Part One: Holy Spirit, The Gift I Never Expected

I know many people have given up on ever receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

For some, it's because someone made them uncomfortable. For others, it's because no one ever explained why Jesus gave us this incredible gift in the first place.

My prayer is that, whatever your experience has been, you'll be willing to lay it aside for a few moments and simply ask the Lord to show you His heart.

Before I share a vlog demonstrating what praying in tongues has sounded like in my own life, I want to tell you my story.

I was 18 years old at a church camp.

My testimony is different from many others, but every testimony is unique. What matters isn't that our experiences all look the same. What matters is that they point us to Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.

At that time in my life, I had been struggling for years with drug addiction, abuse, homelessness, and more. I was desperate for God, although I didn't fully understand who God even was.

During one of the chapel services, I was under a deep demonic attack and physically couldn’t move in my chair. A woman standing next to me finally leaned over and asked, "Is your name Kim?" She told me the pastor had been calling my name several times.

I still couldn't move.

Then the pastor called my name once more.

Instantly, whatever had been holding me left.

I was finally able to stand up and walk to the altar.

The pastor began sharing things the Lord had shown him about the battles I had been facing. Then he looked at me and simply said, "The Lord wants to set you free."

After the service, I was completely exhausted. I returned to my room, lay down on my bed, and something happened that changed my life forever.

I was baptized in the Holy Spirit.

For me, it felt as though His presence rested on the top of my head and flowed all the way down to my feet. I understand that not everyone experiences the baptism of the Holy Spirit the same way, but that is exactly what happened to me.

Acts 2:4 says,

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

For the first time that night, I began praying in tongues for more than an hour.

People ask me all the time, "Did you ask to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit?"

My answer is simple.

No.

Many people believe that if you don't ask for it, you cannot receive it. Yet when I read Acts 2:4, it never says the disciples asked for it. It simply says, "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost."

I never rejected what God wanted to give me that night. I just received it, and you can receive it as well.

It was one of the greatest encounters with the love of God I have ever known. It was a gift from a loving Father who knew exactly what I needed.

At the time, I had no idea why the Lord had met me so powerfully or why He chose that weekend.

I would soon find out