How Do I Receive The Holy Spirit?

I've been baptized but life has been miserable in a way that doesn't make sense to me. My pastor told me that upon baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that I indeed have the Holy Spirit in my life. Now people are asking me if I've received the Holy Spirit or not. I'm confused. But I do want to receive Him, I just don't understand what is taking place and how I do this.
 
I've been baptized but life has been miserable in a way that doesn't make sense to me. My pastor told me that upon baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that I indeed have the Holy Spirit in my life. Now people are asking me if I've received the Holy Spirit or not. I'm confused. But I do want to receive Him, I just don't understand what is taking place and how I do this.

Mar 1:8 “I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

the act of baptism of water, is only a symbolic act ..
that you are born again in the spirit .. as a a new person ..
but if you are not, then you only received a symbolic act ..

being born again means you no longer live your life for self but for God ..
your life is no longer about your will, but His .. and you must desire in all your heart to "sin no more" ..
when you ACTUALLY can give Him control in all aspects of your life, the Holy Spirit will come to you, and he will remain with you .. in this you are "born again" (baptism of the Holy Spirit) and become a "new creature" ..

Act 19:2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
Act 19:3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
Act 19:4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

it is NOT in knowledge of the Holy Spirit that we receive Him ..
it is in living it ..


Act 5:32 "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

if this is your heart's intent ..
I have laid my hands over the internet to many ..

May God lead you in ALL His ways ..
 
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Confess to God privately your sins, that you are a sinner like all of us were (though I have not met a perfect man yet in the flesh), that there is atonement for this and that is accepting Christs blood atonement from his death on the cross and Resurrection in glory. And he will send his Counselor to your heart. You have to believe your own confession with all your heart. Christ paid our penalty in full in our place, he purchased our souls on the bitter cross. Although for me there was a great sense of joy and relief it is more than that. You will know all truths regarding compassion and sin. You might like to read my testimony which is in my profile to see how it worked in my life. I am not an expert on this. But you will know that you are loved and you will know when you are doing wrong. And it is an assurance that no one can take away from you.

This is a good discussion I'd like to see others chime in.
 
I know I have been baptized symbolically by water. I have given up on myself in this life. I have no strength or courage. I'm an utter failure to God and myself. I'm ready to say goodbye to this way of living. I need to know I am loved, and I need comfort to ease this mind of mine. I want to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I will continue to pray for this in the privacy of my own relationship with God.
 
You are loved! You MUST believe it. I know it is hard because for a very long time I could not even love myself. How could God love me when I don't even love myself? I asked. The good news is that he simply does. I don't know why exactly except that he is our Father and he wants the best for us. I came to understand that the world was lost without a divine power. It took a while but I did not recognize at the same time that I needed that power too. He so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son... You must know and understand that he also gave his life for you personally. He knew you before you were born. He has every hair on your head numbered. Know that when he said that "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." he meant that with power. This is you, you are poor in spirit. You will receive the power and you will know that you are saved from your past. Remember that before Peter received the Holy Spirit he too was afraid and lacked courage. He even denied our Lord's name 3 times. We remember peter the apostle more than peter the disciple. But if you've read Acts, you know Peter became a different person in courage after Pentecost. This will happen to you. Please don't give up!

Yours in Christ
Scott
 
We often find our imaginations glamorizing the ritualistic nature of certain milestones in or walk with Christ. I imagined many things about my water baptism before it happened: I made my public proclamation and got wet-no miracles of being lifted out of the water or hearing God's voice or 'feeling' a change in my body. But I was glad in my heart to take that step in obedience to Christ.

It seems to me that we often become disenchanted when some 'thing' does not happen as we expect-which is actually a good thing because God does not tend to move as our imaginations would lead us.

There is no moment of glamour if you will; but there is a moment of recognition and acceptance. In that moment peace covers your heart-that peace IS the Holy Spirit. 'Peace be with you'; 'Peace be unto'; 'I will send the Comforter' as Jesus Christ said. In that moment of knowing there is a God, and God wants to give us blessings and eternal life; recognizing that any "good" part of us can only come from God and not of ourselves-that's when we are reconciled to God. That's when the Holy Spirit comes-when we allow Him space within us to work.

