A person has to know they need saving before they will cry out for help to be saved, so first, let us look at why we need a Savior. 

 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Genesis 3:15-17)

Creator God made Adam in His own image and with the ability of free will to choose. Adam’s Creator had only one rule for him to follow, one warning requiring Adam to trust the words of His Creator by obeying His instructions. God’s warning was very clear that if Adam disobeyed death would be the consequences of his actions. After giving this instruction to Adam, God then created Eve, so Adam was responsible for Eve and for teaching her what God had said.

The serpent, Satan, came to Eve with the purpose to deceive and trick man saying, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1) Satan the Lier caused man to doubt God and they both chose to eat the forbidden fruit. At this point they sinned against God.  We will look at this event a little more closely later on. The choice to disobey (sin) caused man to go from a very intimate faith relationship with God to the very opposite, one of doubt in God. Now man is separated from his Life source, the Spirit of God. The opposite of life is death. Man went from being dependent upon God to being independent of God.  Man, now searches for what he once had with God, he feels lost, aching for a sense of purpose and identity to fill the empty void. The Bible describes man’s condition before Jesus came as we, “were dead in your transgressions and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1)

This is why God sent us a Savior, His One and Only Son, Jesus the Messiah. Through His life, Jesus showed us (you) who the Father is and the way back to God. Through Jesus’ death our (your) sins were paid for so we (you) could have not just life, but eternal life.  On the Cross Jesus conquered death, the penalty for our (your) sin. Only one with no sin in him could pay this debt for us and that was Jesus, who is also God.

Now that we have covered what caused man to be separated from God let us look at what Jesus says about the gift of salvation, which is Him. Jesus willingly came to reconcile man back to God by dealing with sin and Satan on the Cross which is declared in the following scriptures.

“Now is the time for judgement on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” (John 12:31-32) “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18)

These are loaded scriptures that express the deep love God has for us (you).  This love is so very strong that God had to act, and so He sent His Son to save us (you). The heart of God toward us (you) is expressed so well in John 3:16, and in verses 17-18 it makes it clear that He does not condemn us (you). We were already condemned before Jesus came because of the sin that came into man through Adam and Eve.  Only if we (you) refuse to receive God’s Son, the gift of salvation, we (you) will remain in a sinful fallen state which is death. Remember that when sin entered man so did death. Death is the opposite of eternal life.

Even though some tragic events took place in my life as a child, teen, and young adult somehow, I never doubted that there was a God, I just could not believe that He could ever love me because of my sins.  I grew up terrified of a holy God who I thought was ready to judge me. I was terrified of hell, terrified God would put me there, and terrified I would miss out on heaven all together. I was believing lies about God. The truth is none of us could ever earn our own salvation because we were all born into sin. It took our Creator who loves us so deeply to come after us. Dare to imagine… that The Holy God, Creator of the universe came after you!

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

This is a promise from Jesus!  God’s love is so powerful and unconditional that it does not matter how horrible you have sinned, He invites you to be rejoined to Him, rejoined to Life, by simple faith that Jesus is His Son and therefore your Savior. Salvation is a gift from God and a gift that cannot be earned. This is why Christians say, “Come as you are!”

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;” (Isaiah 53:5) “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (II Corinthians 5:21)

If you can read all of Isaiah 53 in your own Bible, it is the prophecy of what our (your) Messiah would go through. Jesus was flogged with forty lashes, unrecognizably beaten, spat on, mocked, a crown of thorns put on His head, stripped necked and nailed on a cross. He took our (your) shame, guilt, and punishment upon Himself.

Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

This scripture was a major breakthrough for me. I reasoned that truth has to be 100% pure or it is not truth. Jesus’ words explain that the very opposite of truth is a lie, and it is the lies that have us bound. Over and over Jesus said, “I tell you the truth…” like in John 3:5. Jesus attacked the lies in man’s mind about God, Himself, and us (you). This revelation caused me to trust God even more and take God’s Word literally! I wanted the truth to set me free just like Jesus said. This caused me to look for and identify any lies I had chosen to believe. I realized that a Holy God couldn’t lie. “God is not a man that He should lie;” (Numbers 23:19) In the next two verses notice how Jesus describes Satan, the Lier. “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

The very first lie man chose to believe is the biggest lie that caused all mankind to fall. Satan said to Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ‘You will not surely die’, the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” (Genesis 3:3-7)

In Satan’s very first question he causes man to doubt God with an implication that God cannot be trusted or believed. Eve attempts to remember what she was taught which was not exactly accurate, but close. Then Satan accuses God to be a liar, he implies that they were not already in the image of God even though they were, and that God was holding back from them thus to not trust God. Man’s identity was in God, and this lie that man chose to believe separated man from who he is, causing man from this day to be lost with an empty void inside his soul!

