Evangelist David Diga Hernandez :
I WAS CONFRONTED by a skeptic who came to me with a question about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Honestly, had it not been for the help that I received from the Holy Spirit, I would not have been able to answer his question.
Angry and aggressive, my interrogator fired off one question after another.
I struggled to find a pause in which I could insert even a short reply. Holding not a single reservation, this persistent individual aimed for the very core of my spirituality, insisting that I was mistaken in my belief of the Spirit’s baptism. “How do you know that you received God’s Spirit? How do you know that you haven’t received something of the flesh? Or worse! How do you know that what you have received isn’t demonic?”
I opened my mouth to reply. To my annoyance, my response was prevented by another disruptive and condescending barrage of questions. My interrogator pressed further: “How will you respond if, at the judgment, God tells you that He doesn’t know you? How do you know that you are not leading masses of people astray? How do you know that you are not responsible for many heading to Hell? Why would you risk that just to receive what you call the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’?”
I felt like I was on trial and being cross-examined by an ambitious lawyer. This person was attacking my understanding of the Holy Spirit and even my preaching of Him. To be honest with you, I wasn’t certain that I would be able to answer such questions. Though I had been in similar circumstances before, that one abrasive encounter, in particular, proved to be especially challenging for me.
But the Spirit was faithful to bring something to my remembrance. You know He does that quite often. Bringing truth to our remembrance is part of His work.
“But when the Father sends the Advocate
as my representative--that is, the Holy Spirit--he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
John 14:26
I was reminded, in that moment, of a relevant scripture.
Truthfully, the concern being raised was a legitimate one, though it was not raised with polite conduct. After all, how can we be sure of receiving the right spirit? Why would we ask for something that could potentially be demonic? We should not be afraid to ask such discerning questions. It is not blasphemous to search out the will of God. However, once the matter has been addressed, we must be accepting of the answers provided by the Scripture.
“You parents—if your children ask for a
loaf of bread, do you give them a stone
instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you
give them a snake? Of course not!”
~ Matthew 7:9-10
That was the Scripture that the Holy Spirit had brought to my remembrance.
In that scripture, Jesus asks us the rhetorical.
The answer is an obvious, “Of course not!” Would you give your child a rock in the place of a meal?Would you give him or her something poisonous in the place of something nourishing? The answer is obvious. Yet the trust that we place in ourselves is an embarrassing contrast to the mistrust that we often place in God. We’re evil compared to God. But it seems that we trust more in the goodness of human decency than we do in the intrinsic goodness of God.
We demonstrate this mistrust in not receiving all that He has to offer.
“So if you sinful people know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father give good
gifts to those who ask him.”
~ Matthew 7:11
If you ask God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, you will not receive of the secular or the demonic. He is too good to give you a snake in the place of a fish. I appreciated that revelation, as it came in the moment of confrontation.
Upon quoting that verse to my critic, I was met with a confounded silence. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I completed my reply: “It’s not even that I trust in my own ability to discern spirits. It’s that I trust God to give me only what He promised. If I ask Him for the Holy Spirit, that’s Who I’ll receive.
The goodness of God is a guarantee that I will only receive what’s from Him.” The issue was laid to rest, as my once vocal interrogator was unable to raise another question. And so, dear reader, I want you to also be assured of the goodness of your Heavenly Father.
You receive the Holy Spirit by approaching Him and asking. All you have to do is have faith and ask. As surely as you are alive, you can experience the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
While you read the very words on this page, you can receive that promise of God. It doesn’t matter where you are right now. If you’ll only ask, it’s yours. The floodwaters rest deep within you now. The waves of the Spirit are crashing upon the shore of your soul. Open the floodgate of faith, and the waters of the Spirit will come rushing.
Focus your heart. Still your soul. Lift your hands in faith. Say, “Jesus, I ask you to baptize me in your Holy Spirit.” Whether you feel anything or not, know that He is faithful to His Word. The baptism may surface over time. But you can be sure that He is already with you. As you continue to ask it of God, the floodwaters will break through and flood your life.
