<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>baptism in Holy Spirit – Judith Doctor</title> <atom:link href="https://judithdoctor.com/tag/baptism-in-holy-spirit/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://judithdoctor.com</link> <description>Kairos Ministries, Inc.</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 22 Oct 2020 20:25:27 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2</generator> <site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">56061820</site> <item> <title>What Does The Holy Spirit Want To Do For You?</title> <link>https://judithdoctor.com/bible-study-what-does-the-holy-spirit-want-to-do-for-you/</link> <comments>https://judithdoctor.com/bible-study-what-does-the-holy-spirit-want-to-do-for-you/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Judith Doctor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2018 16:23:44 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bible Studies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[baptism in Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bible Study on Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gifts of Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Led by the Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[power of God]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Praying in Tongues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Visions]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://judithdoctor.com/?p=4826</guid> <description><![CDATA[According to Hebrews 1:1-2, in Old Testament times God spoke to His people through the prophets. In New Testament times God spoke to His people through His son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Upon Jesus’ return to the right hand of God, He promised to pour out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). The promise of the Father is that the Holy…<p><a href="https://judithdoctor.com/bible-study-what-does-the-holy-spirit-want-to-do-for-you/" class="btn-continue">Continue Reading<span class="arrow-continue">→</span></a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>According to Hebrews 1:1-2, in Old Testament times God spoke to His people through the prophets. In New Testament times God spoke to His people through His son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Upon Jesus’ return to the right hand of God, He promised to pour out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). The promise of the Father is that the Holy Spirit could be within us and make God’s words known to us.</p> <blockquote><p>I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him, because He abides with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:16-18).</p></blockquote> <p>In bringing us to salvation, holiness, and wholeness, each part of the Trinity has its work to do. The Father has His, the Son Jesus Christ has His, and the Holy Spirit has His. The Holy Spirit, our Helper, is here on earth for many purposes, including teacher, guide, and comforter.</p> <p>The general working of the Holy Spirit is to edify, transform, lead, and fill us with God’s power and authority, giving us spiritual gifts.</p> <h3>20 wonderful things the Holy Spirit wants to do for you</h3> <p>Look up the following scriptures in your Bible and discover what the Holy Spirit wants to do for you.</p> <h4>1. Reveal & bear witness to Jesus</h4> <ul> <li>When the Helper comes … He will bear witness of Me (John 15:26)</li> </ul> <h4>2. Make you a child of God—you have a Father</h4> <ul> <li>God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” You are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God (Galatians 4:5-7)</li> </ul> <h4>3. Establish a witness in your heart</h4> <ul> <li>The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:15-16).</li> <li>Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge (2 Corinthians 1:21)</li> </ul> <h4>4. Set you free, give you freedom and liberty from the Law</h4> <ul> <li>But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law (Galatians 5:18).</li> <li>Now the Lord is the the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (freedom) (2 Corinthians 3:17).</li> </ul> <h4>5. Teach you all things</h4> <ul> <li>The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things (John 14:26).</li> </ul> <h4>6. Guide you to all truth</h4> <ul> <li>When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13).</li> </ul> <h4>7. Bring to your mind what the Lord has said</h4> <ul> <li>He will … bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (John 14:26).</li> </ul> <h4>8. Prepare you for the future</h4> <ul> <li>And He will disclose to you what is to come (John 16:13).</li> </ul> <h4>9. Give you wisdom & revelation</h4> <ul> <li>The Apostle Paul prays: God … will give them a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:13-14).</li> </ul> <h4>10. Help you with your praying</h4> <ul> <li>In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for you do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26)</li> </ul> <h4>11. Intercede for you according to the will of God</h4> <ul> <li>But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26).</li> </ul> <h4>12. Reveal God’s thoughts and words to you</h4> <ul> <li>I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you (Proverbs 1:23).</li> <li>Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who live Him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).