THE NEW

YOU

&

THE

HOLY SPIRIT

ANDREW WOMMACK

CONTENTS

THE NEW YOU

Introduction Part I

Lesson 1 Understand Your Salvation

Lesson 2 Jesus Is Lord

Lesson 3 From Death To Life

Introduction Part II: Loving God

Lesson 4 Be Baptized

Lesson 5 Build A Sure Foundation

Lesson 6 Join A Local Church

Lesson 7 Know Him Intimately

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Introduction

Lesson 1 Empowered Lives

Lesson 2 Baptized In The Holy Spirit

Lesson 3 The Full Package

Lesson 4 Receive Him Today

Lesson 5 Speaking In Tongues

Lesson 6 Proof For Today

Lesson 7 Build Yourself Up

Lesson 8 Interpretation

Lesson 9 Get Started

Receiving Jesus As Your Savior

Receiving The Holy Spirit

About The Author

The

New You

INTRODUCTION

PART 1

Choosing to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior

is the most important decision you'll ever make. This

book will help you understand the choice you've made

and discover what's next.

Welcome to the family!

CHAPTER 1

UNDERSTAND

YOUR SALVATION

When God's Word first comes to you, Satan immediately

tries to steal it (Matt.13:19). However, he can only do so if you don't have understanding. That's why you need to

comprehend what takes place the moment you accept the

Lord. Understanding prevents the devil from talking you

out of your salvation benefits.

God's Word promises "that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart

that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be

saved. For with the heart man believeth unto

righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made

unto salvation" (Rom, 10:9-10). 'For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).

Have you done this? Have you confessed with your

mouth the Lord Jesus? Do you believe in your heart God

raised Him from the dead? Are you a "whosoever" who has called on the name of the Lord? If your answer is yes,

then you've been saved!

You were saved the very moment you sincerely

committed your life to Jesus Christ. The truth of His

Word instantly came to pass as you believed in your

heart and confessed with your mouth. Congratulations—

you've been saved!

GOD KEEPS HIS WORD

You're in good hands now! "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck

them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is

greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of

my Father's hand" (John 10:28-29).

Since you've committed your life to Him, He'll keep you.

'For the which cause I also suffer these things:

nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have

believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that

which I have committed unto him against that day " (2

Tim. 1:12).

God will be faithful even when you aren't! "It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live

with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he

abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself" (2 Tim. 2:11-13).

When you make mistakes or feel discouraged, just

remember—God can't deny Himself, because He always

keeps His Word!

KNOWLEDGE UNLOCKS EXPERIENCE

Knowledge from God's Word helps you comprehend

what took place in your life at salvation. You began an

eternal relationship with the most Wonderful Person in

the universe. Knowing and following Him will bring you

unspeakable joy. Salvation isn't just going to heaven

when you die; God wants you to start experiencing your

salvation benefits immediately. This requires knowledge

from His Word. As you understand and act on that

knowledge, you'll experience the benefits of your

salvation.

God has given you everything you need for life and

godliness through the knowledge of Him. "Grace and

peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of

God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine

power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life

and godliness, through the knowledge of him that

hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given

unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that

by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,

having escaped the corruption that is in the world

through lust" (2 Pet. 1:2-4). The knowledge of God gives you access to His promises. By believing and acting

on them, you'll partake of His divine nature. This means

you'll experience all of God's love, joy, peace, health,

deliverance, prosperity, and so on that's already in your

spirit now by Christ Jesus!

As your thinking changes to line up with your born-

again spirit, your life will too. For instance, perhaps

you've spent your entire life hating Mondays. You've

always given it over to the devil by believing, speaking,

and expecting it to be a bad day. Just because you were

born again doesn't mean that all of your negative

attitudes and thought patterns have changed yet.

Monday will be the same as before until knowledge from

God's Word causes you to understand and act differently

toward it. As the Word changes the way you believe,

speak, and expect things to be, you'll start experiencing

your salvation benefits—even on Mondays!

RENEW YOUR MIND!

Your whole outlook will change as you grow in the

knowledge of God and His promises. This is called

"renewing your mind." "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your

bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,

which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed

to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of

your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and

acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2).

The way you think must match your born-again spirit.

At salvation, your spirit became an entirely new creation.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become

new" (2 Cor. 5:17). Your born-again spirit is always in agreement with God. The Word will renew your mind to

what s already happened in your spirit.

God wants you to think and act like Him! By submitting

yourself to His Word, your life will change like a

caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly. Don't

allow worldly pressure to squeeze you into its ungodly

mold; renew your mind. Be transformed by the

knowledge of God, and your life will increasingly reflect

Christ Jesus.

YOUR SPIRIT CHANGED

Some people don't understand the spiritual nature of the

radical change that occurred when they committed their

lives to Christ. For example, many individuals receive

Jesus in jail because they're desperate for a change.

Waking up the next morning, they find themselves in the

same cell, wearing the same clothes and eating the same

food. They don't feel any different, and their circum-

stances certainly haven't changed. Discouraged by this

lack of immediate outward transformation, they

incorrectly conclude that nothing really happened at

salvation. Because of this, many never go on to renew

their minds and enjoy the benefits of salvation.

Your body and soul (mind, will, and emotions) didn't

change at salvation the way your spirit did. If you If you

were bad at math before you got saved, you'll stay bad at

math until you increase in learning. Your mind isn't

instantly changed; it's your spirit that's been made new!

Since you can't see or touch your spirit, God's Word is

the only way you can know what has happened within.

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit,

and they are life" (John 6:63). Faith is simply trusting what the Word says happened in your spirit more

than what you see in the natural.

TRUST THE TRUTH

When I accepted the Lord as an eight-year-old, all I

experienced was an inward "knowing." A nagging fear of hell left, but other than that, nothing felt different to

me. There were no bells, no whistles, nor fireworks. I had

to believe God's Word, that said my salvation was true.

As I renewed my mind, I increasingly partook of His

divine nature and enjoyed living in His promises.

Feelings change, but the truth doesn't! If you genuinely committed your life to the Lord, the truth is He will

always honor that commitment. He'll never deny, leave,

nor forsake you (Matt. 10:32 and Heb. 13:5). Your

relationship with God is secure. Whether you felt

anything or not, radical change took place in your spirit,

and you're now a brand-new person. Trust that God's

Word to you is true!

You'll experience your salvation more as you renew your

mind. When you think according to the flesh (i.e., what

your five senses tell you) and give in to negative

external influences, you won't be able to enjoy God's

benefits. However, as you trust the truth of God's Word

by keeping your mind on the Lord and thinking in line

with your born-again spirit, you'll experience God's love,

peace, joy, etc. (Gal. 5:22-23). The choice is yours. Begin renewing your mind today!

CHAPTER 2

JESUS IS LORD

Salvation is God's gift to you through faith in Jesus

Christ. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).

Salvation can't be earned by any amount of good works,

because God doesn't give eternal life based on anything

you do. Jesus Christ did everything that needed to be

done through His death, burial, and resurrection. You

receive eternal life by faith in Him alone!

No one deserves to be saved because of their good

works. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). God doesn't deal with you in

proportion to your sin. If you miss heaven by an inch,

then you've missed it by a mile. Either you are

completely righteous in His sight or you're not. It's that

simple! No matter how good you think you are, you've

been bad enough to miss heaven!

The Lord explicitly stated that He's not just a way to the

Father but the way! "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,

but by me" (John 14:6). Acts 4:12 declares, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name

under heaven given among men, whereby we must be

saved." Either you come to God the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, or you don't come at all!

GOD IN THE FLESH

"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came

one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good

Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good?

there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest

the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill,

Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not,

Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and

said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my

youth" (Mark 10:17-20).

A rich young ruler asked Jesus, "What must I do to

inherit eternal life?" He wanted to know how he could

earn his way into heaven. Notice how the young man

called Jesus "Good Master" at first. When the Lord countered him by saying that only God is good, he

dropped "Good" and referred to Jesus simply as

"Master." By this we know he didn't see Jesus as God.

Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. He wasn't just a good

man who gave us a tremendous example of humility and

love. He was literally God incarnate! "And without

controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was

manifest in the flesh Justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world,

received up into glory" (l Tim. 3:16).

Either Jesus was a deceiver, or He is who He said He

was. No man who claimed to be God—but actually

wasn't—should ever be considered "good." However, there's more verifiable historical evidence proving that

Jesus Christ lived, died, and was resurrected than that Julius Caesar ever lived!

Every cult and religion on earth acknowledges Jesus'

existence, but they stop short of calling Him God. They'll

grant Him the status of a prophet or an inspired teacher

sent from God, but not Deity Himself. The rich young

ruler did the same by dropping "Good" and simply

calling Jesus "Master." He just couldn't bring himself to believe that this Man standing before him was God.

Apart from Jesus being the Son of God, there's no way to

the Father! Everything hinges on His divinity. The Lord

Himself stated "that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son

honoureth not the Father which hath sent him" (John

5:23). If Jesus wasn't God, then His life wasn't worth

more than any other man's life, and He couldn't have

atoned for the whole human race. However,since He was

God in the flesh, His life was worth more than all

mankind—making His sacrifice eternally sufficient for

all!

THE GREAT EXCHANGE

Christianity is the only faith with a Savior. All other

faiths depend on good works to achieve various degrees

of "holiness." The holier you live, the better chance you have of being accepted by that "god." In essence, you become your own savior because "salvation" is based on your own performance. God knew you couldn't live a

perfect life! Instead of demanding that you do everything

right, He came and took your sin into His own body at

the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). He suffered the punishment you

deserved, to give you salvation as a gift. Praise God for

the Savior!

Jesus took your sin so you could become righteous! "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that

we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2

Cor. 5:21). God put His judgment for sin upon Christ at

the cross so you wouldn't have to bear it. Then, when

you believed and received the Lord, He placed Jesus'

righteousness on you. This is the Great Exchange!

When this exchange takes place, your spirit is

immediately re-created with the righteousness of Jesus

Christ. You are then able to fellowship with God spirit to

Spirit. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). Even

when you sin, your born-again spirit cannot be

contaminated, because of the impenetrable seal of

Christ's own Spirit. "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:

in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with

that holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13). Since the new nature of your spirit is always holy, you can approach

God at any time and in any condition. Now that's good

news!

SUSTAINED BY FAITH

The Christian life is both born in faith and sustained by

faith. You'll just end up condemning yourself if you try

to live it by your own works. As long as you're in your

physical body, there'll be times when you fall short. If

you're not careful, you'll beat yourself up trying to live

right and wonder how God could ever love someone

who messes up as much as you.

God's love doesn't change when you make mistakes. If

He went to the cross for you as a sinner, how much more

does He love you now that you're a Christian! "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were

yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being

now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath

through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were

reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more,

being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life" (Rom. 5:8-10). He loves you more now as a Christian—even when

you sin—than He did when you were lost. Don't ever let

your failures separate you from God's unfailing love!

THE LAW'S PURPOSE

God gave the Law to show man he couldn't save himself.

The Ten Commandments are really just the tip of the

iceberg; there are literally thousands of rules to keep in

the Law! Jesus used several of these commandments in

an attempt to show the rich young ruler we read about in

Mark 10 that he would never be holy enough for eternal

life on his own. "Thou knowest the commandments, Do

not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not

bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and

mother" (Mark 10:19). This young man genuinely

thought he could do something to earn eternal life. Doing

and receiving by faith are very different from each other

indeed!

