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Before Jesus died on the cross, He told His disciples that He would be leaving them. He went on to explain that they would not be left alone. In John 14:16-17 Jesus said, "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."

When you received Jesus as the Lord of your life, you were born again of the Spirit of God. Your sins were forgiven and you became a child of God. There is a difference, however, in being born of the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit. John 14:17 clearly states that the world (the unbeliever separated from God by sin) cannot receive the Holy Spirit.

We see by this that there are two distinct and separate operations of the Spirit in the heart of man. The first is the re-creation of the human spirit in the new birth, and the second is the infilling (or indwelling) of the Spirit after salvation.

Only people who are born again by the Spirit of God can be filled with the Holy Spirit. The world (those outside of Christ) are not eligible for this experience.

The eighth chapter of Acts illustrates this clearly:

Verse 5: "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. Philip preached the message of salvation to the Samaritans."

Verse 12: "But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women."

Verses 14-17: "Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost."

First Peter 1:23 says that a man is born again by the word of God, that liveth and abideth forever. Acts 8:14 informs us that the Samaritans had received the Word of God. They were born again people. Later, Peter and John prayed they would be filled with the Holy Spirit and they were.

What is this work of the Spirit which follows salvation? What is its meaning and purpose?

During His miracle ministry on earth, Jesus said in John 14:10, "The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Verse 12 continues, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." Jesus said that it was the Father dwelling in Him by the Holy Spirit that did the works and miracles in the midst of the people. He also said that those who believed on Him would do those same works (signs, wonders, miracles) and greater works.

How could this be? Acts 1:8 says, "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. In Mark 16, Jesus commanded His disciples to go forth in the power of the Spirit, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature - and signs and wonders would follow them."

Verse 20 reads, "And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following." These signs and wonders are evidence and proof that Jesus is still alive today. The born again child of God is to have the Holy Spirit indwelling him to do the works of Jesus. These scriptures speak of the "works" of Jesus, the "power" of the Spirit, and being "witnesses" that Jesus is alive in the earth today. It is the Holy Spirit, dwelling in the heart of the believer, who will do these works and empower the believer to be a witness for Christ.

Notice that in the eighth chapter of Acts, when Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans who had received Christ, they didn't pray that God would give them the Holy Ghost. Their prayer was that they might receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:15). You see, the Holy Spirit came to earth on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1,4) and He has been here ever since. How, then, does He come to dwell in the heart of the child of God?

The Holy Spirit is a gift from God the Father to His children. Your salvation was a free gift. You didn't earn it nor did you deserve it. Eternal life is a free gift. The Holy Spirit is also a free gift from God. Luke 11:9-13 reads,

And I say unto you, ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 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?

We see several things from this scripture. If you are a child of God, He has a gift for you and is just waiting for you to ask Him for it. If earthly parents give their children good gifts, How much more will God give the Holy Spirit to His children who ask! Have no fear about submitting to God in this matter. If you ask for the Holy Spirit, that is exactly what you will receive. God will do what He said He would do.

As it was with salvation, your will is the deciding factor. The Father's will is to give you this good gift. But you have the right of choice to determine the course of your life. God will not force the Holy Spirit on you. You must ask in faith believing that He will do what He says in His Word.

As you receive this gift from God, it is scriptural for you to begin speaking in other tongues. Acts 2:4 says, "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." You will begin to speak in a language that is not known to you.

Acts 10:46 says, "For they heard them speak with tongues...." Acts 19:6 reads, "And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues...."

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:18, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all." First Corinthians 14:2 tells us this about tongues, "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."

As the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in your heart, be prepared to speak to God in a language you have not known.

Just as you received Jesus as your Lord by faith, the Holy Spirit is received by faith. God's Word says if you ask, He will give the Spirit to you. You must receive the Spirit and begin to pray in tongues by faith. Once you have prayed to receive the Holy Spirit, open your mouth and begin to speak.

You speak in English by moving your tongue and lips and forming words with your mouth. You must do the same things to pray in the Spirit. You have the tongue, the lips, the lungs, and the mouth that will speak. The Holy Spirit will anoint what you speak because you are speaking by faith. As you move out in faith, He will give the utterance. You, however, must make the sounds. English is the voice of your mind, while praying in tongues (in the Spirit) is the voice of your reborn spirit. You can have a supernatural language to help you communicate with God.

There can be hindrances to receiving the Holy Spirit. Involvement in the occult is in direct violation of God's Word. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 reads, There shall not be found among you any one that useth divination (fortune telling, ouija boards, automatic writing)...or an observer of times (a person who deals with astrology and horoscopes), or an enchanter (magician), or a witch (one making contacts with evil spirits), Or a charmer (hypnotist), or a consulter with familiar spirits (spiritist medium), or a wizard (clairvoyant, psychic, ESP, telepathy), or a necromancer (one who supposedly communicated with the dead, seances, voodoo). For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord.

Yoga, Transcendental Meditation, Satanism, and other cults all deny that Jesus is the Son of God. The theory of reincarnation directly contradicts the scriptures. Also, a heart with hatred, bitterness, or unforgiveness must be cleansed. You cannot say you love God and at the same time hate your fellow man.

If you have been involved with the occult in any way, or if there has been hatred or bitterness in your heart against anyone, then this must be renounced in order to be filled with God's Spirit. Acts 2:38-39 reads, "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. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off.... This gift is offered to every born again child of God. The promise of the Holy Spirit as a gift from God is for YOU. I want you to pray with me right now to receive the Holy Spirit. If you will pray with a sincere heart, you will be filled."

Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you in the Name of Jesus to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. I confess that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I now receive Him as my Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. I renounce any and all sin in my life. I repent of any unforgiveness or hatred and bitterness. I will not hold these in my heart. I renounce any involvement in the occult whatsoever. I will not participate in these ever again. I desire power from on high that I might do the works of Jesus and be a witness for Him here on this earth. You said in Your Word that You will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Father, I am asking to be filled with the Spirit. Jesus, baptize me with the Holy Spirit. By faith in Your Word, I believe that I have received the Holy Spirit. He dwells in my heart. Now, Holy Spirit, as I yield myself to You, pray through me in other tongues.


Now begin to praise and worship God in your new prayer language. Don't speak in English. Phrases and syllables that seem foreign to you will begin to rise up within you. No matter how strange these may sound to you, give voice to them by faith.

John 14:16 (Amplified Bible) says that the Holy Spirit is your Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby. He will minister to you in each one of these areas. As He dwells in you, He will help you live the Christian life. He will help you get rid of bad habits. Undesirable things in your life will go one by one. The power of God now lives in you so that you can be an overcomer in this life. You will be comforted. The Comforter has come to abide with you forever.

The Bible tells us that God is love. God loves you. In fact, He loved you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to the cross to pay the price for every one of your sins.

The love of God did not stop there. He has sent the Holy Spirit to be with and dwell in those who receive Jesus as their Lord. The Spirit of God is present in the earth today to reveal the Father to His children.

God has given His very best for you. My prayer is that you will determine in your heart to receive His love today.

Author Biography

Jerry Savelle
Web site: Jerry Savelle Ministries International
 
Dr. Jerry Savelle was an average, blue-collar man who was struggling and needed God's help. While he considered himself a "nobody," when he became a believer God told him not to worry about it because He was a master at making champions out of nobodies. God has since taken Dr. Savelle from being a constant quitter to a man who knows how to stand on the Word of God until victory is experienced. Because of the life-changing combination of God's faithfulness and Dr. Savelle's "no quit" attitude, his life is totally different than it was thirty-eight years ago.
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