8 Supercharge Benefits of Speaking and Praying in Tongues!

This post is all about praying in tongues

Did you know that there is a special type of prayer that God has given to believers specifically to empower and equip them?

This prayer is called praying in tongues.

You’ll learn the following with this blog post:

• Speaking in tongues- what it is and what it isn’t (myths).
• Scriptures about this powerful form of prayer.
• Two clinical studies that possibly prove speaking in tongues
• Benefits of speaking in tongues
• Speaking in tongues etiquette
• Difference between the gift of tongues and praying in tongues etc.

If you’re interested in learning more about this subject, then keep reading!

P.S. It took quite some time to write this post.😢 I was in prayer and reflection as I wrote it. It took much longer than I expected because this in-depth post was written with deep thought and love.❤️

If you are led, please share this blog post with others.

Ready? Let’s go!

The purpose of this blog post (and lots of hugs)

Critics of speaking in tongues argue that it is a false practice not supported by scripture. They claim that it has no purpose or value, and it undermines true Christianity by attempting to mimic the gift-giving of the Holy Spirit without any discernment or guidance from Him.

When it comes to speaking in tongues, many people have mixed feelings about it, and I understand why. After all, it’s a very powerful (and mysterious) gift from God that can be hard to understand and even harder to explain. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to be said on the subject.

What I want to do with this post is to provide an overview of the different kinds of tongues found in Scripture and how they are used.

I also want to reflect on why some people reject speaking in tongues and the confusion this can cause. The goal is to provide a balanced and thoughtful perspective so that you can come to your own discernment with all the facts at hand.

This blog post isn’t meant to provide controversy, criticism, or condemnation but constructive dialogue. ❤️ Let’s proceed with an open heart, seeking to learn and grow together through the Word of God.

Ultimately, I don’t know if this blog post will provide undeniable proof or evidence of speaking in tongues existing in modern-day Christianity. My goal isn’t to provide undeniable proof but enough information for you to reflect on and draw your own conclusions.

I pray that in reading this post, He will open your eyes to His truth.

What is praying in tongues?

Praying in tongues is a spiritual language that the Holy Spirit gives to believers as a means of communication with God. It’s often referred to as glossolalia, which literally translates to “speaking in unknown tongues.”

In the New Testament, praying in tongues is first seen after Jesus resurrected and sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). This occurrence symbolizes the outpouring of God’s spirit upon His people.

The Apostle Paul talks about his own experience with praying in tongues (1 Corinthians 14) and encourages believers to pursue this type of prayer. In his letter, he emphasizes the importance of praying for interpretation when needed. He also distinguishes between prophecy and tongues, noting that not all types of tongues must be interpreted.

Praying in tongues should always be done with reverence and humility, allowing Holy Spirit to lead us into intimate communication with God.

Cloven tongues on the disciples were in Pentecost’s upper room (what happened at Pentecost)

The cloven tongues of fire that descended upon the disciples in the upper room on Pentecost are a vivid reminder of God’s presence and power.

According to Acts 2:3-4, “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

This event is widely seen as a sign that God empowered His people to carry out His will on earth and preach the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.

The fiery fervor granted to the disciples in the upper room on Pentecost was incredibly significant. It enabled them to effectively share the good news of Jesus Christ with people from all different nations and backgrounds.

Acts 2:7-8 says that “every man heard them speak in his own language,” which shows us how powerful this gift was and how much of an impact it had on those who were present.

This event serves as a reminder of God’s desire for unity amongst believers. The fact that the disciples spoke in different languages but still communicated one unified message reveals that we are stronger together than apart. We must embrace our differences while still standing firm on His truth if we truly wish to carry out His will on earth.

Clinical studies or neuroscientific proof of praying in tongues

Praying in tongues has been studied by neuroscientists and other medical professionals.

1. The University of Pennsylvania Study

A study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania had some pretty impressive results.