The Law is like a plate glass window. Whether you break

it with a BB or a boulder, it's broken! "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he

is guilty of all" (James 2:10). God doesn't tell you to do your best and He'll make up the difference with mercy.

Either you live holy and receive eternal life because you

earned it (which is not possible), or you receive it by faith as a gift.

This deceived young ruler needed to quit trying and start

trusting. In an effort to convince the Lord that he

deserved eternal life, he told Jesus that he'd kept all of

the commandments since his youth. Impossible! This

man's attitude had him going straight to hell!

Loving the young ruler, Jesus tried to bring him out of

this deception. "Then Jesus beholding him loved him,

and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way,

sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou

shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the

cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and

went away grieved: for he had great possessions" (Mark 10:21-22). The Lord touched this man's true "god" when He instructed him to sell all of his possessions and give

to the poor. The rich young ruler wasn't willing to lay

them down and make Jesus Lord, because he'd broken

the very first command: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3).

God is not against you having money, but He's against

money having you! Giving away all of your possessions

to the poor is not a requirement for salvation. When

Zacchaeus, another wealthy man, met Jesus and

repented, he declared he'd give half of all he had to the

poor (Luke 19:1-9). Jesus never asked this of him, but

Zacchaeus volunteered to do it because his heart had

changed. The issue Jesus is driving at is who or what do

you trust in as your "god"/God?

THE BOTTOM LINE

If you believe Jesus Christ was only a good person and

that you can get to God through many different ways,

you haven't truly made Him Lord of your life. Jesus is

either Lord of all, or He isn't Lord at all! You can't receive salvation, which comes only through Him, if you aren't

willing to bow your knee and acknowledge Him as God

and Supreme Ruler. Either Jesus Christ is your Savior

and Lord or He's not. It's that simple!

CHAPTER 3

FROM DEATH TO LIFE

All people are born into this world separated from God

(Ps. 51:5). Adam and Eve died spiritually when they

sinned. Even though they didn't die physically right

away, their spirits were separated from God and fell

under the control of Satan (Gen. 3). Every person born

into the earth since then has had this inherent sin nature.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world,

and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for

that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

However, sin isn't imputed until you reach the age of

accountability. This means you aren't held responsible

for your sin until you're old enough to intentionally

violate God's Law (Rom. 7:9). This age varies from

person to person, but you need to be born again as soon

as possible once you reach it.

A natural birth brought you into this world, but a

spiritual birth is required to enter God's kingdom. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto

thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the

kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a

man be born when he is old? can he enter the second

time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus

answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be

born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the

kingdom of God" (John 3:3-5).

When you're born again, you pass from death to life.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life,

and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed

from death unto life" (John 5:24). At salvation, the sin nature you were born with dies and is replaced with a

brand-new, righteous nature. You're no longer a sinner

but righteous in Christ!

NEVER AGAIN!

God's standard of goodness is His own glory. We might

have looked good compared to other sinners, but no one

is holy compared to Jesus! According to Romans 3:23,

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

Who wants to be the best sinner who ever went to hell?

We all need a Savior. God declared everyone a sinner,

but He loved us and wanted to redeem us. And in doing

so, He could declare everyone righteous who has

accepted Jesus by faith. Regardless of how bad we were,

we instantly became righteous through receiving Christ.

Born-again Christians know they don't deserve salvation

based on their own merits. It's only because they put

faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.

All other religions try to approach God based on their

personal holiness—what they do for Him. Christians

approach God based on a firm heart belief in what He

did for us.

All of your sins were forgiven—past, present, and future

—the moment you received the Lord. You are now

eternally redeemed and have an eternal inheritance (Heb.

9-10). In your spirit, you became sanctified and perfected

in God's sight forever. "To the general assembly and

church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and

to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men

made perfect" (Heb. 12:23). Sin will never be imputed to you (credited to your account) again!

CHOOSE LIFE!

Even though you're completely forgiven, it matters how

you live! You have an Enemy who is committed to your

destruction. "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life,

and that they might have it more abundantly" (John

10:10). The choices you make determine whether you

experience life or death. "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to

whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of

obedience unto righteousness" (Rom. 6:16). Yield to sin and you're yielding to the one whose revealed purpose is

to steal, kill, and destroy you. Sin gives the devil a

foothold in your life, and he'll take full advantage of it!

If you sin, simply repent. God will never leave you nor

forsake you. He's already forgiven you, so don't fall for

the deception that He doesn't love you or that you'll lose

your salvation. God the Father already rejected and

judged Jesus so you wouldn't have to be rejected and

judged. Change your mind and turn from the sin.

Declare, "Satan, I rebuke you. The blood of Jesus has set me free. Even though I didn't do what was right, you

cannot destroy me. God loves me and I choose to follow

Him!" This prevents Satan from gaining entrance into

your life.

Don't let the devil take advantage of you by you ignoring

the way God shows you to live. Renew your mind to His

Word, and act on it in faith. The abundant life Jesus

provided is yours to enjoy!

For further study, I recommend my teaching “Spirit,

Soul & Body”.

INTRODUCTION

PART II

LOVING GOD

Now that you're born again, what's next?

God wants to establish some new patterns in your life.

By taking the following "first steps" with Him, you'll lay a solid foundation for a growing relationship.

God's love for you won't change whether you do these

things or not, but your love for Him will definitely be

affected! You've been given the gift of a brand-new life,

full of untold potential that's just waiting to be

developed. Why settle for anything less than your divine

destiny?

Fall deeply in love with God—He's worth it!

CHAPTER 4

BE BAPTIZED

Every born-again believer should be baptized in water.

This isn't in order to be saved but rather because you've

been saved. "Know ye not, that so many of us as were

baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:

that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the

glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in

newness of life" (Rom. 6:3-4). Water baptism is an act of obedience to God's Word, symbolizing your baptism into

the body of Christ.

You were immediately placed into the universal church

upon your salvation. As a believer in Christ Jesus, you

became part of His eternal body. "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your

calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and

Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in

you all" (Eph. 4:4-6). You became a part of every believer who has ever believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. It

doesn't matter if they go to your local church or if they

believe exactly the same as you or not. You've been

united with all the other believers in the body of Christ!

God's Word commands you to be baptized in water.

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and

preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth

and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not

shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16). "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matt.

28:19).

Numerous examples from the book of Acts show how

the early church spread the Gospel and obeyed this

command. On the Day of Pentecost, those who were

saved were water baptized (Acts 2:41). Philip water

baptized the Ethiopian eunuch and the new converts in

Samaria (Acts 8). Thus, the scriptural pattern given for

us to follow today is baptism of new believers by

immersion in water.

Being "baptized" as a child in a religious system where they sprinkled you with water is not sufficient. Also, you

weren't scripturally baptized if it was done prior to your

true conversion (i.e., as an infant or young child). The

Bible makes it very clear that faith in Jesus is a pre-

requisite to water baptism (Acts 8:36-37). You must

believe first and then be baptized.

A SIGN OF SALVATION

Although water baptism is an important first step in the

Christian life, it's not required for salvation. Those who

teach that water baptism is necessary to obtain your

salvation are basing this on a misinterpretation of Acts

2:38. "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be

baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for

the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Some say this "proves" you must repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. The key to

understanding this verse is the word "for." "For" often means "in order to obtain" but can also be "as a result of; because of; since." This verse says to repent, which

means to put your faith in the Lord, and then to prove

your faith in Him—as a result of being born again,

because you've been born again, since you've been born

again—by being water baptized. Those who believe that

water baptism is required for salvation also teach that

you must live in a system of religious works whereby

you earn salvation by personal holiness. This is contrary

to what the Word of God teaches.

Water baptism is a sign of salvation. In Acts 10, God told

Cornelius, through an angel, to send for Peter in Joppa.

When Peter came to Caesarea and began preaching to

this man's entire household, they all received the baptism

in the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues, and prophesied. In

light of this, Peter asked, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized?" In other words, they were born again, had received the Holy Spirit, and then were

baptized in water (Acts 10:44-48). Water baptism

symbolized the salvation they had already received.

HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM

Once you are born again and water baptized, your very

next step should be to receive the power of the Holy

Spirit. "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John

20:22). God doesn't intend for you to live for Him on

your own; He wants to live through you by the

supernatural power of the Holy Spirit!

Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit. "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also

being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a

dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which

said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased"

(Luke 3:21-22). "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the

poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to

preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of

sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).

If the Son of God Himself needed the Holy Spirit, how

much more do we?

The gift of the Holy Spirit comes to all who ask in faith.

"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a

son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good

gifts unto your children: how much more shall your

heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask

him?" (Luke 11:10-13). Your heavenly Father knows how

to give you good gifts. Ask Him in faith and you'll

receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit too!

Both Holy Spirit and water baptisms are clearly

commanded in the Scriptures. The Lord will lead you

into these two acts of faith and obedience as soon as you

are born again. Both actions release tremendous benefits

into your spiritual life!

For more information, please refer to my in-depth look at

the baptism in the Holy Spirit in my book “The Holy

Spirit.”

CHAPTER 5

BUILD A SURE FOUNDATION

The Bible is God's Word. He'll give you wisdom and

guidance through it. "As newborn babes, desire the

sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (l Pet. 2:2). As a baby draws sustenance from its mother's

breast, so a new believer is nourished by spiritual milk

from the Bible. You'll grow as you feed often on God's

Word!

God's Word is God-breathed. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Tim. 3:16). The Bible is charged with the very life of God, and it'll come alive to you as

you read it. Through His Word, you'll get to know this

awesome, loving God who has saved you. You'll grow in

the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and become

"thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:17).

God will speak directly to you through the Bible. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than

any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing

asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,

and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the

heart" (Heb. 4:12). Don't just use your head to read this book; come to the Word with an open heart ready to

receive from God!

Choose a version of the Bible that's easy to understand.

God doesn't want language style to hinder you from

getting to know Him. Personally, I use the King James

Version because it's what I grew up on. However, you

may find the old English phrases too difficult to

understand. If that's the case, select a Bible to your liking, and read, study, and meditate on what it says. Any

version you use is superior to not reading the Bible at all.

The Holy Spirit can lead you to other translations later

on, but laying a solid foundation of God's Word in your

heart is what's most important right now!

GOD'S WORD—THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY

A basic understanding of the Bible is very helpful. I

never went to seminary or Bible school, but I studied the

Bible sixteen hours a day. It revolutionized my life! Some

things I learned right away; others took me many years.

But you can never exhaust the depths of God's Word.

Everything you need for life and godliness can be found

in it.

I wish somebody had explained to me the difference

between the Old Covenant (Genesis through Malachi)

and the New Covenant (Matthew through Revelation)

when I was first saved. It took me a long time to discover

that God deals with people totally differently from one

covenant to the other. Most Christians see the Bible as

one unit, all saying the same thing. They can't

comprehend why the same God shows so much wrath

and judgment in the Old Testament and so much grace

and mercy in the New. They don't realize how every-

thing changed between God and man once Jesus Christ

came to earth. You and I are in the New Covenant in

Christ Jesus!

Guidance from mature believers can save you time and

painful mistakes, but always check it against God's Word

for yourself. Be careful only to receive what's right,

because people can steer you in the wrong direction.

