But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).
Forty Two years ago on September 12th, I received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. This experience revolutionized my life! The power of God resident in this experience began its work in me that day, and continues to change me!
The Greek word for power in the above verse is dunamis. From this word we get the words dynamic, dynamite, and dynamo. Dunamis means inherent power, capable of reproducing itself, like a dynamo. That inherent power of God began its work in me that day in 1976, and it is still producing!
I was raised in a denominational church, and had never heard of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. My mother had received this experience about a year and a half earlier in a ladies prayer meeting. While praying in a circle in a living room expressing their love for Jesus, these ladies began simultaneously to speak in another language! They didn’t know what happened to them, but they all changed! One of the ladies knew a full gospel pastor who visited them weeks later and informed them of what they had received, the baptism with the Holy Spirit!
My mother changed dramatically. She began to read her Bible and pray, and developed habits of continually praising and worshipping the Lord. My Father, brothers and I were surprised at the sudden change in mom. It continues to this day!
The baptism with the Holy Spirit produces power to change! Three main changes occur with this experience. First of all, there will be a boldness to witness that comes. I was changed from an introvert, hardly looking people in the eye during conversation, to a bold child of God!
Secondly, there will be a greater understanding of the Word that manifests. The Holy Spirit will take the Word and will enlighten your understanding with it. It takes more than education to open the Word to the human mind. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit. And in the baptism with the Holy Spirit, this understanding of the Word is greatly enhanced.
The Third change that occurs in the baptism with the Holy Spirit is that there is given to the believer a new ability to pray. The ability to pray in tongues comes with this experience, and this ability will revolutionize your prayer life if you will yield to it. Instead of praying prays limited by your own understanding, the baptism with the Holy Spirit will enable you to pray in tongues which is praying with your spirit and not your mind. It is spirit to Spirit communion with God, and this kind of praying takes you into an unlimited mode of prayer!
If you’ve received the baptism with the Holy Spirit, walk in the light of it! Spend time with the Father in the Word; allow the Spirit of boldness to rise up within you, and take time daily to pray in this heavenly, unlimited language. If you haven’t received, ask the Father for it today!