Operate in Untapped Tongues of Power: 4 Practical Steps
There’s a reason the apostle Paul told the church of Corinth that he wished they all prayed in tongues (see 1 Corinthians 14:5).
It’s because he knew from firsthand experience the realm of power it opens up for believers (see 1 Corinthians 14:18).
What we commonly refer to as “tongues” is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:4-10). Different translations, refer to this gift in different ways. The Amplified Bible simply says, “tongues.” The New American Standard Bible translates it as “various kinds of tongues.” The King James Bible lists it as “diverse tongues.” My personal favorite is The Passion Translation that says, “the gift of speaking different kinds of tongues.” I like that one best because it comes right out and calls tongues a gift while also pointing out that there are different facets to this power-packed blessing.
Through the gift of tongues, the Holy Spirit supernaturally empowers us to speak languages beyond our natural ability. One aspect of this is to all-of-a-sudden be able to speak earthly languages without having studied or learned them. Another is to speak a heavenly language that unlocks multiple realms of divine power in our lives.
A Supernatural Witness of Our Supernatural God
Acts 2:4-12 is probably the clearest example of how the Holy Spirit can empower us through the gift of tongues to supernaturally speak in an earthly language we had not previously known. As soon as the believers in the Upper Room were filled with the Holy Spirit, they went out on the streets to bear witness of Jesus Christ. They were all Galileans, but they began speaking in the languages and dialects of every tourist, visitor, and immigrant who were in the city and had come running to see what the roar, wind, and fire of Pentecost had been about.
There were Iranians, Syrians, Turks, Iraqis, Judeans, Libyans, Egyptians, Cretans, Arabs, and travelers from throughout the Roman Empire and Asia. Thousands of people were present. Each and every one of them heard testimony of the reality of Jesus and His mighty wonders in their own language. Acts 2:12 says that they were all astonished and amazed by this supernatural phenomenon. And in the end, because they heard the Word of the Lord in their native tongues, thousands came into a saving knowledge of Jesus as the Messiah.
That’s the purpose of this facet of the gift of tongues—to be a sign and a wonder that empowers us to quite literally speak to people where they are (and where they’re from) in their native language about the reality of Jesus. It is a supernatural witness of our supernatural God.
My experience with this aspect of the power of tongues is that there are times you’re aware it’s happening, and other times you have no idea.
Sometimes All You Have to Do is Ask
For years I led power evangelism schools and short-term missions trips in Pattaya, Thailand—an international destination for sex tourism. Believers would join us from all around the world, and we would teach them how to move in miracles by sharing the extreme love of Jesus in some truly extreme places. I traveled to Thailand multiple times a year for a little over six years. During all those trips, I picked up some of the language, but to be blunt I struggled with it. Thai is tonal, and it can be quite challenging for Americans to pick up on all the subtle complexities of the language’s sounds.
We were fortunate, however, to have an amazing team of local translators who went out on the streets and into the brothels and bars with us. The translator I worked with the most, Ying, was very easy to flow and witness with. I would use the bit of Thai that I knew to say hello, and ask a question or two. Usually just enough to get permission to pray with a person and work miracles. God would show up in powerful ways, and the locals would marvel at the reality of His presence and love. But after that I was very limited. I couldn’t answer questions. I wasn’t able to explain the Gospel in any detail. And I couldn’t really lead them in the sinner’s prayer. But Ying could. She was brilliant at it.
I have worked with translators worldwide and am grateful for each and every one of them, but Ying was the easiest one to work with. Especially out on the streets. I so appreciated her communication ability to flow not just with me, but so many of our different students. On every trip, we would have dozens of native and non-native English speakers from many different countries. All of whom had different accents, different idioms, and different paces of speech. Ying understood and flowed with all of them.
One day I asked her how she became so fluent with the English language. She told us that for years she’d seen Christians coming to Pattaya, and to her church, who were from the USA, England, Australia, and many other nations. They all spoke English. She felt called by God to help these missionaries, but she didn’t speak English. So she asked the Lord to give her the language. One day she woke up and could speak English fluently.
And Other Times It Will Just Happen
Early on in my itinerant ministry days I did a lot of house revival meetings. A host would invite us in to minister in their home and we would often see 30, 40, or more people show up. We’d all be packed into the living room, basement, or back patio. We would worship together, dig into the Word, and then I’d pray, prophesy, and minister to people for hours at a time.