</li> <li>I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now (John 16:12).</li> </ul> <h4>13. Reveal the things freely given to you by God</h4> <ul> <li>Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God (1 Corinthians 2:12).</li> </ul> <h4>14. Lead and guide you</h4> <ul> <li>For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Romans 8:14).</li> <li>And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot” (Acts 8:29).</li> </ul> <h4>15. Make you adequate to serve the new covenant</h4> <ul> <li>Who made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:6).</li> </ul> <h4>16. Give you gifts</h4> <ul> <li>But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)</li> </ul> <h4>17. Bring you to life, make you fully alive</h4> <ul> <li>It is the Spirit who gives life … (John 6:63).</li> <li>I will put my Spirit within you, and you will come to life (Ezekiel 37:14).</li> </ul> <h4>18. Bring you dreams, visions, and prophetic knowings</h4> <ul> <li>I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams (Acts 2:14-17).</li> </ul> <h4>19. Enable your spirit to pray to God in an unknown tongue</h4> <ul> <li>Praying in tongues is a unique gift of the Holy Spirit to the believer (1 Corinthians 14:2, 4).</li> <li>But you beloved, building yourself up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20).</li> </ul> <h4>20. Transform you</h4> <ul> <li>The Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. But we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).</li> </ul> <h3>The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force or energy</h3> <p>Remember, the Holy Spirit is a person, the third Person of the Trinity. As a Person, He has an intellect, emotions, and a will — a mind of infinite knowledge (Romans 8:26-27), feelings (Ephesians 4:30), a will (1 Corinthians 12:11). Also, the Holy Spirit can speak (Acts 13:2; John 16:13). A force or power does not have these attributes and abilities!</p> <h4>Do you have a spiritual thirst?</h4> <blockquote> <blockquote><p>If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being [belly or hollow place] shall flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:38-39).</p></blockquote> </blockquote> <h4>Do you need the Holy Spirit?</h4> <p>Go to Jesus right now and ask Him to baptize you or to fill you anew with the Holy Spirit. Tell Him that you want Him to lead and guide you, that you want to make Him your teacher.</p> <p>You do this in the same way you received Jesus Christ: through faith (confidence and assurance) in your heart.</p> <blockquote><p>… so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14).</p></blockquote> <p>Remember, God cannot lie; He promises to send the Holy Spirit to those who ask!</p> <blockquote><p>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? (Luke 11:10-13)</p></blockquote> <p><em>Heavenly Father, I come to You right now in this moment. I thank You that Jesus has forgiven me of my sins through His blood on the cross. I need your power and authority in my life. I want to serve only You. Lord Jesus, I ask you to baptize me now in the Holy Spirit. </em></p> <p><em>Please fill me with your power and anoint me for the work you have called me to do. I do receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit right now by faith, because You cannot lie. </em></p> <p><em>Thank You, Lord Jesus, for baptizing me in Your Holy Spirit, for filling me afresh with your Holy Spirit, for giving me this gift. Amen.</em></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://judithdoctor.com/bible-study-what-does-the-holy-spirit-want-to-do-for-you/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">4826</post-id> </item> <item> <title>What Do You Know About the Holy Spirit?</title> <link>https://judithdoctor.com/what-do-you-know-about-the-holy-spirit/</link> <comments>https://judithdoctor.com/what-do-you-know-about-the-holy-spirit/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Judith Doctor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2018 19:35:22 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Spiritual Growth]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Abba Father]]></category> <category><![CDATA[baptism in Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Faith in God]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[power of God]]></category> <category><![CDATA[praying in the spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[spiritual foundation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tongues]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://judithdoctor.com/?p=4792</guid> <description><![CDATA[After we receive Jesus, there are two things we need to become knowledgeable of: 1) how to use our faith, and 2) the Holy Spirit. Since we celebrate Pentecost next Sunday, I want to focus on the Holy Spirit. We need to understand who the Holy Spirit is, the work of the Holy Spirit, how the Holy Spirit leads us,…<p><a href="https://judithdoctor.com/what-do-you-know-about-the-holy-spirit/" class="btn-continue">Continue Reading<span class="arrow-continue">→</span></a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>After we receive Jesus, there are two things we need to become knowledgeable of: 1) how to use our faith, and 2) the Holy Spirit. Since we celebrate Pentecost next Sunday, I want to focus on the Holy Spirit.