It Happened To Me - Day 3

This is a very brief synopsis of my story of receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

I was born again in an Evangelistic Service at 11 years old. As I was praying to receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I had a supernatural experience. The Lord gave me a vision of Jesus coming into my heart at that moment. It was so real and so awesome that it solidified my faith in the supernatural power of God. I didn’t share it with anyone for a long time because it was so extraordinary that I thought people would not believe me or understand.

I grew up with a hunger for the Lord and because the churches that I would attend focused only on salvation, I had no knowledge of the person or power of the Holy Spirit.

I could relate to the scripture in Acts 19 where Paul found some disciples in Ephesus and asked them…“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

I knew that I was born again but did not have a clue about the Holy Spirit or the power of God. I just knew that God loves me and has a plan for my life. One day in Highschool I asked my pastor what about 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14…and he said, “oh that passed away with the last apostles.” I knew that he wasn’t telling me the truth.

While I was in college, I began to do what most college students do…explore the world around me and got connected to the wrong people in the wrong places. Experienced heartache and decided I should get back in church. I went back to the churches that I grew up in and literally saw people going to sleep in the pews. I became hungry to know the true power of God and the person of the Holy Spirit. I knew that the two were connected but didn’t have any scripture to connect the dots.

I began to study and listen to teaching specifically about the Holy Spirit that gave me a clearer understanding of who He is and what His role is in the Godhead.

I learned about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. I had never been exposed to it so it seemed strange and totally against logic and reason. But I thought to myself, “God has been against reason and logic many times in the past…why would I discount something just because I can’t understand it with my head?”

So, with more and more research, I found myself convinced that not only was the baptism of the Holy Spirit real and God’s plan for the church…that God personally wanted me to experience it and be filled to overflowing with His Spirit.

The more I studied the more hungry I became. I made the choice to receive and said to myself the next time that I have the opportunity I will. I made the decision that I wanted to be alone with the Lord and receive by myself. I was in the spare bedroom at my Grandmothers house when I prayed and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in other tongues. It was glorious and more wonderful that I could have ever imagined. The power and freedom that came flooding into me was overwhelming. This was truly what the Psalmist described when he wrote - my cup runs over.

Praying in the spirit is praying with power. It is truly as Jude says, “But you, my delightfully loved friends, constantly and progressively build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith by praying every moment in the Spirit. Fasten your hearts to the love of God and receive the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gives us eternal life.” (Jude 20–21, TPT)

I can personally attest to the power of God that will fill and flood your spirit and soul when you pray in the spirit. It is a prayer of power that will produce in you a boldness, strength and confidence like nothing else will.