One meeting, near Farmington, New Mexico, the Spirit of the Lord fell powerfully during worship. I began singing in tongues. I remember noticing how different it sounded from the tongues I often prayed in, but I knew that tongues could be different at different times for a variety of reasons. So I simply kept singing.
Hours later after the meeting, we were having a time of fellowship. I was leaning against the kitchen counter drinking a cup of tea when a woman walked up to me and commented how much she had appreciated hearing me sing in the native language of her people during worship. She asked me where a “white guy” like me had learned to speak Cree. I told her I wasn’t sure what she meant, and said I had simply been singing in tongues while we were worshipping. She told me that whether I knew it or not, I had been singing a native song her Cree grandmother used to sing over her when she was a little girl. She hadn’t heard this song in decades, and it had ministered deeply to her.
Through the gift of tongues, God can supernaturally empower us to speak languages we did not previously know. It can happen any time, in a variety of ways. We can ask for it, like Ying did. We can do it without even knowing it, like when I sang in Cree. But we can’t initiate this aspect of speaking in tongues. Only God can.
When it comes to praying in tongues, however, we can do that any time we want. So let’s look at the power and purpose of praying in tongues.
Declaring Divine Mysteries
A little more than 2,000 years ago, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was first poured out on believers who were earnestly seeking everything their heavenly Father had for them. The very first manifestation of divine power that they moved in was the gift of tongues (see Acts 2:4). That is quite a ringing endorsement of this gift. Yet there still seems to be a fair amount of confusion and controversy surrounding tongues. Perhaps the simplest and most effective way to set all of that aside, is to point out that it’s no wonder the enemy would try to disqualify one of the foundational power tools God has given us. Especially one that is so very effective at equipping, edifying, and empowering the church to be great and mighty witnesses of Jesus.
When we pray in tongues, we are simply accessing the heavenly language we received through the in-filling of the Holy Spirit. This empowers us to proclaim and declare divine mysteries (see 1 Corinthians 14:2). There are several powerful purposes to these supernatural utterances. One of the most important is that praying in tongues strengthens and accelerates us in the things of the Spirit. Another is that praying in tongues allows us to decree, declare, and receive the things of God that are beyond our natural understanding.
Build Yourself Up in Your Most Holy Faith
As we have already seen, the apostle Paul was a huge fan of praying in tongues. I believe this was because among all of Paul’s spiritual gifts and assignments, one of the things he was most passionate about was discipling the churches and believers he was in relationship with. Disciplers love to see those they are working with grow in the things of God, and walk in all they are called to (see 1 Corinthians 14:1). The apostle Paul knew that praying in tongues was so powerful it was almost like a shortcut in the Spirit. That’s why he said:
The one who speaks in tongues advances his own spiritual progress… (1 Corinthians 14:4 TPT).
Paul had seen the impact of this in his own life. Remember, Paul had not been saved all that long when he was launched out into an apostolic and evangelical miracle ministry. He traveled from place to place preaching the Gospel, moving in the power of God, and planting churches in multiple regions of the world. On top of all that, this “late-comer” to Jesus partnered with the Holy Spirit to write roughly two-thirds of the New Testament. No wonder he gave thanks to God that he prayed in tongues more than any other (see 1 Corinthians 14:18).
Paul was not boasting when he made that statement. He was revealing a Kingdom secret.
After all, this was the man who referred to himself as the “least” of all the apostles (see 1 Corinthians 15:9). He knew what the power of tongues had done to quickly accelerate, increase, and multiply him in the things of the Kingdom, the strength of his faith, and the fulfillment of His calling. He also knew that it would do the same for absolutely any believer who grabbed hold of the power of tongues.
The apostle Jude agreed. At a critical time in the New Testament church when all sorts of things were trying to divide, dissuade, and disturb believers, Jude wrote his short but very insightful letter to the church. One of the key strategies he gave believers to help them see difficult days become a launchpad into all they were called to, was to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit—in other words, use the heavenly language we receive through His in-filling to pray in tongues. This builds us up in our most holy faith (see Jude 20).
When we pray in tongues, we are edifying, reinforcing, and accelerating every single good thing God has blessed us with through His Son. Gifts, callings, anointings, mantles, fruit, blessings, assignments, glory, awareness of the spiritual realm—all are multiplied and increased by the power of tongues.
The Power to Declare Your Glorious Future
In multiple places throughout the book of Matthew we see Jesus mentoring the disciples in the power of prayer. One of the keys He shares with them is, “if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:22 NLT1996).
