 The baptism with the Holy Spirit is an intensified increase of the influence of the Holy Spirit. That word baptized means to be immersed or overwhelmed. Think of how the Titanic sank. The Titanic didn't sink because of the water around it. The Titanic sank because of the water that got in it. The Titanic was on the water and once it sank it went in the water. I know this sounds a little too basic, but I want you to see it in the spiritual realm too. We would not say a ship is baptized unless it sinks. If a ship is floating it's not baptized, it's just touching the water. Now the way you sink a ship is to feel all its different compartments with water. And the moment it becomes filled then it goes under. That's what it means to be baptized in the person of the Holy Spirit. When you're saved the Holy Spirit comes to live in you. When you're baptized with the Spirit you begin to live in him. That's what the baptism with the Holy Spirit is. Think about it. As another analogy, when you see your friends baptized, they say, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. What do they do? They dunk you under the water and you're being baptized in water. Submerged, immersed, flooded from within and all around you. That's what it means to be baptized. To have them all around you and within you. That is the baptism with the Holy Spirit. So when we are baptized in him, we're immersed in him. When we're baptized in him, he begins to fill all those little compartments of our lives. But it is a flood from within. Watch this now. Here's a key verse. You've got to hear this. John 7.38. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm being shaken right now. Just looking at this. Think about what Jesus is saying. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture said. Watch this now. Listen to what Jesus said. From his inner most being will what flow rivers of living water? Where does the water come from? The baptism of the spirit is not rain from heaven. I'm going to say that again. The baptism of the spirit is not rain from heaven. It's a flood from within. So then the waters in which we are baptized, spiritually speaking, the influence in which we are immersed does not fall upon us. It comes from within us. So think about the Titanic again. It's floating on the water. But it's not until the water gets in it and all around it that it begins to be submerged, influenced or sunk, right? That's what baptizes. I'm sunk in the spirit as a ship. So the Holy Spirit fills us from within to without. The spiritual waters, the rivers of living water, begin to flow from my spirit to my soul and that begins to affect my mind, will emotions, my personality, my will is transformed by that holiness, right? Living, joy, peace, love overflowing. It touches my soul. It cleanses my mind and it starts to spill out over into my actions. This is why religion will never work because religion says you have to work on the outside before you can see transformation on the inside. And transformation in religion, transformation is the reward for doing good. But in God's kingdom and the way the Lord does it, is first he changes us on the inside and then the outer shells begin to catch up. So the influence of the spirit starts within. The enemy influences from the outside in. The Holy Spirit influences from the inside out. The spiritual waters now begin to flow out of me. They begin to touch my soul, they begin to touch my mind and then eventually it gets to the body. Now it starts to change where I go. What I say, how I behave, what I do, who I'm around. It begins to influence the outer man. It begins to influence the soul and the body. That is what baptism means. So the baptism with the spirit is simply the increased influence of the Holy Spirit in your life. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the increased influence of the Holy Spirit. Not that he comes and goes, but we surrender to the flood from within. At salvation you receive him, at baptism you release him. At salvation you receive him, at baptism you release him. So when you're saved, he comes to dwell in you and then that influence takes over your life and sometimes because of the way we live we begin to find setback spiritually and those waters start to recede and then we start to act out not on who we are but we start to act according to the outer shells. But the baptism with the spirit is saying, Holy Spirit flood me, immerse me, drown me. Drown who I am. That's what happens with the flesh. The flesh drowns in the waters of baptism. Holy Spirit sink me. Holy Spirit drown me. Kill the old me. Drown who I was in you. And then you begin to become alive in the spirit. Those waters fill you and they're all around you. So it's greater surrender. So what is the baptism with the Holy Spirit? It is being immersed in the Holy Spirit but you're not receiving him. You're releasing him. So how do you receive this now? I'm going to tell you the three keys how to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Number one, see the truth. First Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14 but people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it for only those who are spiritual can understand what the spirit means. The reason they can't receive it is because they don't understand it. And the reason they don't understand it is because they don't know the truth. They can't receive them because they don't understand him. Now you already have him. So stop begging God for what you already have. I can't tell you how many times I've talked to someone and they come to me just so wrapped up in their emotions so overworked, so tense. They got theology and doctrines and things they were told from preachers and teachers just flying around their heads and they come to me