Who Is the Holy Spirit
&
How Do I “Receive Him”?

The Holy Spirit is the Third Member of the Triune (Three Person) “Godhead”:

“For there are three that bear record in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

– 1 John 5:7

We like to use the literary analogy that the Holy Spirit is “the Voice” or “the Publisher” of the Godhead, while Jesus is “the Word”, and the Heavenly Father is “the Speaker” and “the Author” of the Word Himself:

“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The Voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters. The Voice of the Lord is powerful; The Voice of the Lord is full of majesty.”

– Psalm 29:2-4

God is ultimately “One”, but Scripture shows us that He is comprised of three “Persons” – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – hence the term “Godhead”:

“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone,
graven by art and man's device.”

– Acts 17:29

The Bible teaches us that all three “Persons” of the Godhead exist in perfect harmony and unity, but each Person of the Godhead has His distinct role within God’s overall plan of Redemption and within the individual life of every Believer in Jesus Christ.

Now that you have become "born again", you can now receive the Holy Spirit – who is also “the promise of the Father” whom the Lord Jesus promised us would come after Him:

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”

- Acts 1:4-5

With the Holy Spirit in your life, you will have an intimate connection to the Heavenly Father, and the ability to hear the teachings of Jesus and the commandments of the Father directly in your own heart – as the Holy Spirit will be continually “recalling” to you the Word of God and the teachings of Jesus specifically:

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

- John 14:26

Without receiving the Holy Spirit (and without inviting and honoring His presence within and around you even now), you will be incapable of living a life consistently in the will of God, and incapable of inheriting the eternal promises of God for every Believer – because the Bible says that it is the Holy Spirit who “will guide” us into “all truth”, and that that the Holy Spirit “makes intercession for us according to the will of God” (John 16:23, Romans 8:26):

“Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.”

– John 16:13

Additionally, without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, you will not be able to be an effective witness for Christ, because Jesus Himself said that we would “receive power” after the Holy Spirit “comes upon” us, and only then would we be His “witnesses” – those testifying of the truths of His life and His resurrection in word and in demonstration of His power (1 Corinthians 2:4-5) – even “to the end of the earth”:

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

- Acts 1:8

Here are some additional things that the Holy Spirit provides in the life of the person who first receives Jesus Christ into their heart and then becomes “born again”:

• Supernatural “Comfort” and Heavenly Counsel concerning the will of God at all times, and especially in the face of the various difficulties, temptations, and trials that Jesus foretold would happen to his disciples and “those who live Godly” in Him (because of the devil seeking to convince them to turn away from God or back to the world; 2 Timothy 3:12):

“But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
– John 16:6-7

• Guidance into Spiritual Growth (“all truth”) and Revelation Knowledge (Supernatural Wisdom) even about “things to come”,
according to the Word and the will of God:

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and He will shew you things to come.”
– John 16:13

• Spiritual Understanding and Divine Insight into “the mind of God”
(or, “the mind of Christ”), allowing us to supernaturally understand and teach the Word of God to others, as well as to hear and receive specific instructions (practical application) from the Bible for our daily lives of discipleship and service within and for the Kingdom of God.

“For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”

- 1 Corinthians 2:11-12

• Personalized Training & Equipping (“Anointing”) for your Unique Calling (Ministry) within the Kingdom of God:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

- Luke 4:18-19

Remember that when you are born again, you are now a child of God and translated out of the authority & plans of the devil (Colossians 1:13).

Therefore, when you “receive” the Holy Spirit – He will “testify” (confirm) to your spirit about your new identity “in Christ” (Romans 8:16) and then begin to individually train and prepare you to fulfill the divine purpose and “calling” that God has ordained for you all along:

“But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”

- 1 John 2:27

To do this, the Holy Spirit will lead you to read the Word of God and to recall the specific teachings (or “commandments”) of Jesus, and by keeping and studying these you will understand the plan of God overall, as well as understand and obtain His exact plans for your life (“plans for good and not evil; plans to give you a hope and future”; Jeremiah. 29:11) - during every season and every stage of your life as well.