Let me provide you a powerful summary of the study that was condensed by a media outlet…

NY Times stated the following regarding the study, “Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania took brain images of five women while they spoke in tongues and found that their frontal lobes — the thinking, willful part of the brain through which people control what they do — were relatively quiet, as were the language centers. The regions involved in maintaining self-consciousness were active. The women were not in blind trances, and it was unclear which region was driving the behavior.” 😲

For a full copy of the study, here is the link for your future reference via PubMed: The measurement of regional cerebral blood flow during glossolalia: a preliminary SPECT study.

2. The University of Fribourg, Switzerland Study

The University of Fribourg, Switzerland recently published a study titled “Brain structural evidence for a frontal pole specialization in glossolalia”. The study was conducted to understand why people are able to effectively speak in tongues, or glossolalia. Using MRI scans, researchers were able to identify regions in the brain that become active when people speak in tongues.

What the researchers found was that there is a distinct activation of white matter fibers, particularly in the frontal pole region of the brain. This white matter acts as a kind of conduit, allowing communication between different parts of the brain while speaking in tongues.

In addition to this, the study also found that the hippocampus, the area of the brain associated with memory formation, was highly active during glossolalia.

Moreover, researchers noted that there are some structural differences between people who can speak in tongues and those who cannot, such as decreased cortical thickness in the frontal pole region among speakers, which suggests a connection between structure and function.

Overall, the study shows that there is a distinct neurological basis for speaking in tongues. This suggests that this phenomenon is indeed real and not just a figment of imagination or some kind of mental disorder. It also highlights the importance of seeking discernment when it comes to understanding these kinds of spiritual phenomena.

Although further research needs to be done in order to further our understanding of the neurological basis for speaking in tongues, I would say this was a relatively good study.

Click this link for the full study via PubMed, “Brain structural evidence for a frontal pole specialization in glossolalia.”

Myths and misunderstandings surrounding praying in tongues

Some people argue against speaking in tongues as something supernatural or divinely inspired. They claim that it is merely gibberish or incoherent noises made by people while they are under some kind of trance or delusion. 

Here are some reasons people critic tongues and say it isn’t godly and it is false:

1. First, let’s address the myth that only certain people can pray in tongues. This is not true: anyone who has the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them can choose to pray in tongues. P.S. I explain later in the post the difference between speaking and praying in tongues.
2. Second, some believe that all tongues must be interpreted in order for them to have any meaning or power. (I address this myth later in this blog post.)
3. People may argue that speaking in tongues is a practice that is not seen in the Bible as much as other spiritual gifts. Therefore it should not be given so much importance.
4. Critics might claim that it feels more like an emotional experience than anything else and shouldn’t be taken seriously.😢
5. Others could say that speaking in tongues is just another form of manipulation or control over people who are vulnerable to such things.
6. It could also be argued that people who speak in tongues seek attention for themselves instead of God, which goes against biblical teachings about humility and selflessness. 
7. Lastly, some may point out that there have been cases where people have spoken in tongues and then made false prophecies or misused their spiritual gifts. This can lead to confusion and misunderstanding among believers, which goes against the Biblical call for unity within the Church.

8 in-depth Biblical reasons why a believer should pray or speak in tongues (with verses to prove!)

We all know that prayer is important to a believer’s life, but what about praying in tongues?

I’ve brainstormed eight specific reasons why praying or speaking in tongues is beneficial, according to the Bible!

Here is an in-depth look at each of these reasons, complete with Biblical verses to back them up:

1. Praying in tongues provides endurance– Romans‬ ‭8:26

This is my personal favorite because it was a gamechanger in my prayer life once I realized this secret. See, Praying in tongues provides us with spiritual stamina and endurance when praying.

Paul says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words” (Romans‬ ‭8:26‬).

When we pray in tongues, it’s not coming from our understanding. Therefore, we’re not limited to the words or phrases that come out of our mouths. Instead, the Holy Spirit is interceding on our behalf and providing us with spiritual stamina and endurance when praying.

