No doubt we all encounter well-meaning Christian people who constantly emphasize that we must do the will of God — that we must prove our love for God by what we do for Him.  With some, it seems to be an obsession.

I understand the passion for holiness.  Yes, Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His words, or commandments (John 14:21, 23).  And James was writing in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he said, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18 — see James 2:14-26).  I want to be ever so much like Jesus — holy, pure, kind, and loving.

But the obsession that some have with doing bothers me.  I think perhaps their motives are good, but they have gotten the cart before the horse.  As I thought on this, the Scripture about the good and bad fruit trees came to mind, and my light bulb went on.

Think about the fruit trees in your acquaintance.  Do they strain with all their might to produce apples or cherries?  If a tree could think, would it say to itself, “I MUST produce fruit!  I must!  I must!  Oh, this is so hard, and I’m so worn out making it happen, but I will produce fruit if it kills me!”  Does one fruit tree whack its fellow tree with a large branch and exclaim, “Produce!  You’ve got to make it happen to show you are a fruit tree!  Can’t you crank out a few more oranges, Brother Tree?”

Fruit trees produce fruit because they are fruit trees, not because they strive and strain to do it.  They draw continual strength from the sap that flows through them.  They put their roots down deep, and receive the nourishment of the soil, and the fruit comes as an automatic product of what the trees already are.

We can learn from the fruit trees of Luke 6 and the vine of John 15.  So many believers are exhausting themselves, trying to prove to God and each other that they are good fruit trees or vine branches by what they produce, rather than abiding in Jesus and letting the fruit come as a natural by-product.  So many are cracking the whip over their fellow believers, goading them  to perform, instead of encouraging each other to rest in the presence of Jesus and let Him bring forth the fruit His way.  It reminds me of the Egyptian taskmasters demanding more bricks from the Israelite slaves!

We say we are saved by grace, but the way many of us try to walk out our Christian life after salvation is a mixture of grace and law.  I dare say a goodly portion of Christianity is heavily into this mixture, and it is not God’s way.  But it has been interwoven into our church life for such a long time that we fail to recognize what has happened to us.  We know all the right doctrines, but our mindsets are quite another thing.  Our emphasis on what and how much fruit is produced has become bondage.

Abiding in Christ and expecting fruit to come about naturally does not mean we sit around and do nothing but “soak” in the Lord.  When we stay in close communion with Him, He leads us by His Spirit, and the outflow of being sensitive to Him will be good works.  If the fruit never shows up, we’ve got an unhealthy tree.  In the Christian, there is then some kind of disconnect with our Source.

What I’m suggesting is that, instead of striving to DO for Jesus, if we will BE in Him, the fruit will be a reality.  “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) will outflow into righteous acts that will convince the world that our God truly is worthy to be worshiped.

Print version

We also have other audio resources for you:

Speaking as the Oracles of God
& Resisting Negative Words
By Lee Ann Rubsam
CD

Flowing in the Prophetic,
Levels 1 & 2
Level 1: The Prophetic Anointing
Level 2:  Prophetic Alignment
by Steve Driessen
6-CD Set for each level

Leveraging Kingdom Authority
by Steve Driessen
A powerful teaching on healing, with the actual healing time that took place at the end of the service. This CD carries such a presence of the Lord with it, that you are likely to be healed while listening to it.

If you are one of the faithful ones who know what it is to stay close to the heart of God, yet you feel insignificant, I have a word for you:

Look out and get ready, for God is about to use you.

History reveals that time and again, God has chosen the most unlikely people to accomplish His strategic purposes.  Seeing that His Word lays this out as His normal mode of operation, this should not overly surprise us, yet it always seems to. 

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many who are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.
          – 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

The Lord is speaking to prepare and position yourself by continuing to align with Him — staying close to Him, ministering to Him by listening to His heart-cry.  Believe the things He has spoken over you, no matter how long you have been hearing without seeing the result, and no matter how “small in your own eyes” you may seem.  Staying small and keeping Him big is what will propel you into being used for the Lord’s mighty purposes.

Look out!  Get ready!  He is about to use you.

