I was in prayer in my room one night and had just put my 5-year-old son to bed when he came walking in. I was praying in the Spirit and he climbed up into my bed and said, “I want to speak Spanish.”
A smile came across my face and I said, “I am not praying in Spanish, but in tongues.”
He then asked, “What is that?”
I then explained to him, “Praying in tongues is a language that Jesus gives you when you ask His Holy Spirit to fill you up. It helps you pray when you may not know what to pray, and it equips you to be a powerful witness to tell people about Jesus.”
Sensing the amazing presence of the Spirit I asked my son, “Is that something that you would like Him to do for you? Would you like the Holy Spirit to fill you up and give you a language that helps you pray to Him?”
He said, “Yes.”
Then I told him to pray out loud with me, “Jesus, will You fill me with Your wonderful Holy Spirit? Will you give me a prayer language?”
Right after praying with me, the Spirit of God filled him up, and he started praising God in tongues. I rejoiced and kept praying, thankful for what God was doing in him.
Several years later I was putting my twins to bed, saying our bedtime prayers. I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit wanting to fill them with His power. I then said, “Would you like the Holy Spirit to fill you up?” After they said yes, we prayed together, and then my 4-year-olds were praising God in a beautiful prayer language!
Years before this, I was in Bible college and had been part of revival, seeing God move in a region I grew up in. At the time, we had a method where we would have a group of people lay hands on someone when they wanted to be baptized with the Spirit. We would all pray in tongues and the Spirit would fill them up. Then God taught me to not rely on just being part of a group with the laying on of hands but that He would wonderfully baptize people in His Spirit with and without hands being laid for prayer.
It was at my secular job that God ended my reliance on one method. I worked at a residential treatment foster care facility and was watching over six kids one night. One of them asked me how to pray in tongues. I explained it to them it in a way I thought they could understand as these kids ranged in ages 6 to 10. Knowing that the question was a divine encounter, I asked them if they would like God’s incredible Holy Spirit to fill them up and give them tongues. Answering yes, I led them in a simple prayer asking Jesus to baptize them.
Then, it was like a quiet wind came in from my right from one kid, to the other and the next, and then from the back to the front of the three kids on my left. They were all baptized with the Holy Spirit! I watched them pray this way for the next 30 minutes until bedtime. This was truly encouraging, humbling and eye-opening to the power of God on these precious kids. In the days and months afterward, there was a lot of follow-up and fellow Christian co-workers would encourage, disciple and bless these children as we saw quite a few more receive the Spirit.
Through these encounters, I learned that God’s Spirit wants to baptize our kids. He loves children as Jesus revealed in His life and ministry. In Matthew 19:14-15 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them. For to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” He laid His hands on them … .”
I want to encourage you that God can use you to see your kids baptized with the Holy Spirit. First, pray with your children and do this often. Listen to your kids to see how God spoke to them during the prayer time. It is amazing the guidance, confirmation and direction I have received when God spoke to my children during a prayer time.
And when you pray with them, ask Him to fill you and your children with His Spirit. Luke 11:9-13 states that if we ask, we will receive His wonderful Spirit.
And when you are in agreement in prayer with your children I think He is more than excited to answer your prayers to empower them.
Acts 2:39 says, “For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.” That promise is for you, me and our precious kids. {eoa}
Jared Laskey is starting Destiny Open Bible Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He served in the Marine Corps from 2006-2011 and ministers living to see Jesus awaken this generation to the power of His Holy Spirit. You can follow him on twitter @jaredalaskey, or contact him through his website, firebornministries.com. He has recently co-authored a book called Veronica’s Hero, which tells the true story of how a Marine Corps family faced tragedy with faith. It is soon to be released.
Stephen Strang 
Charisma Media Staff 
CBN News 