• Access to the Manifestation and the Operation of the Spiritual “Gifts” & “Fruit” which only flow through the Holy Spirit:

The Holy Spirit provides spiritual gifts and fruits for the edification (growth & strengthening) of the entire Body of Christ (all the Believers in Christ all over the earth).

These gifts are for “the profit of all” and they manifest
“as He wills”.

At the same time, The Bible instructs us to “earnestly desire” them and to not “be ignorant” of what they are and what they are for.

For more information on the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit,
see 1 Corinthians 11 & 12.

Additionally, the Holy Spirit provides us with “the fruit of the spirit” which are: ‘love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance’ and the added fruits of Righteousness and “Abounding Hope” (Galatians 5:22-23, Romans 15:13, Romans 14:17).

• The Ability to Directly Commune With and Worship God “in Spirit and Truth” through Praying in the Holy Spirit:

According to Jesus in John 4:24, worshiping God “in spirit and truth” is the only type of worship that our Heavenly Father desires: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

Receiving the Holy Spirit will allow you to talk to God and to worship Him in a way that your natural or human ability (and understanding) alone will not.

Therefore, after you have received the Holy Spirit, the first step of developing in your spiritual communion and worship with God, is to actively receive the gift of your heavenly prayer language – also known as the gift of praying in other tongues.

The gift of praying in other tongues is a promise that Jesus promised would follow those believing in Him (Mark 16:17) and something that the apostle Paul said that he wished we “all” did (1 Corinthians 14:15).

According to the Word of God, “praying in the Spirit” or “praying in other tongues” allows you to communicate divine “mysteries” with God and it “builds up” our “most holy faith”:

“But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

– Jude 20-21

In this way, the gift of a heavenly prayer language is primarily a means of a Believer edifying (or strengthening) themselves to grow in the things of God, as well as a means by which God can pray through the Believer to intercede or intervene in circumstances that the Believers themselves may not even be aware of naturally:

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

- Romans 8:26

This is a truly amazing gift and outstanding blessing that can drastically change a person’s life and relationship with God in many ways, but it must be actively received (or “activated”) after a person prays to receive the Holy Spirit once they are born again.

In order to activate your Heavenly prayer language, you don’t wait for the Holy Spirit to open your mouth and begin to pray through you automatically.

Instead, you first receive the Holy Spirit, and then you open your mouth and begin praying out-loud – and as you do this, the Holy Spirit will begin to speak or pray out your heavenly language through you at that point, as you yield to Him within the moment.

Once you’ve received your heavenly “prayer language” you can then communicate with God “at-will” in other tongues, every day, and at the same time, God can also communicate with you through your natural “understanding” (not only with your spirit) by giving you the interpretation of your prayers afterward as well.

• The “Shedding Abroad” & “Over-flowing” of Divine (“Agape”) Love into your Heart towards God and towards Others:

In the New Testament, every person is called to love God with all their “heart, mind, soul, and strength” – and to love others as ourselves, including blessing our worst enemies and forgiving even the people closest to us when they do things that seriously hurt or offend us.

In fact, both the Old and the New Testaments confirm that in God’s eyes, these two points are the greatest of all the commandments – meaning they are the basis, or foundation, upon which all the rest of them stand.

There’s more to any house than the foundation, but without the right foundation, the house cannot stand (Matthew 7:24-27). That’s how it is with the commandments of God.

During His ministry, Jesus had more to say to His disciples than those first two commandments alone, but without those, everything else would have no real foundation.

Without true love for God and love for people, all of our spiritual “houses” would quickly fall apart.

But although most of us can easily recognize the importance of loving God and loving people, most of us can also attest to the fact that keeping even these two commandments is often “easier said than done”.

Thankfully, the New Testament also reveals that one of the roles of the Holy Spirit, once He has entered our hearts, is to literally fill us with the supernatural and ‘unconditional’ (“agape”) love of God that it takes for us to consistently love God and love people – not just in word,
but “in deed and in truth.”

As you grow in knowledge and fellowship with the Holy Spirit, He will continue the work of deep inner transformation that begun when you first received Jesus Christ into your heart – and as you trust and obey the Holy Spirit step by step, He will develop in you a genuine love for God and for people from within that will be reflected in outward changes to your thoughts, words, actions, and attitudes towards others as well.

