How to Pray for Someone to Receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

           Let them know it is another experience after you are born-again or saved.  You can say something like: I don’t know about you, but I want ALL that God has for me.  When I received Christ as my Savior was like a well of water in my spirit.  It was still and calm, but when I started praying in tongues, it really was like a spiritually powerful river  flowing through me.”  Or you can explain it this way:  Imagine a glass filled with water.  The glass is you and the water represents the Spirit when you become born again.  When you get baptized in the spirit, it is like placing that glass of water into a big bucket of water, so it is filled to overflowing.

         The devil does not want you to get saved, but if you do get saved, then the enemy definitely doesn’t want you praying in tongues.  He wants you to remain weak, so that you will not attack thwart his evil plans! So he has deceived whole denominations into thinking that praying in tongues is not for today.  If the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not for today, then why do millions of people still pray in tongues? Because it really IS for today and whoever believes or has faith for God to fill them with the Spirit, then they shall be filled.  Faith to receive this gift begins where the will of God is known. I want you to know that it is God’s will for you to pray in tongues. It says in Luke 11:13: “If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”   So all you have to do to receive this gift, is to pray and ask God for it.

             My friend Bill Shepherd uses these two approaches with great results:  When they tell him that they are Baptist, he says:  “Well John the Baptist saved my life.  It says in Luke 3:16 “that I have come to baptize you in water, but there is one who is coming after me who I am not even worthy to untie his shoes, who will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire.”       “Why that is so wonderful that you are a Catholic, for they are known for strong marriages and being pro-life!  Have you heard about the Charismatic Renewal that is sweeping across the Catholic churches today?”

Before you pray with them, give them these Simple Instructions:

Remind them again and say:  “Faith to receive this gift begins where the will of God is known.   I want you to know that it is God’s will for you to pray in tongues. It says in Luke 11:13 – “If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”   So all you have to do to receive this gift, is to pray and ask God for it.

Now when you ask God to fill you with the Spirit so that you can pray in tongues, it is a cooperation between you and God.  It is a joint effort. God’s part is to do the baptizing. The Holy Spirit will give you the syllables to say, or also called “the utterance.” Your part is you have to move your mouth and your tongue because God will not move them for you.  The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and He will not make you pray in tongues.   So it is the natural and the supernatural working together.   

Now after we pray, you may feel a sensation welling up in your belly or in your throat.  That’s the Holy Spirit, so you just verbalize what you feel with your mouth and speak it forth.  That will be your new prayer language! Just keep speaking forth what you sense or feel on the inside and be bold with it.  It will sound different or funny like Greek, but it is the Holy Spirit.  Don’t worry about what it sounds like.   Just keep boldly speaking forth the little sounds that you feel or hear.  (Pray in tongues so they can hear your language.) Now it is best to receive when you are at peace and not worried about things or people around you. And I don’t want you to try too hard. What I mean is, don’t think about it because you receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with your spirit, not your mind.  So put your mind on the back burner and relax and rest.  OK, now let’s pray. Have them repeat after you:

“Jesus, I love you.  You are my Lord and my Savior.  I want ALL of you, Lord. I want to pray in tongues to glorify You.  Now fill me with the Holy Spirit. Baptize me in the Holy Spirit so that I can pray in tongues in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

(Now lay your hand on their forehead and you pray in tongues and encourage them to pray in tongues as well.  But listen and make sure that they are not just copying you.) Many times they will start off repeating you and then go off into their own prayer language.   Tell them: “God will give you your own prayer language that is different from mine because He gives everyone their own unique prayer language.”

Stay with them if you have time and watch their lips move.  Because they will feel insecure at first, you need to encourage, coax, and exhort them to speak what little they have. When you see them trying and you see some movement, encourage them and say:  “That’s it! Keep doing it! Speak forth what is on your lips. That’s it!”

Then you can teach them how to start and stop their tongues…

      Some people believe that you only speak in tongues once and that is when you are first Baptized in the Holy Spirit. So now I want you to know that when you pray in English, you just think:   “I’m going to pray in English” and then you start praying, for e.g., “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name….”  Well, it is the same way when you pray in tongues, you just think: “I want to pray in tongues” and then you yield to the Holy Spirit and start praying in tongues.

    So after they start praying in tongues, teach them that they can stop and start them whenever they want to.  Say, “OK now I want you to pray in tongues.” And let them pray for at least 20-30 seconds. Then say, “OK stop.”  And let them stop for a few seconds. Then tell them to start praying in tongues again so they can know by experience how to yield to the spirit and pray in tongues whenever they want and/or whenever God prompts them to intercede and pray.

What to Say if they Don’t Pray in Tongues Right Away:

“That’s OK.  Don’t be frustrated.  You will receive your prayer language.  You will. I want you to know that you have asked God for this gift and so you indeed have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  In the natural, a gift is like a wrapped present with a bow on top. s you relax and learn how to yield to the Holy Spirit, then you will be able to “unwrap your gift from God” and start speaking in tongues and use this gift for His glory.  Speaking or Praying in tongues is also called “your prayer language.” Remember you have to move your mouth and tongue as you boldly speak forth what that feeling is that is bubbling up in your belly or your throat. You have to give voice to it.  It up to you to put your mind on the backburner and to put your doubts, fears or worries on the back burner and yield to the Holy Spirit, and unwrap the gift so that you can use it and pray in tongues.”

     Some people do not receive because they have lack of faith.  Ask them, have you received or heard some teaching in the past that has caused you to have any doubt and unbelief regarding praying in tongues? If you have any more questions, I’d be glad to listen and answer them for you.