- David Diga Hernandez (Carriers Of The Glory)
I WAS CONFRONTED by a skeptic who came to me with a question about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Honestly, had it not been for the help that I received from the Holy Spirit, I would not have been able to answer his question.
Angry and aggressive, my interrogator fired off one question after another.
I struggled to find a pause in which I could insert even a short reply. Holding not a single reservation, this persistent individual aimed for the very core of my spirituality, insisting that I was mistaken in my belief of the Spirit’s baptism. “How do you know that you received God’s Spirit? How do you know that you haven’t received something of the flesh? Or worse! How do you know that what you have received isn’t demonic?”
I opened my mouth to reply. To my annoyance, my response was prevented by another disruptive and condescending barrage of questions. My interrogator pressed further: “How will you respond if, at the judgment, God tells you that He doesn’t know you? How do you know that you are not leading masses of people astray? How do you know that you are not responsible for many heading to Hell? Why would you risk that just to receive what you call the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’?”
I felt like I was on trial and being cross-examined by an ambitious lawyer. This person was attacking my understanding of the Holy Spirit and even my preaching of Him. To be honest with you, I wasn’t certain that I would be able to answer such questions. Though I had been in similar circumstances before, that one abrasive encounter, in particular, proved to be especially challenging for me.
But the Spirit was faithful to bring something to my remembrance. You know He does that quite often. Bringing truth to our remembrance is part of His work.
“But when the Father sends the Advocate
as my representative--that is, the Holy Spirit--he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
John 14:26
I was reminded, in that moment, of a relevant scripture.
Truthfully, the concern being raised was a legitimate one, though it was not raised with polite conduct. After all, how can we be sure of receiving the right spirit? Why would we ask for something that could potentially be demonic? We should not be afraid to ask such discerning questions. It is not blasphemous to search out the will of God. However, once the matter has been addressed, we must be accepting of the answers provided by the Scripture.
“You parents—if your children ask for a
loaf of bread, do you give them a stone
instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you
give them a snake? Of course not!”
~ Matthew 7:9-10
That was the Scripture that the Holy Spirit had brought to my remembrance.
In that scripture, Jesus asks us the rhetorical.
The answer is an obvious, “Of course not!” Would you give your child a rock in the place of a meal?Would you give him or her something poisonous in the place of something nourishing? The answer is obvious. Yet the trust that we place in ourselves is an embarrassing contrast to the mistrust that we often place in God. We’re evil compared to God. But it seems that we trust more in the goodness of human decency than we do in the intrinsic goodness of God.
We demonstrate this mistrust in not receiving all that He has to offer.
“So if you sinful people know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father give good
gifts to those who ask him.”
~ Matthew 7:11
If you ask God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, you will not receive of the secular or the demonic. He is too good to give you a snake in the place of a fish. I appreciated that revelation, as it came in the moment of confrontation.
Upon quoting that verse to my critic, I was met with a confounded silence. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I completed my reply: “It’s not even that I trust in my own ability to discern spirits. It’s that I trust God to give me only what He promised. If I ask Him for the Holy Spirit, that’s Who I’ll receive.
The goodness of God is a guarantee that I will only receive what’s from Him.” The issue was laid to rest, as my once vocal interrogator was unable to raise another question. And so, dear reader, I want you to also be assured of the goodness of your Heavenly Father.
You receive the Holy Spirit by approaching Him and asking. All you have to do is have faith and ask. As surely as you are alive, you can experience the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
While you read the very words on this page, you can receive that promise of God. It doesn’t matter where you are right now. If you’ll only ask, it’s yours. The floodwaters rest deep within you now. The waves of the Spirit are crashing upon the shore of your soul. Open the floodgate of faith, and the waters of the Spirit will come rushing.
Focus your heart. Still your soul. Lift your hands in faith. Say, “Jesus, I ask you to baptize me in your Holy Spirit.” Whether you feel anything or not, know that He is faithful to His Word. The baptism may surface over time. But you can be sure that He is already with you. As you continue to ask it of God, the floodwaters will break through and flood your life.