2. Tongues is a way to pray for and edify oneself – 1 Corinthians 14:4

Praying in tongues is a powerful way to bring peace and edification into our lives.

1 Corinthians 14:4, “Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.”

Praying with such spiritual language enables us to more deeply understand and appreciate the Creator’s magnificence. This is through a connection overflowing with genuine love that it overflows spontaneously into speech.

When we pray in tongues, we’re able to penetrate deep into the depths of God’s presence and tap into a power that is beyond our own comprehension.

3. Speaking in tongues is a form of spiritual warfare – Ephesians 6:18

Praying in tongues is a powerful spiritual warfare tool.

According to Ephesians 6:18, we are instructed to pray at all times in the Spirit for our brothers and sisters (Ephesians 6:18). I want to argue that this means praying with your spirit could also include praying in tongues. It’s not our mind praying, it’s the spirit.

Romans 8:26-27 indicate that when we don’t know what to pray for ourselves, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. Praying in tongues is a way for us to access the power of the Holy Spirit and tap into a realm that our minds cannot understand.

P.S. I recently had an experience where a word of knowledge was dropped in my Spirit when I was fasting and speaking in tongues. This later became a prayer point, and wow😁…the wins I got after that 💃🏽…ahem, I will reserve the details for a future date (lol)…sorry for the cliffhanger.

Anyways, the Bible says when you pray in tongues, God knows your heart and hears your prayers even if you don’t know what to say. When we are in prayer and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we may get revelation and even warfare blueprints dropped in our spirit.

4. Praying in tongues allows us to access God’s power – Jude 20

Praying in tongues is a powerful way to access the supernatural power of God.

According to Jude 20, when believers pray in tongues, they can “build themselves up” and draw closer to God.

It is through prayer in tongues that we can receive strength, guidance, and wisdom directly from Him.

It could be described as a divine language spoken within the depths of our hearts – allowing us to tap into heavenly resources that are beyond our own capabilities.

For those unfamiliar with this practice, it may sound strange or even intimidating at first, but for those who seek out God’s will in prayer and embrace the mysteries of His Word, a great promise is found along this path.

5. Speaking in tongues builds up our faith and intimacy with God

Faith is important to every believer and allows us to access God’s power and purpose for our lives. Praying with tongues helps build that faith by allowing us to focus more on God and less on the distractions of our environment. It also helps us to focus more intently on His presence.

When we pray or speak in tongues, we engage spiritually with God.

That experience can help raise our faith level as we sink into communion with God and absorb His promises directly through His word.

This special type of prayer can fill us with hope and courage to walk confidently according to the Word of God.

Speaking in tongues allows us to rely on the divine spirit for strength when it feels like we don’t have any left, leading us to a greater reliance on our Christian Walk.

6. Praying or speaking in tongues can be used to intercede for others – Romans 8:26-27

Praying or speaking in tongues can be a powerful way to intercede for others. As stated earlier, Romans 8:26-27 states that we do not even know how to pray correctly, but the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf and helps us communicate with God more effectively.

Praying and speaking in tongues can effectively allow the Holy Spirit to intervene on our behalf and help us pray for others who may be facing difficulty.

It is an especially powerful way to come together as a community to speak words of blessing over fellow believers.

Knowing that the Creator of the universe has promised to give His Holy Spirit’s power to anyone who asks Him can encourage us to step out in faith and use this type of prayer when praying for those around us.

7. Helps us to be taught and led by the Holy Spirit – 1 Corinthians 14:18-19

Speaking in tongues allows you to be led and taught by the Holy Spirit in your daily life.

According to scripture (I Corinthians 14:18-19), the Spirit is our true teacher, guiding us to live a life that honors God (Romans 12:11-12).

Through His guidance, we can also teach others the same way.

