When the Holy Spirit visits you, your whole being responds. Some people get chills or goose bumps, some speak in tongues — which sounds like gibberish (to me, anyway), I cry. I’m moved. My heart swells. It could happen when I’m praying, praising, worshiping, reading and studying the Bible, and/or listening to Christian music.

Every Repentant Believer Receives the Holy Spirit

Moreover, He — the Spirit — desires to act even more — to do more for you and with you, if you let Him.

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

John 3:5-8 NLT

He gives us “indwelling” power

He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

2 Corinthians 3:6 NLT

And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Romans 8:10-11 NLT

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

Titus 3:4-6 NLT

The Holy Spirit Speaks to Us

It’s the sweetest, yet strongest voice that transcends everything you are. The Spirit brings you wisdom, advice, and instructions. It’s up to you to listen and obey. He may speak through…

• Dreams and visions
• Daily readings
• Sermons and teachings
• Friends

If you don’t obey, you get this guilt — sorry, there’s no other word that I can use to describe it — feeling in your heart and soul that the Spirit — and Jesus — aren’t happy with what you did or doing. However, when you do obey, you get this feeling of overwhelming joy. It’s indescribable.

Jesus told His Disciples…

“But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me….

…”But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you….

…”When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’”

John 15:26, 16:7, 13-15

The Greek word for “advocate” translates as Comforter, Encourager, or Counselor. If you really want to KNOW Jesus, then you need to…

Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.

• Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever.
• Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180 in your life and surrender your life to Him.
• Be Baptized — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
• Receive the Holy Spirit in your heart.

Once you have the Spirit inside your heart, listen to His promptings.

Love God and Your Neighbor

1. Stay surrendered to the Spirit — don’t ignore the feelings. Pray and ask for discernment — knowing right from wrong and truth from lies. (And believe me, we need that these days.)
2. Refuse unbiblical thoughts — that may mean you have to change the music you listen to and the TV programs or movies you watch, even the people you hang out with. But, I tell you, don’t be surprised if the stuff you used to watch or listen to starts offending you.
3. Seek intellectual excellence — Read the Bible. It’s free. It’s God’s instructions for living in this crazy world.

Become One with Jesus Christ

Becoming a true, born-again Christian means becoming one with Jesus Christ. You become a Child of God and part of God’s family of Christians. You now have millions of brothers and sisters around the world in every nation, of every color, who worship God in many languages. And guess what? They’ll pray for you and support you. They are there for you when you need help.

To do that, you must be willing to…

1. Give up sinning — that’s the “repent” part.
2. Surrender your way of thinking — you start having a Biblical worldview rather than a secular or ungodly one.
3. Surrender your WHOLE LIFE — not just part of it. Believe me, if you try to live with one foot in the Kingdom while keeping one foot in the world, it won’t work. You’ll split yourself in ways you never imagined and it will lead to nothing but heartache and pain. (That’s completely avoidable had you listened to Spirit in the first place.)

The Holy Spirit will show you what you need to give up. Furthermore, you’ll see that the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train steaming right at you, it’s God Himself. Jesus said…

“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 8:12 NLT

Are you ready to repent of your sins and invite Jesus into your heart?

Pray this prayer humbly and wholeheartedly…

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Please forgive me. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and my life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. I will follow you for the rest of my life. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Next Steps in Your New Walk with Jesus…

1. Start reading the Bible daily. If you don’t have one, I recommend the YouVersion, Bible.app and Through the Word app — both are free and have a lot of great daily devotionals and Bible studies.
2. Pray every day. Talk to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you daily.
3. Find and join a Bible-believing church — preferably a non-denominational one and be baptized!

Soli Deo Gloria — to God Alone be the Glory!

My Testimony…

• From Catholic to Prodigal: Surviving College
• From Prodigal to Progressive: Surviving Hurricanes
• From Progressive to Born Again Christian: Surviving Unemployment