"Receiving the Holy Spirit"

How do we know if we recieved the Holy Spirit

Some people receive signs, some receive wonders. There are many instances where people have instantly manifested receiving the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues or through some other externally visible manifestation. Most people however receive him quietly.

Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.-John 20:22

In the above Scripture Jesus appears to his Apostles after his death and blesses them with the Holy Spirit. There is no doubt about the fact that they received the Holy Spirit. There were however no externally visible signs. Many people cannot even recall the exact time they received the Holy Spirit. It is only by the drastic changes they see in their lives and the increased strength in overcoming temptations that they become aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
It is important NOT to go by feelings or emotions in this area. You must have faith that when you ask God for something He promised you, He will most certainly give it to you.
God is faithful and you must trust Him.

The following are the signs that the Holy Spirit is working in your life. It may take a little while but soon you will know without any doubt that you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

*You no longer have doubts if He was just a man or was He really the Son of God.
*You no longer have doubts if He was the promised Messiah or if the Bible is accurate.
*You know that Jesus died on the cross for you, and because of his sacrifice you have been given life.
* You have a great love for Him and your respect for Him grows drastically over time.

Are you filled with the desire to pray and when you pray you are moved in prayer in ways that sometimes surprise you (Romans 8:26-27)

As human beings intrinsically we long for relationships, we are designed for fellowship with God. Prayer is the way you communicate and fellowship with God. Once the Holy Spirit comes into your life you start longing for a relationship with God and to spend time with him.
The duration and quality of your prayers greatly improve.

If you persist and have faith, you will be able to pray in a special prayer language also known as praying in tongues. Do you have a desire to obey God, know what he says about sin and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:6-18, 22-25)

*You become curious to know the Word of God, you are interested to know what exactly is righteous and what is sin in God's eyes.
*You begin searching the scriptures for the truth.
* You consciously do things that are pleasing to God.
*You have a yearning to get close to him, soon the Fruits of the Spirit are visible in your life.

Do you love others and show them acts of kindness as and when you have the opportunity (James 1:27)?

*Your love for others also grows, you begin to have a level of empathy that you did not have before.
* Soon you will start looking for opportunities to help others.
*Over time you start looking at people as the image of God and begin to love them as God loves them.
*You will be able to see past their shortcomings and faults and look at the great care and love God has put into them. Conversely, do you see the need to avoid things that are contrary to God's way (James 1:27; 1 John 2:15-17)?

*This is a very important change you can spot in your life. You will know and recognize sin, consciously making efforts to avoid it.
*You may not stop completely but you no longer enjoy sinning.
*You sincerely put in efforts to stop sinning and over time your self control can amaze you.
*You begin to avoid all things that are against God's wishes including visiting places like bars or casinos, your taste in music changes, you will be able to stop things like watching pornography, gambling and smoking.

REAL LIFE INSPIRATION

There was a young man whose life was in a mess. This young man was struggling with addictions, he had no job, his savings were almost done and he was in heavy debt. This man had very little self control, he had never prayed in years and when he did it was a bunch of memorized prayers which he recited mechanically. This man had never read more than one page in the Bible at any point in his whole life.This man desperately wanted the guidance of God in his life. He reached out to God sincerely and God saw his heart and saw that his prayers were sincere and God blessed him with the Holy Spirit.This man was not aware of it, he continued with life as usual. He strangely had a great degree of self control. His addictions no longer had power over him, after a long time he was able to choose not to indulge them. He suddenly he was able to pray spontaneously and prayers that he never thought was possible by him. Also when travelling he could hear songs in his head which he heard long back in church as a child. He knew parts of the song and his heart was filled with a burning desire to know the rest of the song. He could not resist reading the Bible and was able to finish reading the Gospels in a month and there were tears in his eyes as he read through them. He also was interested in watching sermons and listening to the Word of God as preachers taught it over the internet.He could not understand the changes in his life but he was very happy. Soon he took time out and did some research and realized that God had heard his prayers and blessed him with the Holy Spirit. He was overjoyed and by faith he soon started praying in tongues, initially it sounded stupid to him. He was not sure if his mind was making it up.Over time he could hear the Holy Spirit prompt him, his life soon got a new meaning, he was soon blessed with a very good job. He was able to make money to start clearing his debts and he could begin experiencing the Fruits of the Spirit in his life.
The most important point is that nobody who knew him before could believe it was the same person, not even his own parents.

LIFE APPLICATION

*Don't go by feelings and emotions, trust God and his Word. If he says he will give you the Holy Spirit He will keep his promise.
*Look out for subtle changes in your life, like an increased love for Jesus, a strong desire to pray and a great interest in reading the Word of God.
*Observe closely to sense the Holy Spirit working in your life, thank God for blessing you with the greatest gift you can ever receive.