8. Helps us to unlock mysteries, answers, and revelations from the Bible -Romans 11:33

The Bible tells us in Romans 11:33 that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours.

In addition, Paul in Ephesians 6:19-20 tells us of mysteries of the gospel and he urges people to pray for him to receive the words and fearlessness to declare it.

Praying in tongues allows us to unlock revelations and answers from the Bible that may otherwise be hidden or out of reach.

By speaking in a heavenly language, we can access the spiritual realm, which is often inaccessible through natural means.

When we pray in tongues, it stimulates our mental faculties and opens up more channels of understanding. The Bible is filled with mysteries and secrets that are only made clear when we pray in tongues.

7 steps to praying in tongues

Now that we have addressed these two myths let’s look at the seven steps to praying in tongues biblically.

1. Start with a prayer of surrender – Ask God to fill you with His presence and enable you to speak in tongues if He wills it.

2. Set aside time for prayer – Make sure you are not distracted or interrupted while praying in tongues so that your focus is completely on God and allowing Him to work through you.

3. Think about how much God loves us – Let this thought motivate you as you pray, knowing that God hears and understands what we are saying even though others may not interpret it.

4. Open your heart to the Holy Spirit – Ask the Lord to fill you with His presence and give you utterance as you pray in tongues.

5. Pray for others – Speak out prayers of blessings and encouragement over those around you in their language or yours if possible.

6. Be consistent – Set aside time each day to continue praying in tongues, even when challenging, as this strengthens our relationship with God and allows us to practice our spiritual gifts more often.

7. Listen for a response – As you pray, listen for any prompting from the Lord that may come through either words of knowledge or prophetic utterances (1 Corinthians 14:6). 

Etiquette and tips

It is important to remember that when speaking in tongues, there should be an understanding of proper etiquette.

At the time of the Corinthian church, there was no etiquette in place when it came to praying in tongues. People were free to pray aloud in their own language and to “speak out” with their tongues while others were silent.

This tongues in the Corinthian church could be considered a form of prophecy because it serves as proof that God is communicating His will to the person. However, the gift of tongues works in tandem with gift of interpretation of tongues. The church of Corinth weren’t doing so (interpretation)!

1. Show restraint and orderliness

As a result of this, Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 14:27-28, where he speaks about the need for restraint and orderliness in such public gatherings. He also emphasizes the importance of being able to interpret the language so that everyone may benefit from what is said (1 Corinthians 14:13).

2. Don’t show off!

In light of these arguments, it is important to remember that speaking in tongues is not about trying to impress others or show off one’s spiritual prowess.

3. Do so in love- always!

Instead, it should be seen as an act of love and selflessness, with the goal being to build up the church and glorify God.

4. Remember- it’s to God’s glory- not mans!

Therefore, if God has given anyone this special gift, they should use it only for His glory and stay humble when spoken in tongues.

5. Use discernment

Therefore, it is essential to practice discernment when speaking in tongues and exercise caution so that we do not speak out of line with God’s calling.

6. Seek further understanding

We should also always seek further understanding of the scriptures related to this topic so that we may use our gift responsibly to glorify God and edify others.

Speaking in tongues has no formula, and the mystery behind it

Speaking in tongues is a mysterious gift that cannot be forced; rather, it must be received and given freely by the power of the Holy Spirit.

It does not have a strict formula, as everyone experiences it differently. Some people may speak fluently in what seems to be an unknown language, while others might only utter incoherent syllables.

There is no one way to “perfect” this spiritual practice, and everyone’s experience will vary.

The mystery behind speaking in tongues lies within its mystical nature, as believers are often taken aback by the beauty and strength of their own voices when they start speaking out loud in a tongue-like manner.

This can evoke feelings of awe, joy, and peace for those who engage in this practice, as they recognize the power of the Holy Spirit that is enabling them to speak in this way.

In short, speaking in tongues is an amazing phenomenon that requires patience, trust, and openness from each person who decides to experience it.

