Bashan Ministries... Preparing the way - Working Out At Your Spiritual Gym

He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. 1 Corinthians 14:4.
Paul was a man who prayed a lot in tongues and I know that because he said so in 1 Corinthians 14:18. You may wonder why this is so important, so this page is devoted to the many benefits gained by exercising your prayer language.
Do not confuse the initial evidence of receiving the holy Spirit with the actual Gift of Tongues listed in 1 Corinthians 12:10. The two are completely different. When someone is baptised in the Holy Spirit, speaking in other tongues is the primary evidence. See the page Breaking the Sound Barrier for more information on this topic. A detailed analysis of the actual Gifts of the Spirit is found on the page The Holy Spirit and His Gifts.
Speaking in other tongues is not just an exercise to make us feel good. It is like doing a workout at a spiritual gymnasium. It enables us to pray better. It gives us a hotline to the Throne-room and it can be a sign to others to get their attention and turn them towards God. Speaking in other tongues is still a valid any vital experience for any believer today. There are many myths and misconceptions about this experience that range from "they are not for today" to "it is of the devil" and these... dare I call them lies... have been a great controversy in the church, much to the devil's glee. Certainly misuse and abuse by foolish people have clouded the issue, but please look at this page in a prayerful and honest approach.
If you are sincere... pause right now before reading further and ask God to show you the truth as revealed in His Word.

I hope that you did pray like that, because God answers genuine seekers. I once prayed like that because I needed to know the truth about this thing and find out about it very quickly because I had just got saved and attended a Pentecostal church for the first time. That morning people spoke in other tongues and although I knew in my spirit that this was God, I knew nothing about it, not having ever heard of such a thing before. All I understood or believed was that in the course of their studies ministers of religion must have learned the original languages of the bible days. I do that myself now. Perhaps they speak them, I thought. My wife asked me if we had to learn them to join that church. We really did not know a thing, but I was open to the truth — whatever that was. Opinions, traditions of men and preconceived ideas can steal the truth from you, sometimes with dire consequences. The next morning, I found out the hard way what Jesus meant about the birds of the air coming down immediately to steal the word. See Luke 8:11-12. It was an immediate attempt to steal my experience from me and I needed help from the Lord about this, like yesterday! Please read my testimony in the page Breaking the Sound Barrier.
The point I want to make is that no one — no church — no denominational organization indoctrinated me. They never had time to do that. The Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth, answered an urgent prayer and it was revealed in the bible, before I had ever read that part of the bible! It was in 1 Corinthians 12:1 that says Brothers and sisters, I don't want there to be any misunderstanding concerning spiritual gifts.

Like Paul, I do not want anyone to be misinformed about such matters, hence this page that I know will inspire you.

Everyone Is To Benefit

There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them.

There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served.

There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person.

The evidence of the Spirit's presence is given to each person for the common good of everyone. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7.

More Than Ye All

Paul Highly Valued Speaking in Tongues and spoke much about speaking in other tongues, expressing how much he valued this ability. He said in1 Corinthians 14:18, I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all… Some folk say that he disproved of this, because he adds 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.

Many folk stop at this point, thinking Paul preferred to use normal speech for preaching and teaching purposes etc. That is not correct. Reading chapter fourteen in its entirety reveals that the church at Corinth simply did not know how to handle things properly. There was no order in that church and they went to excess. They had many errors in all sorts of areas, not only in this matter, so Paul was correcting them in many things, including dissensions, fornication; party faction; intellectualism; lawsuits; divorce and marriage and their use of this wonderful ability of speaking in tongues.

Imagine going to church to hear a great sermon and not being able to hear it because everyone in the church was talking over the top of the preacher. That’s the sort of thing he was correcting. He was not telling them that they had the wrong thing, but instructing them to speak in tongues when it was appropriate and to remain silent when that was appropriate. He was telling the folk that he spoke in tongues more than all of them put together, but, please, let’s have some courtesy and preach well without distractions and use the Gifts of the Spirit in their proper place and at the appropriate time. Please see the page The Holy Spirit and His Gifts for detailed explanation of them and their functions.

What he was telling them was that whatever was done, should be done in such a way that it edifies, or encourages everyone in such a way that there was no confusion or distraction.

With regard to speaking in other tongues, there is more than one role, function or purpose for tongues. Firstly, speaking in tongues is the initial outward or physical evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit, but this is merely the beginning.

We also have the Gift of Tongues, which is something completely different again and we deal with this in The Holy Spirit and His Gifts. We now turn to why! Why did Paul value speaking in other tongues so much? What is it about this topic that has aroused such controversy and opposition?