</p> <p>We need to understand who the Holy Spirit is, the work of the Holy Spirit, how the Holy Spirit leads us, the need to rely on the Holy Spirit, rather than trying to fix ourselves, and the movement of the Spirit of God in our spirit. This is necessary if we want a strong spiritual foundation.</p> <h3>We need to receive the Holy Spirit</h3> <p>Our search for God often begins with a crisis. We encounter something that we don’t have the resources or power to handle. For me, it was my child’s diagnosis of leukemia. I knew then that, if I didn’t find a <i>living</i> God who would help me, I could never survive this. My search brought me to the place where I realized that I needed the power of the Holy Spirit inside of me.</p> <blockquote><p>He commanded them … to wait for what the Father had promised, … you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now … you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you (Acts 1:4-5, 8).</p></blockquote> <p>This was the reason Nancy was visiting me. I needed the Holy Spirit. She read these words to me:</p> <blockquote><p>For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks, finds…Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake, will he? Or if he is asked for an <i>egg,</i> he will not give him a <i>scorpion, </i>will he? 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? (Luke 11:10-13)</p></blockquote> <p>When Nancy finished, she asked if I was ready to receive the Holy Spirit: ” This is what the Father promised to those who believe,” she said.<a href="https://i0.wp.com/69.195.124.80/~judithdo/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dove4-e13779996546631.png"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-1441" src="https://i0.wp.com/69.195.124.80/~judithdo/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dove4-e13779996546631.png?resize=90%2C71" alt="dove4" width="90" height="71" /></a></p> <p>For weeks I’d been pouring over Scriptures like Acts 2:38, 39. I’d finally come to the decision that the Holy Spirit was not just for people in the Bible, but for <i>all who were far off</i>—and that included me. “Yes, I am ready,” I answered.</p> <p>However, my teeth were chattering, my insides trembling.<span id="more-4792"></span> I’d heard so many stories about what might happen when the Holy Spirit comes. People fall down, they pray in a strange way, they roll all over. I’d heard about the Holy Rollers growing up. I didn’t want to be like them; I didn’t want to lose control!</p> <h4>The Holy Spirit came</h4> <p>Nancy reassured me that God does not want His people to be lacking in any gift and that our spirit is not dumb; it is capable of speaking—even in an unfamiliar way: “Just let go. Surrender yourself to God, Judy. You can trust Him.”</p> <p>Feeling frightened and self-conscious, I went into my bedroom to pray alone. Nancy waited in the living room. Using the steps of faith that Nancy had taught me, I knelt beside my bed and asked Jesus to baptize me with the Holy Spirit, yet I felt nothing.</p> <p>I returned to Nancy. She asked, “Judith where is the Holy Spirit?”</p> <p>“In me,” I answered.</p> <p>“Why?” she pressed.</p> <p>“Because I asked Jesus to give me the Holy Spirit, and He cannot lie.”</p> <h4>I pray in the Spirit</h4> <p>“Good Judith, now let’s pray in tongues together!”</p> <p>Nancy began to pray fluently in another language, a language I’d never heard. I tried to let go of my tongue and give it free reign to make whatever sounds that came, while keeping my mind centered on God and His trustworthiness.</p> <p>I reminded myself of the promise, “these signs will accompany <i>those who have believed</i>. . . they will speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17). I had believed! I<em> can</em> speak in a new tongue.</p> <p>I felt very foolish making these strange sounds, but after a few moments Nancy said, “That’s it! Listen, you are praying exactly the same sound, syllable for syllable, as I am! Now I know why God changed my prayer language this morning; it was for you.”</p> <h4>“Abba! Father!”</h4> <p>My heart filled with joy! An inner witness of God’s presence welled up in my spirit. For the first time in my life, I knew that I belonged to God—and I hadn’t rolled over!</p> <blockquote><p><i> … you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father! The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.”</i> (Romans 8:15,16)</p></blockquote> <p>I’d felt afraid of God for so many years. Now my suffering and pain had brought me to the place where I came to Him with all my heart. As a result, He became real to me; His presence dwelt within. I knew I belonged to Him and I was His child, just as the Scriptures promise. What a <i>place</i> to be in! Jesus and the events at Pentecost were no longer just historical events, but an inner reality in my heart.</p> <blockquote><p><em>I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the spirit of truth . . . I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:16-17).</em></p></blockquote> <h3>The Holy Spirit makes transformation possible</h3> <p>In the years following, I slowly changed; I became more fully alive and whole. This is a key difference between man’s religion and Christianity: the working of the Holy Spirit. In man’s religion, we try by our own efforts to be good, to live a moral life, but we end up with no morality. In authentic Christian experience, transformation occurs through the indwelling Spirit of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit working inside us.