Part Two: Holy Spirit, Understanding

I was living with a friend and her young son. When I returned home from church camp, she asked me to move out of her apartment because of a misunderstanding. I called my sister, and she graciously invited me to stay with her.

She had recently painted her new condo, so I slept on the sofa with the window open to help air out the smell of fresh paint.

Even though I was exhausted from the weekend and in a deep sleep, I heard a voice so clearly that I didn't question it.

"Wake up, Kim."

I was so tired that I struggled to respond.

Again, I heard it.

"Wake up, Kim."

I could barely move.

Then I heard it the third time.

"Kim, wake up now!"

This time, I forced myself to sit up. I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus.

When I looked across the coffee table, there was a man standing on the other side of the room.

For a moment, I couldn't understand what I was seeing. The moonlight coming through the open window gave just enough light for me to see him clearly.

My sister's purse sat in the chair beside him, but his eyes were locked on me.

Surprisingly, I wasn't afraid. I simply stared at him, trying to understand why he was standing there.

Then I realized he had climbed through the open window while I was sleeping.

I began talking to him and asking him questions, but he never answered.

Then a thought came to me.

Yell upstairs.

Only my sister and her very young son were sleeping on the second floor, but I shouted anyway so he would think there were other adults in the house.

The moment he realized someone else might be there, he turned and climbed back out the window.

I never found out who he was.

I never knew what his intentions were.

But God did.

Looking back now, I can't help but see the Lord's love in everything that happened that weekend. I don't know what would have happened if I had stayed asleep.

But I do know this. My Heavenly Father protected me.

John 14 has become one of the most treasured chapters in the Bible to me.

Jesus said,

"And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever... I will not leave you comfortless... I will love you, and will manifest myself to you." (John 14:16–21)

The night before, in that little chapel, Jesus gave me His Holy Spirit. The very next night, the Holy Spirit comforted me, protected me, and began teaching me to recognize His voice, just as Jesus had promised.

That weekend completely changed the way I understood the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

It wasn’t just about speaking in another language, which seemed to be the focus of most people when they talked about it.

It was about a loving Father who wanted His child to know Him.

That weekend marked the beginning of a relationship that has continued throughout my life. Through the years, the Holy Spirit has interceded for me, guided me, corrected me, comforted me, warned me, and given me wisdom I could never have known on my own.

John 14:23

“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

That is why I treasure this gift so deeply.

Not simply because of what happened to me that weekend, or because I received the gift of speaking in another language.

I treasure it because it opened my eyes to something much greater.

God wanted a relationship with me.

He wasn’t giving me a gift and then walking away. He was inviting me to know Him, to hear Him, to trust Him, and to walk with Him.

Through some of the darkest moments of my life and some of the most beautiful, He has faithfully been there.

Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit was not simply an experience, but the beginning of a close walk with the Lord that has continued throughout my life.

And that is why I am sharing this with you.

God desires for you to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the empowerment that comes with His gift. He wants you to know Him, hear His voice, experience His presence, and walk closely with Him.

So, as you watch this vlog in Part 3, my prayer is that you won’t focus only on the gift itself, but on the One who gives it.

He wants to enter into a deeper relationship with you.