Your Testimony Is A Weapon.

Many say they claim to believe in Jesus. Some claim to know him as Lord. How many can attest to what Jesus have done in their lives? Better still what were you saved from? You are not a Christian until you are saved. You are not just saved you were saved from something. What are you saved from? "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death" (Rev.12:11).

Do not be afraid to tell others what you have been saved from. This is power over the kingdom of darkness, and glory unto God. I was saved from drugs, alcohol, gangs, masturbation, and demonic possession, and brought into God's marvellous light of his Son.

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved". Eph.2:2-5

I am so glad that I am saved. What are you saved from? Tell others your testimony.

BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the empowering for service that takes place in the life of the Christian (Acts 1:8, 2). It can take place at the moment of faith in Christ as in the case of the first Gentile convert, Cornelius; but traditionally and experientially it follows repentance, saving faith, and baptism (see Hebrews 6:1-2). It enables a believer to witness to the Lord's salvation and to demonstrate one or more of the nine gifts, or manifestations, of the Holy Spirit (see I Corinthians 12:7-10). Just as the indwelling Spirit reproduces the life of Jesus, the outpoured, or baptizing, Spirit reproduces the ministry of Jesus.
To illustrate, if I had a glass of water and took a swallow, then the water would be inside me. If, on the other hand, I went down to the beach and stepped into the ocean, then I would be in the water. We receive, as it were, a drink of the Spirit when we are saved, but when we are baptized in the Spirit, it is as if that initial drink becomes an ocean that completely surrounds us.
When we give ourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. The Holy Spirit places us into Jesus. In turn Jesus immerses us in the power of the Holy Spirit, and from the experience comes the ability to reproduce the works of Jesus, including miracles and healings (see John 14:12-16, Acts 1:5, 8). Just as there are nine attributes of the fruit of the Spirit, there are nine gifts of the Spirit. Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus said, "John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5). He also said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: And you shall be witnesses to me" (Acts 1:8). When the day of Pentecost came, Jesus' apostles were all together in the same house. There was the sound of a mighty wind, and then tongues of fire sat upon them. They "began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).
In subsequent instances, when this experience came upon the people, it seemed as if the Spirit of God activated their speech. First of all, this showed that they had been empowered to witness for the Lord. Second, their higher speech centers had been brought under the control of Jesus Christ. As James said, "If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man" (James 3:2). The tongues of these people had been brought under the Lord's control. Finally, by the words they spoke, they were able to do miracles. That is because the spoken word brings about healings, miracles, and the works of power that Jesus did. All of this is encompassed in the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
How Do I Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
You need to do a number of things in order to receive this blessing.
First, you need to be born again. The person who is going to be filled with the Spirit must have the indwelling Spirit and must belong to Jesus.
The second thing you have to do is to ask. The Bible says, "Ask, and it will be given to you" (Luke 11:9).
The third thing you have to do is surrender. The apostle Paul made this need clear in the book of Romans when he said, "Present your bodies a living sacrifice." (Romans 12:1)
Fourth, you must be willing to obey the Spirit. God does not give this power to someone and then say, "You can take the part you like and leave the part you do not like." If you want to be immersed in the Spirit, you need to be prepared to, you need to believe. The apostle Paul, speaking obey the Spirit.
Fifth to the Galatians, said, "Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith" (Galatians 3:2)? The answer, obviously, is faith. You have to believe that if you ask, you will receive.

Steps In Receiving The Holy Spirit

Prior to baptism the Holy Spirit works with us, drawing us to God through Christ (Heb. 7:25). On repentance and baptism we receive the Holy Spirit in us, through the laying-on of hands by one of God’s ministers. The laying-on of hands does not of itself confer any authority. The process simply signifies that an official of the Church endorses the request of the individual to receive the Spirit. The Elder has no intrinsic power by and of himself; he simply requests that the Spirit acts. The Spirit then empowers the individual. This is the real beginning of our training. The understanding is simply that we qualify through baptism and receive the Holy Spirit to commence training. We are given the initial armament by which we can become a soldier of God. We are given our rifle in other words, or the system by which we can operate.


Finally, you have to exercise what God has given you. Having asked, having received, having been willing to obey, and having believed, you need to respond in a biblical fashion. The Bible says those baptized with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost "began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). This means they spoke the words that the Spirit gave them. The Holy Spirit gave the words, but the apostles and disciples voluntarily responded. There was action based on faith, not merely passive acceptance of the blessing.