In summary, without a real relationship and ongoing fellowship with the Divine Person of the Holy Spirit – founded upon both daily trust and obedience to His voice – there can be no real or ongoing fellowship or communion with God overall.

This is because the Holy Spirit Himself is God – and He is inseparable to the Heavenly Father, and to the Lord Jesus Christ.

By “receiving” Him as the Bible says, we are showing our obedience to the instructions in the Word of God, and as a result of our obedience, we are blessed with an even greater revelation and understanding of our Heavenly Father than we had when we first turned to Him through Jesus Christ.

In fact, Jesus Himself told His first disciples that it was “good” or “expedient” that He was soon going away (to the Father) so that He could ask the Father to send us “the Comforter – the Holy Ghost” – who would be “with them” and “dwell in them”.

In other words, Jesus “came in the flesh” and suffered death in a physical body like ours, so that our sins would be removed, and so that God would one day be living and dwelling within us all – through the Divine ministry and the person of the Holy Spirit.

Hallelujah!

At the same time, the Holy Spirit did not just come so that God could live “with us”, but also so that He could be living “through us” – supernaturally blessing and touching the lives of other people through His spiritual influence within and upon our physical bodies and human souls.

In fact, even when Jesus was on earth, all the miracles and signs that He performed were as a result of the “anointing” or presence of the Holy Spirit that was “upon” Him, as He stated in Luke 4:18-19:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

The same words are true in the life of every true follower and Believer in Jesus today.

So once you receive the Holy Spirit and begin follow after His instructions for your life, you will begin to witness the same “signs” that followed Jesus in His ministry and the “signs” that Jesus promised to His disciples before He ascended again to heaven:

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Through the power of the Holy Spirit working both in and through you, you too can be used by God to lay hands on the sick so that they will recover, to cast out demons from the oppressed, to confront all the works of the devil (“take up serpents”), to become delivered and cleansed from all the corruption in the world (“drink any deadly thing”), and to become a powerful witness to the resurrection and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ – bringing in the will of your Heavenly Father, on earth as it is in heaven!

So, now that you know what the Word of God has promised us through the Person of the Holy Spirit, as an already born-again child of God – it’s time for you to welcome and receive Him for yourself!

If you have not yet welcomed and received the Holy Spirit into your heart, please pray the following prayer from your heart and you will receive the Holy Spirit to dwell in you now:

“Heavenly Father,

as a born again believer in Jesus Christ, I come to you now and ask to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Your Word says in Luke 11:13,

'how much more shall your Heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?’.

By faith, I believe that I receive the Holy Spirit now.

I thank you that you have answered my prayer and that the Holy Spirit is dwelling within and upon me now.

I thank You that from now on,
I hear your Voice clearly and obey You right away.

I thank you for the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit in full operation in my life.

Thank you, Father, for the gift of the Holy Spirit!
In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

Congratulations!

When you prayed this prayer, the Holy Spirit came into you
and now dwells in your spirit!

You now can pray in the Spirit in unknown tongues.

To begin praying in tongues, just open your mouth and begin speaking out the syllables the Holy Spirit gives you.

Pastor David F. Middleton of Jesus is Lord Outreach Center in Phoenix, AZ likes to emphasize the following when it comes to initially speaking in tongues:

“The Holy Spirit will not make you speak. You do the speaking in tongues at your will. Don’t wait for something to make you speak. You initiate speaking in tongues. Don’t let your mind try to figure out what to speak. In obedience to the Word, yield to the Holy Spirit and begin to speak out in tongues.”

In short, praying in other tongues is primarily an act of obedience to the Word of God and to the presence of the Holy Spirit abiding in you now

(1 Corinthians 14:4-5).

And once you start to pray in and through the Holy Spirit, make sure to continue doing so every day, and just watch as your faith in God, your love for others, your spiritual understanding of His Word, and your fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit continue to increase and grow more and more each day as well!

Praise the Lord!

“BUT THE COMFORTER, WHICH IS THE HOLY GHOST, WHOM THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME, HE SHALL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS, AND BRING ALL THINGS TO YOUR REMEMBRANCE,

WHATSOEVER I HAVE SAID UNTO YOU.”

– JOHN 14:26