Because Adam and Eve were one flesh as husband and wife, Eve’s eyes were not opened until Adam too chose to eat the forbidden fruit. Adam could have stopped this by speaking up as he knew God’s command and he was given all authority over every beast on the earth. Adam gave up his authority when he chose to believe Satan’s lies. From this moment man was now under the Lier, Satan, with a distorted view of everything, who God is, who man is, and believing he can be his own god. (Note: Never compromise with sin or you come under Satan’s authority.)

Satan uses lies to this day to control us. Growing up school was very unpleasant for me. I tested negative for every learning disability causing some teachers to believe that I simply was not trying. One high school teacher said to me with a very irritated tone, “Tutoring you would be a waste of my time. There is no hope for you! You are just too far behind.” Not until my early 20’s did they discover the source of the problem, a birth defect in my brain.

Can you see how this particular event and the teacher’s words could cause a person to believe many lies such as, I am stupid, I am dumb, I am too much trouble, I am hopeless, I am an embarrassment, I am unwanted, I am rejected, and I cannot trust authority? Think about this for a minute, if you are told something that is not true (lie based) and you chose to believe it, would it not affect how you see yourself, see others and maybe even how you see God? Yes, it would!

For example, take a puppy that is raised by an affectionate owner who loves it, cares for its needs, and spoke only good words to it. How would this puppy turn out as a mature dog? It would be a thriving happy obedient dog! But what if the same puppy had an owner who is hateful, screams, beats, kicks and neglects him? This same unfortunate puppy would be plumb mean to defend itself or terrified of everything, or maybe a little of both. Even though puppies were created to be a blessing, obedient, affectionate, loyal, dependable, protective, and faithful, a grown dog is a product of their environment. An abused pup will become a dog that reflects the opposite of its true purpose in life. Of course, we are not puppies or dogs, but we too are affected by our upbringing, the environment within the home, parents, relatives, neighborhood, friends, piers, teachers, bosses, spouses etc. Our belief system is shaped from our experiences, good or bad. How do you see yourself? If you have repented and asked Jesus into your heart, then you are no longer a victim of Satan or anything else! You are a child of God redeemed by His Blood! Examine everything in your life and ask, “Is this experience, thought, behavior, or feeling based on a lie (sin) from Satan who hates me?”

In spite of my own self destruction and the severe hold the enemy had on me, at age 28yrs old, the Truth set me free! By faith in Jesus, I made a long list and began to talk to God out loud. I discussed every painful memory. One by one the lies were exposed. Every torturous demon left, and I was healed emotionally, mentally, and physically! My spine became straight and for the first time in my life I could read without any hinderances; the birth defect was gone! In a nutshell, how did this happen, I simply chose to believe God and I repented! When you truly repent the power of “The Cross” is applied, braking Satan’s hold and his lies over you. I want to encourage you to start making your own list and talk it over with Jesus. Our Father God lavished on us through His Son Jesus Christ, His unmeasurable love proclaiming our value to Him, so run to Jesus!

Forgiveness is for your personal FREEDOM, so that those who hurt you, that event, and the enemy, Satan, cannot control you anymore. Forgiveness does NOT mean that you are validating what the other person did as ok or that you are absolving the offender of their guilt. They did hurt you and they will have to answer to God. The truth is that God loves you and He wants you set free! 

Unforgiveness however, chains you to what that person did to you and can affect you in a negative way through your thoughts, beliefs, actions, decisions, personality, emotions, and perspective on life for years. If you believe that maintaining your stand to not forgive is somehow punishing the other person, you are mistaken. You are the one being punished by reliving it over and over in your heart and mind. Unforgiveness affects you in a negative way and can create in your heart bitterness, hate, anger, resentment, revenge, anxiety, paralyzing fear and so much more. Forgive and forget is also not true. When you forgive you will still remember the offense, but it will not have the same raw sting that it originally once had, because the infection in your heart will be cleansed and the ugly heaviness of it gone! Understanding what forgiveness really means helps us to obey God’s command to forgive.