That's why comparing everything they say with the Bible

to see how it matches up is so important. Let go of what

doesn't line up, and hold on to what does. God's Word

must be the highest authority in your life!

The Word of God is powerful! It's not just a book written

by man about God. Some people raise questions about

the Bible and say there are many inconsistencies within

it. Many good books (called "apologetics") answer these questions and validate the authority of the Bible. The

Word is actually a book by God speaking to you through

man. All the books in the Bible are supernaturally

inspired and have been protected and preserved error

free. Your job is to interpret and believe God's Word as it was written. If you do, God Himself will fellowship with

you—and that's awesome!

My teaching “A Sure Foundation” will help you

understand how important God's Word is to your life.

CHAPTER 6

JOIN A LOCAL CHURCH

Every step I've mentioned so far—being water baptized,

receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, building a sure

foundation in the Word of God—can be made much

easier if you get involved in a good local church.

The Lord created the church, which is simply a group of

His people who meet together regularly for the purpose

of loving each other, praying for each other, and building

each other up. It doesn't always function that way, but

it's still the greatest institution on earth!

Many people love the Lord, but don't like His people.

That's because some Christians don't reflect God like

they should. They hurt others with their mean-

spiritedness and hypocrisy. Jesus faced the same thing—

unbelievers welcomed Him, while religious folks

persecuted Him. Because of this, you may want to

commit your life to Christ and enjoy a relationship with

Him but have nothing to do with a church. I can relate to

what you're feeling, but that's a wrong attitude to keep.

It's like fixing a leaky boat—better to be inside making

repairs than outside in the ocean where you could

drown!

COALS STAY HOT IN THE FIRE

You grow spiritually by participating in a good church.

As a believer, you're like a hot coal in a burning fire.

You'll stay red hot and glowing as long as you're

involved with other believers in a local church body.

Separate and isolate yourself from the other coals, and it

won't be long before you grow cold. Stay in the fire!

Although there are plenty of bad churches out there, it's

worth your effort to find the good ones. Every believer

needs to be involved in a local church!

You can learn a lot from Christians who have walked in

God's Word and have been through some things. It's

important not to believe just anyone, but God will place

spiritual leaders in your life for the purpose of helping

you grow. "And he gave some, apostles; and some,

prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and

teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph.

4:11-12). Many new believers want to bypass people and

receive everything they need straight from God.

However, the Lord prefers to work through mature

Christians to build up and strengthen newer ones.

God uses apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and

teachers to equip and mature believers for the work of

the ministry. He gave these people to build up the body

of Christ until "we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,

unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ"

(Eph. 4:13). Since the church hasn't fully attained that yet, God is still using these five different types of ministry

gifts to accomplish His goals. It's important that you

submit to the Lord's system!

You are disobeying God if you don't get involved with

other believers. God will still love you and you won't

lose your salvation, but you'll be a cold, isolated coal

when you run into hurts and difficult situations. Instead

of having a strong support system of other believers who

love you and know your situation, you'll be on your own

in the ocean. You definitely need to participate in a good

church!

RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS PEOPLE

What you hear while you're young in the Lord will

greatly impact your spiritual development. As a new

believer, you're like a little plant that needs to be in a

protected environment until your roots grow deep.

When I was young in my faith, I'd walk out in the middle

of a service if I heard something contrary to God's Word

being preached. Today, I don't just get up and leave,

because I know it won't hurt me the way it would've

when I was first born again. However, I don't subject

myself to wrong teaching again and again, because it's

unwise. If you hear something enough you'll start to

believe it. Since you are forming your spiritual root

structures, it's crucial that you hear correct teaching now.

Although what you hear as a new believer is important, a

church will supply you with more than just teaching.

Your participation in a local body can provide you with

needed fellowship and relationships with other

Christians. Media ministries like mine can feed you

God's Word through audio messages, books, websites,

radio, and television programs, but nothing helps the

Word become flesh in your life better than regular

interaction with other on-fire believers!

Christianity is a relationship with God and His people.

Before his conversion, Paul (then named Saul) hated

Christians. While on his way to Damascus to kill more

believers, the Lord appeared to him in a blinding flash of

light (Acts 9:1-5). Jesus asked, "Why are you persecuting Me?" Notice that His question wasn't, "Why are you persecuting My people?" That's because the Lord

becomes one with every individual who puts his or

her faith in Him! If someone touches you, they touch the

apple of God's eye. God loves you the same as He loves

every other Christian!

God demonstrates His love through His people. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have

love one to another" (John 13:35)- "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God

whom he hath not seen" (1 John 4:20). No one who

refuses to relate to God's people can say they truly have a relationship with God.

PUT HIS WORD INTO PRACTICE

A local church will provide you with the opportunity to

put Christ's teachings into practice. It's one thing to hear the Word say to do unto others as you would have them

do unto you (Matt. 7:12), but it's quite another to actually live it. Your rate of maturity will slow down if all you

ever do is shut yourself up with a Bible for weeks and

months. Some things you'll never really learn until you

have to deal with other people. From God's perspective,

you don't really know something from His Word until

you've put it into practice!

Your local church leadership can provide ministry to you

and your loved ones in practical ways that a media or

traveling ministry cannot. I can teach you God's Word

concerning healing, but I won't be available when you

need to "call for the elders of the church " (James 5:14) to come over to your house and anoint the sick. However,

the leaders of your local church can do that and so much

more! They can officiate weddings, perform funerals,

minister to your children, advise you from the Word,

pray about specific situations, and serve as godly role

models you can personally interact with on a regular

basis. Your entire household will benefit from your

participation in a local church!

You'll also find like-minded believers with whom you

can establish close friendships. The two most important

influences in your life are what you hear/read and the

person(s) you spend your time with. This doesn't mean

you reject people who aren't believers, but from now on,

your strongest friendships should be with other

Christians (2 Cor. 6:14-18). If you remain unequally

yoked with an unbeliever, sooner or later that person

will negatively affect you. "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be

destroyed" (Prov.13:20). You always rise or sink to the level of your closest friends!

Regularly meeting together with other believers protects

and promotes your spiritual health. "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is

faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another

to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking

the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of

some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the

more, as ye see the day approaching" (Heb. 10:23-25).

Plug yourself into a good local church!

FIND A GOOD CHURCH

Don't let minor doctrinal issues prevent you from settling

into a good church. If the differences are just some

external matters and not core beliefs, I suggest you stay

involved. Even if it's not a strong faith-teaching church,

it's better to participate in some local church than not to participate at all. There are other important benefits you

can gain from participating. If you live in an area where

you have a choice, always choose a church that preaches

the whole counsel of God!

A good church preaches everything God offers in His

Word—salvation, baptism in the Holy Spirit, the gifts of

the Spirit, healing, deliverance, and prosperity! The

denomination I grew up in centered all of the preaching

on just the forgiveness of sins. Many people (like me) got

saved, but they didn't believe that God's miraculous

power was for today. When my father (a leader in that

church) became seriously ill, my family and I didn't

know how to receive healing from the Lord. No one in

our church had faith for it, because we were never taught

healing from God's Word. My father died at 54 years of

age, leaving me fatherless at 12 and my mother a widow

at 38. Much pain came into our lives as a result of this.

Our church didn't cause this problem, but it sure didn't

equip us to overcome it either!

Be part of a church that teaches the whole counsel of

God. Don't stay somewhere that's against the baptism in

the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, healing, and so on. Having your name on a pew or your aunt as the

choir director won't help when you're sick. Although

you're personally aware that God heals, you'll be

frustrated when you have trouble receiving it, because

you don't know God's Word. To receive prosperity,

deliverance, or whatever, you need to be taught God's

Word. Be part of a church you can wholeheartedly

support!

A good church preaches faith and grace for the entire

Christian life, not just forgiveness of your sins. Many

groups teach that all you need to do to initially receive is believe, but that after you're saved, everything is based

on your performance. That's wrong! You don't have to

earn God's favor, earn answers to prayer, earn God's

love, earn your healing, or earn anything else.

Everything God gives you is by grace through faith!

The atmosphere ought to encourage healthy

relationships. The pastor should set the tone by being a

loving person. It's not necessarily better to go to a big

church or a small one. Some big churches have small

groups for the purpose of nurturing and maturing

believers. Often, small churches naturally have an

environment conducive to building friendships and

spiritual growth. Whether big or small, your experience

in a church will normally come down to the quality of

your relationships there.

Trust the Lord to lead you to a good local church. Pray.

Then take some steps of faith. It's His good pleasure to

guide you to your place in His body!

CHAPTER 7

KNOW HIM INTIMATELY

God saved you for the purpose of enjoying an intimate

relationship with Him from now on! Salvation isn't just

"insurance" from hell's flames. Neither does God intend that you receive forgiveness for your sins and then

merely survive until heaven. Salvation is so much more!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only

begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should

not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only

true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). Salvation is getting to know this awesome,

wonderful, loving God for the rest of eternity!

Jesus came to give you eternal life. The idea that

salvation is merely "fire insurance" came from the church putting a period where the Bible only has a comma. It's

not "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should

not perish" period. So many preachers stop here and

emphasize salvation's byproduct of missing hell and

totally ignore God's primary purpose— "but have

everlasting life." You were saved for intimate

relationship with your heavenly Father and His Son!

Jesus came because He loved you! He didn't come as a

dutiful Creator under some sense of obligation to rescue

His wayward creation. Christ's motivation was pure

love, and anyone who loves has a need to be loved in

return! God's compassion for you in your lost condition

and His passion to restore you to fellowship with Him

was combined into a sacrificial love that endured the

cross. With the barrier of sin forever removed, you've

been freed to receive His love and to love Him in return!

The relationship Adam and Eve lost has now been

restored to you. "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according

to the will of God and our Father" (Gal. 1:4). Jesus didn't just save you from a future evil world (hell); He also

delivered you from this present evil world, according to

the Father's will. You are now able to walk and talk with

Him!

Get to know God! "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Ps.16:11). "Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see

him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable

and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:7-8). True joy and happiness in this life come from your intimacy with God. Knowing

Him is eternal life!

FOLLOW ME

Become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ! A "disciple" is a learner, someone who follows another. "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye

shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"

(John 8:31-32). Learn what God's Word says, and do

what He instructs you to do. As you step out in faith to

follow Jesus, the freedom in your life will increase more

and more!

Your heart attitude should be, Lord, I know You love me,

and I love You too. Show me what to do and I'll do it! I

follow You! Lay everything out before Him, and make no

reservations. Recognize that He is God and you're not.

Hold nothing back from Him, because He's already

given you everything—He laid down His very life for

you!

The truth shall make you free. "Thy word is truth" (John 17:17). It's only the Word you know and follow that

makes you free. You can carry your Bible under your

arm and set it beside your bed, but until you put His

Word in your heart, it won't do you any good. Meditate

(chew on) His Word until it becomes a part of you. Once

you believe it to the point of taking action, you'll know

the Word intimately. When this knowledge comes, it'll

set you free!

I strongly suggest you get my teaching "Eternal Life." It expounds much more on your relationship with the

Lord.

YOU'VE CHOSEN WISELY

Welcome to God's family! If you take to heart what I've

shared with you and do it, you'll be well on your way to

maturity.

