ephesians, (Acts 19:2). Have you? You may already have, if you are a Christian, you just haven't yielded yourself to His presence. That yielding always starts with the tongue. When you got saved, it required a yielded tongue. You had to confess unto salvation. Holy Ghost baptism has a similar requirement. He comes upon you and gives you an "utterance" (odd, unknown syllables). That requires you to speak that utterance. It isn't your native tongue. In fact, it may not sound like a language at all, at least not one you have heard. But, yield your tongue and for the first time, your spirit (not your soul or physical person) begins to speak. And, it begins to speak to God. Isn't that awesome! You can now talk God's language. Spirit to spirit. No man understands that language, including you, but God does (1st Cor. 14:2).
Some always ask "do I have to speak in tongues?". The answer is "no", but you get to and why not? You can talk to God in His language. When you do, it builds up, strengthens your spirit. When you do, it builds you up on your most holy faith (Jude 20). When you do, it is a rest and refreshing for your spirit. So, why not? And, then there is the usual question "Should there be an interpretation?". The answer is as simple as God could possibly make it, though natural men struggle to understand. If you are talking to man, in any language he does not understand, then interpretation is required. If you are not talking to man, and you are praising God, talking to God in tongues, it is none of man's business what you are saying. Oh, and by the way, speaking in tongues is a sign God specifically says unbelievers are supposed to see us doing (1st Cor. 14:22). So, it shouldn't be hid in a closet somewhere. It is crazy for people to say "tongues" are for real, but only for private use. Really? How will unbelievers see us speaking in tongues? Some will say tongues are only for home use only, but not for in the church. Really? Are you going to believe you have a language with which you can speak to God, but you can't use it in His church? Come on now, wise up a bit. That is crazy!
Want to receive? Search the Scriptures and see if the promise is there. (Try Matt. 3:11, Lk. 24:49, Acts 1:4, Acts 2, Acts 10:44-45, and Acts 19:6 for example). Start praying about it and begin to tell God you want to receive this gift Jesus died to give you. Then, if you are alone, get before God in praise and prayer. Ask Him for the gift of the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues. If you ask, He promised to give you exactly what you asked for, (Lk. 11:13). Begin to thank Him for the gift and praise Him . Do it out loud, yielding your voice and tongue. If you don't open your mouth and yield your tongue, you will have a much more difficult time coming into this than you should. After a time of this, pause a moment believing the power of the Holy Ghost is coming upon you. Take a deep breath, then let it out and when you do, speak the syllables that come to your mind. Don't speak your natural language. There will be strange syllables that will pop up. Speak them, whethere they be a few or many. And, by the way, chances are you have already heard them in your head. Like so many others, you might think you are making it up or copying someone. But, have faith. You asked God for this, now trust that He has given what you asked. Now, speak out in praise those syllables just the way you were doing a few minutes before in your native tongue. What happens after that may vary from person to person. It can be sudden and dramatic change, elation and joy or it may be quiet stillness. No matter. In the days to come you will begin to notice significant differences. Keep praising God with those syllables and as well your natural speech. Do it every time you think about it.
If you are in a believing church and want to receive, do what I just told you, during praise tor altar time. Or, get to the altar and if your church does this, have them lay hands on you and pray over you. The method of receiving will still be much the same as I described above. One last bit of advice: if tongues do not come right away, don't be discouraged. Keep thanking God for the gift and listen to for those syllables to pop up in your mind. They will, maybe later, when you are relaxed and not worrying over it, and when they do, speak them boldly.
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