How to Be Baptized in the Holy Spirit

Find out the simple steps you can take to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

When
we meet Christ and put our trust in Him, we are “born again” (John 3:3) and we
receive the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This is the most important decision we
will ever make. This happened to the disciples of Jesus in John 20:22, which
says: “[Jesus] breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.'”

But
before Jesus ascended to heaven He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem
until the “promise of the Father” had come (Luke 24:49). He told them that if
they would wait there they would be “clothed with power from on high.” In Acts
1:8 Jesus told His followers that they would receive “power” to be His
witnesses.

So the disciples waited in
Jerusalem for many days, praying near the temple. On the day of Pentecost,
which was 50 days after Jesus had died on the cross, something amazing
happened. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the early church . This is
described in Acts 2:1-4.  The Bible says that when the Spirit came, the
disciples were filled (another word is “baptized”) with the Spirit.

This
shows us that there are two separate experiences we can have with God. One is
salvation, in which we receive God’s amazing forgiveness a new nature. The Holy
Spirit comes to live inside us, and He becomes our Teacher, our Comforter and
our Helper.

The
second experience is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, in which the Holy Spirit
who is already in us overflows. “Baptized in the Spirit” means “completely
immersed in the Spirit.” Jesus never wanted us to rely on our own ability to do
the work of ministry. He wants to do it through us. So He fills us with the
Holy Spirit in order to empower us with His ability.

When
we have this experience, the Holy Spirit’s power fills us so full that He
spills out. Also when we are baptized in the Spirit, unusual “gifts of the Holy
Spirit”-which are listed in I Corinthians 12:8-10)-begin to be manifested in
our lives. We begin to experience His supernatural power. These gifts include
prophecy, discernment, miracles, healing and speaking in unknown tongues.

When
people were baptized in the Holy Spirit in the New Testament church, the Bible
says they all spoke in tongues (see Acts 2:1-4, Acts 4:31, Acts 10:44-48 and
Acts 19:1-7).  A lot of people get hung up on speaking in tongues because
it seems like a weird thing. It’s actually not strange at all. It is a very
special form of prayer that any Christian can experience.

When
we pray in our heavenly prayer language, we are praising God and also
strengthening ourselves spiritually. Speaking in tongues helps us become mighty
in the Spirit. The apostle Paul, truly a giant in the New Testament church,
told the Corinthian believers: “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than
you all.”

Being
baptized in the Holy Spirit is not something you have to qualify for. Any
Christian can ask, and Jesus is ready to do it. You can pray by yourself or you
can ask someone else to pray for you.

Here
are the simple steps you can take to be filled with the Holy Spirit:

1. Prepare your heart. The Holy Spirit is holy. He is compared to a fire (see
Matt. 3:11), which means He purifies sin and burns up that which is not
Christlike in our lives. Make sure you have confessed all known sin and made
your heart ready for His infilling.

2. Ask Jesus to baptize you in the Spirit. You do not need to jump
through hoops to get God’s attention. He is eager to answer your request. Jesus
is the one who baptizes us in the Spirit, so ask Him—and expect Him to answer.

3. Receive the infilling. Begin to thank Him for this miracle. The Holy
Spirit’s power is filling your life. If you feel your mind is clouded with
doubts, just praise the Lord. Focus your mind on Him and not on yourself.

4. Release your prayer language. The moment you are filled
with the Spirit, you will receive the ability to speak in your heavenly prayer
language. You may feel the words bubbling up inside of you. You may begin to
hear the words in your mind. Open your mouth and began to speak, trusting the
Lord to give you this new, supernatural language.

Some people ask me, “Do I have to speak in tongues?”
Certainly God will not force you to do it, and it has nothing to do with
salvation. But I believe He offers this gift to anyone who wants it. It could
be considered the least of the gifts—but it serves as a doorway to the
supernatural realm and helps usher you into the deeper things of God.

5. Step out in
boldness. After
you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, one of the first things you will
notice is a new boldness. The Holy Spirit does not like to hide. He wants you
to speak about Jesus to those around you—and He will give you surprising
courage.