 Hello, David Digger Hernandez here, and you are watching Spirit Church here on the Encounter TV Network. I'm going to do something a little bit different. I want to have with you a casual chat. I'm just going to share from my heart. Of course, there will be some teaching. I have a couple of scriptures ready to share with you, but I want to share my personal testimony about what Jesus has done in my life and what he is accomplishing through my life. Of course, all glory goes to him. And as you listen to my story, my hope is that you're inspired. My hope is that you say, if God can use him, God can use me. And I want you by the end of this to be praying and saying to the Lord, Lord, use my life too. And I know this with certainty. Not only can God use your life too, but I believe God can use your life in greater dimensions. I'm going to share my heart in just a moment. But first, Stephen Mock, the Zoomer, is here with me. He's going to lead you in some very unnointed worship. And then we're going to get right into this testimony. First, let's go now to Stephen Mock, the Zoomer. I'm just going to share a portion of scripture with you, and then I'm going to get right into this. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 26 through 29 say this. Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. I love the way the King James Version words it, that no flesh should glory in his presence. As early as the age of seven, I battled heavily with anxiety. Now, I believe that the anxiety that came against me was purely demonic. In fact, generations ago, my family had a very high position in the world of the occult. And so there was a spiritual demonic influence that tried to re-enter at every generation. Now, I don't necessarily believe in generational curses. I believe that when you come to Jesus, every curse is broken, and you don't really have to do anything special to break that. But of course, generational curses do apply, I believe, to people who are not saved. Now, I was not a born-again believer as a child. Obviously, you're not born a Christian. You have to accept Christ at a certain age that you recognize that you need him. But this anxiety followed me everywhere. Listen, I would have visions of demonic beings, and I would see them physically manifest in my room as a kid. I would see them in different places. I would hear demonic whispers. I would also hear audibly the voice of God. And I knew that he had called me, and I knew that there was something hovering about me. There was a lot of spiritual activity that surrounded me. My family has stories about this and different things that would happen. But I'll never forget a vision I had of hell. I must have been around that age, six or seven years old. And I remember lying down on my bed, and I looked over at the floor, and the floor opened up, and I could see this pit. And it was a cave-like structure. Along the walls, there were all of these people. I knew they were lost souls. They were embedded into the walls, reaching up at me. I was terrified by this. I rolled over and I tried to ignore it. And I remember when I turned my back, I could feel the heat coming from that pit. And to this day, it's a memory I have. Now, I don't know necessarily where the influence of the Holy Spirit began, but I do remember constantly being sensitive to the spiritual realm. My parents prayed a very special prayer over each and every one of their children. For my older sister Raquel, they prayed that she would be a worshipper. And to this day, she is a worshipper. She passes the church with her husband in California. They prayed for my younger brother, Michael, for a spirit of boldness. And believe me, he's very, very bold. But what they prayed for me was that I would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Now, I didn't realize this till much later, but that prayer has impacted everything about the ministry. Think about how the emphasis is on the person of the Holy Spirit. Well, that was their prayer all along. But you see, when you're sensitive to the Holy Spirit, people who are sensitive to the Holy Spirit are also sensitive to the spiritual realm in general. So as a young boy, I was very much susceptible, I should say, to demonic assaults. One of those demonic assaults was anxiety. And the way anxiety manifested in my life was a very, very terrifying fear of hell. I don't necessarily believe that that fear came from God. I think it was more like along the lines of what he did with Job, where he somewhat allowed something, but it all worked out for his plan. We know that God sent an evil spirit to Saul. We know in the book of Kings that the prophets were tested with evil spirits. But aside from all of that, to simplify it, all I know is that overall, the guiding hand of God moved me along the plane of his will. But still, I battled heavily with anxiety. And this, again, as I said, manifested as a fear of hell, fear of the demonic, a fear of standing before God. And one day, I just picked up this book. It was a thick book that my father had. It was like a biblical commentary. And I said, Lord, you have to speak to me about my fear of hell. This is, I kid you not, this is exactly how. And I said, Lord, I need you to speak clearly about my fear of hell. I am tired of battling with this. And I opened the book and literally the first phrase there that I opened to was highlighted. It says, it said that we don't serve God simply because we're afraid of hell, but because he loves us. And I believe that was one of the first ways God tried to get through to me about his love. He wasn't calling me with his wrath. He was calling me with his love. The scripture says it's the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. Yes, I believe in hell. Yes, I believe sin leads there, but God's love is what calls us. And yes, there is wrath to come. So don't think I'm not preaching that. That's the true gospel. But fast forward now, I'm sitting in a hotel room. It's a Bible conference. My whole family had gone there. And I remember I stood out of the service. I didn't want to be inside