Some people worry that if they pray for the Holy Spirit, they might open themselves up to a demon spirit instead. There is, however, here is no basis for such a concern. Jesus promised,
Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 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? (Luke 11:11-13).
If we ask for the Holy Spirit, God will give us the Holy Spirit, and we should have no fear of receiving anything else.
Some are concerned that, when they speak in other tongues, it will just be themselves making up a nonsensical language rather than a supernatural language given by the Holy Spirit. If, however, you attempt to invent a credible language before being baptized in the Holy Spirit, you will see that it is impossible. On the other hand, you must understand that if you are going to speak in other tongues, you will consciously have to use your lips, tongue and vocal cords. The Holy Spirit does not do the speaking for you—He only gives you the utterance. He is our helper, not our doer. You must do the actual speaking, just as the Bible teaches:
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and [they] began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance (Acts 2:4, emphasis added).
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues (Acts 19:6, emphasis added).
After a believer has asked for the gift of the Holy Spirit, he should believe and expect to speak in other tongues. Because the Holy Spirit is received by faith, the recipient should not expect to experience any particular feelings or physical sensations. He should simply open his mouth and begin to speak the new sounds and syllables that will make up the language that the Holy Spirit gives him. Unless the believer begins to speak by faith, no utterance will come forth from his mouth. He must do the speaking, and the Holy Spirit will provide the utterance.
