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Receiving Your Spiritual Language
Through Holy Spirit Baptism
Author Jennifer Eivaz
“My understanding as a teenager was to ‘seek’ the Holy
Spirit and then the Holy Spirit would take over my mouth. At a youth camp, a
pastor excitedly told me that the Holy Spirit was there and encouraged me to
speak out. I did exactly that and I received.” Edwin Smith
Glory
Carriers demonstrate the manifest presence of God with signs and wonders because
they have cultivated over time an intimate friendship with the Spirit of God.
Every
friendship has a starting point, however, and I believe friendship with the
Holy Spirit begins with the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
We
read in the Bible how this experience is necessary for us to walk in the power
of the Spirit.
Holy
Spirit Baptism in the Bible
Let’s look at two biblical promises: first, John the
Baptist said, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes
one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).
Later, Jesus said, “For John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit… You shall receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:5, 8).
The
Bible Illustrates clearly when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, He gifts
you with a supernatural language.
This
is the sure sign that you have received the promise of the Spirit. Let’s look
at this in Scripture:
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all
together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came
from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what
seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4)
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy
Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had
come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been
poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and
praising God.” (Acts 10:44-46)
A third verse in Acts illustrates a direct connection
between tongues and Spirit baptism: “When Paul placed his hands on them, the
Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6).
Other
passages in the New Testament reveal the same truth, only indirectly.
For
example, in Acts 8, the apostles in Jerusalem had heard that there were
disciples being made in Samaria.
Keep
in mind that these were new believers in Jesus who had only been water
baptized.
The apostles traveled to Samaria and prayed for the
new believers to receive the Holy Spirit “because the Holy Spirit had not
yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the
Holy Spirit” (verses 16-17).
There
had to have been some kind of evidence or sign to prove that they had received.
The
biblical account does not say directly that the new believers spoke in tongues,
but something took place that was so obvious that Simon Maga offered the
apostles money to give him the ability to lay hands on people to receive the
Holy Spirit, too.
Simon’s offer was met with a swift and stern rebuke by
the apostle Peter, who said, “May your money perish with you, because you
thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:20)
The
apostle Paul powerfully converted to Christianity, having been confronted by
Jesus Himself on the road to Damascus.
What
is interesting is he was not baptized with the Holy Spirit upon his dramatic
conversion, but received a few days later when Ananias visited him and laid
hands on him specifically to be filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 9:17).
Again, the biblical account does not directly say that
Paul spoke in tongues upon his infilling, but we know he must have because
later he gave testimony to the Corinthians, “I thank God that I speak in
tongues more than all of you” (1
Corinthians 14:18).
How
to Receive Holy Spirit Baptism
“I really wanted to have a prayer language and tried
so hard to sit in His presence and wait for it to happen. I was at a youth
group one night as a teenager and watched nearly everyone else around me
receive and speak in tongues, but not me. I remember feeling that I was doing
something wrong or that I was not spiritual enough. Fast forward many years
later, and I remember waking up in the night groaning in my sleep while praying
for my separated marriage, which was later reconciled. I opened my mouth and
out bubbled the most beautiful utterance of tongues! I’ve never struggled
since.” - Tonya Almendarez
People
receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit in different ways.
Some
receive spontaneously and sovereignly without trying, others have hands laid on
them to receive, and then others press into the blessing on their own and
receive that way.
There
is no right or wrong way or even a right or wrong place to receive your
heavenly language, just the promise that you will.
If
you, or someone you know, need to receive your supernatural language, here are
some steps to help:
Believe
in Jesus.
Sometimes
people try to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but they have not yet
given their life to Christ.
They
do not receive Him because they have not met the internal conditions to do so.
You
have to be born again to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but once you
are, you do not have to wait to receive your prayer language either.
You
have the capacity right then and there to speak in other tongues.
Ask
for it.
We
see from the written word that we are encouraged to ask for the Holy Spirit.
There
is no qualifier for asking either, except that you be born again. You do not
have to be perfect.
You
do not have to have your life cleaned up. As eager as you are to receive, He is
even more excited to gift you with your spiritual language.
As
a son or daughter of God, you do not need to beg either. Simply ask in faith
and be ready to receive His glorious promise.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone
who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door
will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10
Know
that you will not receive something evil on accident.
Some
people resist seeking the baptism of the Spirit because they fear they might
receive a demon instead of the Holy Spirit.
I
can understand how some might think this way not yet knowing what to expect if
they open themselves up to a spiritual experience.
I want to assure you, however, that if you ask for the
promise of the Spirit, then you will only receive the Holy Spirit, according to
Jesus’ words in Luke 11:11-13: “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a
fish, will give him a snake instead? Or, if he asks for an egg, will give him a
scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask him!”
Speak
in other tongues.
As
I researched how other ministries teach on this subject, many propose that once
you have asked for the Holy Spirit then you have automatically received the
baptism and should be able to speak by faith in tongues right then and there in
almost robotic fashion.
Their
approach to receiving the promise of the Spirit is based more in our legal and
covenantal rights with God, while neglecting to mention the deeper relational
components of the experience.
Corey
Russell, a senior leader at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City,
write that speaking in tongues is a summons to experience the power of a Person
– the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus refers to it as the “promise of the
Father” (Acts 1:4 KJV) because it is deeply based in His Sonship.
Stepping
into a new spiritual experience that is firmly grounded in relationship makes
surrender much easier.
When
you ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, you then surrender your whole self,
meaning your spirit man, your breath, your physical tongue, to allow Him to
immerse you with His power until a glorious spirit language begins to flow from
your innermost being.
Many
people say their prayer language began with just one word or one syllable, and
they spoke that out over and over until it developed into more sounds and even
more words.
Others
have expressed that their spiritual language sounded like babbling at first,
much like how a baby would sound, but it evolved over time into a more distinct
language.
By
the way, the Holy Spirit does not force you to speak in tongues. Instead, you
give breath to the words that either bubble up or flow out from your spirit as
you feel the infilling of His power.
These
are unpremeditated words that you speak out. They flow like a river from the
inside of you, and once you have received your language, you do not lose it
either.
As
you engage in this gift daily and it develops in you, there emerges a beautiful
communion of words sealed in heavenly mystery between you and the Spirit of
glory.
This
togetherness of words becomes the gateway to His manifest presence being seen
through signs and wonders, wonders that all communicate He has come to dwell
with us.
Jennifer Eivaz is a minister and international conference
speaker with a heart to equip the church in the supernatural and for raising up
passionate and effective prayer. She is a regular contributor to Charisma
Online and The Elijah List, has been featured on several Christian
television shows, hosts the popular podcast Take Ten With Jenn, and authored
several bestselling books. Jennifer lives with her husband, Ron, and their
two children in Turlock, California, where she serves as an executive pastor at
Harvest Church.
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