of the church service. I believe there was some demonic influence there. I didn't want to be in the church service. I was 11 years old. I stood in the hotel room and I was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling while my family was away at the conference, which was just down the hall. And I remember sweating because I was so afraid of hell. And I said, I don't want to deal with this anymore. I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to face the wrath of God. And I remember as soon as my dad comes into the room, I told him, Dad, I want to give my heart to Jesus. I want to be sure that I'm right with him. Now, I believe it was the demonic that was harassing me in that way. God calls with his Holy Spirit, but he doesn't torment people. But God used what the enemy meant for evil for good. And so I remember my dad sat across from me on the other bed. There were two beds in the hotel room. He sits across from me and I said, Dad, I want to know Jesus. I want to receive him. He asked the rest of the family to leave so that it could be more personal. And he took my hands and I began to pray with him. And as we were praying, I could sense Jesus walk into the room. I just knew it. I sensed this loving, caring presence. It was such a contrast to what was tormenting my mind. And he comes into the room and as he enters the room, I felt all the anxiety, all of the torment, all of the shame, all of the guilt completely lift from off of me. It was as if a light was shining into the room and therefore expelling all of the darkness. And I remember my dad is trying to leave me in this prayer and I was sobbing so uncontrollably as I was praying that I couldn't even get the words out. But it wasn't the words that he needed to hear from me. My heart was surrendered. And from that moment on, I knew Jesus. And my prayer life began to grow. Many of you know that story. Some of you, that's where I tell the story. It takes off there. My prayer life begins to grow. For the next two years, I'm locking myself in my room, four to eight hours a day in the word, 20, 30, 40 chapters, sometimes 50 chapters of the word a day, just totally immersed in the word, totally obsessed with the presence of Jesus. It was during that time that I also was introduced to the Holy Spirit. Now my prayer life began to grow. And I remember praying this prayer right at about the peak of what was that, what I would call a personal revival. I prayed this prayer, Lord, let my hands be your hands. Heal through them. Let my eyes be your eyes. Allow me to see things, people and situations the way you see them. Let my ears be your ears. I want to hear your voice. Let my mouth be your mouth. I want to speak your word. Let my feet be your feet. Take me wherever it is you want me to go. Let my heart be this one with yours. Let my being be your being. Crucify my will. And in its place, resurrect your own. And when I prayed that, I believe God anointed my life. See, I didn't really have anything special to offer him. And that's why I read that portion of Scripture. I chose the foolish things. I was just a young Hispanic kid from the South Bay who would tie his shoes too tight, who had too much gel in his hair, who didn't really dress cool. I wasn't one of the cool kids. I wasn't on the in-crowd. I didn't have really anything I could point to that I could say that's special about me. All it was was I surrendered to God. I said, take my life. And this is where I want to read to you another Scripture. This is found in Genesis chapter 5 verses 22, 23, and 24. Listen to this. This is powerful. And Enoch walked with God after he begetten with Thucila 300 years and begetten sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch were 360 and five years. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him. You see, there's not something special about me. There's someone special about me. Enoch walked with God and simply was not. That's what I want to be. I want to be a was not. I want to be a portal through whom God can move. You see, when we worship and we pray, that's a portal into the heavenly realm. But when we surrender our lives, we become God's portal to the earth. We become the vessel through which he can live his life. And that's all he's looking for. He's not looking for special talent. I used to have people make fun of everything about me. I mean, people made fun of the way my voice sounded. It's got this different sound to it. I know. I've had people stop me in stores and go, I recognize the voice from across the room and we watch you on YouTube. I used to not like my hair because it was just it's so hard to do. I felt like it was just this helmet I wear on my head. You looked at me and you saw me. You wouldn't say there is somebody God will use. But you know, it's interesting. All those little things about myself, the way my voice sounds, the lightness of my skin. Yes, I understand. It's a little sickly looking sometimes. And the look of my hair, the sound of my voice, the look of my skin tone, all of it. I used to get made fun of for it all. But it's funny how God uses some of those things. You realize this voice is what God has used to preach the gospel to nations, to millions, literally millions of people. And it's funny, believe it or not, and I don't mean to be insulting. I have some Asian in my blood. But believe it or not, this hair has open nations to me, because they say you look like some of us and they'll accept you a little better. And because of that, I've been invited places. I used to be insecure about being Hispanic because in certain parts of the country, people treat you differently. They look down on you because you're Hispanic. My last name, Hernandez, I actually had people who would make fun of me and say, well, your name is Hispanic, so you're lesser than. They wouldn't word it that way, but in so many ways they would. But there was a season in my life where God used the last name to give me free airtime on a TV network. And I said, why are you giving me free airtime? They said, well, we have to meet this requirement. And because