almost terrified just anxious and urged Brother David I need the Holy Spirit. I've been trying, I've been begging, I've been begging and nothing's happened, nothing has happened for me yet and they just on and on and on and I'm not complaining about this. This breaks my heart to see people like this because I know they're trying to experience the Holy Spirit by working up the outer shells of who they are but you don't experience the influence of the Holy Spirit by working up the outer shells of body and soul you experience the influence of the Holy Spirit by knowing that he's already within you and allowing him to do his work and allowing him to influence you from the inside out You know I often say that an intense desire and please don't misunderstand what I'm saying I'm going to say it then I'm going to explain it, okay? An intense desire for an encounter with God can itself become a distraction to an encounter with God. Why? Because while we're praying we're just looking around saying am I encountering God? While we're asking of the Lord we're just saying is it actually happening? And we're waiting for a feeling. We're waiting for an emotional wave. We're waiting for a manifestation. Nothing wrong with any of those but we're waiting for those to confirm to us that we have the Holy Spirit when we should already know it. Don't wait for your emotions to confirm what the word already tells you. You will stay stuck. Please hear me now. You will stay stuck if you don't stop living in your emotions. You will stay stuck if you live in that that tense posture spiritually that constant desperation that constant urgency. No, that is not the way to receive. Noise does not equal power. There is stillness involved. That stillness comes from confidence. That confidence comes from faith. That faith comes by knowing the truth. When we know the truth we see the truth. When we see that reality that the Holy Spirit is already in us and when we relax in that truth when we trust the truth. Please hear me now. When we trust the truth we relax enough for our emotions and thoughts to stop distracting us from what we already have. When we trust the truth we relax enough in our emotions and thoughts to experience and acknowledge what we already have. You see, we distract ourselves. We're so worked up. We're so desperate. Desperation is a great initiator a terrible sustainer. Desperation is not the lifestyle of the believer because desperation implies disconnect. I'm not disconnected from God. How can I be desperate for what I already have? We live in this sometimes and we're so stirred up. Oh, I need a touch. How come God, why does the Holy Spirit ignore me? I've seen the comments. People say things like, yeah, well, you talk about how to hear the Holy Spirit. Why does God never talk to me? Well, that posture right there is a posture of pessimism and negativity and distraction and emotion and doubt and cynicism and skepticism. Of course it's going to be difficult to pause and see the truth that you already have them. Stop trying to get what you already have. We don't pray to connect with God. We pray from connection with God. So number one, see the truth. You have the Holy Spirit. You have him. Whether you fill him or not, you have him. Stop begging for what you already have. Number two, seek him. Don't seek to receive him. Seek to know him. Watch this in Luke 11, 13. So if you sinful people 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? Ask him, not beg. Not all worked up. Not all desperate. Not all emotional. Not all hyped. You know, there's a certain peace about those who walk in the Holy Spirit. If you're constantly worked up, constantly urgent, constantly worried about the things around you, constantly tense and angry and legalistic, it's not the Spirit. That's what keeps you from walking forward. Acts two, one through four. On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place. Then suddenly the sound from heaven came like the roaring of a mighty windstorm. They're all filled. They spoke in tongues. The Holy Spirit gave them that ability. What happened there? Well, they were seeking his influence. We don't seek the Holy Spirit in the same way that someone who hasn't been saved seeks the Holy Spirit. We seek his influence in our lives. We seek to know him. We seek to understand how he might gain more influence in our lives. So number one, see the truth. Number two, seek him. Just ask. Holy Spirit take over. Holy Spirit have influence. Some of the most powerful times I've ever experienced came about as a result of my simplest prayers. Simple things. Holy Spirit take over. Holy Spirit let my hands be your hands. Heal and touch to them. Holy Spirit let my eyes be your eyes. Help me to see things, people and situations the way you see them. Holy Spirit let my mouth be your mouth. Help me to speak your words of truth. Holy Spirit let my ears be your ears. Help me to hear your voice. Let my feet be your feet. Guide me where you want me to go. Let my mind be your mind. Let my heart be your heart. Let my heart beat as one with yours. Let my being be your being. Crucify my will and in its place resurrect your own. This was my simple prayer. Holy Spirit go with me. Holy Spirit be with me. And it wasn't begging. It wasn't tense and worked up and frustrated and doubtful. It was just Holy Spirit be with me. And then knowing he's walking with me. So number one, see the truth. Number two, seek him. Just simply ask. Number three, and this is the most powerful key. Number three, surrender. Surrender to the Holy Spirit. Now you may say, well how do I surrender? How do I do that? Well, I just gave you two simple keys first before I said surrender. See the truth. Just believe the truth. Trust the truth. Don't wait for your emotions to