The Holy Spirit baptizes from the inside out; within our spirit. But we have to allow Him access into those dark crevices within us we think are hidden in darkness but really aren't. All of our deeds & thoughts will be brought out into the light. That's a scary thought.

The Good News is that those who submit to Christ will be seen as cleansed. Give up your spirit to THE Spirit. As Christ said ' the kingdom of heaven is within you'. We just have to see it. Quite often the those who say the 'see' are still blind themselves. I think that scares me even more...
 
Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread[d] from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
 
Just a note: we've combated "who is the elect?" many a time on this forum. The simple truth is the "elect" are God's children-the saved. Not some special elite class of people. ALL people have the same access to the Holy Spirit-it is our choices-generally our bad choices, that keep us from partaking in the blessings from God on this earth. The closer we walk to God-the more evident the Spirit becomes.
 
There tends to be a lot of disagreements regarding the nature of the Holy Spirit, how He comes to indwell a person, and what He can and cannot do in your life. To prevent a great deal of confusion and save you a LOT of frustration, I would highly recommend that you discuss this further with your pastor since he is the one that brought the topic up to you.

Personally, I found that the majority of what everyone told me wasn't very helpful. It's actually quite a bit like love. Growing up, you have an expectation of what it will be like to be in love. You might meet several people and fall "in love", or even experience "love at first sight". You might even just settle for the closest thing you find to love, and think that must be what everyone else did, or even that there is something fatally wrong with you. It isn't until you get knocked off your feet by the real thing that you have this sudden realization of "how could I have confused those other things for this!?!?" The change brought by the Holy Spirit entering your life is not going to leave you with doubt, though there does seem to be a difference between the Holy Spirit working in your life as a ministry, and the full indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

That's my experience at least. I've heard a number of other versions, and I haven't found a good reason to doubt what others have experienced. Many claim that it is an automatic thing, immediate upon Salvation (and there are actually a few wildly opposing versions). Other claim that it is something that happens later (Or possibly immediately following Salvation). Other versions mark it as a progression over time, becoming more and more indwelled throughout your life. It all gets rather convoluted, and people do very much get quite emotional when discussing it, which is why I really would urge you to speak more with your pastor about it. If you are not satisfied with the results, then you can seek out more.


MODERATOR NOTE : I'm not going to permit a discussion regarding pre-election to go very far from the simple standpoint that it is usually completely unproductive and unhelpful to people seeking Christ or seeking any type of deeper relationship with God. If you are predestined, nothing said will change it, but if you aren't, then the discussion can serve to damage and hurt. If it can be discussed without elitism, without attacking people or denominations, and without proselytizing, then I'm open to permitting the discussion. However, if it goes much farther, it falls into very dangerous territory, at least for the purposes of this site's rules. Consider yourselves cautioned.
 
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I've been baptized but life has been miserable in a way that doesn't make sense to me. My pastor told me that upon baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that I indeed have the Holy Spirit in my life. Now people are asking me if I've received the Holy Spirit or not. I'm confused. But I do want to receive Him, I just don't understand what is taking place and how I do this.
You know you have the Holy Spirit if you don't curse Jesus and can call Him Lord 1 Cor 12:3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.

I know I have been baptized symbolically by water. I have given up on myself in this life. I have no strength or courage. I'm an utter failure to God and myself. I'm ready to say goodbye to this way of living. I need to know I am loved, and I need comfort to ease this mind of mine. I want to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I will continue to pray for this in the privacy of my own relationship with God.
If we seek we will find. If our hearts are after the heart of God, finding Jesus is inevitable. It sounds like yours is. You sound humble ;).

