My Story: How I Received the Baptism In the Holy Spirit
Do you want powerful encounters with God daily and every moment of your life? If so, then you need the mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Today, I want to share my testimony about the baptism in the Holy Spirit with you to show you what God wants to do for you as well.
Related: If you’d like a copy of my book, Getting to Know the Sevenfold Holy Spirit: A 12-Day Devotional Guide, you can get the ebook here or the paperback version here.
In 2003, I had a radical encounter with God. In a stadium filled with 5,000 people, Jesus filled me with the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, and He changed my life forever.
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Here’s the backstory:
I grew up in a very conservative religious tradition. Gifts of the Holy Spirit and demonstrations of His power were not accepted. Demonstrations of worship, such as clapping and raising one’s hands during worship, were also not accepted.
I had lots of training in what the Bible said—not all of it correct—but no relationship with Jesus. I gave my heart to Jesus for real in 2001, for that was the first time that I actually made Jesus my personal Boss—the Lord of my life. And from that moment on, I began to change.
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After I gave my heart to Jesus, I sought God with all my heart.
I was a baby in Christ, so I had a long way to go, and I was a very messed-up individual.
But I began to seek God, to read my Bible (even though it was in very small increments at first–like one or two verses at a time), and to pray (also in small increments at first). But the important thing was that I did seek Him.
Each morning and many nights, I would open my Bible, read a portion of Scripture, and pray into it for a minute or two. I would also ask Him for help with my day and whatever was on my heart at that moment.
During that process, I began to pray that God would baptize me in the Holy Spirit and fire.
I got this prayer out of John the Baptist’s sermon in Matthew 3. I didn’t know what it meant, but I didn’t know that I didn’t know what it meant.
So I would ask Father God to baptize me in the Holy Spirit and fire as I was praying over my day. Then I would pause a minute and wait until I sensed a the presence of the Lord.
As soon as I felt His presence, I thought that was Him baptizing me in the Holy Spirit and fire, so I would get up and go about my day, prayer answered.
I had no idea what I was in for.
So in spring 2003, I happened to have a few days off work and no particular plans with which to fill those days.
I also had a gorgeous 1981 black Corvette that was just beauty on the road. And I had a few—very few, but still a few—extra dollars in my pocket. (The Corvette is the one the Lord used to save me; you can read that story here in A Black Corvette, Receiving God’s Love, and Loving Others if you want to.)
So anyway. Let me stop drooling over my car, which I miss dreadfully to this day (someday maybe Papa will give me another one), and get back to the story.
Just before my vacation days arrived, I was watching TV in my home.
My roommate, who was part of the same strict religious tradition I was, liked to watch Joyce Meyer (who was not at all part of our religious tradition!). I liked Joyce’s teaching too, because I always felt so positive and happy after I listened to her.
So I was watching Joyce Meyer preach, and a little blurb popped up at the bottom of the screen saying that she was going to have a conference in Pensacola, Florida, the very same weekend that I was off work.
The Holy Spirit was setting me up.
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Feeling like I wanted to go somewhere, and since I had the gorgeous Corvette to drive, I decided to take a road trip to Pensacola (from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I live).
I made a hotel reservation—a Motel 6, which was all I could afford. I couldn’t afford to eat at restaurants, so I packed a cooler with a can of hot dogs and some cereal and milk, sat it in the passenger seat of the Corvette, and off I drove.
In the middle of LA (Lower Alabama), my car broke down. I was stopped beside the road, had to be towed, and spent a few hours at a Chevy garage. It was warfare, nothing else. My car had burned through an engine cable. They replaced it, and after a few hours, I was able to continue on my way.
I arrived in Pensacola not knowing anything about what I was in for, but I knew that I was hungry for God.
I prayed and asked Papa to help me receive everything He had for me that weekend. And then I went into the stadium.
The conference was being held at a hockey arena, and it was full. There were thousands of people there. The worship started and it was great. I was so blessed by the whole thing. But then I realized:
Joyce Meyer speaks in tongues.
I had had no idea.
She doesn’t speak in tongues on TV, because she doesn’t want to alienate people who aren’t open to that yet. But she does, in fact, speak in tongues. And I was shocked.
I didn’t know what tongues were, but I had always been told that speaking in tongues was from the devil. And if I had known that she did that, I would never have gone to that conference.
Again, the Holy Spirit was setting me up.
Since I was already there, I decided to overlook the tongues issue and focus on the Lord.
The conference continued and I loved every minute of it. The worship was amazing. The preaching was powerful. Then Sunday morning arrived, and Joyce Meyer got up and said that she always ministers the baptism in the Holy Spirit on Sunday mornings.
Eeeeeeek!
I was hesitant, but I listened. She preached about it and taught out of the Bible what Holy Spirit baptism looked like in the book of Acts and other places. She made wonderful points and completely destroyed all the false theology I had in my head about it. I still felt unsure, but my heart was burning inside me as I listened.
Then she asked everyone in the stadium who wanted to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit to stand up.
I was scared, but I was hungry and I wanted everything that God had for me. So I and a whole bunch of other people stood up. And Joyce Meyer prayed for us from the platform.
Nobody laid hands on us. She just prayed. And then she said she was going to breathe out like Jesus did and say, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” and that Jesus would baptize us in the Holy Spirit and fire.
And when she did, HE did, and my life was changed forever.
I was standing up with hands uplifted to the Lord. I suddenly felt His presence stronger than I ever had before. My knees began to shake and I just started crying like a baby and trembling all over.
And I felt LOVE. I felt the love of God–really felt it–more than I ever had in my life.