- David Diga Hernandez (Carriers Of The Glory)
Evangelist David Diga Hernandez :
I WAS CONFRONTED by a skeptic who came to me with a question about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Honestly, had it not been for the help that I received from the Holy Spirit, I would not have been able to answer his question.
Angry and aggressive, my interrogator fired off one question after another.
I struggled to find a pause in which I could insert even a short reply. Holding not a single reservation, this persistent individual aimed for the very core of my spirituality, insisting that I was mistaken in my belief of the Spirit’s baptism. “How do you know that you received God’s Spirit? How do you know that you haven’t received something of the flesh? Or worse! How do you know that what you have received isn’t demonic?”
I opened my mouth to reply. To my annoyance, my response was prevented by another disruptive and condescending barrage of questions. My interrogator pressed further: “How will you respond if, at the judgment, God tells you that He doesn’t know you? How do you know that you are not leading masses of people astray? How do you know that you are not responsible for many heading to Hell? Why would you risk that just to receive what you call the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’?”
I felt like I was on trial and being cross-examined by an ambitious lawyer. This person was attacking my understanding of the Holy Spirit and even my preaching of Him. To be honest with you, I wasn’t certain that I would be able to answer such questions. Though I had been in similar circumstances before, that one abrasive encounter, in particular, proved to be especially challenging for me.
But the Spirit was faithful to bring something to my remembrance. You know He does that quite often. Bringing truth to our remembrance is part of His work.
“But when the Father sends the Advocate
as my representative--that is, the Holy Spirit--he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
John 14:26
I was reminded, in that moment, of a relevant scripture.
Truthfully, the concern being raised was a legitimate one, though it was not raised with polite conduct. After all, how can we be sure of receiving the right spirit? Why would we ask for something that could potentially be demonic? We should not be afraid to ask such discerning questions. It is not blasphemous to search out the will of God. However, once the matter has been addressed, we must be accepting of the answers provided by the Scripture.
“You parents—if your children ask for a
loaf of bread, do you give them a stone
instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you
give them a snake? Of course not!”
~ Matthew 7:9-10
That was the Scripture that the Holy Spirit had brought to my remembrance.
In that scripture, Jesus asks us the rhetorical.
The answer is an obvious, “Of course not!” Would you give your child a rock in the place of a meal?Would you give him or her something poisonous in the place of something nourishing? The answer is obvious. Yet the trust that we place in ourselves is an embarrassing contrast to the mistrust that we often place in God. We’re evil compared to God. But it seems that we trust more in the goodness of human decency than we do in the intrinsic goodness of God.
We demonstrate this mistrust in not receiving all that He has to offer.
“So if you sinful people know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father give good
gifts to those who ask him.”
~ Matthew 7:11
If you ask God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, you will not receive of the secular or the demonic. He is too good to give you a snake in the place of a fish. I appreciated that revelation, as it came in the moment of confrontation.
Upon quoting that verse to my critic, I was met with a confounded silence. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I completed my reply: “It’s not even that I trust in my own ability to discern spirits. It’s that I trust God to give me only what He promised. If I ask Him for the Holy Spirit, that’s Who I’ll receive.
The goodness of God is a guarantee that I will only receive what’s from Him.” The issue was laid to rest, as my once vocal interrogator was unable to raise another question. And so, dear reader, I want you to also be assured of the goodness of your Heavenly Father.
You receive the Holy Spirit by approaching Him and asking. All you have to do is have faith and ask. As surely as you are alive, you can experience the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
While you read the very words on this page, you can receive that promise of God. It doesn’t matter where you are right now. If you’ll only ask, it’s yours. The floodwaters rest deep within you now. The waves of the Spirit are crashing upon the shore of your soul. Open the floodgate of faith, and the waters of the Spirit will come rushing.
Focus your heart. Still your soul. Lift your hands in faith. Say, “Jesus, I ask you to baptize me in your Holy Spirit.” Whether you feel anything or not, know that He is faithful to His Word. The baptism may surface over time. But you can be sure that He is already with you. As you continue to ask it of God, the floodwaters will break through and flood your life.
- David Diga Hernandez (Carriers Of The Glory)
Arabic
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Deutsch
Turkish
Dutch
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek
हिन्दी