your last name is Hispanic, you get free airtime. It's amazing what God will do. He wants to use every little thing about you. He wants to use every quality, every character trait. Every look, everything about you, every detail he's worked on. Now, of course, there are some things that have to conform to the image of Jesus. But this is what I pray. Let my hands be your hands. Let me be you. Just take me, overflow, and it begin to happen. I ask the Lord for the gifts. I ask them for the gift of healing. I ask them for the gift of the word of knowledge. The first time I used it, I didn't even know I was using it. And I was just hanging out with some friends at church. And I just got this thought in my head. And I told this girl, very casually. I didn't even realize I was prophesying. I said, hey, do you have a friend at school who wants to commit suicide? And you were talking to her on Friday. And she told you that she wants to commit suicide because her father is verbally abusive. She said, yes. And I said, and she's sitting down, holding her knees, leaning up against her locker as she's telling you this and she's crying. And the girl said, yes, how do you know that? And I said, I don't know. It just flowed. It was natural. It just came out. And that was a result of meeting Jesus and spending time with Jesus. And it just flowed from there. So the overflow begins. Never once, please hear me, never once did I have to call a pastor and say, hey, have me at your church. Never once did I have to pass out a business card and force my way through a door. I simply ministered to the people in front of me. I ministered wherever opportunity I had. And every opportunity to minister that came my way, I took seriously. I used to pray before stepping out on the platform. And to this day, I don't necessarily pray it all the time, but I think it and I feel it and I know it. I used to say out loud because I'd be so nervous. I'd say, Holy Spirit, go out there with me when I step on that platform. Otherwise I can't do this. So I was 14. My first book was published at 16. We shot our first television program and it was for local cable and charter. It failed miserably, but we continued in 2007. I launched a YouTube channel and started doing live streams before live streaming was a thing. So it was very difficult to do. In 2011, that was my first television interview that aired all around the world. In my early 20s, we built our first television studio in Laundale, California. And each step of the way, I said, Holy Spirit, go with me. Each step of the way, I was just saying, Holy Spirit, help me stay out of the way. Annoyed me, used me. I laid it all down. You realize that there were passions and ambitions. I wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to be a businessman. I wanted to go into politics. There were so many other ambitions that I had that the Lord said, you have to lay them down. I wanted to go to college and study philosophy. I wanted to be counted among the intellectuals. But God called me. God called me and I laid it all down. There was a season in my life where I had like a crossroads and it was either pursue a professional path or pursue what God had for me. I wanted to go the professional route because it was security. It was certainty. It was all based on my ability. But God called me and I laid it all down and I don't regret a thing. I don't regret a thing. But I will say this to you, salvation was free. But the anointing will cost you everything. John chapter three, verse 30 says, I must decrease. He must increase. And that's really the story of my life. I'm a was not. I'm a portal, a porter for the glory of God. It means I just stay out of the way. Let him live his life through me. And he grew the ministry from there. And every step of the way, he continues to grow the ministry. He continues to bless my life. I still have moments with him that are special. And God wants to do the same with you. God wants to use your life. Feel just lay it down at the cross. There's nothing the cross can't handle. There's no one, not a person exists that God can't use. God is looking for the one who will yield and make themselves available. I want to pray with you now. Father in Jesus name, I pray for that one being inspired by your spirit now. And I ask you to touch them, anoint them, and draw them into the depths of the spirit. In the name of Jesus, we pray, use them for your glory. One more thing I want to say, when you spend time with Jesus, instead of trying to grow the ministry in your own strength and power, God will do it for you. When you spend time with Jesus, you're aligning yourself with his will, instead of trying to get God to align himself with yours. What happens when you spend time with Jesus is that God begins to trust you. And from there, he puts more into your hands. Well, that is it for the lesson. I want to welcome now the new members of Spirit Church. There you are up on the screen. We love you, and we are praying for you. I always say that because I always mean it. If you'd like to join the Spirit Family 100% free, go to davidhernandezministries.com slash Spirit Church. When you sign up, you get a brand new fresh teaching from me every single week and a worship cover from Stephen Mock to Zinua. The best part, when you sign up to Spirit Church, you can reply to that email for prayer support from our ministry staff. Join the Spirit Family today. Now almost 8,000 members strong. Now to your comments, and these comments are coming from last week's video, how to know you have the Holy Spirit, seven signs. Now, if you're someone who's wondering if you have the Holy Spirit, if you're someone who's constantly questioning your salvation, go and watch this teaching. Even if you're not that person, go and watch this teaching so that you can help others who are struggling in this area. That's where these testimonies are from, and by the way, if you'd like me to potentially read your comment next week, then go ahead and leave a comment in the comment section right now. And don't forget also to subscribe, and when you