I have found myself praying that God would bring hidden things to light, whether positive or negative, that will facilitate that shift.  But it will take serious prayer on the part of dedicated intercessors to bring this about.  The shift (or surprise) may not take place unless God’s prayer warriors take hold and intercede specifically for it.

 Our opinions and political leanings commonly tend to lead us into doggedly praying from our limited viewpoint on what should happen.  When it comes to politics, often we think we already know the will and plans of God!

But this time around, He is asking us to come up higher in our intercession — to go beyond taking for granted what we think we know, and to ask Him to reveal His counsel on how to pray.  We must intercede from a place of listening to what the Spirit is saying, rather than plunging hastily into prayer based on what we think should happen. 

As we intercede from the position of the Spirit’s understanding, rather than our own, our prayers will profoundly impact and reshape the future of America.

We have made this entirely too difficult for people, with all our little methods and tricks, and too many have ended up despairing of ever receiving their prayer language – mostly because of wrong teaching.  It’s time to stop that.

Many of us have been taught that when we ask God for the baptism in the Spirit, if we somehow mysteriously end up speaking in tongues, then we “got” the baptism.  If we don’t fall into speaking in tongues, then we didn’t “get” the baptism. We end up thinking God didn’t choose to give it to us, and either wonder why we are second-class citizens in the Kingdom or else beat up on ourselves for not having enough faith.

It does take faith to believe that God truly will baptize us in the Holy Spirit when we ask, and then to act on it by opening our mouths and letting our prayer language out.  But let me state right up front that if you are a Christian, you already have all the faith you need.  Every believer in Christ already has GREAT faith.

Why do I say that?  Think about what you believe: God Almighty, Who existed from all eternity, took on human flesh, died for every sin you would ever commit, arose from the dead, and will raise you from the dead in a glorified body, too.  And you will one day live in heaven with Him for all eternity, without any sorrow or pain anymore.  As a Christian, you accept all that, don’t you?  But when you think about it a little bit from a “rational” perspective, it sounds ridiculous!  And yet, you know it is true, and you believe it with all your heart.  That takes great faith.

The baptism in the Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, can be received by faith in the same way you believed for salvation.  It isn’t any harder at all.

Here is what we are going to do:

1.)  If you are chewing gum, spit it out.  It doesn’t help to have gum in your mouth when you want to receive your prayer language.

2.)  Get yourself in tune with the Lord in whatever way works best for you.  If you want to worship and praise Him a little, go ahead.  You don’t have to make a big deal out of this — just get yourself communing with Him for a few minutes.

3.)  Now, ask the Lord to baptize you (fill you) with His Holy Spirit.  He says in His Word that this is for all believers, so just ask and believe He will do it for you. 

 (Did you do that?  If you did, you are now baptized in the Spirit. You may “feel” His tangible Presence all over you, but if you don’t, it’s OK.  You are still baptized in the Spirit, if you asked Him and believed Him for it.)

4.)  Because you are now baptized in the Spirit, you have the ability to speak in tongues.  But you have to act in faith for it to manifest.  Open your mouth and initiate speech. By initiating speech, I do not mean speaking out conscious words.  I mean doing everything you would normally do to utter words – but immediately the Holy Spirit takes over and does the speaking.  You will begin to speak in your prayer language effortlessly.

5.)  Keep praying in tongues for a while and enjoy the Holy Spirit flowing through you like this.  From this point on, you can pray in tongues whenever you so desire.  

That is all there is to it.  

You may have a lot of questions about your new prayer language, including, “What if it sounds funny?” What if I only have one or two syllables?” etc.  It doesn’t really matter if it sounds funny; your native language sounds funny to many people in other parts of the world.  And one or two syllables is just the beginning of something that will probably expand.  If it doesn’t, be aware that some tribal dialects consist of just a syllable or two, and the whole language revolves around voice inflection, rather than multiple syllables. 

If you read my series, The Power of Your Prayer Language, a lot of other questions will be answered there. 