I've included for you a helpful list of my teaching

materials available that discuss in much greater detail

many of the topics I touched on in this book (see

"Recommended Materials" in the back of the book). God will use them to further deepen your roots and

strengthen your foundation. I strongly encourage you to

get a hold of them as soon as possible!

Choosing to make the Lord Jesus Christ the center of

your life is the greatest decision you'll ever make! I

congratulate you for choosing wisely. As your brother in

Christ, I wish to leave you with this word from God our

Father: "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now

and for ever. Amen" (2 Pet. 3:18).

The

Holy

Spirit

INTRODUCTION

Millions of Christians today have received God's power

into their lives through the separate, distinct experience

called "the baptism in the Holy Spirit." Wherever you go in the world—Africa, Asia, Europe, North or South

America, Australia—these believers are aggressively and

effectively advancing the kingdom of God!

I grew up being told that God's miraculous power had

ceased on earth with the passing of the early church. This

led me to believe that I had received all of the Holy Spirit I could get at salvation. After being saved for many

years, I became frustrated with my powerless, defeated

Christian life. In desperation, I sought the Lord with all

my heart and stumbled into the baptism in the Holy

Spirit. This powerful encounter with God revolutionized

my entire life!

Today, over thirty-five years later, my relationship with

the Lord is deeper and stronger than ever. I regularly see

miracles of every kind, and my teaching ministry literally

reaches around the world. None of this would have been

possible apart from the supernatural power of the Holy

Spirit!

Whether you are newly born again or have been saved

for many years, God's Word clearly reveals that the

baptism in the Holy Spirit is necessary, standard

equipment for living a fruitful and fulfilled Christian life.

The Lord Himself commanded: "Receive ye the Holy

Ghost" (John 20:22). I encourage you to do so today!

CHAPTER 1

EMPOWERED LIVES

I was born again at eight years old. Our pastor had

preached a message on hell in church that morning. Even

though I hadn't done many terrible things in my young

life, I recognized that I had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I knew "hell" was a place where people who didn't accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior went.

This concerned me, so I asked my father about it. He

explained God's holiness and how sin separated me from

Him. He also told me how God's justice demanded that I

go to hell. Then Dad made it clear that Jesus came to

forgive my sin and suffer the punishment in my place. I

remember praying with my father to receive the Lord

right there in my bedroom. Immediately, I felt an inner

release as peace flooded my heart.

The next day at school, my friends noticed the change in

me before I'd told anyone of my conversion. "What's

different with you?" they asked. When I answered that

I'd been born again, they immediately started making

fun of me for being a Christian. Although these

classmates recognized an initial difference at my

conversion, subsequent evidence of my faith in Christ

was meager at best.

My closest friend from grade school never knew I was a

Christian until he saw me recently on television. He'd

just gone through an extremely difficult time in life and

had reached out to receive the Lord from the absolute

end of his rope. While visiting with each other for the

first time in over thirty years, he was totally shocked to

discover that I'd been a Christian the whole time we

were friends together growing up!

My faith simply didn't affect anyone else's life! I prayed

six months straight for my father to be healed, but

nothing happened. He died when I was twelve.

Although I easily overcame temptations others yielded

to, the tangible demonstrations of God's power described

of believers in the Bible were noticeably absent from my

life. Basically, Christianity to me was just the doctrines

and beliefs I held inside.

Then on March 23,1968, I received the baptism in the

Holy Spirit!Something within me exploded, and my

understanding of God immediately shot through the

roof. It took many years of renewing my mind before I

was able to explain to others the things I instantly knew

in my spirit. In fact, my mother thought I'd lost my mind,

because of the sudden, radical, outward transformation

of my soul, my thinking, and my actions. My intense,

new zeal for God, coupled with a lack of wisdom, even

got me kicked out of a few churches. I'd become a fanatic

overnight!

You never would've heard of me if I hadn't been

baptized in the Holy Spirit! I would have maintained my

nominal salvation, surviving until heaven and making

practically no eternal impact here on earth. This prior

lack of victory and outward manifestation of God's

power isn't unique only to me. I've read many, many

testimonies of people who experienced the same thing—

even in the Bible!

LIKE A DOVE

Jesus Himself did not manifest the power of God until

He had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Angels

pronounced Him Lord at His birth, but nothing that

typified Christ's ministry—preaching, healing, casting

out demons—occurred before the Holy Spirit descended

upon Him like a dove. "And Jesus, when he was

baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo,

the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit

of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved

Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:16-17). The

baptism in the Holy Spirit served as the turning point

from natural to supernatural in Christ's life.

Jesus immediately began His ministry after being

anointed with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led Him into the

wilderness to confront the devil (Luke 4:1-13). He

emerged victorious and then boldly declared in the

synagogue of His hometown, "The Spirit of the Lord is

upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the

gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-

hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and

recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord"

(Luke 4:18-19). From this point forward, Jesus did what

He was anointed to do!

Many times, the Lord admitted His total dependence

upon the Father and the Spirit. He did His Father's will

as the power of the Holy Spirit flowed in and through

Him. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit always worked

together in complete cooperation. As a part of this

interdependent, triune Godhead, Jesus would not and

could not do any miracles until the Holy Spirit had come

upon Him.

God never does anything independent of His Spirit.

Therefore, welcoming the Holy Spirit into your life is

absolutely essential for you to experience the victory and

abundance God has provided. If the sinless Son of God

had to be baptized in the Holy Spirit before beginning

His ministry, how can anyone presume to be an effective

Christian without it?

RUCKUS IN THE TEMPLE

The disciples were spineless wimps before receiving the

baptism in the Holy Spirit. These men had followed Jesus

for three and a half years, observing His miracles,

hearing His teaching, and experiencing everyday life

with Him. They exhibited weakness, immaturity, carnal-

mindedness, and strife. Upon Jesus' arrest, all their

promises to stay with Him—to death if need be—went

right out the window. They forsook Him and fled for

their lives in terror!

Peter denied Jesus three different times just hours after

pledging his "undying allegiance." His natural strength wilted before a damsel, the high priest's maid, and

certain others as they each successively asked, "Aren't you one of Jesus' disciples?" Swearing and taking oaths, he answered, "No, I don't even know the Man!" Peter wept bitterly when he realized what he'd done. He

hadn't wanted to deny Christ, but in his own human

strength, he was powerless not to do so (Matt. 26:69-75).

Then Peter and the other disciples were baptized in the

Holy Spirit. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully

come, they were all with one accord in one place. And

suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a

rushing mighty wind... And they were all filled with the

Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:1-2 and 4). They instantly

transformed into powerful witnesses and testified of

Jesus with great boldness. Three thousand were saved

and water baptized that first day alone (Acts 2:41)!

Shortly thereafter, Peter and John healed a lame man in

front of the temple and caused such a ruckus preaching

the Gospel that the religious leaders threw them in jail

(Acts 3-4:3). Thousands more believed their message, so

the leaders interrogated Peter and John to find out what

was going on. "And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, And Annas the high

priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as

many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were

gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set

them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by

what name, have ye done this?" (Acts 4:5-7).

Peter boldly confronted the same men who had crucified

Jesus! "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we

this day be examined of the good deed done to the

impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it

known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that

by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye

crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him

doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the

stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is

become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation

in any other: for there is none other name under heaven

given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:8-

12). Peter publicly declared to the entire Jewish

leadership that belief in the God of Abraham alone was

insufficient for salvation. He clearly told them to believe on the name of Jesus Christ, whom they themselves had

killed, or face eternal damnation. Peter left them no

avenue of escape: Either accept Jesus or reject Him!

The same men from whom the disciples once fled were

now backing down in the face of the disciples' inspired

boldness: "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and

ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge

of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding

the man which was healed standing with them, they

could say nothing against it" (Acts 4:13-14). The miracle worked by the disciples completely silenced the religious

leaders' opposition. What a difference the baptism in the

Holy Spirit makes!

CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS

Our Lord's last words to His followers before ascending

were clear instructions regarding the Holy Spirit. If your

work on earth was done and you were about to turn

your entire kingdom over to a small group of people,

your last words to them would be very important.

Jesus commanded His disciples not to do anything until

they had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that

they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the

promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of

me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be

baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence... But

ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come

upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in

Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the

uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken

these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a

cloud received him out of their sight" (Acts 1:4-5 and 8-9).

Think about how difficult this must have been for the

disciples! Jesus had preached God's Word and

demonstrated His power on earth like no one ever

before. Due to this, the religious leaders had Him killed

and buried. To their natural minds, it appeared that Jesus

had been just another man. Yet three days later, He arose

from the dead exactly as He prophesied, validating

everything He had said. As if that wasn't enough, Jesus

spent forty more days on the earth teaching His

followers before they personally watched Him ascend to

His Father in heaven. These disciples had incredibly

good news—news worth shouting from the rooftops—

but Jesus commanded them to sit on it temporarily!

Why? They needed the baptism in the Holy Spirit!

It's absolutely wonderful to be born again and forgiven

of your sins, but you won't be an effective witness until

you have the fullness of the Holy Spirit. When He comes,

you'll be able to live in victory and testify in power. The Holy Spirit enables you to more fully experience your

salvation and to effectively share with others the

awesome things God has done for you!

Many Christians sincerely love God, but they serve Him

in their own power, because they haven't been baptized

in His Spirit. This results in deadness. "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the

letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (2 Cor. 3:6). When believers try to minister out of their own carnal knowledge and ability—even

when they say and do the right thing—it just doesn't

carry any spiritual weight. So much of the deadness in

the church today stems from believers attempting to

minister without Holy Spirit empowerment.

Jesus Christ Himself testifies and ministers His life

through Holy Spirit-empowered witnesses. Your Spirit-

energized words and deeds will carry weight to

positively impact other people's lives for the kingdom of

God. The Holy Spirit is the One who will help you

experience the promised life of victory and abundance. If

both Jesus and the early believers needed to be baptized

in the Holy Spirit in order to live powerful Christian

lives, so do you and I today!

CHAPTER 2

BAPTIZED IN

THE HOLY SPIRIT

If you believe the Word of God, you cannot dispute the

existence of a "baptism in the Holy Spirit." Speaking of Jesus, John the Baptist said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is

mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he

shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire"

(Matt. 3:11). Christ was baptized in the Holy Spirit (Matt.

3:16, Mark 1:10, and Luke 3:22). The early apostles,

including Paul, were baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts

2:1-4 and 9:17-18). Whenever people were born again in

the book of Acts, they also received the baptism in the

Holy Spirit soon thereafter.

Many Christians claim that the baptism in the Holy Spirit

comes automatically at salvation. "No man can come to

me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and

I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44). They recognize the Spirit's work in drawing people to God and

assume that they get all of the Holy Spirit they can the

moment they're born again. Although it's true they have

the Holy Spirit once they're saved, that doesn't mean

they've been baptized in Him!

RIVERS OF LIVING WATER

It's one thing to have the Holy Spirit and quite another

for the Holy Spirit to have you! There are major

differences between having the Holy Spirit present in

your life and having the Holy Spirit in control of your

life. Spiritually speaking, it's night and day.

Jesus told His disciples, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide

with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the

world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither

knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with

you, and shall be in you" (John 14:16-17).

Prior to Jesus' resurrection, the Holy Spirit couldn't be

received the way we are discussing. He was present with

the disciples and worked through them (as evidenced by

the miracles they did), but He wasn't in them. This was

because the fullness of the Holy Spirit couldn't be

received until after Christ had ascended back to heaven

in glory.