Flexing Your Muscles

The Power of the Tongue Edify Yourself

Look again at our text, He that speaketh in an (unknown) tongue edifieth himself. The King James Version includes the word unknown and it is in italics, indicating that this was not in the original language, but inserted by the translators. The bible clearly tells us that we speak in human languages, such as Italian, Russian, Spanish, French or whatever and they certainly are not unknown, other than to one who does not normally speak those languages (see Acts 2:6-11). Paul also tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:1that we can speak in the language of the angels of God! They certainly are not unknown, save for we humans.

When we speak in an unknown (to the talker) tongue, Paul says that he or she edifies himself or herself.
This is a very powerful tool, for by using this, we are able to build ourselves up, or make ourselves stronger in the spirit and emotional dimensions than before. It is like charging the battery in a car. If the battery is not used, it will eventually go flat, but by speaking in other tongues, we can top up, so to speak and I am not speaking about emotionalism or hyping something up. The word used for Edify is Oikodomeō. It means to build, or be a house builder. It speaks about building, edifying and giving one greater boldness. It enables us to tap into the source so to speak. We are the house of God. We are the ones who are being built up as an holy habitation. We are the living stones of that building called the church and Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone.
He told the disciples to go into the big, bad, wide world and preach the Gospel in the same manner He did,but those men were weaklings who fled and one denied Him three times.

On that Day of Pentecost as they spoke in other tongues for the first time, people came running to see what happened and Peter preached so powerfully that 3000 people were converted! Let me ask those who vehemently oppose this experience if they have similar results. It is very unlikely. Later in Acts 4:29-31, these same disciples prayed after being threatened for boldness to do what Jesus told them to do... for supernatural manifestation... and the place was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spoke the word with Boldness. Multitudes were saved!

Talking to God

Paul said-

Pursue love, and strive for spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, because no one understands, but by the Spirit he speaks mysteries. 1 Corinthians 14:1.
It could not be planier that that! When you pray in tongues or speak in tongues, you are speaking to no one else than God!
If you do not know how to pray about a matter, why not believe that the one who knows everything, also knows what you should say when you pray.
So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will. Romans 8:26-27.

How do you pray in the spirit?
Paul tells us that we can pray both with the spirit AND with the understanding. We can sing with or in the spirit and with the intellect or our understanding as well. For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with my understanding. 1 Corinthians 14:14–15.

If you are not confident in prayer, then try praying in tongues!
When you do that, you allow the Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of Truth, to help you pray in full accordance with the mind and will of God! How great is that?
Little wonder the devil hates it!

What often happens is that you can pray in tongues and then "switch" to your own native language. When that happens, you are most likely praying the interpretation of that same prayer in an unknown tongue. There is a sort of flowing in your spirit, just like those rivers of living water Jesus spoke about in John 7:38.
Please notice also that you can speak what its called Mysteries. The word Paul used is Mystērion and this is very interesting. God is not hiding anything From us, but For us. People who tell us things like, well... You never know what God can do etc don't know what He said. We do! It's in the Word! Jesus came to reveal the Father to us! Paul said-
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 (emphasis mine).

This Mystērion of which Paul spoke and similar words like myeō, (meaning to initiate into the mysteries) allow us to see into the dimension of the spirit... By The Holy Spirit... so that we are not left ignorant, helpless and defenceless, but completely equipped to be the sorts of people God wants us to be, namely anointed ones who are continuing on with the work Jesus allocated to His Church.

It is a spirit dimension out there and we cannot do it with natural tools. The tools or weapons of our warfare are not natural, but mighty through God to the tearing down of enemy strongholds (in the minds of men). I entreat you when I do come [to you] that I may not [be driven to such] boldness as I intend to show toward those few who suspect us of acting according to the flesh [on the low level of worldly motives and as if invested with only human powers]. For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), Being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete. 2 Corinthians 10:2-6.

The tools we use are developed by speaking in tongues! We do not speak to men (only) but to God. We can obtain answers to perplexing problems, receive direction and advice. We can do a workout at the spiritual Gymnasium and emerge, fit and ready for anything and speaking in tongues is I guess, the best way to achieve this.
Again, it is little wonder that the devil has fought so hard and effectively against this. Ask God and try it!

Praying With Results

We have just dwelt on this in the previous section, but it is very important to grasp this truth, because many people do not know how to pray in such a way that God not only hears that prayer but answers it. We can have absolute assurance of this because John told us- He who believes in the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] has the testimony [possesses this divine attestation] within himself. He who does not believe God [in this way] has made Him out to be and represented Him as a liar, because he has not believed (put his faith in, adhered to, and relied on) the evidence (the testimony) that God has borne regarding His Son.

And this is that testimony (that evidence): God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

He who possesses the Son has that life; he who does not possess the Son of God does not have that life.

I write this to you who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) the name of the Son of God [in the peculiar services and blessings conferred by Him on men], so that you may know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have life, yes, eternal life.

And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.