do subscribe on YouTube, click that notification bell so that you're notified of when our new content is released. Okay, so here are the comments from last week's teaching, how to know you have the Holy Spirit, seven signs. Cappy Cappy writes, character, not charisma, is the standard of the Holy Spirit. Wow, that had me. Thanks, Lord. I'm glad you were blessed by that. This person was quoting a portion of the message, and I encourage you to go watch it. Kid Paver and Wife writes, I am bawling. I know I'm saved. Thank you, Jesus, for loving me. Yes, many people wrote to us saying that they were moved to tears as they heard the truths coming out of that message. Alma Michi writes, Hey, Evangelist David, I have been searching for the Holy Spirit inside me. Thank you for you are building me spiritually. May God bless you and please thank Stephen for the beautiful music. He has helped me with my spiritual growth as well. Be blessed. Well, we know it's the Holy Spirit who's building you, but Stephen and I get to serve you, and we're very, very privileged to do that. Kim Lee writes, I am a newborn Christian, and I used to be very confident that I had the Holy Spirit within me. But lately, I have been afraid and doubting. Then this video popped up in my thread. Thank you for posting this video and reminding me that continuous growth is still evidence of God being in our lives. We aren't perfect, but we are striving for perfection. And finally, Quentin Evangeline writes, Praise be to God. It was a confirmation from Jesus as I was praying and asking him for the same. Thank you, Brother David. He has used you to tell me that he has given me the Holy Spirit. God bless you and your ministry. Well, these are just a few lives that are being impacted. Look, the world needs the gospel. And I mean the true gospel, not the prosperity gospel, not the watered-down gospel, not the gospel where there's no power. Look, there's this idea right now that it's no longer cool to pray for the sick or it's no longer relevant to believe for deliverance from the demonic. Listen, the gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed. Our methods may change, but the message does not. Truth never changes. We have to preach the gospel, the cross, the blood of Jesus, repentance from sin, the wrath of God, the mercy of God through the cross, all of it. We have to preach it and it has to be backed by demonstration with the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot just preach the gospel message without the signs and wonders following because that's not how God designed it. This is a supernatural message. So we need both the gospel and we need both the demonstration of the Holy Spirit to come together. That has to come together. So if you believe that it's time to show the world the power of God, if you believe that they need to be told that Jesus is Lord, if you want someone who's going to proclaim that truth boldly and stand up and not, look, I'm never going to apologize for preaching the gospel. I'm never going to back down. I'm never going to water it down and so that the world can be accepting of me. Look, they can take us off their platforms, they can bully us all they want, but I'm going to preach Jesus even if it means giving my life for it. And if you want to be a part of that, you want to see a difference made in this world and I need your help. We want to spread this message further than ever before and my goodness is this ministry experiencing growth. We're literally reaching millions every month through media and our events are growing rapidly. Most of our events now are standing room only and we need to move to larger venues. In fact, we're looking at some convention centers soon. So God is doing something. Attach yourself to where there's favor. Attach yourself to this. Maybe you're someone who's saying, God, I want you to use my life. Then let God use you first to serve in someone else's vineyard. When you support the gospel, God pays attention to that. When you do for others, when you want others to do for you, God pays attention to that. So here's my challenge to you. I want you to sow into this ministry. Not for me, not for Steve, for the gospel. 100% of what you give goes to the gospel message and I will not apologize for taking an offering. So those of you who have comments about that make your comments. I'm just going to ignore them. The gospel needs to be preached. The world is in desperate need and we cannot be bickering about all of these things that don't matter. We need to fund the most important message the world has ever heard. There is no greater cause than this. This is the greatest cause in the world. There's nothing you can support that's more important than that of eternal matters. Souls hang in the balance. Urgency must be felt. We must tell them that Jesus is Lord. We must tell them that only Jesus is safe. So I'm asking you, give a one-time gift or become a monthly supporter right now. Don't wait. Go to davidhernandezministries.com slash donate. Go and do that now. One-time gifts of any amount will help us and monthly gifts of any amount will help us. But if you will partner with me for $30 or more a month, that means you sign up to the automatic giving planet. $30 or more a month. I will send you either Carriers of the Glory, Encountering the Holy Spirit in every book of the Bible, or 25 truths about demons and spiritual warfare. When you sign up, I will sign one of those books for you as my initiation gift. I'll send it off to you to say thank you. And those of you who are waiting on Carriers of the Glory, they're coming soon. We sold out of those. But I'm going to go and sign a bunch more this weekend. So partner with us today. Don't wait. If you've been saying, you know, I'm thinking about doing it. I've been on the fence about it. Now is the time. This is the moment. Let's do this. Let's win souls by the millions. Thank you for doing that. I appreciate your support. And that is it for this edition of Spirit Church here on the EncounterTV Network. Until next time, remember, nothing is impossible with God.