When the Holy Spirit is in you, rivers of life flow out

from your innermost being. "Jesus stood and cried,

saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and

drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him

should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given;

because that Jesus was not yet glorified)" (John 7:37-39).

Not just a trickle or a cupful, not even a well you have to pump, but rivers of living water will bubble out from

within you like an artesian spring!

Jesus promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit who

had been with them would one day be in them. That day

arrived shortly after His ascension. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one

accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound

from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all

the house where they were sitting. And there appeared

unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon

each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy

Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the

Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4).

THE POWER SOURCE

Those who don't believe that the baptism in the Holy

Spirit is a second, separate experience from salvation

erroneously teach that God's miraculous power ceased

with the passing of the first apostles. They don't believe

in the gifts of the Spirit, speaking in tongues, or casting out demons—nor living in victory over sickness, disease,

and poverty. They believe that if you see any of these

miracles occurring today that God Himself did in the

Bible, it's the work of the devil. Something's wrong with

this theology!

The Holy Spirit is the power Source! Reject Him, and you

won't see miracles, healings, demons cast out, or

speaking in tongues. Accept Him by receiving the

baptism in the Holy Spirit, and you open yourself to

God's supernatural power working in all these

wonderful ways—but you must receive the Source in

order to have His power!

A SEPARATE EXPERIENCE

The Bible makes it clear that the baptism in the Holy

Spirit is a separate experience from salvation. The only

way you can miss this is if you have some kind of

religious prejudice against it. In Acts 8, Philip went to

Samaria and preached Christ. Seeing the miracles he did,

many believed and were water baptized (Acts 8:5-12).

When the church in Jerusalem heard what had

happened, they sent Peter and John to check it out. They

arrived, saw those who had been saved, and then laid

hands on them to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit

(Acts 8:14-17).

Some people assume, "You aren't really saved until

you're baptized in the Holy Spirit!" Acts 8 soundly

refutes this. The Samaritans had received God's Word,

were born again, and had been water baptized. If they

had died before being baptized in the Holy Spirit, they

would've been ushered into the very presence of the

Lord Himself. Salvation saves and the baptism in the

Holy Spirit empowers!

Certain disciples at Ephesus also demonstrate this truth.

"And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to

Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto

them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye

believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much

as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost" (Acts 19:1-2).

Apollos had been zealously preaching Jesus wherever he

went (Acts 18:24-25). However, he had left the company

of the disciples before Christ resurrected, so they didn't

know about the baptism in the Holy Spirit either. Aquila

and Priscilla had to take him aside and explain the way

of God to him more accurately (Acts 18:26). Before this,

Apollos had already made some converts in Ephesus,

whom Paul found some time later. When he asked "Have

you received the Holy Spirit," they answered, "We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost"

(Acts 19:2). Sounds like many Christians today!

I was raised in church, but no one ever told me I could be

supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit. I didn't

know He wanted to come and work miracles through

me. Our church didn't believe in that. We were saved but

stuck! Besides winning others to the Lord and singing

"When we all get to heaven," there just wasn't anything else to look forward to in our Christian lives. I was

ignorant of the fact that God had provided a

victorious, abundant life on earth for me!

Apollos' converts believed in Jesus, but didn't know that

the Holy Spirit had been sent to anoint them as their

Lord had been anointed. Paul picked up where Apollos

left off and shared with these Ephesian believers how

they could receive God's power into their lives. "And

when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy

Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and

prophesied" (Acts 19:6).

IMPACT YOUR WORLD!

Millions of people alive today can attest to this separate, distinct work of the Holy Spirit in their lives after

salvation. Although many born-again Christians in

Western countries deny this experience, the majority of

believers in the rest of the world have welcomed the

baptism in the Holy Spirit!

Africa, Asia, and South America have experienced some

of the greatest outpourings we've seen in recent times.

Miracles regularly happen and churches sometimes

number into the tens, even hundreds, of thousands. The

vast majority of believers involved in these outpourings

have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with

speaking in tongues.

Across the body of Christ worldwide, the parts that are

experiencing the most growth are those who believe in

the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Most traditional,

denominational churches that fight against this gift have

either stagnated or are suffering serious decline. Spirit-

baptized believers are progressing in the Christian life,

doing most of the effective evangelism and making the

biggest impact for the advancing kingdom of God.

Do you want to be where God's power is moving? Are

you hungry to experience excitement and life? Do you

long to join the winning side? You'll find all this and

more among believers who have been baptized in the

Holy Spirit!

CHAPTER 3

THE FULL PACKAGE

Jesus often referred to the Holy Spirit as the "Comforter."

He'll function in your life many different ways:

The Holy Spirit will abide with you forever. "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another

Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever" (John

14:16). Wherever you go, whatever you do, God Himself

will be with you!

The Holy Spirit will comfort you through challenges and

difficulties. "Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any

trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are

comforted of God" (2 Cor. 1:4). He'll also enable you to minister God's comfort to others.

The Holy Spirit will be your Teacher. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in

my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all

things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said

unto you" (John 14:26). He'll also remind you of

everything the Lord has said.

The Spirit of truth will testify to you of Jesus. "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from

the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth

from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall

bear witness, because ye have been with me from the

beginning" (John 15:26-27). He'll also help you bear

witness of Jesus to others.

"IT'S BETTER THAT I GO!"

It's to your advantage that Jesus is in heaven and the

Holy Spirit is on earth. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not

away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I

depart, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7). Jesus could only be in one place at a time when He walked the earth

as a man. Now, through His Spirit, He can be with every

believer all the time!

The Holy Spirit will convict and convince. "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of

righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they

believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my

Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the

prince of this world is judged" (John 16:8-11). He convicts you of not trusting Jesus. He convinces you that you're

righteous in Christ. And the devil, who constantly hurls

condemnation and lies at you, is judged.

The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth. "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them

now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he

will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of

himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he

speak: and he will shew you things to come" (John 16:12-13). The Spirit of truth will progressively share Jesus'

words with you as you're mature enough to handle

them. He'll even reveal things yet to come!

The Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus. "He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you"

(John 16:14). He'll receive things from the Lord and show

them to you!

God's power will flood into you as you're baptized in

Him! "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy

Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto

me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,

and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Wherever you go, you'll be an effective witness!

ESSENTIAL, NOT OPTIONAL!

In light of all these awesome benefits, I urge you to

accept the fact that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not

merely optional but essential. Receive His power so you

can fully experience the Comforter!

The baptism in the Holy Spirit makes God's power

available to you. Although you're not automatically

transformed into a victorious Christian, you'll experience

increasing victory as you draw out His power by faith.

This is why some people who have received the baptism

in the Holy Spirit don't exhibit more victory in their lives.

God's power is available to them, but they haven't drawn

it out. Those who reject the baptism in the Holy Spirit

deny themselves access to His power. You must have

received the Source in order to access His power!

Some Christians may have been baptized in the Holy

Spirit without realizing it. They are wonderful people

who don't speak in tongues or believe in a distinct

experience with the Holy Spirit, yet they clearly exhibit

all of the other characteristics of someone who has

received the baptism. Often, with many of them, there

was a time in their lives when they came to the end of

themselves. They cried out to the Lord for help, asking

for more of Him. After yielding, they had a miraculous

encounter with God. Now whether they're aware of what

they received or not, if the encounter actually included

being baptized in the Holy Spirit, they can now speak in

tongues anytime they want just by exercising their faith

to do so.

God intends for you to have His full package! Some

theologians from the 1800s and early 1900s taught about

a second, separate experience with the Lord but didn't

teach on speaking in tongues. They believed there had to

be an enduing of power from on high, but they failed to

embrace the accompanying miracles. Why receive only

part of God's gift? Why not receive it all? Your loving

heavenly Father cared enough to give you the baptism in

the Holy Spirit. Honor Him by receiving the full

package!

CHAPTER 4

RECEIVE HIM TODAY

God wants you baptized in the Holy Spirit! His longing

to fill, control, and empower you far surpasses your

desire to be filled, controlled, and empowered. In fact,

the Holy Spirit has been eagerly waiting for you to open

your heart and invite Him in. If you're ready to ask in

faith, why not receive Him today?

Some groups erroneously teach that you must "travail"

and wait on God to receive this experience. They believe

God will baptize you whenever He wants to, and you

have no control over it. This idea is based upon a

misinterpretation of Acts 1:4-5, "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should

not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of

the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John

truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with

the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

Jesus commanded the disciples to wait for the baptism

because the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out

upon the earth. "And when the day of Pentecost was

fully come, they were all with one accord in one place...

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:1

and 4). Pentecost was God's appointed time to pour out

the Holy Spirit. Since He's already been given, there's no

need to wait!

While seeking the baptism in the Holy Spirit, I was told I

had to cleanse myself before I could receive. As

instructed, I wrote out every sin I could think of on a

couple of sheets of paper in my misguided effort to get

"clean enough." Religious logic had deceived me into thinking "a jar full of rocks must be emptied before being filled with water" and "the Holy Spirit won't fill a dirty vessel!" Hogwash!

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a. gift, not something

you can earn by travail or holiness (Luke 11:13). If you

could rid yourself of all the sin in your life and be perfect before receiving the Holy Spirit, you wouldn't need Him!

He's the One who will give you the power to be set free

from lusts, habits, addictions, and desires. You can be

delivered from anything when you receive and draw on

the power of the Holy Spirit!

WHOLEHEARTED DESIRE

You need to desire the baptism in the Holy Spirit

wholeheartedly. If you are persuaded and hungry,

receiving can be as simple as praying a prayer. However,

some people have been led to do so before they were

really ready. Occasionally, someone needs a period of

time to grow in their hunger and desire to receive. Where

are you today? Are you persuaded and hungry for the

baptism? Do you wholeheartedly desire to invite the

Holy Spirit into your life?

Personally, I was desperate for the baptism in the Holy

Spirit. I thought I had to pursue God and then wait for it.

This misunderstanding only fed my growing hunger to

receive. Then, when the baptism came, it was

spectacular! Since this was something I'd longed for and

sought after, I didn't just forget about it after speaking in tongues once or twice. Over the years, I've cherished this

awesome gift from God. Without His power, I wouldn't

be living in the victory and abundance I enjoy today—for

which I'm eternally grateful!

Are you ready to commit yourself to the Holy Spirit

without reservation? Are you hungry to receive God's

power into your life? Perhaps you've even recited a

prayer for this before but weren't really ready yet.

However, after learning these truths—how you'll receive

power, that this was something even Jesus had to have,

that it totally transformed the apostles—you're ready to

receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

ASK, BELIEVE, AND RECEIVE!

God wants you filled, but you must reach out in faith to

take it! "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be

opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a

father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg,

will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know

how to give good gifts unto your children: how much

more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to

them that ask him?" (Luke 11:10-13). How much more

will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to you!

Ask, believe, and receive!

If you're ready, pray out loud the following prayer from

your heart:

Father, I surrender to You completely. I recognize my

need for Your power to live the Christian life. I'm

hungry for You!

Please baptize me in Your Holy Spirit!

By faith, I receive now the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I take it! It's mine in Jesus' name!

Father, thank You for giving me the Holy Spirit! Holy

Spirit, thank You for coming. You are welcome in my

life!