And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him. 1 John 5:10-15.
Please notice that when we are in divine relationship, we possess eternal life. If we do not... there is no hope of ever going to Heaven, but if we do, then we have absolute assurance that we can come to God with boldness (not brashness) and make any request according to His will and that request will not only be heard... it will be granted!

We can know for sure if our prayer is in accord with the will of God by praying God's way! I am not talking about things like what religion teaches us is the Lord's Prayer, but by praying with the help of the Holy Spirit and this is done by praying in tongues! The Holy Spirit is Helping YOU... to pray. Paul told us that God has given us a means whereby we can pray in our spirit man apart from our understanding. If God is a Spirit (which He is) then our dealings with Him have to be spirit to Spirit, not intellect to Spirit! The mind or human reasoning faculties are actually at variance with God.

Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].

[That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot.

So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him. Romans 8:6-8.
Most prayers people pray are with the mind. They are mental prayers only, hence do not meet God's requirements,no matter how eloquent they sound, or who reads or says them! The woman at the well knew all about religion and prayer. Like many denominations today she said, Our forefathers worshipped here, but the Jews tells us we have to worship at Jerusalem. Who is right? Look at it in this translation-

Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?"

"Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem.

You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God's way of salvation is made available through the Jews.

But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. "It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." John 4:20-24.

By His answer, we see that religious activity of any kind does not work. We see that mental assent does not work. Spirit deals with Spirit. Deep calleth unto deep!

The truth of the matter is that we need BOTH kinds of prayer and most of the church has neglected the spiritual aspect of it.
Praying in the spirit does not mean praying with more enthusiasm or gusto, but praying effectively, or so efficiently that , by exercising my prayer language, I can communicate spirit to spirit with God to meet His requirements and also satisfy my intellectual abilities by "translating them" into my own native tongue. It works friends. It works!

Smith Wigglesworth

Paul encouraged believers to maintain the practice of speaking in other tongues in their private lives for worship and prayer as a means of their spiritual edification. I have already used the illustration of a battery. If it is in a car and the car is not used, the battery could go flat or get run down and need recharging by an electric current flowing through it. Let me describe the verse of scripture like this, He that speaketh in an unknown tongue, recharges his spiritual battery.

The word Edification that Paul used does not relate to mental or intellectual enlightenment but relates to building yourself up spiritually. Jude 20 says- But you, dear friends, must build up your lives ever more strongly upon the foundation of our holy faith, learning to pray in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit.

There are a few points I’d like you to consider here. Firstly, Jude says that we Must, not can build ourselves up more strongly on a foundation, which is our faith. We achieve this by earning how to pray, not out of a prayer book, but in both the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit. Notice the choice of words… more and strongly. This implies a continual progressive state. What I mean is this. If something is strong, then it is strong, but if something is already strong, we can make it more so. Watch an athlete. The champion trains continually, not once, always seeking to improve his or her game. They may reach gold medal status, but if training ceases, I have seen many athletes get fat!

The King James Version tells it this way. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:20-21. The words used are action words. Keep yourselves! Build yourselves up! Keep yourselves! Looking! That is like charging up a battery and keeping it charged.

Jude told us we are to build ourselves up ON our most holy faith… not In it. There is a big difference. He told us how to do that and it is by praying in the Holy Ghost. How do you do that? Pray in tongues!

Praying in tongues does not give us more faith. Faith comes by the hearing of the word and applying it. See Romans 10:17. We already have the measure of faith according to Romans 12:3, so what we can do is to release it or exercise it, training ourselves in a similar way to how the champion athlete trains.

This is a personal thing. Praying in the spirit and exercising yourself by exercising your prayer language helps you… no one else to become stronger. The champion athlete does not train for someone else, but for himself to improve his abilities. You can become a champion spiritual athlete by training in the dimension of the spirit.

A classic example of how this works is Smith Wigglesworth. He experienced revival in every continent on earth that many people still talk about today, yet he did not have an education. He started work at the age of six, pulling up turnips, then as a child worker in a factory before child labour laws were enacted.

He did not even know how to write his own name until adulthood when someone taught him how.

He could not read or write at all, other than signing his name, but he got saved and filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in other tongues. Speaking in other tongues was a priceless gift to him and he lived the verses of Jude and 1 Corinthians 14:4.

This is biblical truth that works!

Might In The Inner Man

When I think of the wisdom and scope of his plan, I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God—some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth—that out of his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you the mighty inner strengthening of his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself.

Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. May he be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the Church through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 3:14-21.

We need the spiritual edification and illumination that stems from praying in the Holy Ghost. That is, by praying in tongues.

Another aspect I’d like to share with you is that we can receive might in the inner man to help us not to be stronger or encouraged more, but to be able to grasp some understanding of the glorious love and mighty plan of God for us… the church of Jesus Christ.

Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesis deserves more in-depth analysis than I can give here. I strongly urge you to conduct your own research into this wonderful plan that is revealed right throughout the whole book. For now however, let us focus on a Holy Spirit prayer that Paul revealed to us. Please remember that he wrote to a spirit filled church that spoke in tongues and prophesied. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. Acts 19:6.

They spoke in other tongues! This is the Church that received such amazing revelation of the mind and will of God for the Church, the plan of salvation and more by Paul. What this does is to illustrate that when you are born again, you have not “arrived”. There is much more! All that has happened is that you have embarked on an endless journey of exploration and opened the door to a vast treasury of God’s blessings and experiences. Go through my friend. Go through!

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3 is that we could receive mighty strengthening in our inner man to combine with scriptures, our faith confessions and other stands to live as God intends us to live—victorious in life. You see, although the devil has been defeated, he is still permitted to roam around on this planet until Adam’s lease has expired. He is looking for people who do not know their Kingdom rights and exercise them in every respect, including exercising your Heavenly language. See 1 John 4:4.

Paul’s prayer is that we would be strengthened With His Might and this is achieved By His spirit in our Inner Man!

I will conclude with this-
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and width, height and depth, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think—according to the power that works in you—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Are you saved?

This basically completes our study, but there is much more yet. I have merely scratched the surface, but what I have done is to show you the truth and reveal the biblical pattern. What you now face is a two stage choice process. Please ask yourself if you are absolutely certain of your eternal destiny. Are you saved? If you have to pause before replying, I kindly suggest that you rethink everything. If you have repented of your sin and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you are born again. That's it. If you are unsure, then look at what Paul said-

The Word (God's message in Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word (the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach, Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.

The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed. Romans 10:8-11.

Saying prayers like that from your heart is the key. This is a sample prayer-
Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ. You said in Your Word that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Therefore Father, I am calling on Jesus right now. I believe He died on the cross for my sins, that He was raised from the dead on the third day and He's alive right now. Lord Jesus, I am asking You now, come into my heart. Live Your life in me and through me. I repent of my sins and surrender myself totally and completely to You. Heavenly Father, by faith I now confess Jesus Christ as my new Lord and from this day forward, I dedicate my life to serving Him.
Amen.

Receive the Spirit

Receiving anything from God is a free gift! Your salvation is free.Your healing is free. Jesus paid the price for those things at Calvary.
So too is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
To qualify, you must be born again and it is that simple.

To receive, all you have to do is receive. This sound simple I know, but that's how it works. A simply cry from your heart, Lord, I am hungry for more of you. I want what you offer me. I do not necessarily understand it (yet), but I receive it in the precious Name of Jesus, is all it takes.

Receiving the Holy Spirit is simple. Invite Him to fill you. Ask Him to do what Jesus said He would do. Tell Him that you want to be more like Jesus and to know Him and the bible better. Tell Him that you want to live a victorious life and be able to do and become the sort of person God wants you to be.

Tell Him that you receive Him and ask Him to fill you right now.

That is your part.
His part is to fill you.
Receive it by faith. Feelings and emotions are not the outward signs, although you might have some of those things. The evidence, if you want to call it that, is when you speak in other tongues, but please do not, oh please don't seek tongues! Seek Him!
Do not try to make a thing happen but relax and receive, because it is not difficult or hard. Just let Him do what He alone can do and then start to thank and praise the Lord.

Simply start talking in tongues! Just do it! He will not make you do it... because you are the person who speaks. It is your mouth; your tongue; your vocal chords and your lungs, so you are the one who speaks, but He is the one who gives you te ability.

If we were standing together right now, I'd place my hands on you and say Receive the Holy Ghost and then you would start worshipping God in the language of the spirit. I am however in front of you through your computer monitor, so by faith just go ahead and receive and start speaking in other tongues.

Hallelujah!

More Than An Initial Experience

Receiving the Holy Spirit is essentially the beginning of a whole new life in Christ. Speaking in other tongues is the initial physical evidence, but please do not stop there. Wonderful as it it, once you are filled with the Spirit and are able to speak in other tongues, there is more to it than that. For example you are a candidate to receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and we are encouraged to seek them. As far as I can tell, there is only one place in the bible that tells us to covet something! Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy (interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching). 1 Corinthians 14:1.
Remember of course that the Holy Spirit is the person who exercised His prerogative to give what gifts He wishes to whom He wishes.
The page The Holy Spirit and His Gifts will elaborate.

We are told that the more you use or exercise your ability to speak in other tongues, it is like doing a good workout at the gym. There are many benefits and ways to flow in God and I recommend that you investigate them and moe into what God has for you.
Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),

Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit.

Speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices [and instruments] and making melody with all your heart to the Lord, At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. Ephesians 5:15-20.

Be filled and stay filled!

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