Need to know you are loved...read John 3:16. Need to know God will look after you... read Matt 6:26. If you feel God is not hearing you, examine yourself Phil 2:12. Remember God can only hear those who worship Him John 9:31. If you can and do call Jesus Lord truthfully, you are born again / new creation in Christ and must carry your cross Matt 16:24. Life is not easy, but you will hear God speaking to and holidng your hand through every situation you face. God basically puts you where He needs you. We serve Him, not ourselves. When we get to heaven He will say ''well done good and faithful servant''.

Phil 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
 
The only thing to receiving the Holy Spirit baptism, is just by believing. It would be difficult to know we have received if we didn't have evidence. That is we will speak in a new tongue. When tongues of fire came upon the people at Pentecost they spake in another language. Being one doesn't know that language they speak by faith. First they ask, then they act like they have it. It is just like when people were healed. Jesus told one to take up his bed and walk. So you see, after asking, step out by faith by speaking sounds with your mouth. If you have trouble with that , then get in the word and study about tongues. The devil is a hinderer since he knows you will also receive power from God which is greater than any power there is. It is important to stay away from doubters as the devil uses them to rob you of your faith. Much growth in teaching is needed for your future. God bless esp. your prayers to God in Jesus name.
 
My apologies for missing what was said about the trinitarian formula. Col. 3:17 tells us that whatsoever you do in word or in deed do all in the name of Jesus. Most do not know that Father is a title, and Holy Spirit is a essence of the triune God. Jesus is a name. It means savior and deliverer. Jesus receives the honor of all God is because he purchased our salvation and sent the Holy Spirit as a gift. In short discernment is seeing things as God sees them. Jesus said I am the way, the truth, the life. No matter who you are, you must know Satan comes as a angel of light. He uses scripture even such as he did when he tempted Jesus on the mount in Matt. 4:4.

Any preacher who says anything other than in the name of Jesus has imparted nothing to you.
One of the great reasons to have the Holy Spirit baptism is to have the Spirit in you Jn. 14:17. Then he will teach you how to hear his voice, and being careful as to what people you listen to. Listen carefully to people, with a heart of love but also prayer for wisdom James 1:5. Don't fear but remember God is in control of everything for sincere believers who want more of God in their lives. The whole purpose of God is to empower our walk with God as we have a enemy stronger than us. That is not to say we are left vulnerable before God. All bible study reveals people who walk with God. God knows our deepest heart thoughts. If he ses sincerity you can be sure he will help and keep from the power of our enemies. Proof no saved person has the Holy Spirit in them, though he is with them, is Acts 19:2 have you received the Holy Spirit----since you believed-----**** That was the baptism with tongues. not the Spirit dwelling with a saved person.

The Acts 2:11 passage is what I experienced years ago. I spoke to a Arab man in a half way house. When I spoke he said I know what your saying---I didn't. He was crying very loud because I was talking to him about my God. Amazingly was speaking to him the first words given me by the Spirit when God baptized me. God bless.
 