Now, I know that although most people who follow this simple plan WILL receive their prayer language, there will be a few who will not, due to being afraid it won’t happen for them and clamming up, rather than speaking out their prayer language in faith.  If that happens to you,  here is what you must know: you asked the Lord to baptize you in His Holy Spirit, and He did.  He really did, if you asked Him, believing that He would.  It is up to you now to let Him give you your prayer language.

When you feel you are ready, you might want to pray a prayer such as: “Lord, I asked in faith to be filled up with Your Spirit, and I believe You did that for me.  I am going to trust you for my prayer language, and it will happen for me.  Here goes, Lord!” and then open your mouth, initiate sound, and let Him do it from there.

You may want to read the following posts for further understanding:

What Is the Baptism in the Spirit? (Part 1) 
What Is the Baptism in the Spirit? (Part 2) 
Common Questions About the Baptism in the Spirit (Part 3)

I would love to hear from any of you who have received the baptism in the Spirit and your prayer language by following the directions in this post.  Your testimony will also be an encouragement to others.

What are the prerequisites to being baptized in the Spirit?  There is only one: you must be born again (a Christian; a person who is putting your trust in Jesus for your salvation).

The baptism in the Spirit is a gift from God, not something we attain to by works, just as salvation does not come through works.  There are traditions within some Pentecostal/Charismatic circles about things we supposedly have to do to work ourselves up to receiving this gift, but there really is no biblical backup for these notions, and if you have to earn it, it is not really a gift anymore.

Is it possible to be baptized in the Spirit and not speak in tongues? Pentecostals often argue that since speaking in tongues is evidence of having received the baptism, then not speaking in tongues means one has not been baptized in the Spirit.  At the risk of getting a few folks upset, I don’t think that is quite right.

Tongues is evidence of the baptism, but the absence of tongues does not automatically mean that the infilling of the Spirit did not take place.  If a person sincerely asks the Lord to fill him or her with the Spirit, he or she can receive in faith at that very instant, just as when we ask Jesus to be our Lord, we are saved in that very instant.  The question, then, is whether we will allow the Spirit to operate through us in tongues or not.  I will talk about this more in my next post, where I will explain how to receive the baptism in the Spirit with your prayer language.

There are people who are obviously filled with the Spirit, who move in all of the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 except tongues and the interpretation of tongues.  Why?  Because the church fellowship they are part of gets hung up on tongues but not always the other gifts.  It is not that they cannot pray in tongues, but that they have been taught that they should not, and therefore are not open to it.  It is not that tongues has been withheld from them, but that they do not want it.

The real issue is not whether we can be filled with the Spirit and get away with not speaking in tongues.  The real issue is, why would we not desire a gift that the Lord so freely wants to give — a phenomenon that the New Testament speaks of as being important?  Why would we choose to resist receiving tongues?

Reasons for resisting tongues include:

1.)  Intellectualism (the “If I can’t figure it out, I don’t want it” syndrome).
2.)  Fear of looking and sounding foolish (pride).
3.)  Fear of losing control.  (This is our soul, not wanting to yield to the Spirit. You don’t lose control, by the way.  You have complete control over when to begin and end speaking in tongues, once you have received the baptism in the Spirit.)
4.)  Unbiblical teaching that has ingrained limiting mindsets into our thinking.

Why should I desire to pray in tongues?  Because it is a gift from God, and His gifts should not be spurned.  Every gift from God is perfect, pure, lovely, and to be desired.  Please see my series, The Power of Your Prayer Language for an in-depth discussion of more reasons.

Next time, I will explain how to easily receive the baptism in the Spirit and your prayer language (the personal gift of tongues).

What Is the Baptism in the Spirit? (Part 1)      
What Is the Baptism in the Spirit?  (Part 2) 
How to Easily Be Baptized in the Spirit (with Tongues) 

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly, there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared to them cloven tongues like fire, and it sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  — Acts 2:1-4

This was the first time the Church received what we commonly call “the baptism in the Spirit.” The Greek word for baptize means to fully cover, or to make fully wet.  The early Church understood baptism to mean a full immersion, including how they conducted water baptism.   The Baptism in the Spirit, therefore, is to be fully immersed in the Spirit, and this is what the believers in the upper room experienced. The entire room was filled with the Spirit, and they were also filled on the inside with the Spirit.  The evidence of the Presence of the Spirit externally around them was the manifestation of the sound of wind and the tongues of fire, while the evidence of them being filled internally was that they spoke in tongues.