</p> <blockquote><p>If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being (belly-hollow place) shall flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:38-39).</p></blockquote> <h4>You can be filled with the Holy Spirit too</h4> <p>Have you received the Holy Spirit? If not, go to Jesus right now and ask Him to baptize you or to fill you anew with the Holy Spirit. We receive the Holy Spirit the same way we received Jesus Christ: through faith (confidence and assurance) in our heart.</p> <blockquote><p>… so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14).</p></blockquote> <p><em>Heavenly Father, I come to You right now in this moment. I thank You that Jesus has forgiven me of my sins through His blood on the cross. I need your power and authority in my life. I want to serve only You. Lord Jesus, I ask you to baptize me now in the Holy Spirit. </em></p> <p><em>Please fill me with your power and anoint me for the work you have called me to do. I do receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit right now by faith, because You cannot lie. </em></p> <p><em>Thank You, Lord Jesus, for baptizing me in Your Holy Spirit, for giving me this gift. Amen.</em></p> <h4>To learn more about the Holy Spirit see my Radio Horeb program notes:</h4> <ol> <li><strong><em>July 2007</em></strong>: <a href="https://judithdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The-Holy-Spirit-Will-Lead-You.pdf">https://judithdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The-Holy-Spirit-Will-Lead-You.pdf</a></li> <li><strong><em>June 2006:</em></strong> <a href="https://judithdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/The-Holy-Spirit-And-Dreams1.pdf">https://judithdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/The-Holy-Spirit-And-Dreams1.pdf</a></li> <li><strong><em>January 2006</em></strong>: <a href="https://judithdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The-Work-of-Holy-Spirit.pdf">https://judithdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The-Work-of-Holy-Spirit.pdf </a></li> </ol> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://judithdoctor.com/what-do-you-know-about-the-holy-spirit/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">4792</post-id> </item> <item> <title>You Can Experience a God of Power</title> <link>https://judithdoctor.com/experiencing-a-god-of-power/</link> <comments>https://judithdoctor.com/experiencing-a-god-of-power/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Judith Doctor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Oct 2013 17:50:25 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[My Testimony]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[baptism in Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Change & Transformation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Forgiveness]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gift of the Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[joy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[M. Scott Peck]]></category> <category><![CDATA[New Birth Experience]]></category> <category><![CDATA[peace]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Power]]></category> <category><![CDATA[spiritual foundation]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.judithdoctor.com/?p=1496</guid> <description><![CDATA[My experiences with a living God began to change me. I’d known about God all my life, but now I’d directly experienced his presence and power for myself. My faith no longer rested on someone else’s experience. I felt so excited, I wanted to tell everyone, especially my husband Jerry. But somehow I sensed that I wasn’t to say much…<p><a href="https://judithdoctor.com/experiencing-a-god-of-power/" class="btn-continue">Continue Reading<span class="arrow-continue">→</span></a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My experiences with a living God began to change me. I’d known about God all my life, but now I’d directly experienced his presence and power for myself. My faith no longer rested on someone else’s experience.</p> <p>I felt so excited, I wanted to tell everyone, especially my husband Jerry. But somehow I sensed that I wasn’t to say much about my encounter with the Holy Spirit. For the next few months I went quietly about my life.<span id="more-1496"></span></p> <p>During this time, the Bible became alive to me; I couldn’t seem get enough of it. Even Deuteronomy! My prayers changed, they carried more confidence and authority. I enjoyed singing aloud to God in my kitchen or my car—even though I couldn’t carry a tune (I’d inherited my Mother’s off-key warble). God didn’t seem to mind: his presence seemed so near, so real to me.</p> <p>I carried more vitality and more joy. My steps seemed lighter. I felt a new peace, a new strength, and a new power within me. Life held more meaning and purpose, in spite of our son’s illness. Seven months went my, then one day my husband suddenly said, “You know, you are different; I want what you have.”