Appendix D: Why Tongues?
A Note from Gary
I'll be honest with you.
The first time I heard people speaking in tongues, I thought it was weird. Maybe even fake. My intellectual mind wanted to dismiss it as emotional excess or group psychology.
Then I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at Encounter Church.
Apostle Delmar laid hands on me, and something happened that my rational mind couldn't explain. Words came out of my mouth that I didn't choose. A language I'd never learned. And with it came a peace, a power, a connection to God that I'd never experienced before.
That was September 2025. Since then, I've learned that speaking in tongues isn't just an initial experience—it's meant to be a daily practice. A spiritual discipline that changes everything.
This appendix explains why. Not with theory, but with Scripture, testimony, and practical wisdom from those who walk in supernatural power every day.
If you've never spoken in tongues, this is for you. If you received the gift years ago but rarely use it, this is especially for you.
Gary
Written by: Apostle Delmar
The Biblical Pattern
Let me take you through Scripture so you can see this for yourself.
On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were waiting in Jerusalem as Jesus commanded:
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." — Acts 2:1-4
Notice: they were all filled and they all began to speak. Not some of them. All of them.
This wasn't a one-time event. The same pattern repeated throughout Acts:
In Samaria (Acts 8), when Peter and John laid hands on new believers, something visible happened—Simon the sorcerer saw it and offered money for the same power. You can't see the Holy Spirit with physical eyes. There had to be a sign.
In Cornelius' house (Acts 10), the Jewish believers were astonished that Gentiles received the Holy Spirit. How did they know? "For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God" (Acts 10:46).
In Ephesus (Acts 19), Paul laid hands on twelve disciples, "and the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied" (Acts 19:6).
The pattern is consistent. When believers receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, they speak with other tongues.
Tongues: The Initial Sign and Beyond
Now here's what many believers miss.
Speaking with tongues is not just the initial evidence of the Holy Spirit's indwelling. It's meant to be a continual practice for the rest of your life.
Too many believers receive the Baptism, speak in tongues once at the altar, and then never do it again. They treat it like a one-time event rather than a flowing stream.
I've met Christians who went years without speaking in tongues after receiving the gift. They had the ability but didn't use it. And their spiritual lives showed it—dry, powerless, struggling.
When you speak in tongues regularly, everything changes. You stay spiritually charged. You stay connected. You stay sensitive to God's voice.
Why Pray in Tongues Daily?
Let me give you the reasons why every believer should speak in tongues as a daily practice.
1. It Builds Up Your Spirit
"He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself." — 1 Corinthians 14:4
The word "edify" in Greek is like charging a battery. When you pray in tongues, you're not just making sounds—you're building up your inner man. You're strengthening your spirit.
Your spirit needs nutrition just like your body needs food. The Word of God is food. Prayer is food. And praying in tongues is supernatural food that builds you up in ways nothing else can.
I'm constantly snacking on the Word. I have reminders set every thirty minutes throughout my day. But I also pray in tongues throughout the day—feeding my spirit, staying charged, staying full.
There's no spiritual gluttony. You can eat all the Word you want. You can pray in tongues as much as you want. Your spirit just grows and grows and grows.
2. It Keeps You Conscious of God's Presence
When you pray and worship God in tongues every day, it helps you remain conscious of the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence. And if you're conscious that He's in you, it affects how you live.
Let me tell you a story.
A twelve-year-old girl, a pastor's daughter, lost her temper and was talking rudely to her mother. A visiting minister overheard the whole thing. When she saw him and realized he'd witnessed her tantrum, she broke into tears.
"I'm so sorry you saw me act this way," she cried.
He said, "There's One greater than me who saw you and heard you. The Holy Ghost is in you. He knows what you said and how you acted."
They prayed together. She repented. And then he gave her a secret: "If you will pray and worship God every day in tongues, it will help you stay conscious of His presence. You won't act that way."
Years later, the minister returned to that church. The girl—now a young woman—told him, "I never forgot what you said. Every day for years I've prayed in tongues. And I've never lost my temper again."
That's what daily tongues does. It keeps you aware that the Holy Spirit lives inside you. And that awareness changes your behavior.
3. It Prays God's Perfect Will
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." — Romans 8:26
We know how to pray—to the Father, in Jesus' name. But we don't always know what to pray for as we ought. Our prayers can be selfish. Our understanding is limited. We don't see the full picture.
But the Holy Spirit knows everything.
When you pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit is helping you pray. Your spirit, by the Holy Spirit within you, is praying (1 Corinthians 14:14). You're bypassing your limited understanding and letting God pray through you.
