To know if you have the gift of speaking in tongues takes faith. It is through faith that you know you have the gift of tongues and exercise it.
The Bible is clear that it is impossible to please God without faith. Since the gift of speaking in tongues is a gift from God, you need faith to know you have it.
There are signs that you can use to determine if you have the gift of speaking in tongues. You will still need faith to know for sure that you have the gift of speaking in tongues but these signs will make it easier for you.
How do you know if you have the Gift of Speaking in Tongues?
1. If you believe in Jesus
Everything in God starts when you have a relationship with Jesus. Speaking in tongues is a gift from God that we receive through the Holy Spirit.
Having a relationship with Jesus is the foundation of all gifts including the gift of speaking in tongues. Jesus brings salvation into your life. Once you have been saved from sin and death, you can now start enjoying gifts in God.
If you believe in Jesus, you get all the gifts that God has to offer. What determines which gift manifests in your life is your faith.
Through Jesus, we can ask for anything from God and receive it. If you want the gift of speaking in tongues, ask for it.
2. If you have a Relationship with the Holy Spirit
You receive the gift of speaking in tongues as a result of being in a relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is our helper and guide.
If you welcome Him into your life and live a life that upholds His holy standards, you will receive any gift you want from Him including speaking in tongues.
A relationship with the Holy Spirit begins when you give your life to Jesus. When you dedicate your life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit is given to you automatically as a helper.
The Spirit of God helps all people who believe in Jesus. The only difference is how much space a person chooses to give to the Holy Spirit in his life.
When the Spirit of God comes into your life, He comes with all the gifts including the gift of speaking in tongues.
If you have the Spirit of God, you have the gift of speaking in tongues. But to manifest the gift of speaking in tongues, you will need to build your relationship with the Holy Spirit to a level where God sees fit to let you have the gift.
You build your relationship with the Spirit of God through reading the word of God and praying. The word of God will help you understand who the Holy Spirit is and praying will activate the word in you.
The more you know the Holy Spirit; His mission, His character, His gifts, what grieves Him etc, the stronger your relationship with Him will be.
3. If you Asked for the Gift
If you have ever asked for the gift of speaking in tongues in prayer, be assured you received it. You can have the gift of speaking in tongues and not exercise it. That does not mean you didn’t receive the gift.
For most people who doubt if they have the gift of speaking in tongues, they usually have the gift. The fact that you suspect you have the gift proves that you have it.
The challenge is usually in understanding.
If you fulfilled the two conditions above and asked for the gift of tongues, God gave it to you. But then you may not be able to exercise the gift either because you need more understanding to activate it or more faith to exercise it or both.
Starting to speak in tongues takes faith. You can have the gift of tongues but fail to speak in tongues just because you are afraid.
Fear is of the devil. You have to rise above fear and exercise the gift of speaking in tongues.
4. If you have other Gifts of the Holy Spirit
If you can get one gift of the Holy Spirit, you can get others too. If you have any gift of the Holy Spirit, be assured you have the gift of speaking in tongues as well.
For people who have different gifts of the Holy Spirit apart from speaking in tongues, all they need to do is activate the gift of speaking in tongues.
Having the Holy Spirit is a guarantee that you have the gift of praying in tongues. It is just that each of the gifts of the Spirit of God need to be unlocked.
If you unlocked one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, you can unlock others as well.
In my case, I first asked for the gift of wisdom. When I received it, I used it to ask for faith. With faith, I got speaking in tongues and interpreting tongues. I don’t know when I received the gift of knowledge but I have it too.
If you can get one gift of the Holy Spirit, you can get others too.
5. If you had a Dream you were Speaking in Tongues
There are some believers who see themselves speaking in tongues in dreams. Usually, God sends those types of dreams to boost the faith of the believer.
If in your dream you are filled with the Holy Spirit and you speak in tongues, it is a reflection of your state. It means you have the gift of speaking in tongues.
In such a case, you need to act upon what God revealed to you in the dream. Start speaking in tongues or ask someone who has the gift of speaking in tongues to help you activate it.
How to know if you have the Gift of Speaking in Tongues Conclusion
It is not hard to know if you have the gift of speaking in tongues. In fact, if you asked this question, chances are that you have the gift but you are afraid to exercise it.
What you need is a boost in your faith to get started. Getting someone who has the gift to lay hands on you or just pray with you is one of the ways you can kick-start the gift.
I do record sessions of speaking in tongues which you can use to get a push to start speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is a great gift to have.
Activate it!