Living under the weight of my many mistakes and painful memories was suffocating and crushing me. Before I knew what God was really like I believed that I did not deserve God’s love nor had it. Besides, the awful memories of the events in my life seemed to always confirm this constant belief over and over in my mind. Many times, I felt depressed, hopelessness, despair, bitterness, fear, and anger as I constantly fought my own thoughts. I felt as if I was always hiding from people, constantly afraid of being found out. Underneath the mask that I worked so hard to wear every day, people would soon discover the truly tortured soul behind it. Unforgiveness created in me severe bitterness, caused me to be very judgmental, birthed self-hatred and destructive behavior. The crossroads of desperation caused me to seek out the Savior that I had heard about my whole life. My soul cried out, “Help me Jesus!”.

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’.” (Luke 23:34) While hanging on the Cross Jesus forgave those who had mocked, tortured, and who were murdering Him. We are not the judge, only God is and like Jesus we must release our offenders to God. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps.” (I Peter 2:25) God desires to protects us (you) from unforgiveness. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32) For your own good God is saying, “get rid of it and do it right away!” Sometimes in this world we could have been done so very wrong that even the laws of this land say, “You have the legal right to be angry!” Finally, I realized that the past was wearing me out, absolutely controlling my life and I hated who I had become. As I learned about God’s love for me, I could see that the enemy was trying to destroy and kill me.

I was so very grateful for Jesus’ forgiveness for my personal sins that I had a deep pull to respond to Him with loving obedience. I was finally able to open up and share with Jesus as if He were sitting with me. As I shared every detail of each offense no matter how ugly the evil deed was, I realized that Jesus Himself identified with all my suffering. Drawing nearer to the harder issues, it was as if Jesus was saying, “Will you trust Me with your pain?” I could feel Him holding me with His loving arms. I could see Him suffering on the Cross dealing with every horrible sin of this world for me. As I continued to forgive more and more the love of God conquered the darkest and severely damaged areas of my heart. I could literally feel the enemies hold on me coming undone! As I trusted Him, Jesus was conquering the anger, bitterness, fear, and trauma. As I allowed Him to rule my heart, He drained from me every crippling deep wound, and my tormentors actually left. The enemy had no more legal right to torment me! I could still recall events, but the poison of it was no longer. I was completely free from my past and the horrible memories. The enemy lost his power to use certain events to control me because I obeyed, and I forgave. My heart was healed, clean, and free!

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:12-13) Jesus is our deliverer, and He is telling us that in order to be set free from the enemy we must release a person from what we believe they owe us. Forgiveness gives back to you what the enemy has stolen. It is also similar to renovating an old house into something fresh and new! At times it can be so very scary and hard to do, but Jesus is with you and the results will be your FREEDOM!

It is so important to take responsibility for any part we (you) may have played in a situation by repenting. I found it best to repent for not forgiving sooner no matter how long ago the offense took place. Remember, forgiveness is about you! Setting you free from the effects of that sin. To not allow that deed, sinful act, or horrifying event to rule your heart and life anymore. Jesus took our punishment upon Himself and allowed Himself to be crucified not only so we could be with Him in heaven, but so we could be set free now! Forgiveness is a choice to surrender your will to Jesus trusting Him as your Lord and judge. The journey to forgive I took with Jesus, and that experience brought me into a deeper intimacy with Him forever. He will also do it for you!

Pray Out Loud: “Father God, I come to You by faith in the name of Jesus and I ask for the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to guide me through the process of forgiveness. I repent for not doing this sooner and I ask for Your forgiveness. Where any offense once dwelt in my heart, I ask for You to fill it with Yourself and Your love for me.”

Helpful Tip: The more you give to Him and to the degree you give to Him the greater your Freedom!

God’s Word encourages all believers in Jesus Christ to live their lives with an increasing awareness of the truth that we are actually in Christ and He is in us.

It is vital that we follow Jesus’ example by way of water baptism through emersion. Without this act of obedience, it will be difficult for a new believer to follow Christ. Jesus said, “’It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice came from heaven said, ‘This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I Am well pleased’.” (Matthew 3:15-17) We too partake of Jesus’s obedient nature and the Father’s blessing on our life when we follow through with water baptism. Since we are in Christ when Jesus died and was resurrected back to life, we too are considered to have died with Christ and resurrected in Him. “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-3) The victory of the Resurrected One is our victory too and anything prior to our conversion is to be considered dead and buried in Christ. Water baptism is symbolic of this fact and is required for all who believe. An infant cannot choose for himself to obey. This has to be the choice of the believer. All believers are water baptized as a public declaration of their personal faith in Jesus Christ.