Brenda Gentry, one of our elders at Encounter, practices this systematically. When she needs direction, she'll spend an hour or two speaking in tongues, letting the Holy Spirit pray God's will through her. She opens her Bible during these sessions, and God directs her to exactly what she needs.
This is how you get divine strategy. This is how you pray for things your natural mind doesn't know about.
4. It Stimulates Your Faith
Praying in tongues helps you learn to trust God more fully.
Think about it: when you speak in tongues, you don't know what the next word will be. You're trusting God for it. You're stepping out in faith with every syllable.
And trusting God in one area builds your faith to trust Him in others.
I've seen people receive physical healing immediately after receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Not because tongues heals, but because speaking in tongues activated their faith. They learned to trust God in the supernatural, and that trust extended to believing for their healing.
5. It Provides Spiritual Refreshing
"For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing." — Isaiah 28:11-12
Speaking in tongues is described as "the rest" and "the refreshing."
In these days of turmoil, anxiety, and spiritual warfare, we need rest. Not just physical rest—spiritual rest. And God has provided a supernatural way to receive it.
When I pray in tongues, especially for extended periods, something happens. The weariness lifts. The heaviness breaks. I come out of that prayer time refreshed in a way that sleep can't provide.
This is a rest cure you can take every single day.
6. It Protects You from Contamination
"But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God." — 1 Corinthians 14:28
You can speak in tongues quietly to yourself. In the barber shop when men tell crude jokes, I speak to myself and to God in tongues. On airplanes. At work. Anywhere.
This keeps your spirit clean when you're surrounded by worldly contamination. Instead of absorbing the filth around you, you're communing with God.
7. It Prays for the Unknown
The Holy Spirit knows everything—including things your natural mind has no awareness of.
I was praying one night when suddenly I felt a burden. I didn't know what it was, but I knew something was wrong somewhere. So I said, "Holy Spirit, You know everything. Whatever this is, give me utterance."
I prayed in tongues for an hour. Then the burden lifted and I began to praise. I knew whatever I'd been praying for was settled.
Later I discovered that at that exact time, my brother had been rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening condition. The doctors thought he was gone. But he recovered.
I was praying for something I knew nothing about in the natural. The Holy Spirit knew. And He prayed through me.
How Much Should You Pray in Tongues?
There's no legalistic requirement. But I'll tell you what works.
Paul said, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all" (1 Corinthians 14:18). This wasn't occasional. This was regular, extensive practice.
Some of our elders pray in tongues for one to three hours daily. Brenda Gentry often prays until midnight. When she needs specific direction, she'll spend even longer.
Is that extreme? To the natural mind, yes. But these are the people who walk in supernatural power. These are the people who hear God's voice clearly. These are the people who see results.
Start where you are. If you've never prayed in tongues, or haven't in years, start with ten minutes. Build up. Make it part of your daily rhythm: morning declarations, prayer in tongues, Scripture meditation.
The more you do it, the more you'll want to do it. The spiritual nourishment becomes something you crave.
For Those Who Haven't Yet Received
If you've never been baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, you can receive today.
This isn't something you have to wait for. It's not something you have to earn. It's a gift, and Jesus promised it to all who believe.
"And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." — Acts 1:4-5
The disciples waited because the Holy Spirit hadn't yet been poured out. But since Pentecost, the Spirit is here. You don't have to wait for God—He's waiting for you to receive.
Here's how:
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Be born again. You must be a believer first. If you haven't received Jesus as Lord, start with the Salvation Prayer.
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Ask. Jesus said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13). Simply ask.
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Receive by faith. When you ask, believe that you receive. Don't wait for a feeling. Don't wait for lightning. Receive.
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Open your mouth and speak. The Holy Spirit gives the utterance, but you do the speaking. Acts 2:4 says "they began to speak." The disciples spoke. The Spirit gave the words. Open your mouth and let it flow.
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Don't analyze it. Your mind will want to dismiss it. "That's just me making sounds." No—it's the Holy Spirit giving you utterance. Trust and continue.
If possible, get around someone who operates in this gift. Position yourself under anointed ministry. Go where the fire is. But know that you can receive anywhere. God isn't limited by location.
A Word of Thanks
Much of my understanding about speaking in tongues was shaped by the teaching of Kenneth Hagin, one of the great generals of faith. His book Why Tongues? has helped millions understand this gift. I encourage you to study his work if you want to go deeper.
But don't just study it. Practice it.
The gift of tongues isn't meant to be a theological position you hold. It's meant to be a daily experience that transforms your life.
Open your mouth. Let the Spirit flow. And watch everything change.
"For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries." — 1 Corinthians 14:2