Continue to praise and thank the Lord for this wonderful

gift. Take a few moments to enjoy His presence, and tell

Him how much you love Him.

Some people have dramatic experiences receiving the

Holy Spirit, and others are genuinely baptized without

feeling a thing. One's not better than the other, as long as you received! Don't let outward manifestations, or a lack

thereof, enable the devil to talk you out of this gift from God (Matt. 13:19).

If you believed in your heart when you prayed, then

God's Word promises that you received. "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray,

believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them"

(Mark 11:24). God always honors His Word. Believe it!

As you stepped out in faith to obey the direct command

of Jesus (John 20:22), you received the baptism in the

Holy Spirit.

Congratulations—you've been filled with God's

supernatural power! As you learn to tap into this power,

your life will never be the same. For the rest of this book, I'm going to share about an important way you can draw

His power out.

CHAPTER 5

SPEAKING IN TONGUES

God's Word reveals that speaking in tongues is one of

the first manifestations to occur when you receive the

baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus' disciples spoke in tongues immediately after

receiving the Holy Spirit. "And when the day of

Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord

in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from

heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the

house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto

them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each

of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,

and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave

them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4).

As Peter preached the Gospel to the entire household of

Cornelius, they received both salvation and the baptism

in the Holy Spirit. "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.

And they of the circumcision which believed were

astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on

the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy

Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and

magnify God" (Acts 10:44-46). Speaking in tongues was

an outward evidence that these brand-new believers had

truly received the Holy Spirit.

Peter used this fact to prove to the rest of the Jewish

believers (who weren't there in person) that these

Gentiles had indeed been born again. "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the

beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord,

how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but

ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch

then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us,

who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I

could withstand God? When they heard these things,

they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then

hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto

life" (Acts 11:15-18).

Paul ministered the baptism in the Holy Spirit to

Apollos' converts in Ephesus. "And when Paul had laid

his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and

they spake with tongues, and prophesied" (Acts 19:6).

Speaking in tongues comes with the baptism in the Holy

Spirit!

EVERY SPIRIT-BAPTIZED BELIEVER

Philip went down to Samaria and evangelized. Many

people believed on Jesus when they heard his message

and saw the miracles that he did (Acts 8:5-8). Later, Peter and John came to minister the baptism in the Holy Spirit

(Acts 8:14-17). As the Samaritans began to receive, one of

the new converts, who had been a professional sorcerer,

saw them speaking in tongues and lusted for this power

selfishly. Peter and John rebuked him for trying to buy

God's gift (Acts 8:18-24).

Those who argue against speaking in tongues as initial

evidence for the baptism in the Holy Spirit try to use

Acts 8 to support their point. However, even though

these scriptures don't directly say that the people of

Samaria spoke in tongues, there's still plenty of evidence

to imply it. Speaking in tongues is present every other

time the Holy Spirit was poured out in the book of Acts.

Also, this recently converted sorcerer saw something

when the baptism was ministered, and it caused him to

offer the apostles money in exchange for the super-

natural ability to impart the Holy Spirit (verse 18). In

order to maintain biblical consistency, this visible

demonstration of power must have been speaking in

tongues.

Speaking in tongues is an immediate audible mani-

festation of the Holy Spirit available to every Spirit-

baptized believer. It's something you can do to help

prove that you've received Him. However, tongues won't

automatically force their way up out of your mouth just

because you've been baptized. The Holy Spirit will never

make you do something against your will. Therefore,

you must choose to speak in tongues.

DARKNESS TO DAYLIGHT

Personally, I stumbled into the baptism in the Holy

Spirit. I had been seeking the Lord with all of my heart

and crying out for Him to fill me with His power. On

March 23, 1968, He dramatically answered my prayer by

baptizing me in the Holy Spirit. At the time, I had no

idea what this was because I'd never been taught about

it. All I knew was that my intimate encounter with God

had left me supernaturally empowered.

Revelation knowledge immediately began to flow. Before

receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, I always had to

trust what the preacher told me, and I assumed it was

true. There wasn't any assurance in my heart or

understanding of my own. I just followed their example

and did what I was told. Then I received the Holy Spirit,

and the One who had written the Bible started explaining

it to me. He began revealing things to my heart. Instead

of receiving information from the outside in, God

Himself was teaching me from the inside out! John 14:26

describes this, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy

Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall

teach you all things, and bring all things to your

remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."The

difference was daylight and darkness!

In addition to revelation knowledge, I became bold and

passionate for the Lord. God's awesome love and

glorious presence constantly overwhelmed me.

Witnessing to people changed from being a religious

chore into a daily delight. The sick received healing

when I prayed for them. However, these wonderful

things combined to create some problems as well. For

instance, my newfound zeal also got me kicked out of

my church!

RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE OVERCOME

Everything indicated that I had been baptized in the

Holy Spirit, except I didn't speak in tongues. Why? I'd

been taught against it! The church I was raised in didn't

believe in the baptism in the Holy Spirit and thought that

tongues were of the devil. Ignorance and wrong teaching

predisposed me against this gift. Although speaking in

tongues was available, negative feelings and fear

prevented me from using it.

It took me a long time to renew my mind to what God's

Word said about my new relationship with the Holy

Spirit. Two and a half years after receiving the baptism, I discovered that speaking in tongues was a valid gift from

God for today. Then another six months passed before I

understood enough to yield to the Holy Spirit and

actually speak in tongues. Until I saw what God's Word

said about this, my faith wasn't strong enough to walk in

it (Rom. 10:17).

If it weren't for my religious prejudice, I could have

spoken in tongues as soon as I was baptized in the Holy

Spirit. However, those thoughts kept me from enjoying

God's gift, because their root was unbelief. Until I

overcame them and brought myself to the point of

voluntarily stepping out in faith, I couldn't speak in

tongues. But as soon as I did, my life changed just as

dramatically as when I first received the Holy Spirit!

You don't have to speak in tongues; you get to! Besides,

there's really no good reason not to! Speaking in tongues

releases God's power in your life, and it's available to

every Christian who has received the baptism in the

Holy Spirit. If you're not speaking in tongues, you're

missing out!

CHAPTER 6

PROOF FOR TODAY

God's Word clearly teaches that the gift of tongues is for

today. This can best be seen in the three chapters of the

Bible that deal specifically with the gifts of the Holy

Spirit—l Corinthians 12,13, and 14. In addition to

speaking in tongues, the other gifts are the word of

wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing,

working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, and

interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 12:8-10). (Although an

exciting study in itself, further explanation of each

individual gift is beyond the scope of our present

purpose.)

The local body at Corinth was one of the most carnal

churches in the entire New Testament. A man had

committed incest with his father's wife (1 Cor. 5:1).

Believers were suing each other (1 Cor. 6:1 and 6-7). They

divided themselves according to their favorite Bible

teacher (1 Cor. 3:3-5). Gluttony and drunkenness

characterized the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:20-22).

Tongues were being given in church services without

interpretation (1 Cor. 14:26-28). Paul rebuked and

corrected the Corinthians for all of this immaturity and

sin.

These believers were carnal in spite of the gifts of the

Spirit—not because of them! It's wrong to assume that

the gifts are bad for you just because the Corinthians had

so many problems. Actually, the opposite is true!

Although maturity isn't instantly granted, the gifts of the Holy Spirit do promote spiritual growth. This is why

three different times, Paul advised this carnal, sinful

bunch to earnestly "desire spiritual gifts" (1 Cor.

12:31,14:1,14:39)- He knew the gifts would help them

mature. That's good proof you should be speaking in

tongues!

WHOM DO YOU BELIEVE?

I started talking about the Lord once to a woman whose

house I was painting. When she asked me why I'd left

the Baptist church, I told her that they kicked me out

after I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

"Are you talking about speaking in tongues?" she

inquired.

"Yes, that's part of it. I do speak in tongues, and that's why they asked me to leave the church."

She thought for a moment and then politely added,

"Well, my church would have kicked you out too."

I asked, "Why would they do that?" and showed her l Corinthians 14:39. "The Bible clearly says here, 'Forbid not to speak with tongues.

I've never forgotten her candid reply: "Well, there are lots of things in the Bible our church doesn't believe."

With that, I knew I couldn't minister to her anymore,

because God's Word was not the final authority in her

Christian life. She, like so many others, had chosen to

believe her denomination's doctrines above God's Word.

This is why 1 Corinthians 13 remains the most

misunderstood passage of Scripture regarding the gifts

of the Holy Spirit today.

BETTER WITH LOVE

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are meant to be operated in

love. This explains why Paul wrote, "But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent

way" (1 Cor. 12:31), as he launched into his famous love passage (1 Cor. 13). Some people have tried to say that

love is the more excellent way. However, the context

clearly shows that all of Paul's comments concerning

love in chapter 13 pertain specifically to the use

of the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in chapter 12, and

which are expounded on in chapter 14. His point is not

that love is better than the gifts but rather that operating the gifts in love is better than using them without it.

The Holy Spirit doesn't control you like a puppet. He

leads, guides, and inspires you to speak in tongues and

operate the other gifts, but you are the one who actually

does it. Therefore, it's possible to operate in the gifts

carnally, make mistakes, and fail to be motivated by love.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or

a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of

prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all

knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could

remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing"

(1 Cor. 13:1-2). It doesn't matter which gift you're

operating in—tongues, prophecy, faith—there's no

benefit apart from the right motive. Therefore, let love

motivate your use of every gift of the Spirit—including

speaking in tongues!

In fact, God's love should be the motivation for

everything you do. "And though I bestow all my goods

to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be

burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing" (1

Cor. 13:3). Whether you attend church because you feel

you have to or give into an offering out of sheer

obligation, apart from love, it profits you nothing. From

God's point of view, your motive is more important than

your action.

UNTIL THAT WHICH IS PERFECT IS COME

People who reject the baptism in the Holy Spirit twist l

Corinthians 13:8-10 in order to support their position that tongues passed away with the early church. "Charity

never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall

fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether

there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know

in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is

perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done

away" (1 Cor. 13:8-10). They claim that God only gave the gifts of the Holy Spirit (speaking in tongues, prophecy,

gifts of healing, working of miracles, etc.) to the early

church because the Bible wasn't written yet. Asserting

that the Bible is "that which is perfect," they justify their conclusion that God doesn't do these things anymore.

Nonsense!

If you read that passage in its context, you can easily see what it's really saying. Remember, Paul's subject for this

entire section of Scripture (1 Cor. 12,13, and 14) is to

properly operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He just

finished saying that the gifts should be used in love (13:1-3). Verses 4-7 describe what that looks like. Then in verse 8, the Word states that when tongues cease, knowledge

will too. Living in what's been popularly called "The

Information Age," you and I both know that this hasn't happened yet. In fact, God's Word prophesies that in the

end times, knowledge will greatly increase (Dan. 12:4).

"For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But

when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a

child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but

when I became a man, I put away childish things. For

now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:

now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I

am known" (1 Cor. 13:9-12, emphasis mine). "Then" verse 12 refers to "when that which is perfect is come." At the time when that which is perfect is come, you will see

Jesus face to face. Since that won't happen until the

Lord's Second Coming or you die and go to be with Him,

neither has tongues passed away yet.

"That which is perfect" refers to your glorified body, not the Bible. Yes, the Bible is perfect—inspired, inerrant,

infallible—but it's not what this phrase is pointing to.