As a child I truly could not understand what it meant that “Jesus died for my sins” or how it worked. I tried to be good, but I only felt like a good pretender that I was good or that I even knew God. Inside I was terrified Christians would soon discover how rotten I was and that I really did not belong among them. Bound by lies my behavior and choices often reflected what I believed. It was only when I truly repented and took the journey of forgiveness with Jesus that I was set free of lies and my mindset was changed. When Satan’s grip was undone on my life, I no longer saw myself through the past, so I no longer behaved like the past. My identity was no longer tied to negative labels of accusation or to negative experiences. My self-worth changed as I identified with the One who set me free! I was forgiven by God Himself! I was bought and paid for by the price of Jesus’ Blood, so I had incredible value. I now belonged to Jesus and no other! I was set free to live and dwell in His love as one dearly loved by God! This love relationship with Him makes it so easy to walk according to who I now am with a desire to never sin again because of my love for Him and His love for me.

Your new life in Christ and how He sees you is found throughout the scriptures. “Yet to all who receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12) Your considered to be a Child of God! That means an heir! “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” “He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His good pleasure and will.” (II Corinthians 5:17 & Ephesians 1:5) “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.” (I John 5:18) The old you is considered dead and you are no longer bound to your old ways. You are hidden in Christ with God now, and as one born of God the evil one cannot touch you. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realm in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6) As adopted Children of God our authority over the enemy has been restored and we can tell the enemy where to go in Jesus name. Christ Jesus who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth shares His own victory with us. Jesus said “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) You’re an overcomer because Jesus overcame for you and you’re in Him. May we have such faith by believing in what Jesus has done for us!

Jesus is resurrected and alive, and if you have asked Him into your heart then the Resurrected One lives in you! “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15:20-22) Until one believes that Jesus Christ was actually risen from the dead, they will never be able to fully enjoy the life they now have in Christ because their view has limited Him as one who is still on the cross or still in the grave. Jesus wants to live through us! 

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2) Conform instead to Jesus by choosing daily to follow Him in obedience. The “renewing of your mind” refers to changing the way you think, see, and believe. Your Savior desires for you to live your life knowing who you are, one with direct access to God and never to be separated from Him again, because He loves you! (Romans 8:35-39)

“Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) In response to being forgiven you will no longer desire to do the same things. Jesus wants you to see yourself as forgiven and alive in Him, no longer condemned, meaning we are no longer under the sentence of death. The very opposite of death is what? Life! “You who once were far away have been brought near through the Blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Remember a gift cannot be earned and salvation was never based on your goodness. Jesus alone paid for your salvation!

To understand what we really have at our disposal one must take time to know God and His Word. If you read the previous “Forgiveness” Tab you were encouraged to go to God in faith in Jesus name and share your heart with Him. Spending quality time with God, talking to Him, and praying will maintain a healthy growing relationship between you and your Savior. Never lose sight of spending time with Jesus. Tell others what Jesus has done for you and pray for them!

Before going to the Cross, Jesus explained how He would be gone physically, but He would still be directly connected to us through the Holy Spirit just as He was connected to the Father. Because He overcame the enemy, all authority in heaven and on earth was given to Jesus. What Adam lost in the Garden of Eden Jesus reclaimed. Now as Children of God, not only are we included in the heavenly family (the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit), but they are now also accessible to us. Jesus had complete trust in the third Person of Trinity and so should we. 

“But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit.” (I Corinthians 6:17) The minute you repented and ask Jesus to come into your heart as your Savior His Spirit came to live inside you. “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the Promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14) The mark of the Promised Holy Spirit upon your life declares you belong to Jesus. He loved us so much that He did not want to leave us alone in this world. Jesus knew we needed His help to live out our new life in Him as Children of God. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus can continue to teach, transform, guide, direct, and empower us as believers and ambassadors for Christ. We can expect with confidence that which Jesus promised to give us, the Promised Holy Spirit.