All believers have seen examples of this truth in our lives. The most obvious and powerful being our salvation. Every Christian has had that glorious moment when we believed Jesus was real, and that He gave His life for us at the Cross. We prayed the prayer of salvation in faith, asking Him to be our Lord and Savior, and we received eternal life in Christ.
It works the same for every good thing the Father has for us. Whether it’s breakthrough, provision, healing, protection, wisdom, favor, or any of the Lord’s other promised blessings. We can simply believe, ask, and receive.
But what about the things the Lord has prepared for us that “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined”? (See First Corinthians 2:9 NLT.) How can we ask for something that we haven’t seen or heard of? How can we put into words, let alone a faith-filled prayer, something we’ve never thought of or even imagined? By the power of praying in tongues.
Tongues allows us to go above and beyond the limits of our natural mind. It takes us out of our heads and into the Spirit. When we pray in tongues, we are praying prayers that are in perfect agreement with the plans and purposes of God. Even His plans and purposes of which we don’t yet have any natural understanding or concept.
The Power to “Birth” Your Glorious Future
I’d been a believer for about six months when I had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit. He took me into an elementary school classroom and started teaching me my new heavenly language. He gave me a few key words to say, and instructed me to repeat them over and over again.
Not long after that encounter, I came across a book by Mahesh Chavda titled The Hidden Power of Speaking in Tongues. One of the things Mahesh shared in his book was how praying in tongues was a secret to seeing amazing things of God birthed in a believer’s life. As a new Christian, I was hungry for everything that the Lord had for me. So I committed to praying in tongues for at least 30 minutes a day for the next 40 days in a row.
During those six weeks while I was praying in tongues, I never really sensed much of anything going on. That’s the thing about tongues. Its power is not in our understanding. Its power is not in what we might see, feel, or experience when we are praying in the spirit. The power of tongues is that it lets us pray deep unto deep, spirit to Spirit, divinely inspired prayers that are in perfect agreement with the plans and purposes of God. When we’re praying in tongues, we’re decreeing and declaring in the spirit what is well beyond our natural ability to understand. No wonder tongues accelerates the things of God in our life.
It wasn’t long after those 40 days of praying in tongues that my life radically changed. The Lord called me into full-time ministry, and He connected me with two of the most important people in my life—my dear friends Ron and Patricia King—who became my spiritual parents and mentors. After a few months of doing innercity prophetic and miracle evangelism with them in different parts of Canada, they invited me to be part of launching the USA arm of their ministry. I moved from Montana to Phoenix, Arizona, and traveled with them full-time for almost a year. Then I was launched out into what became a global itinerant ministry under their covering. As a new believer, I hadn’t heard, seen, or even imagined any of that. But I know it all came forth through those days and hours of praying in tongues.
Activate The Power of Tongues
If you have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then you have the gift of tongues. You may need to stir it up, but you have it. I’ve found the gift of tongues works a lot like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. And as Christians, we definitely want to use this power tool that God has blessed us with as much as possible.
So let’s get you activated in the power of praying in tongues.
1. Just do it
It’s actually that simple. The way to activate the power of tongues is to use the gift of tongues. If you’ve been praying in tongues for years, keep doing it. If you’ve never prayed in tongues, all you have to do is start.
2. Commit to a set amount of time
Remember, the gift of tongues is like a muscle. The more you use it the more powerful it gets. For the next week, commit to praying in tongues every day for a set amount of time. You don’t have to start with thirty minutes a day like I did. Any amount of time spent praying in tongues is powerful, and will bear good fruit. Consider starting with just five minutes a day. We waste five minutes on inconsequential things again and again throughout our days. So why not commit to investing five minutes a day to praying in tongues. It’s as simple as setting a timer on your phone.
3. Build up your power
Now that you’re praying in tongues every day. Start to build up your strength. After your first week of praying in tongues for five minutes a day, add an additional five minutes. That has you up to ten minutes a day for a week. Consider adding five minutes every week until you’re up to thirty minutes a day. If that seems like too much, add one minute a day each week.
4. When you don’t know what to pray, pray in tongues
At times, we all have situations that seem overwhelming. When I don’t know what to pray or how to pray, I know it’s time to pray in tongues. Whether it’s a wayward prodigal, a terminal diagnosis, a difficult relationship, or any other “impossible” problem, hold it in your heart and mind and begin to pray in tongues. Know that as you do, you are partnering with God to birth His perfect plans for breakthrough and turnaround.