validate a truth that you should know by faith. Simply ask him. Obey him. Walk according to his word. Pray. Read the word. Worship. These are ways to surrender. Do the spiritual practices, the basics. Read the word. Pray. Relax. Trust the truth. Worship. Live clean. Ask him to help you live clean. Invite his influence. Even now as I'm talking I can sense his presence. He's going to touch you right now. Invite the influence of the Holy Spirit. Several years ago I had a dream. And in my dream I was standing in front of a cave-like opening. It was a cave that went on for miles. I could tell just by standing on the outside. In my dream I knew. And the opening of the cave was very dark. I couldn't see inside the cave. Standing to my right I could see a being. And bright white light was emanating from his being. I never looked to see his face, but I knew it was Jesus. And so we come up to the cave, the entryway. And the Lord asked me if he could go in. I gave him permission. And when he entered the cave, the cave filled with light and suddenly I was able to see all of the details along the rocky walls. And we went entry by entry. Tunnel by tunnel. Chamber by chamber. The Lord each time asking me can I have this? And I would say yes Lord you can have it. He would step in. Light would fill it every time. Some chambers were darker than others. Some chambers were easier to surrender than others. Some I said go ahead Lord take it. Others I was like all right take it Lord. Some hesitation in my heart. And then we came to the opening of a chamber that was very dark. And I don't know how else to express this in words other than to say that this was darker than the other chambers. A deep, deep, deep darkness. And the Lord asked me can I have this chamber too? I remember hesitating. I was afraid I could sense him looking at me and I felt vulnerable. He could see my mind, my secrets, my heart, everything. Yet seeing everything in me he still loved me and I could feel that love from his being. And I remember standing there in front of this structure, this opening and saying Lord I don't know. I'm hesitating back and forth in my mind not knowing what to do. The interesting thing was that the Lord only asked me once if he could have that chamber. And then he just patiently waited for my response. That's the thing about the Holy Spirit. He'll speak and then not speak again until you've obeyed what he's already spoken. He's a gentleman. He's not pushy, but he is persistent. So the Lord stood there. I was struggling. I felt such anguish, such angst, such fear and trembling not wanting to know if I wanted to give this chamber to the Lord. And I don't even know why I was hesitating, but I was. And finally, after back and forth, back and forth I said to him, okay Lord, you can have this room too. And the moment I said that, the room filled with light. The Lord revealed the meaning of that dream to me. The cave-like structures, the tunnels, the chambers that represented my heart and that light was the influence of the Holy Spirit. Now I don't know what part of my heart that was, that dark, dark chamber. I don't know what part that was. I still to this day have some ideas, but I don't completely understand. But I do know that there are areas in our lives that we hold back and we say, Holy Spirit, you can come close enough to bless me but not close enough to challenge me. Holy Spirit, I will surrender just enough to be empowered but not enough to be changed. Holy Spirit, I'll give you this and that and this is the thing about those dark chambers in our hearts is it's always difficult for us. He'll never ask you the easy thing. There are parts in us that we just can't surrender and that's usually what's holding back the influence of the Holy Spirit. You can have my time, just don't take my unforgiveness. Lord, you can have my energy, just don't touch my money. Lord, you can have my spiritual gifting, just don't ask for my secret sin. And all the while he's waiting on you, waiting on you to influence and allow that influence to flow, to allow that influence to overtake your being, to allow yourself to be surrendered to the Spirit. So I ask you, what is that chamber of your heart that's yet to be filled? What are you holding back? What do you not allow his authority to take over? And all of us have something. It could be something from your past. It could be something you're dealing with now. Those stubborn areas, those things you've been hanging on to for decades, decades. And we cling to them in fear. It's scary sometimes surrendering. Surrender can be scary. But that's how the influence is found. Those floodwaters rest within you, waiting to overtake you. What are you doing to create that barrier? And once you surrender, those floodwaters overflow from your spirit and begin to touch the soul. Anger will become patience. Sadness will become joy. Selfishness will become love. Just confusion, fear will become peace. Self will be exchanged for his presence. And it won't just affect the soul. It won't just affect the way you think, the way you process, the way you see. That influence will flood out of you and begin to affect the way you live and walk and move who you hang around with. What you allow yourself to do, the places that you go. One of the manifestations of the baptism with the Holy Spirit is through the mouth as the gift of speaking in tongues. But as long as we hold on to our fears, our doubts, our reservations, as long as we hesitate to allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives, we will limit his work. Every believer has the Holy Spirit. But does the Holy Spirit have you? Spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Make a one-time donation or become a monthly supporter by clicking on the donate link now.