While the wind and the tongues of fire are not mentioned again in succeeding stories of believers being baptized in the Spirit, the evidence of tongues is. When Peter preached to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house, “the Holy Spirit fell on all them who heard the word.  And they of the circumcision [the Jewish believers] … were astonished … because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out also on the Gentiles, for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God …” (Acts 10:44-46).   There were believers in Ephesus who had not yet been baptized in the Spirit.  When the Apostle Paul “laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied” (Acts 19:6).  That there was an outward evidence of receiving the baptism in the Spirit is also implied in Acts 8:14-19, the story of the converts in Samaria.  This evidence most likely was speaking in tongues as well.  Whatever it was was an unmistakable outward sign.

Is the baptism in the Spirit for all believers, or only for a select group?  Peter gives us the answer to this question in Acts 2:38, 39: “… Repent and be baptized [this is water baptism] every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy  Spirit.  For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”  The promise was to all those who were listening to Peter on the day of Pentecost, and to their succeeding generations, and to all who were afar off — in generations to come and in far-flung places where the gospel had not as yet been preached.

The Christians of the early Church considered it abnormal for a believer to not be baptized in the Spirit, and they took steps to rectify such situations.  When Philip preached at Samaria, the new believers there were not yet filled with the Spirit, so the apostles sent Peter and John to help them receive (Acts 8:14-16).  Paul noticed that there was something wrong with a few of the believers at Ephesus and laid hands on them so that they would receive the Spirit (Acts 19:2-6).  It is possible, although we cannot know for sure, that when Aquila and Priscilla noticed that something was not quite right in Apollos’ preaching, that the baptism in the Spirit was the missing ingredient. They then helped Apollos know “the way of God more perfectly.” (Acts 18:24-26).

Next time, we will answer a few more common questions about the baptism in the Spirit, and after that, we will get to how you can easily and confidently receive the baptism in the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

What Is the Baptism in the Spirit? (Part 1) 
Common Questions About the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Part 3) 

In preparation for that, I would like to lay the foundation of what the baptism in the Spirit is.

John the Baptist said of Jesus, “I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I is coming … he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:16).

Every believer in Jesus Christ has the Holy Spirit dwelling within.  Romans 8:9 tells us, “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Now, if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not one of his.”  Jesus promised His disciples right before His death, “And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see him, neither does it know him.  But you know him, for he dwells with you, and shall be in you” (John 16, 17).

He goes on to say that it is by the Spirit living within believers that He and the Father will abide with them (John 16:18, 23).  When we tell little children to “ask Jesus into your heart,” what we are really saying is, “Believe on Jesus and yield yourself to Him, and when you do, the Holy Spirit will come to live inside.”  It is through the Spirit that the Father and Jesus also reside with us.  It is because the three Persons of the  Trinity are one God. 

When Jesus first appeared to the eleven on the day of His resurrection, He commissioned them and gave them authority to carry on His work, “and when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:21, 22).

Was this the baptism in the Spirit?  Clearly it was not, since Luke tells us in Acts 1:3 that Jesus continued appearing to the apostles for yet another forty days, instructing them about the Kingdom of God, which they were to cooperate with Him in establishing on the earth, and during that forty days,  “being assembled together with them, [he] commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, ‘Which,’ he said, ‘you have heard of 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).  He also told them, “You shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses …” (Acts 1:8).

Although the disciples were already believers, having received the Holy Spirit, there was yet a further infilling that God wanted them to have, which would give them power to witness effectively for Him in a way that they could not otherwise do.

We will look at what that further infilling was next time. 

What Is the Baptism in the Spirit? (Part 2) 
Common Questions About the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Part 3) 

How many times have you wished to pray Scripture relating to a specific need, but couldn’t remember where the verses were to support your prayers? The Intercessor’s Companion is a topical listing of Bible verses that will aid you in receiving your breakthrough answers.