Other tongues (demonic)

There is a distinct difference between speaking in tongues as part of Christian tradition and demonic tongues.

Demonic tongues are unintelligible utterances that often mimic orthodox Christianity’s language but speak falsehoods. It is neither rooted in scripture nor brings glory to God. Rather than being used for spiritual edification, it is typically used to deceive believers and lead them astray.

Speaking in tongues can also be found in other non-Christian religions, although these are generally considered not of God. For example, many pagan religions have certain forms of chanting or “speaking” spells which they believe will manifest their wishes into reality.

This type of speaking is done without any discernment or guidance from the Holy Spirit, so it is not considered to be an acceptable form of speaking in tongues.

Ultimately, when it comes to speaking in tongues, it is essential that we use discernment and always seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Difference between the gift of tongues vs. prayer language of tongues.

Prayer and speaking in tongues are often used interchangeably…but there’s a difference.

👉🏾Praying in tongues is a form of communication with God. It’s not a foreign language but a unique spiritual language given to those filled with the Holy Spirit. Every believer can choose to operate in this function…it is available to us.

Praying in tongues allows us to pray with greater intensity and focus than our regular prayer language. We can pour out our hearts to God with greater clarity and devotion as we can access the deeper understanding that comes from speaking in tongues.

👉🏾On the other hand, speaking in tongues is a supernatural gift given to certain believers, enabling them to speak foreign languages they have never learned before, usually during worship or prayer. This gift requires an interpretation from another believer in order for its content to be understood by the church body. Speaking in tongues can be used to give praises, and thanksgiving to God or even to speak forth words of knowledge, prophecy, or healing.

It is important to note that speaking in tongues and praying in tongues are two distinct gifts given for different purposes. While praying in tongues is a spiritual gift available to all believers, speaking in tongues must be manifested and interpreted by believers with the specific gift. Both gifts, however, can be used to bring glory and honor to God and deepen our connection with Him.

P.S. I speak more about the difference between gifts and functions in my post on discernment.

Speaking in tongues is built on LOVE

Speaking in tongues is just one of the many tools that we can use for our spiritual work. We should embrace and utilize any tools available to us if we are led to do so. Other gifts include prophecy and many more.

The Bible states in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”

This verse speaks about the temporary nature of these spiritual gifts. While we have them now, one day, when we come into the fullness before our maker, we won’t need these gifts anymore.

Nevertheless, while the gifts last, they serve a purpose. They help us to deepen our journey and know more about Jesus.

Whether we speak in tongues or not, all these gifts are meant to be shared with each other in LOVE. Nobody is better than another person based on their ability (or lack thereof) to speak in tongues. We should remember this as we use any gift available for spiritual work.

Let us embrace the spiritual gifts God has given us and walk in love with them always!

And that’s it, folks, praying in tongues

I hope you sooo enjoyed this blog post!

If you are curious and want to speak in tongues…ask the Lord to quicken knowledge and revelation to you.

Can I be honest? My personal journey to praying in tongues started with a simple child-like😊prayer and my interest to “know more.” And you know what, the Lord was so gentle and kind to give me more direction. So you don’t need to do anything spectacular. Just even say it in passing, “Heavenly Father, I want to know more…guide me.”

To wrap up, I’d say speaking/praying in tongues is just one of the many tools available to us for our spiritual work.

These gifts and functions are meant to be shared within each other in LOVE and not used as a measure of comparison or superiority.

Ultimately, speaking in tongues is a spiritual experience that requires discernment and reflection from every believer. It takes practice, understanding, and prayerful consideration before one can truly understand its power and beauty. Therefore it is essential to seek knowledge and wisdom to use this gift properly and to its full potential.

Here is a song by Elevation that speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and “tongues of fire🔥.”

You may also like the following blog post: Power of the Tongue with Clinical Examples.

Hearts and Hugs!