</p> <p>Right then, we knelt by our sofa and prayed for Jesus to baptize him in the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit fell <a href="https://i0.wp.com/69.195.124.80/~judithdo/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dove3b1.jpg"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-1305" style="margin: 8px;" src="https://i0.wp.com/69.195.124.80/~judithdo/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dove3b1.jpg?resize=90%2C63" alt="dove" width="90" height="63" /></a>upon him in a powerful way: he bolted backwards in a somersault and came up praising God in a strange new language. It was the changes in me that caused my husband to desire more from God—not my words.</p> <p>Our hearts filled with joy because we knew God was at work in our lives. Our Christian walk was no longer an external practice of religion but a real and living day-to-day experience. We were learning to look to God in everything—like when my car wouldn’t start (see my blog, <i>God Fixes Cars</i>).</p> <ul> <li>A true Christian is one who has seen, heard, sensed and lived Christ. Either we have direct experience, a personal encounter with the risen Christ, or we have nothing. (Father Tony DeMello)</li> <li>We cannot consider ourselves to know something unless we have experienced it. (Psychiatrist, M. Scott Peck)</li> </ul> <h4>Spiritual foundation: the new birth experience</h4> <p>When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior through faith, we receive the “Spirit of Christ.” Our own spirit is quickened and made alive (Romans 8:9-10). The new birth experience takes place in our spirit. God grants us his uncreated life so that our spirit may come alive and we can connect with our Creator once again.</p> <p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/69.195.124.80/~judithdo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/cross3c31.jpg"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-1503" style="margin: 8px;" src="https://i0.wp.com/69.195.124.80/~judithdo/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/cross3c31.jpg?resize=71%2C74" alt="wooden cross" width="71" height="74" /></a>God’s work begins without exception within us, from the center to the circumference. God aims to renew our darkened spirit by imparting his life to it, because it is this spirit which God originally designed to receive His life and to commune with Him.</p> <p>Christianity has to do with not only the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, but the work of the Holy Spirit inside us. This is key. In Christianity, transformation occurs through the indwelling Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit working inside a person, <i>not</i> by us trying to be good.</p> <h4>Spiritual foundation: the baptism in the Holy Spirit</h4> <p>The baptism in the Holy Spirit involves a filling or immersion into God’s power and authority and the capability of functioning with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is received through faith, the same way we accept Jesus Christ to be our Savior.</p> <blockquote><p>Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off…(Acts 2:38-39).</p></blockquote> <p>First, we need to ask God to baptize us in the Holy Spirit: “Ask, and it shall be given to you” (Luke 11:9). Second, we need to apply our faith, believing that what we asked for, we have received. St. Paul explains that we receive the Spirit “by hearing with faith” (Galatians 3:2).</p> <p><b>Questions: </b>What effect has God had on your soul? What meaning and purpose has He brought into your life?</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://judithdoctor.com/experiencing-a-god-of-power/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">1496</post-id> </item> <item> <title>I Need The Holy Spirit</title> <link>https://judithdoctor.com/the-holy-spirit-comes/</link> <comments>https://judithdoctor.com/the-holy-spirit-comes/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Judith Doctor]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sun, 01 Sep 2013 05:00:49 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[My Testimony]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Abba Father]]></category> <category><![CDATA[baptism in Holy Spirit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[direct spiritual experiences]]></category> <category><![CDATA[heart faith]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Praying in Tongues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[spiritual foundation]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.judithdoctor.com/?p=1434</guid> <description><![CDATA[Our search for God often begins with a crisis. We encounter something that we don’t have the resources or power to handle. For me, it was my child’s diagnosis of leukemia. I knew then that, if I didn’t find a living God, I would never survive this. My search brought me to the realization that I needed the Holy Spirit.…<p><a href="https://judithdoctor.com/the-holy-spirit-comes/" class="btn-continue">Continue Reading<span class="arrow-continue">→</span></a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Our search for God often begins with a crisis. We encounter something that we don’t have the resources or power to handle. For me, it was my child’s diagnosis of leukemia. I knew then that, if I didn’t find a <i>living</i> God, I would never survive this. My search brought me to the realization that I needed the Holy Spirit.