When you receive your glorified body, you will no

longer see through a glass darkly or know in part. In

your glorified body, you will see Jesus face to face and

know Him even as He knows you—completely. For now,

speaking in tongues has been given to help you grow in

the knowledge of Him. In your glorified body, you won't

need tongues or the other gifts of the Holy Spirit—

prophecy, the word of wisdom, discerning of spirits,

interpretation of tongues, etc.—to reveal the Lord

anymore, because you'll already know Him fully.

The very scriptures people use to dismiss the gifts of the

Holy Spirit actually prove their validity for today! As

long as your knowledge of Him is incomplete, the gifts of

the Spirit will function. Until you see Jesus face to face in your glorified body, you need to be speaking in tongues.

Since that which is perfect has yet to come, God's

miraculous power continues on earth today just as it did

for the early church. You would have to already be

corrupted with a predisposed, religious mindset in order

to honestly look at these scriptures and interpret them as

saying "God's miraculous power has passed away."

"Brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak

with tongues" (l Cor. 14:39)!

MIRACULOUS PROOF

Why do some people fight so hard against the truth that

the baptism of the Holy Spirit and His miraculous power

is for today? Two main reasons are wrong teaching and a

rejection of personal responsibility. Doctrines of men can

render the Word of God ineffective. That's what happens

when you hold on to religious tradition instead of God's

Word (Mark 7:13). Also, there's a fear of having to

produce biblical results. If you profess to believe in the

baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, casting

out demons, healing, and miracles, then that puts

pressure on you to manifest them (Mark 16:17-18). Most

people don't want to accept this kind of personal

responsibility.

Instead, many hide behind a convenient theology.

Calling themselves "Christian," they quickly confess that their sins are forgiven, while their lives offer very little proof. It's easy to profess, "My sins are forgiven," because you can't see a sin, and you can't see when it's forgiven.

However, if miracles are really part of the Christian life, then there are things you can do to prove their reality.

For instance, you can speak in tongues, cast a demon out,

see blind eyes and deaf ears open, or even raise someone

from the dead (I have personally done all of these things

on multiple occasions and know many others who have

done them as well—to God be the glory)- In order to sit

in front of the television living carnal, self-centered lives while defending their position of being forgiven, these

people choose to believe only what God's Word says

about forgiveness of sins while conveniently ignoring the

rest. They may or may not truly be saved. Who would

know?

Jesus used miracles to prove salvation. "Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But

that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on

earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy

way into thine house" (Mark 2:9-11). Confronted by

unbelieving religious leaders, Jesus asked them which

would be harder to say, "Your sins are forgiven" or "Take up your bed and walk." No one can see a sin forgiven,

but everyone in that crowded room, including the

Pharisees, would be able to see if this man was healed or

not. Either he would get up and walk, or Jesus' words

would be totally violated. Therefore, "Take up your bed and walk" was definitely harder to say!

The people knew if Jesus could perform that which was

hardest, surely He could do the least. "And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all;

insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God"

(Mark 2:12). Jesus used the fact that He could heal bodies

and perform miracles in the physical realm to

substantiate the fact that He could also do things, like

forgiving sins, in the spiritual realm.

The reason many people hide behind this false doctrine

that miracles passed away is so they can claim to be in

relationship with God without ever doing anything to

demonstrate it. That's just a convenient theology! The

truth is that God still does miracles today, and you

should be speaking in tongues until you receive your

glorified body!

CHAPTER 7

BUILD YOURSELF UP

The primary purpose of speaking in tongues is to

promote personal spiritual growth. "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto

God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the

spirit he speaketh mysteries... He that speaketh in an

unknown tongue edifieth himself (l Cor. 14:2 and 4).

When you speak in tongues, you're building yourself up

spiritually.

You also keep yourself in the love of God. "But ye,

beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,

praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of

God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto

eternal life" (Jude 1:20-21). God's love for you never changes, but your experience of it does. Speaking in

tongues helps you fulfill your responsibility to keep

yourself aware of and enjoying God's unfailing love.

Speaking in tongues produces rest and spiritual

refreshment. "For with stammering lips and another

tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said,

This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to

rest; and this is the refreshing" (Is. 28:11-12). Your spirit is the part of you where God lives. It's brand new, pure,

righteous, and holy. When you pray in tongues, you

release into your soul and body that rest and refreshment

that's already in your spirit.

Personally, I encourage myself by speaking in tongues!

Whenever I feel tired or discouraged, I pray in the spirit

until rest and refreshment come. Despite negative

circumstances and emotions, I'll exercise my faith to pray

in tongues until I'm aware of and enjoying God's love

again.

Once you realize you can pray in the spirit anytime you

choose, you have no excuse to ever be depressed again!

PRAYING PERFECTLY

When you pray in tongues, your natural mind doesn't

understand. "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my

spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful" (1

Cor. 14:14). Unless there's an interpretation, your intellect doesn't know what your spirit is praying.

Your spirit has the mind of Christ. "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we

have the mind of Christ" (l Cor. 2:16). Your spirit knows all things. "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (1 John 2:20). "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the

image of him that created him" (Col. 3:10). Therefore, your spirit always knows how to pray perfectly for

situations, yourself, and others.

There's a big difference between praying from your spirit

and praying from your mind. Your natural mind

typically has incomplete information. It lacks full

knowledge of God's Word, the situation, and the people

involved. Therefore, you cannot pray from your intellect

with completeness and one hundred percent accuracy.

However, since your born-again spirit knows all things,

it's impossible to pray in tongues without praying God's

perfect will!

At times, the Holy Spirit may intercede for someone else

through you as you pray in tongues. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we

should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh

intercession for us with groanings which cannot be

uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what

is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession

for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:26-27). This is especially helpful when your mind is not sure

how to pray for a specific person or situation.

As you speak in tongues, you are speaking the hidden

wisdom of God. Paul received the revelation for the

messages he preached through speaking in tongues.

"Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are

perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the

princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak

the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden

wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our

glory" (1 Cor. 2:6-7). "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God:

for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he

speaketh mysteries" (1 Cor. 14:2). As Paul spoke God's mysteries in tongues, he built himself up spiritually and

revelation knowledge came. As you pray in tongues,

you'll be built up spiritually as revelation knowledge

comes to you too!

CHAPTER 8

INTERPRETATION

When you speak in tongues, you should believe God for

the interpretation. "Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret" (l Cor.

14:13). It's beyond your carnal ability to grasp the

mysteries and hidden wisdom of God that you're

praying in the spirit. However, if you ask Him, God will

supernaturally give you the interpretation.

The public use of the gift of tongues in a church service

requires interpretation. "If any man speak in an

unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three,

and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be

no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God" (1 Cor. 14:27-28).

Without interpretation of a publicly given tongue, some

people will think you're crazy. "If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak

with tongues, and there come in those that are

unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are

mad?" (1 Cor. 14:23).

Certain members of the body are given the vocation of

interpretation for public purposes. "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set

some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets,

thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all

apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all

workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all

speak with tongues? do all interpret?" (1 Cor. 12:27-30).

Some people have misunderstood 1 Corinthians 12:29-30

to mean that not everyone should speak in tongues.

However, Mark 16:17-18 states, "And these signs shall

follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out

devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall

take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it

shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and

they shall recover." Therefore, some have vocations of speaking and/or interpreting tongues given publicly in a

church service, but every Spirit-baptized believer can

pray in tongues for personal edification.

OF MEN AND ANGELS

Tongues come in two different types: tongues of men

and tongues of angels: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels" (l Cor. 13:1).

Tongues of men are languages that either have been or

are spoken on earth. When the disciples were first

baptized in the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, they spoke in

tongues of men (Acts 2:4-12). This wasn't merely a

supernatural acceleration of language learning, because

the speakers themselves had no idea what they were

saying. The disciples didn't study all those different

languages in the room they were in while waiting for the

promise! The Holy Spirit suddenly baptized them, and

their tongues became a supernatural sign to the

unbelievers within earshot whose native languages the

disciples were speaking (1 Cor. 14:22).

Tongues of angels are heavenly languages. Every Spirit-

baptized believer can pray in the tongues of angels.

When you speak mysteries and the hidden wisdom of

God, you are speaking in an angelic tongue.

It doesn't matter if you speak in a tongue of men or an

angelic tongue; you can ask God for the interpretation!

LIGHT IN MY CLOSET

Learning to believe God for interpretation turned my life

around! When I first prayed in tongues after being

baptized in the Holy Spirit, I remember hearing God

speak to me in my heart as revelation knowledge began

to flow. However, when I started sharing what God had

shown me in His Word, people criticized and informed

me I was wrong, because they had never heard these

truths before. Feeling isolated and alone, I really

struggled with what others were telling me and what I

was hearing in my heart. In the midst of all this, I just

kept seeking the Lord.

For six months I meditated on God's Word all day long.

As I wrote out hundreds of scriptures daily, I'd focus my

attention on each individual word and phrase. After

meditating this way for eight to ten hours, God's Word

exploded with meaning in my heart, but my mind

struggled to understand. So I'd shut myself in my closet

to pray in the spirit for another hour or two. Sitting there underneath my clothes, I'd ask God to interpret to my

natural understanding what I'd been studying. Then I'd

pray in tongues for the purpose of personal edification.

At the end of that season, my trickle of revelation

knowledge suddenly burst forth into a mighty rushing

river! In fact, I received so much so fast that I finally told God I couldn't handle any more. It was just more than I

could retain! Much of what I'm teaching today—over

thirty-five years later—came as a result of what I learned

at that time. I simply prayed in tongues and believed to

interpret.

GAIN UNDERSTANDING

All you need to interpret tongues for personal edification

is to gain understanding. When you're praying by

yourself, you don't have to stop and get an interpretation

in English. This method—praying out loud in tongues,

then waiting until the English interpretation is given—

works well in public, but it's not the only way to receive

interpretation. You just need your mind to become

fruitful.

God encouraged me through an experience that

happened while I was still quite new at this. Since I'd

been taught against tongues so strongly, I still wrestled

with doubts about whether all my praying in the spirit

was really beneficial or not. After spending two hours

speaking in tongues one morning, someone whom I

hadn't seen in four years showed up at my house. He

knocked on the door, rushed in without greeting me,

plopped down on my couch, and burst into tears. My

first thought was, I should have been praying in English

instead of wasting all morning praying in tongues! Then

it dawned on me, How would I have known to pray for

this guy unless I had been praying in tongues? My spirit

had been praying perfectly!

All of a sudden, faith rose up inside as I stopped him

mid-sentence, interrupting his blubbering attempt to

explain the situation. By revelation knowledge, I finished

describing the rest of his problem—and nailed it! This

supernatural demonstration of God's power and love

totally set him free! Through this, the Lord confirmed to

me that I'd been praying in tongues for this situation

earlier, and all I had to do was interpret. What I

spoke to this man was the interpretation!

MIND YOUR HEAD!

When you pray in tongues, your mind can be occupied

with something else. Since your spirit's praying and not

your brain, your mind can wander. You can even think

about things totally unrelated to God. That's why some

people like to read the Word, enjoy godly music, or listen

to Bible teaching while they pray in tongues. Others pray

in the spirit while working, driving, or doing household

chores. Personally, I've trained myself to pray with my

understanding while praying in tongues.