Here, banjo, there are some things you need to know:
#1 The reason why things may seem miserable to you or that trouble seems to crop up everywhere for you is because the Devil doesn't just sit back and say, "sure, destroy my kingdom, dwell in peace and enjoy life!" No sir, he comes to everyone, ESPECIALLY EVERY BELIEVER (to try to both discredit the Word of God and thereby God Himself, and to block you from growing in the Anointed One and His anointing and shutting down the Devil's projects), to cause trouble every which way he can. And you can AID the Devil in this by #1, not resisting him (you need to wear the family armor everyday (Eph 6:10-18), and take your place of authority over him (Ephesians 1:17-23) by sitting down with Jesus next to the Father and reigning over the Devil like a judge with a gavel), and by #2 speaking the thoughts of fear that he puts into your mind about whatever the situation is, because Proverbs 18:21 + Deut 30:19 = blessing and life as well as death and cursing are all in YOUR tongue, not God's.
He's put the authority of blessing and life in your tongue my brother. So look at Joshua 1:8 and see what God's formula is for good success and prosperity. You need to put it before your eyes, so it gets in your heart and then comes out your mouth. Not just once, daily.
YOU CAN DO IT! Your faith is good enough - it's Jesus' own faith. If you took out Jesus' faith, the Holy Spirit in Him, His anointing, the Blessing of Abraham on Him, the Favor (grace) of God on Him, His righteousness, etc, and then we took out yours, and then you turned your back and someone mixed 'em all up and then you had to turn around and say which ones belong to you, you couldn't tell the difference. BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL THE SAME. Look at 1 John 4 and 5, as well as 2, plus Isaiah 54:17 and Galatians 3:13-14 and Galatians 4:4-8 to see that this statement is true.
You have to decide you're going to stop rolling over for the Devil right now and that you're not going to take his junk ANYMORE! Get serious about confronting defeat, disaster, lack, poverty, failure, guilt, disappointment, depression, grief, etc - treat each one like a plate of bowel movements the Devil is presenting for you to eat. You would never touch that plate. Treat all that junk the same, BECAUSE Jesus said IF YOU WON'T HAVE IT IN HEAVEN THEN IT ISN'T GOD'S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE TODAY, because Jesus prayed, when His disciples wanted more faith, that the Father's will would be done for them, JUST AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, that they would have that here for their lives.
In Heaven there is no lack, poverty, defeat, sickness, disease, disaster, depression, darkness, etc, so if you don't see it in Heaven, get rid of it with your mouth, using the authority you've been deputized with (Jesus' own authority), RECOGNIZING that you are already today as righteous as you'll EVER be, just as righteous as GOD THE FATHER AND JESUS HIMSELF.
WOW! Stunning statement, but Isaiah 54:17 says that God did this and you see it in 2 Cor 5:17-21.
You can't wear the Breastplate of Righteousness without understanding and KNOWING this, that YOU, banjo!, are RIGHTEOUS, NOW, and forever.

Look also at Romans 5 and be set free. The words from that chapter for sin and righteousness are NOUNS, not verbs, not actions.
Since they are NOUNS, you see that before, when you WERE a sinner, you were made that way through ADAM'S 1 sin (not your own), and thereby had been translated into a state of sin, and sins were the fruit of that and no matter how much righteous you ever tried to practice, you were still a sinner in the eyes of God (that's why there are no good unsaved people).

CONVERSELY, NOW, through JESUS' 1 act of righteousness (NOT YOURS! Hallelujah, so you can't lose it, and it can never be dimished!) YOU, banjo!, have BEEN MADE (past tense) RIGHTEOUS! You are the righteousness of God (through nothing you did, just the way you became a sinner through nothing you did) now and forever! No matter how many times you end up sinning from now through the end, YOU ARE STILL RIGHTEOUS, because it was HIS righteousness He gave you and you became righteous through HIS righteousness, so it has nothing to do with you - IT IS A GIFT! Receive it today! Hallelujah! Then when you miss it, or sin, you aren't informing Him of anything, but you repent of your disobedience and receive your forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Now you are a prisoner of righteousness FOREVER. You have been made good enough! As good as God, in your state of being, your place of standing with God. You have right standing with God forever. No sin can ever separate you from God, or put you back into the prison of sin - you are forever free. Your sin debt past, present and FUTURE, has been paid in full (telesti as Jesus said).

So now every place you see references to the righteous, THAT'S YOU! Receive what those Scriptures say and act on them!
 
