Uncontrollable speaking in tongues is something I have experienced. I wouldn’t want to call it uncontrollable speaking in tongues because I had an option to control it but I chose not to.
While it is clear from the Bible that speaking in tongues is under the control of the believer, it has to be noted that sometimes the line of control is blurred when you speak in tongues.
The Holy Spirit has power to influence us. When He turns up His influencing power, you almost feel as if you are not in control. But because He is gentle, He never overrides our will.
The following is what I have learned about ‘uncontrollable’ speaking in tongues…
Uncontrollable Speaking in Tongues: Lessons Learned
1. ‘Uncontrollable’ Speaking in Tongues is Controllable.
Speaking in tongues is a partnership between the believer and the Holy Spirit. For speaking in tongues to happen, both parties must play their role.
The Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to speak in tongues also enables us to have self-control. The fact that the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to control ourselves proves that He has no intention of stealing control from us.
However, this does not mean that we cannot give the Spirit of God full control. While we maintain some form of control, we have the option to give the Spirit of God 100% control.
In that case, even though we have given the Spirit of God full control, we are still in control because we can ask for control and it will be given back to us.
Therefore, speaking in tongues can be uncontrollable if we choose to let the Spirit of God have 100% of the control.
2. The Holy Spirit is Wiser than We are
While uncontrollable speaking in tongues may seem like a bad idea to us, the truth is that it is the best form of speaking in tongues.
When 100% of the control of speaking in tongues is given to the Holy Spirit, He works through us with zero hindrances.
The Bible tells us that after Jesus was baptized He was full of the Spirit. In that state, He went into the wilderness to pray and fast for 40 days.
Fasting for 40 days in the wilderness is only an act that the Holy Spirit can lead you to do. The amount of faith required is super high. If the Spirit of God has 100% control, then your faith is also 100%.
The same is true with speaking in tongues; there are things you can only accomplish through speaking in tongues if you let the Holy Spirit have full control.
It is true that sometimes the uncontrollable speaking in tongues may look chaotic but when the matter being addressed is more important, being civilized takes a back seat.
It is more like a woman in labor; in that moment, the most important thing is the delivery of the child. The craziness of the woman is overlooked.
Since I trusted that the Holy Spirit is wiser than I am and allowed myself to be led by Him, I experienced intense moments of speaking in tongues I had never experienced before. It is a bit scary but if you let it happen, you realize that the Holy Spirit knows what He is doing.
3. Uncontrollable Speaking in Tongues is Sweet
Uncontrollable speaking in tongues is like being on a roller coaster; you get scared with the rapid movements but you know it is safe and fun.
Just the same way we have thrill seekers in life, uncontrollable speaking in tongues is for spiritual thrill seekers.
Prior to experiencing uncontrollable speaking in tongues, I usually experience an adrenaline rush. The Spirit of God lets you know that He wants to take full control.
He then waits for you to give Him the go ahead. There was a day I debated about allowing the Holy Spirit take full control of my speaking in tongues for about five minutes.
It was scary because I was in a church and I don’t like being the center of attention. I knew if I let the Holy Spirit take over my tongues, I would draw the attention of everyone.
But at that time, the Lord revealed to me why He wanted me to let the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues through me; He wanted to deliver some people in the church.
I agreed to let it happen. I walked from my chair to the aisle and then boom!
After the experience, I felt so good. I even wondered why I was resisting it. It was a super sweet feeling to let the Holy Spirit have full control of my tongues.
Uncontrollable speaking in tongues is as sweet as it is scary; more like a roller coaster. If you enjoy the thrill of a roller coaster, uncontrollable speaking in tongues is the free version and way sweeter.
Uncontrollable Speaking in Tongues: The Bad Side
While uncontrollable speaking in tongues is something I look forward to experiencing, there are some people who abuse it. The hard part is balancing.
The thrill of speaking in tongues uncontrollably can easily get the best of you. But as the Bible advocates, we need to have order.
The experiences I have had of uncontrollable speaking in tongues happened in church. I was in a church that allowed free expression of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The person leading the meeting would let me speak in tongues wildly as the Spirit led me. The uncontrollable speaking in tongues only lasts for about a minute; not so long.
The beauty of it was that I was not just having a spiritual thrill but it was a fervent prayer to deliver a number of people. Even if it looked chaotic, God’s will was done.
The bad side to uncontrollable speaking in tongues happens when people who are not prompted by the Holy Spirit fake it.
You can have the ability to speak in tongues but fake the fervency of the Holy Spirit. I have seen it and I must say it gets old quickly. I hate it!
The problem with faking uncontrollable speaking in tongues is that it makes the stigma of genuine uncontrollable speaking in tongues stronger.
But no matter how bad the stigma of uncontrollable speaking in tongues gets, it is always an experience to look forward to.
If you have never experienced it, I’ll recommend you trust the Holy Spirit and let Him have His way. People will brand you some crazy names but hey, who cares?
Speaking in tongues alone will land you some crazy names, do it uncontrollably and you have a whole lot of crazy names.
But if to be crazy for Jesus is something you are passionate about, doing things like uncontrollable speaking in tongues won’t be a problem. People have died for their faith in Jesus, what is uncontrollable speaking in tongues?
Peace!