</p> <p>This was the reason Nancy was visiting me. She now read more words from Jesus:</p> <blockquote><p>For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks, finds…Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake, will he? Or if he is asked for an <i>egg,</i> he will not give him a <i>scorpion, </i>will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?</span> (Luke 11:10-13)</p></blockquote> <p>When Nancy finished, she asked if I was ready to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit: “This is what the Father promised to those who believe,” she said.<a href="https://i0.wp.com/69.195.124.80/~judithdo/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dove4-e13779996546631.png"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-1441" style="margin: 7px;" src="https://i0.wp.com/69.195.124.80/~judithdo/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dove4-e13779996546631.png?resize=90%2C71" alt="dove4" width="90" height="71" /></a></p> <p>For weeks I’d been pouring over Scriptures like Acts 2:38, 39. I’d come to the decision that the Holy Spirit was not just for people at that time, but for <i>all who were far off</i>—and that included me. “Yes, I am ready,” I answered.</p> <p>However, my teeth were chattering, my insides trembling.<span id="more-1434"></span> I’d heard so many stories about what might happen when the Holy Spirit comes. People fall down, they pray in a strange way, they roll all over. I’d heard about the Holy Rollers growing up; I didn’t want to be like them. I didn’t want to lose control!</p> <p>Nancy reassured me that God does not want his people to be lacking in any gift and that our spirit is not dumb; it is capable of speaking—even in an unfamiliar way: “Just let go. Surrender yourself to God, Judy. You can trust Him.”</p> <p>Feeling frightened and self-conscious, I went into my bedroom to pray alone. Nancy waited in the living room. Using the steps of faith that Nancy had taught me, I knelt beside my bed and asked God to fill me with the Holy Spirit. Yet I felt nothing. I tried to let my mouth pray, but nothing seemed to happen.</p> <p>I returned to Nancy. She said, “Judy where is the Holy Spirit?</p> <p>“In me,” I answered.</p> <p>“Why?” she pressed.</p> <p>“Because I asked, and He simply cannot lie.”</p> <p>“Good Judy, now let’s pray in tongues together!”</p> <p>Nancy began to pray fluently in another language, a language I’d never heard. I tried to let go of my tongue and give it free reign to make whatever sounds that came, while keeping my mind centered on God and His trustworthiness—it is impossible for God to lie.</p> <p><a href="https://i0.wp.com/69.195.124.80/~judithdo/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/fire5a1.jpg"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-1440" style="margin: 7px;" src="https://i0.wp.com/69.195.124.80/~judithdo/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/fire5a1-150x150.jpg?resize=105%2C105" alt="fire flame Holy Spirit heart" width="105" height="105" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/judithdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/fire5a1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/judithdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/fire5a1.jpg?zoom=2&resize=105%2C105&ssl=1 210w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 105px) 100vw, 105px" /></a>I reminded myself of the promise, “these signs will accompany <i>those who have believed</i>. . . they will speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17). I had believed! I can speak in a new tongue.</p> <p>I felt very foolish making these strange sounds, but after a few moments Nancy said, “That’s it! Listen, you are praying exactly the same sound, syllable for syllable, as I am! Now I know why God changed my prayer language this morning; it was for you.”</p> <p>My heart filled with joy! An inner witness of God’s presence welled up within in my spirit. For the first time in my life, I knew Jesus Christ was alive and lived within me—and I hadn’t rolled over!</p> <blockquote><p><i> …you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father! The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.”</i> (Romans 8:15,16)</p></blockquote> <p>I’d felt afraid of God for so many years. Now my suffering and pain had brought me to the place where I came to Him with all my heart. As a result, He became real to me; His presence dwelt within. I knew that I belonged to Him and I was His child, just as the Scriptures promise. What a <i>place</i> to be in! Jesus and the events at Pentecost were no longer just historical events.</p> <blockquote><p><em>I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the spirit of truth . . . I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you . . . and I will disclose Myself to him (John 14:16-17).</em></p></blockquote> <p>In Christianity, we have something more than a code of ethics, we can have direct, spiritual experiences with a living God, but it depends upon the presence of the Holy Spirit. According to Jesus, the Father wants to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.</p> <p><b>Question:</b> Do you <em>know </em> this witness of the Holy Spirit within you? Have you asked the Father for the Holy Spirit? If yes, just drop into your heart and let him touch you now with his peace.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://judithdoctor.com/the-holy-spirit-comes/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">1434</post-id> </item> </channel> </rss>