NOW, having understood that you are righteous now and forever (you meet the conditions since you're in Christ now; God is for you, not against you, always - run to Him, not from Him, always, He loves you, ALWAYS) (keep in mind Isaiah 43:25 - they've been blotted out and also Isaiah 54:9 - GOD CANNOT EVER BE ANGRY WITH YOU AGAIN!) :
On to #2:
How to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is the power and the tongues that Jesus said He would baptize His Believers with when He said He would baptize us with fire!
Remember, Luke 11:13 says, “…how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” So if you want to receive your baptism in the Holy Spirit, ask Him now, expecting that you will receive right on the spot (Mark 11:24 - you believe you receive WHEN you pray, not when it shows up).
Pray this, “Heavenly Father, I am a believer. I am Your child and You are my Father. Jesus is my Lord. I believe with all my heart that Your Word is true. Your Word says if I will ask, I will receive the Holy Spirit. So in the Name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, I am asking You to fill me to overflowing with Your precious Holy Spirit. Jesus, baptize me in the Holy Spirit right now, Lord.
“Because of Your Word, I believe that I now receive and I thank You for it. I believe the Holy Spirit is within me and, by faith, I accept it. Now, Holy Spirit, rise up within me as I praise God. I fully expect to speak with other tongues, as You give me the utterance.”

Now begin giving sound to the expressions in your heart, though it may sound like baby talk. Speak and hear the Holy Spirit speaking through you. Rejoice! You’ve just been baptized in the Holy Spirit! You’ve been endued with power—hallelujah!
 
Mathew 28:19 is for when the nations need healing after the New Jerusalem. Read Acts 2:38

Acts 2:37-39
King James Version (KJV)

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

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.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as theLord our God shall call.

Pay attention to verse 38 baptism in Jesus name and repentance, then the gift of the Holy Ghost.

I post verses so the moderator can not get mad at me, straight from The Word of God.

You have a sword use it, its the Bible, it is your best weapon against everything this world can come up against you with, ounce your a child of the King Jesus Christ, the world will try to get you down, because your no longer of the world, but born again of Jesus Christ a child of the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. God bless I hope I was able to answer your question, full water baptism.
 
Banarenth .. the indwelling of the HS happens when you become a new creature ..
NOT all do with belief .. they are still the old creature ..
(as James said, even demons believe) ..

some become a new creature instantly (like falling in love) ..
some become a new creature in time ..
some never do ..

so when you believe or are baptized are not some magic milestone ..
I ask .. why be baptized if you are still living your life for self .. to fool yourself ???
 
That
Banarenth .. the indwelling of the HS happens when you become a new creature ..
NOT all do with belief .. they are still the old creature ..
(as James said, even demons believe) ..

some become a new creature instantly (like falling in love) ..
some become a new creature in time ..
some never do ..

so when you believe or are baptized are not some magic milestone ..
I ask .. why be baptized if you are still living your life for self .. to fool yourself ???
word magic gives me chills, now if you did not believe then why would a person goes through the steps that The Word of God laid out for us, that is the first step is believing, or other wise someone would just walk out or not read the Bible. Belief is what makes you walk through the doors, belief is what makes us open our Bible.
 
That

word magic gives me chills, now if you did not believe then why would a person goes through the steps that The Word of God laid out for us, that is the first step is believing, or other wise someone would just walk out or not read the Bible. Belief is what makes you walk through the doors, belief is what makes us open our Bible.

the word "magic" was meant in the mode of "presto" that it is instantly so ..
God works with peoples hearts ..

people seek God .. but most often hold back much .. they still want to be in control ..
when people become "more committed" then they tend to seek God even more ..
that does not mean they do not yet live their lives for self .. understand ???

1Cr 14:27
If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret;

if the HS is not giving the gift of interpretation with the tongues ..
A RED FLAG SHOULD GO UP !!!
 
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the word "magic" was meant in the mode of "presto" that it is so ..
God works with peoples hearts ..

people seek God .. but most often hold back much .. they still want to be in control ..
when people become "more committed" then they tend to seek God even more ..
that does not mean they do not yet live their lives for self .. understand ???

Paul says if there is NO translator for your tongues it is USELESS ..

1 Corinthians 14:14-15
King James Version (KJV)

14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.

15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

Paul's says to pray with both spirit tongues, and understanding mind.
 
1 Corinthians 14:14-15
New International Version (NIV)

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.

Paul's says to pray both in the spirit tongues and in the mind.

and Paul also says there MUST BE AN INTERPRETER if before others ..
1Cr 14:13
Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.
 
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