Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). God is so awesome. He goes on to say that He loves to surprise His children with good gifts when we simply humble ourselves and ask. There is so much assurance in humility. 

My wife and I enjoy singing, playing music, and composing praise and worship songs together. Sometimes, my inspiration for creativity comes from discovering new praise and worship songs and learning how to play them. One day while streaming, I heard a song by Rick Pino wherein he sang a lengthy portion of the song in a heavenly language. Although I have heard other artists incorporate tongues into their worship, I was particularly moved by this one. I remember asking the Lord, “Will you help me to speak in tongues so that I can write a song in a heavenly language?” I am so glad I asked, because I received a beautiful invitation to receive this spiritual gift while serving at Free Chapel.

Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit? That was the question I was asked by one of the School of Discipleship teachers at Free Chapel one evening as we were serving together at a young adults event. I was a little embarrassed by the question because it was in front of a large crowd of people, and the answer was no. However, it was not for lack of trying. Most of those church memories include being physically escorted to the ground in a surprise trust fall and then being covered in a white twin-size bed sheet, all the while feeling lightheaded from the smell of heavy cologne and hoping no one would step on me. This time would be much different. 

Do you want it? That was the next question I was asked. In that moment, my fear of being judged was outweighed by my desire to climb aboard what felt like an express train that was leaving the station. I had to make a decision in front of everyone. I resounded, “Yes, more than anything.”

It’s OK to ask questions. For years, I have been asking others who have this gift to share their personal experience with me so that I can better understand how to receive it and use it for the Lord. Most would say, “It’s something you have to experience to understand.” But, I couldn’t understand how seemingly no one could articulate their experience, which just sparked more questions.

I am so thankful for the leadership at Free Chapel, and the hand selected instructors who faithfully volunteer within the School of Discipleship. My teacher was not at all intimidated by my list of questions. Here are some of the questions I asked. The answers I received were helpful, but personal to my friend and teacher. Likewise, I can now answer these questions by sharing them with you through my own personal experience.

• Is it voluntary or involuntary?
• Is it a conscious experience?
• What does it feel like?
• How do you know how to form the consonants and vowels?
• Do you understand what you are saying?
• Is it repetitive or does it change?

Have faith to believe and receive. My teacher and I found a quiet place away from the crowd. After we dove into scripture, recounting the times when the baptism of the Holy Spirit was evident, I said, “Ok, I’m ready. What should I do?” My teacher said, “We’re going to ask the Lord to baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with Fire.” So, I fell to my knees as my teacher anointed my head with oil and then told me to put some on my tongue. We prayed and I asked Jesus to baptize me with the Holy Ghost and with Fire. I asked to receive an anointing with the gift of tongues. I didn’t mind that others were watching me. I felt energized and empowered. After we finished praying, my teacher instructed me to continue anointing myself and seeking the Lord in my quiet time. I asked, “When do you think it will happen?” My teacher replied, “In my experience, it will happen in the same manner that Jesus spoke of to His disciples when He said, ‘Not many days from now’ (Acts 1:5), so wait on the Lord and seek him diligently.”

Give and it shall be given unto you, with no strings attached. The next day, my wife and I spent some time with a new friend who we had recently invited to church. We found a common interest through playing music together, which is a great way to invite Jesus into the conversation and creative process. He plays the piano, but mentioned that he missed playing guitar and wished he had one. Immediately, I felt a clear prompting from the Holy Spirit to give him mine. Until that moment, I had never considered giving the guitar away, as it was an invaluable gift I received on my eighteenth birthday. I am not one to make hasty decisions, but I knew this prompting was from the Lord. So, I excused myself for a moment to pray and ask God for direction. I felt overwhelming peace as I heard Him say “Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together and running over.” So, I immediately packed up that beautiful guitar in its custom case with all of the accessories and extra strings and presented it to my friend on bent knee, as a squire would present a sword to a knight. Tears filled his eyes as he carefully accepted the gift. My wife asked him “Why are you crying?” and he said, “No one has ever been this kind to me.” My heart was overfilled with joy and gladness as I experienced the words of Jesus when He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It is only when we give away that which is most precious to us that we find the treasure we truly seek.

Open your mouth and praise Him. The next morning, I woke up with a Rick Pino song stuck in my head, so I went into the bathroom, turned on the surround sound stereo with subwoofer and rattled the house with praise and worship. It is one of my secret life-hacks for a great start every day. As I surrendered my day to the Lord, I opened my mouth and began to sing along. When I closed my eyes, I could see a stream of phonetic combinations passing in front of me. Though I could not understand them, I began to speak as the Holy Spirit inspired clear annunciations in a heavenly language. I fell to my knees in worship and felt overwhelmed with the joy of the Lord. A feeling of peaceful power swept over me as tears of joy poured out. The gift felt so familiar to me, even though I had never used it. It felt like a wrapped gift that was given to me a long time ago, but I just unwrapped it for the first time.

Speak the Word of God. Desiring a deeper understanding of my new gift, I spent the better part of that day in my prayer closet, asking the Lord to show me how to use it for His glory. During my quiet time, He reminded me of John 1:1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Everything God says is rooted in His Word because He Is the Living Word. So, when I open my mouth to speak a heavenly language, I am speaking the Word of God in a language that only heaven knows. This is what makes it a perfect prayer because it comes directly from the heart of God. It is also a perfect weapon against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms because it confuses hell and renders rulers, authorities, and powers of darkness defenseless. Each morning, I take up the full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). Every piece has a specific purpose, but the Sword of the Spirit is our only offensive weapon. When we speak in tongues, we are activating the Sword of the Spirit through the spoken Word of God and effecting great change in the heavenly realms.

Stir up the gifts. To put this revelation to the test, I asked the Lord to help me speak a specific passage of scripture in a heavenly language. I chose one of my favorite passages that is a promise of God. I spoke it out loud in English. Then, I closed my eyes and opened my mouth. A stream of consonants and vowels flowed through me in a concise structure, having a clear beginning and end. As I knelt there in awe and wonder, I heard the Lord say, “Now, say it again.” I opened my mouth and the exact same phonetic structure was formed. Once again, I heard the Lord say, “Say it again.” So, I spoke again, and the heavenly words formed exactly as they had the first time. The utterance was much longer than I could have memorized, so I knew it was the Holy Spirit speaking through me. The Lord is revealing to me that we can increasingly develop our heavenly language because His vocabulary is unlimited. Like stretching and exercising a muscle, my heavenly language grows as I make myself available to the Lord in prayer. And interceding for others is the heart of God. I have found that praying with others who also have this gift is important for stirring up the gift and experiencing new levels of breakthrough. I look forward to updating you on my journey as I press ever closer to Jesus. 

Supporting Scriptures on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

• “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:2).
• Yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue” (1 Corinthians 14:19).
• “Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe” (1 Corinthians 14:22).
• “Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:39).
• “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about” (Acts 1:4).
• “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1).
• “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (John 20:22).