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-17) “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) Jesus chose the word “Counselor” to describe the third Person of the Trinity as One like Him. The choice of “Counselor” describes the type of relationship Jesus has with the Holy Spirit, One whom He absolutely trusted, One He relied upon, and One He spoke with often concerning anything He was going through. Remember, when Jesus was water baptized heaven opened and the Holy Spirit came down and rested on Jesus. The Holy Spirit helped Jesus accomplish all the Father asked of Him and it was also the Holy Spirit who resurrected Jesus on the third day. From Jesus’ seat of victory, He can now release the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, to come to the Children of God. The Counselor would now be our Helper too, by connecting us to our Father God and to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is not only a Person that we are able to have fellowship with, but He is the power source for the Believers life and the ministry of Jesus through us!

“When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” (John 16:8) One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to bring conviction of sin so that an individual can hopefully choose to repent and be set free. The voice of the enemy brings only condemnation through accusation. It is important to know the difference so we can identify the Lord’s voice. The Person of the Holy Spirit will always seek to protect and warn us of the dangers of sin through His gentle voice. Jesus wants you to be so intimately close to Him by knowing Truth, so that you will only trust and follow His voice. Even though the Holy Spirit is your Helper, you will always have the choice to obey and follow the Lord’s counsel, or not.

“But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” (John 16:13-15) Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as One who will bring us so very close to the Father and be our personal “Guide”. Jesus informs us of His intentions to share His own intimate relationship He has with the Father by connecting us through the Holy Spirit.  “For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:18) It’s amazing that we too now can have direct access to the Father! The Holy Spirit helps us know the Father and know how to pray by revealing the Father’s heart and will to us. Jesus so desires us to learn how to depend upon the ministry of the Holy Spirit as He did! Jesus is describing an empowered life through the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit.

We are encouraged to be water baptized by immersion upon our decision to follow Christ. But John the Baptist prophesied the coming of another form of baptism that only Jesus Himself could give to us. John the Baptist said, “I baptized you with water for repentance. But after me will come One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11) Jesus’s disciples performed water baptism’s, but Jesus Himself did not water baptize anyone. Jesus’ baptism could not come to us until after He had succeeded as the Son of God, was crucified on the Cross, resurrected on the third day, and then seated at the right hand of His Father. Only after this victory could Jesus release these two gifts to us, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire.

Jesus continually spoke about His relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was even described as being full of the Spirit after spending time alone with His Father. If Jesus Himself relied upon the Holy Spirit, then should not we do the same? Jesus described the Holy Spirit not just in the context of a Helper to us, but as One who would empower us to carry on His ministry when He ascends back to the Father in heaven. “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-5 & 8) His disciples had already been water baptized. Jesus was referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit that equips the saints to continue His work. A supernatural God connected supernaturally to His own creation. Wow!

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4) This gift empowers the Believer to follow Him in the supernatural and learn to minister like Him in the supernatural!

After Jesus healed me at 28yrs old I stared into the mirror with tears pouring down my face, and I knew that the Holy Spirit now lived in me and my tormentors were all gone. All I wanted was to be with my Healer! Three weeks after Jesus healed, delivered, and set me free, I was on my knees in my bedroom crying out to Him with such deep love and devotion. My heart was completely broken with gratitude that I struggled to find words worthy of Him. All of a sudden, I felt the gentle breath of God go right through me knocking me six feet across the room and lying flat on my back. Gushing out of me was a beautiful language I had never heard before, yet I was very aware that what I was speaking was describing God as pure love! From that day everything changed as I felt my eyes were spiritually opened. The trees outside looked alive to me, and even His Word became more alive. My prayer life went to a completely different level. If I were asked to choose just one word to describe it, I would have to choose the word intimacy because the Person of the Holy Spirit brings us so very near to the Father and to His Son, Jesus!

Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of Living Water will flow from within him.” (John 7:37-38) The thirst for earthly water will only quench a man’s thirst for a short time. He will continually feel thirsty in the human body. Jesus shares that He is the Messiah, the Way back to God, so that man’s soul will no longer be empty or separated from God. Because of Jesus’ success as our Messiah, through the Holy Spirit we can now enjoy this daily interaction with Father God and Jesus Christ. “Streams of Living Water” indicates a continual flow! “For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.” (John 3:34) Jesus is able to know, speak and share God’s own thoughts with us by way of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also emphasizes that there are no limits within this intimate relationship. We can enjoy being as close to God as we desire to be through the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. This should stir us to always be hungry and to press in for more of Him!