Many of you may have had hands laid on you to receive the baptism or infilling of the Holy Spirit recently at one of the morning weekend services. As leaders at The Rock, it was such a privilege to get to pray with so many of you! Whether you have just become a Christian recently or you’ve been saved for years, this experience is ordained by God to bring you into a deeper place of boldness and strength as we walk hand-in-hand with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So what next? Consider these 5 things to gain the most benefit from receiving the Holy Spirit in His fullness:
1. Spend time praying in the Spirit
You’re now filled with the Holy Spirit! There are 9 supernatural ways His Gifts can manifest through you but the first gift we see all through the book of Acts, is that they “spoke with other tongues.” In 1 Corinthians 14:14, the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes: “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” Just like you decide how much you pray in your first language, you can decide how much or little you pray in tongues, or in the spirit.
Having trouble praying in tongues? Acts 2:4 says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Who began to speak? They did! Now that you’ve received, begin to “give voice to your tongue” and speak out with the “other tongue” that the Holy Spirit has given you. Your step of faith is to, “begin to speak,” trusting that the Holy Spirit will give you a new language. Remember that your “understanding is unfruitful” like 1 Corinthians 14:14 says so don’t try to figure out what you should say; any little syllables or sounds that seem to come to you, speak them out and you’ll sense when the Holy Spirit takes over and begins to pray through you!
2. Expect to be strengthened following your time of prayer
1 Corinthians 14:4a says, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself…” The word “edifies” there means to be built up, strengthened; it’s where we get our word, “edifice.” Get strengthened on the inside like a mighty fortress! If you don’t feel a whole lot different after your time of prayer, say, “Thank you, Lord, you said if I spoke in tongues I’d be edified; I believe that I am!” And later as you walk through your day, you’ll see amazing things happen that had you not prayed, you would have missed.
3. Stay in faith
If you’re tempted to have any doubts about what happened when hands were laid on you for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, read the following scriptures: Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8, 2:4, 8:14-17; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 14:2, 4, 14, 18, 39; Mark 16:17; Ephesians 5:18. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God! (Romans 10:17). If you have questions that still don’t seem to be answered, don’t hesitate to call the church office (909-825-8887) and request an appointment with one of the pastors who would be honored to spend time with you and answer your questions with the Word of God, or click the link below to receive a free copy of the book, Be Filled.
4. Pray for others
Praying in the Spirit is a powerful form of prayer because your spirit is speaking “mysteries to God” that no one (not even you) understands (1 Corinthians 14:2)! You’re not limited to your own understanding of a situation, but rather cooperating with the Holy Spirit, praying according to His will. The more you yield and allow your spirit to pray, the more your “language” will develop and flow freely. Many times we don’t know “what to pray for” as we ought to, but the Holy Spirit will pray through us according to His will (Romans 8:26) and you’ll see things change.
5. Seek fellowship of “like” believers
Go to church! At The Rock you’re going to find lots of wonderful people that are filled with the Spirit to encourage you as you adjust to this new realm of strength and victory. The Devil doesn’t want you to grow in this area, becoming stronger and more productive to The Kingdom, but other believers will encourage you, pray with you and confirm what God is doing in your life!
Download your copy of “Be Filled” by Pastor Sue Bryan