This is a much-expanded version of our smaller book, Encouragement from God’s Word. We’ve added ten topics of particular interest to intercessors, insightful commentary, and we’ve redone the Bible verses in a modernized rendition of the King James Version for easier reading.

Topics covered:

Establishing Our Foundations for Prayer:
      1. Your Importance as an Intercessor
      2. The Bible Is True
      3. God Intends for Us to Know His Will
      4. God Promises to Guide His Children
      5. God’s Promises Shall Stand
      6. God Means Great Good Toward Us
      7. God Will Not Let Us Be Ashamed
      8. God Helps Those Who Trust in Him
      9. God’s Faithfulness Is Unfailing
    10. God Has Not Forgotten You
    11. We Need Not Fear
    12. Our God Is Our Safety
    13. You Can Have Peace
    14. Our God Is a Listening God
    15. The Lord Answers Your Prayers
Praying for Specific Needs:
    16. Health and Healing
    17. Prosperity
    18. Salvation for Loved Ones
    19. Israel
    20. Our Nation
    21. Your Pastor (Ministry Leaders, Missionaries)
    22. Relationships
    23. The Church
Our Final Asurance:
    24. God Always Knew It All
    25. God Ultimately Will Have His Way
    26. The Battle Is the Lord’s
    27. In God We Have Ultimate Victory
Appendices:
    28. Appendix A: Decreeing the Will of God
    29. Appendix B: Spiritual Warfare

8 1/2 X 11, Comb,  Paperback,  83 pages 

Order Now

Ebook version available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
and Smashwords.

Why?  Part of it is just the nature of our fallen world and the troubles we humans experience because of it, while some of it is because every day we are getting closer to the time of Jesus’ return.  The Book of Revelation speaks of great trouble that will come upon the earth.  Revelation 12:12 foretells, “… for the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.”  If we are not in that day, we are fast approaching to it.

What can we do to help ourselves in the midst of trying circumstances?  How do we manage to not fall apart when our minds struggle with fear and other assaults of the enemy?  I’m going to share with you what God said to me in the midst of a stiff mind battle:

“Stay in the counsel of the Lord.”

That’s pretty simple, isn’t it?  No, it’s not.  Refusing to focus on the problem, anchoring our attention instead on what Jesus has said about it, is one of the greatest challenges we face in obtaining prayer answers or in pushing through into the destiny God has for us.

God is speaking to many of us, and the tenor of His words is, “You’re going to be all right.  I will get you through to the other side.  I’ll take you where you need to go.  I will not fail you.  I will meet the need.”  And we take comfort for a short time in what He is speaking — but then the circumstances start to loom larger than life once again, and before we know it, we’re on the edge of losing our peace, as though He had never spoken.

“Stay in the counsel of the Lord.”

A number of years ago, while going through a season of great discouragement, I had a dream.  In it, I saw myself run my head up against a wall.  I heard the sound of the collision, saw stars, and heard the words, “a stumbling block.”  I immediately awoke and had this conversation with the Lord:

“Lord, what was that?”
“It’s a warning.”
“What are You warning me about?”
“Your mind is a stumbling block.  You’ll run up against a wall if you listen to what your mind wants to tell you.  Stay in My Spirit.”
Then He continued, “Whose report will you believe?  Will you believe what you see with your eyes?  Or will you believe what you have heard in your spirit?”

I chose to believe what the Lord had clearly spoken to me and to press on through the difficulties to get there.  I’m still doing that.  It is what we all have to do if we are going to see our promises fulfilled and if we are going to finish our race successfully.

The devil may be raging, and our circumstances may look like an awful mess, but if we will hold on tightly to Jesus and the things He has spoken to us – especially the Scriptures, but also the personal promises He has shared with us — we’ll get through and we’ll be all right.  He is faithful.

The good news is that there isn’t always going to be a conflict.  The opposition of the enemy will one day be nullified, and all will be well. 

     But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.
     The Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
     — Daniel 7:18, 22

Stay in the counsel of the Lord.  Not only will you be all right, but you will be a victorious overcomer.  You will accomplish what you were born to do.  Just don’t give up, and you’ll get there.  Your day is coming.