When I'd pray in the spirit over longer periods of time,

people whom I hadn't thought of in years would come to

mind. At first, I just dismissed it, but when they'd

suddenly call, send a letter, or even show up at my house

—like that fellow did—I began realizing that God was

giving me interpretations. They weren't always word for

word, but also came as impressions, pictures, and

unctions. As I recognized the Lord bringing these

people to mind, I'd start praying for them. Then I'd

follow through and see miracles happen every time!

God led me to call a good friend of mine one time after

praying in tongues. We'd been out of touch with each

other for several years. He answered the phone and

immediately hung up on me. His reaction seemed

strange since I knew God had prompted me to call.

While sitting at my desk pondering this, the phone rang.

Sure enough, it was my friend! He explained that he had

just told God how he had spent his entire life

ministering to others, but now that he was in need,

nobody was ministering to him. My friend had barely

finished praying "God, please send somebody to

encourage me, or I'm going to quit the ministry!" when the phone rang and there I was. He was so startled, he

hung up the receiver! This whole incident resulted from

interpreting a tongue.

You can do this while praying for people, when you need

wisdom for a challenging situation, or simply to

understand a particular scripture. Just take the person,

situation, or passage, and begin praying in tongues over

it. As you're praying, ask the Lord to show you what it

means. Although understanding may not always come at

that exact moment, God will give you an interpretation.

My friend prays in tongues over church services he's

going to minister in. He prefers to receive the

interpretation right away so he'll know in advance what

God wants to do, who's going to be healed of what, etc.

Personally, I don't always like to receive the

interpretation right away. If God supernaturally told me

what was going to happen at a church service a week

away, my mind would try to analyze the situation and

figure it all out in the meantime. I pray in tongues often

without receiving anything from the Lord at that

moment. However, when I need it a week or a month

later, I'll ask God for the interpretation of what I've been praying in tongues. At that point, I receive exactly what I need from the Holy Spirit.

As you step out in faith to pray in tongues and believe

God for the interpretation, you'll receive exactly what

you need from the Holy Spirit too!

CHAPTER 9

GET STARTED

Speaking in tongues is not something you do just once to

prove you've received the baptism in the Holy Spirit; it's

a powerful tool to edify yourself spiritually. Whenever

you pray in tongues, you cause yourself to rest, you

build yourself up on your most holy faith, and you keep

the love of God active and alive in your heart. As you

speak forth hidden wisdom and believe for

interpretation, revelation knowledge will open up and

supply answers you couldn't get any other way. That's

why the devil has fought so hard against this gift! He's

afraid of what would happen if speaking in tongues ever

became part of your daily Christian life.

The Holy Spirit inspires the words, but you have to say

them. "And they were all tilled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave

them utterance" (Acts 2:4). Notice that the Spirit gave them utterance. It's not just purely the Holy Spirit

speaking through you. He gives you a prodding and a

desire, but you must do the talking.

It's similar to how the gift of teaching works. If I stood

before a group of people and prayed "God, please speak through me, but don't let me say anything that's not of

You" and then waited for Him to make me speak, I'd

never say anything. It's my responsibility to step out in

faith and start talking. God inspires the messages, but

they come out through my personality, vocabulary, and

mannerisms. God doesn't speak in Texas drawl; I do! The

Holy Spirit supplies the content and I deliver it!

Fear short-circuits your ability to speak in tongues. You

might have trouble at first, if you worry about it or try to analyze what you're saying. The Holy Spirit is inspiring

you to speak, but it's your fear that's blocking it. Yield

your tongue to the Holy Spirit, and then speak forth by

faith the words He gives you.

BREAKTHROUGH!

I struggled to pray in tongues for months. Even though I

was convinced it was of God and wanted it, I had a hard

time receiving my prayer language.

A man came over to my house in an attempt to help me.

He asked, "If you repeated something I said in Spanish, would you be speaking in Spanish?" I nodded. "Then if I spoke something in tongues and you repeated it, would

you be speaking in tongues?"

"Yes, but I don't want to just repeat something; I want to speak in tongues on my own!" He kept insisting, so

finally I gave in. However, I stopped after only getting

through the first couple of words. Embarrassed, I told

him I wasn't doing a very good job repeating what he

said.

He argued, "Yeah, but you were speaking in tongues.

That wasn't English!"

By then I had reached my limit. "No; I don't accept that. I wasn't speaking in tongues!" He just threw up his hands in frustration and left.

Immediately after this, I was on my way to minister to

someone. In desperation I declared, "God, I'm just going to start talking. I believe that You are going to help me

speak in tongues." Then I began making up nonsense

words and saying them out loud. It seemed silly to me,

so I didn't feel very good about it. However, I realized

that I'd said two words that did sound pretty decent.

Since they seemed like a real language to me, I figured

they must be tongues. So I took those two words and

started speaking them over and over again all the way to

my destination.

Upon arrival, I experienced the best time of ministry I'd

ever had before. I was convinced it was because I'd been

praying in tongues. On my way home, I started praising

God in the car and decided to pray using those two

words some more, but I panicked when I couldn't

remember them. After struggling so long to pray in

tongues, I had forgotten the only two words I'd received!

Then I thought, I'll just get another two! So I started the process over again until another two words came. After

using them for a while, I added a couple more. Within a

few moments, I was speaking fluently in tongues!

Looking back, I know now that I could have spoken in

tongues all along. However, I was under the false

impression that the Holy Spirit would come upon me

with such force that I wouldn't be able to keep myself

from blurting out in tongues. When that never happened,

I discovered He doesn't work that way. The Holy Spirit

was just waiting for me to speak out in faith the words

He'd been gently inspiring me to say.

Now it's your turn to do the same!

LET'S PRAY

"Father, thank You for baptizing me in the Holy Spirit!

I'm so grateful You gave me this wonderful gift* Please

help me to walk in all of its benefits!"

"Through speaking in tongues, I can draw on the power You've placed within me: for rest and refreshing, for

building my faith and keeping myself in Your love,

and for revelation knowledge as interpretation comes,"

"I am a believer! Your Word says, 'These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast

out devils; they shall speak with new tongues' (Mark

16:17). By faith, I will speak in tongues from this day

forward, in Jesus' name. Amen!"

FATHER IS PROUD OF YOU!

Now, by faith, say out loud those sounds coming up

from deep within. You'll be talking in a language

unknown to you, but the Holy Spirit is the One inspiring

it. You'll be speaking in tongues!

Go ahead—practice awhile! Enjoy yourself in the Lord!

If you aren't fluent right away, don't worry—God is

proud of you! When little children start to speak, their

parents know what they are trying to say. Even though

it's baby talk, they're pleased. Your heavenly Father is

proud of you, even if your tongue isn't fluent yet. If

you'll just keep using it and not worry about yourself so

much, tongues will begin to flow out of you unhindered!

As your brother in the Lord, I welcome you to the Spirit-

filled life!

RECEIVING JESUS

AS YOUR SAVIOR

Choosing to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior

is the most important decision you'll ever make!

God's Word promises "that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart

that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be

saved. For with the heart man believeth unto

righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made

unto salvation" (Rom. 10:9-10). "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).

By His grace, God has already done everything to

provide salvation. Your part is simply to believe and

receive. Pray out loud,

"Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Savior, I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead.

By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank

You for saving me!"

The very moment you commit your life to Jesus Christ,

the truth of His Word instantly comes to pass in your

spirit. Now that you're born again, there's a brand-new

you!

RECEIVING THE

HOLY SPIRIT

As His child, your loving heavenly Father wants to give

you the supernatural power you need to live this new

life.

"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened...

how much more shall your heavenly Father give the

Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:10 and 13).

All you have to do is ask, believe, and receive!

Pray, "Father, I recognize my need for Your power to live this new life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit, By faith, I receive it right now! Thank You for

baptizing me! Holy Spirit, You are welcome in my life!"

Congratulations—now you're filled with God's

supernatural power!

Some syllables from a language you don't recognize will

rise up from your heart to your mouth (1 Cor 14:14). As

you speak them out loud by faith, you're releasing God's

power from within and building yourself up in the spirit

(1 Cor 14:4). You can do this whenever and wherever

you like!

It doesn't really matter whether you felt anything or not

when you prayed to receive the Lord and His Spirit. If

you believed in your heart that you received, then God's

Word promises you did. "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye

receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24). God always honors His Word. Believe it!

Please contact me and let me know that you've prayed to

receive Jesus as your Savior or be filled with the Holy

Spirit. I would like to rejoice with you and help you

understand more fully what has taken place in your life.

I'll send you a free gift that will help you understand and grow in your new relationship with the Lord. "Welcome

to your new life!"

CONTACT INFORMATION

Andrew Wommack Ministries

P.O. Box 3333

Colorado Springs, CO 80934

Helpline: 719-635-1111

www.awmi.net

Andrew Wommack Ministries of Europe

P.O. Box 4392

Walsall

WS1 9AR

England

Helpline: +44 (o) 1922 473 300

www.awme.net

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Wommack

For over three decades, Andrew has traveled America

and the world teaching the truth of the Gospel. His

profound revelation of the Word of God is taught with

clarity and simplicity, emphasizing God's unconditional

love and the balance between grace and faith. He reaches

millions of people through the daily Gospel Truth radio

and television programs, broadcast both domestically

and internationally. He founded Charis Bible Schools in

1994 and has since established CBC extension schools in

other major cities of America and around the world.

Andrew has produced a library of teaching materials,

available in print, audio, and visual formats. And, as it

has been from the beginning, his ministry continues to

distribute free audio materials to those who cannot

afford them.

Document Outline

- COVER

- TABLE OF CONTENTS

- THE NEW YOU

- PART 1 INTRODUCTION

- 1: UNDERSTAND YOUR SALVATION

- 2: JESUS IS LORD

- 3: FROM DEATH TO LIFE

- PART 2 INTRODUCTION

- 4: BE BAPTIZED

- 5: BUILD A SURE FOUNDATION

- 6: JOIN A LOCAL CHURCH

- 7: KNOW HIM INTIMATELY

- THE HOLY SPIRIT

- INTRODUCTION

- 1: EMPOWERED LIVES

- 2: BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

- 3: THE FULL PACKAGE

- 4: RECEIVE HIM TODAY

- 5: SPEAKING IN TONGUES

- 6: PROOF FOR TODAY

- 7: BUILD YOURSELF UP

- 8: INTERPRETATION

- 9: GET STARTED

- RECEIVE JESUS

- RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

- MINISTRY CONTACT INFORMATION

- ABOUT AUTHOR

Table of Contents

THE NEW YOU

Introduction Part I

Lesson 1 Understand Your Salvation

Lesson 2 Jesus Is Lord

Lesson 3 From Death To Life

Introduction Part II: Loving God

Lesson 4 Be Baptized

Lesson 5 Build A Sure Foundation

Lesson 6 Join A Local Church

Lesson 7 Know Him Intimately

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Introduction

Lesson 1 Empowered Lives

Lesson 2 Baptized In The Holy Spirit

Lesson 3 The Full Package

Lesson 4 Receive Him Today

Lesson 5 Speaking In Tongues

Lesson 6 Proof For Today

Lesson 7 Build Yourself Up

Lesson 8 Interpretation

Lesson 9 Get Started

Receiving Jesus As Your Savior

Receiving The Holy Spirit

About The Author

COVER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MINISTRY CONTACT INFORMATION