I read you a quote from Andrew Gabriel on Sunday morning, who reminds us that there isn’t a formula for being baptized in the Spirit or for speaking in tongues.

“ou may be wondering, then, how do I speak in tongues? Sometimes someone might lay hands and pray for a person before the person starts praying in tongues (Acts 19:6), but not always (Acts 10:44-46). Sometimes it happens in a prayer meeting (Acts 2:1-4), and other times it doesn’t. It can happen in different places, in different ways. Nevertheless, I do see at least two principles in the Bible that might help you receive the ability to pray in tongues. First, the Bible teaches us to ‘eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit’ (1 Cor 14:1). In most cases, God is not going to give you a gift that you do not truly want. This includes speaking in tongues. I know someone who sat on his hands while he was in a church service because he was sure that if he raised his hands in worship to God, he was going to start speaking in tongues. A second principle for gaining the ability to pray in tongues is to ask God to give you the ability. Jesus said… [Luke 11:11-13]. Even if you have asked God more than once to enable you to pray in tongues, I encourage you to keep asking.”

— Andrew Gabriel, Simply Spirit-Filled

With that in mind, I am praying that everyone who desires to be baptized in the Spirit would be open to receiving this gift every day, in any situation. As you spend time with the Lord this week, ask and be ready to receive!

As we continue to explore who the Holy Spirit is and what a gift He is, I want to draw your attention to a great resource from our District office. Linked below is a guided prayer to help you pray to be filled with the Spirit. It’s the fourth in their video series called “Holy Spirit Lab,” which I highly recommend. I hope this helps you as you seek the Lord.

Come, Holy Spirit.

Pastor Tracy