I felt that I was Papa’s beloved for perhaps the first time ever that I can remember. Wave after wave of liquid love just seemed to wash over me. I cried and cried and cried.
And out of the deepest part of my belly, from a place down below my stomach but higher than my legs that doesn’t physically exist except I know I felt it there—from a place that maybe must just be known as my spirit—came great wracking sobs that could only be expressed in syllables of a language I didn’t know.
Those syllables came out of my mouth in a torrent.
There were only like two different syllables but they expressed my complete heart to God. I was just so overwhelmed by His love. And the words I didn’t know, that were not English, just came out of my gut from the deepest, innermost place of my being, and directly to Him.
I knew I was speaking directly to Him; I felt the connection with Jesus and Papa God. And I would have done anything and gone anywhere for Him. It was all about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.
I stood there like that for a long time.
Hands uplifted, crying like a baby, knees violently knocking, trembling all over, and responding to God with these one or two syllables of this new language that people call “a prayer language” that He had given me.
Worship went on all around me, but I was oblivious. The Holy Spirit was touching me, and that was all that mattered. HE was all that mattered. I felt His love, and I felt His Presence, and all I wanted was more of Him.
After what seemed like a very long time, the meeting wound down.
Joyce Meyer’s volunteers handed out some teaching material for free to people who had just received the Holy Spirit baptism. I accepted the tape they gave and collapsed in my seat.
I just rested there for a few minutes, completely undone… then I got in the car and began to drive back home. I listened to the free teaching tape the volunteers had handed out, and I felt the Holy Spirit so strongly in the car.
I continued to pray using the prayer language the Lord had given me in the car, even though it was only a few syllables.
I wasn’t even completely positive that I wasn’t making them up. (Although looking back, I know now that I definitely wasn’t making them up.) And I felt so full of God, and closer to Him than ever before.
That’s the story about how I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There’s a lot more to the subsequent story about how I began to grow and how the Lord fully released my prayer language, but those stories are for other blog posts.
Today, my question for you is, have you received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire? Have you had a radical, life-changing encounter with the Holy Spirit? And if not, do you want one?
If so, read my post here about What Is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (and How To Receive It). Jesus wants to baptize you in His Spirit and fire right now, today; and He will if you ask Him!
Do you feel the Holy Spirit stirring in your heart as you read my story? Do you want this experience of Holy Spirit baptism? If so, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
Read all the posts about the power gifts in this series!
- Diverse Tongues (Speaking in Tongues)
- What Is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (and How To Receive It)
- My Story: How I Received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
- Words of Knowledge
- How I Learned to Use My Prayer Language
- The Gift of Prophecy
- Discernment of Spirits
- How Words of Wisdom Accomplish the Impossible
- How Interpretation of Tongues Helps You Know Father’s Heart
- Miracles that Bear Witness for Jesus
- Easy Faith for the Impossible
- Healings That Change the World
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9 Power Gifts of the Spirit EBOOK!
Do you want to walk on earth as Jesus did, manifesting miracles and living in the supernatural? If so, then this ebook is for you!
Being afraid of speaking in tongues was a hindrance, it really backs the devil off. It literally saved my life in 2012. My mother and I both received at home. I had a harder time receiving, she told me I’d be saying words. I really did try to make them up, you can’t. Praying one night, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and I was hit with force of thick, pure and loving energy. I still rarely say a word, sometimes its a humming, kind of musical. Please tell people to use that gift regularly, I was only praying at night, after I was so seriously ill, I had to do it even every three or four hours to be refreshed. You don’t lose it but you want the Lord close all the time. I recently read about a man who could speak in tongues and didn’t, he had succumbed to panic attacks, was on medication, his wife caring for him. When he started praying again, he was delivered. The Holy Spirit will keep you on track. Healing is God’s will.
Love it so much! I can’t believe our stories are so much the same. I just told you on FB this morning that my husband and I were there, against our pastor’s warnings. When she gave that call for people who wanted to receive baptism in the Holy Spirit, we looked at each other in discomfort and remained seated. We were the only ones still seated in our seating area. I remember listening to thousands of voices praying in tongues, and thinking, “how can so many people be doing something so fervently and genuinely, if it’s fake?” I was hungry and curious and confused, all at the same time. I still remember the look on our pastor’s face when we told him she’d given a call for people to receive baptism in the Spirit and to begin praying in tongues. It was an “I told you so!” look. Yet, I still felt like *we* were the ones missing out. Sadly, it took me another decade to be open to it and to leave that denomination & belief system behind, but I’m believing God will redeem the wasted years and do great things in and through me.
Thank you so much for your blog and for sharing your story. These are great posts!
I too had been saved for a long time and then Baptism with the Holy Spirit and my prayer language came later. It wasn’t until a year ago that a new friend felt led to activate this gift within me. He said that some people over think it and simply need a little help to activate their faith to manifest this gift. So he prayed with me and then told me to “receive in faith and simply open my mouth and speak”. “Don’t think about how it sounds” he said, just speak and receive in faith. I began to hear in my spirit sounds, but I had not spoke them yet. I then began to try and repeat what I was hearing and the Holy Spirit took over. Sounds and utterances began to flow, which sounded weird at first, but I loved it! Now I seem to pray in the Spirit more than I pray in english. But I know that I am praying the heart and perfect will of God when I do. Even before I received my heavenly language, I believed God called me to be an intercessor, now however I have a secret weapon that the devil has no defense against which accomplishes so much in the spiritual realm and warfare battled everyday. Blessings to you Jamie for this post.
Amen! I love your story, Madeline. Thanks so much for sharing! Yes, a weapon that the enemy cannot combat. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world! 🙂 Yes! Thank You, Jesus!
I so want to receive this gift of speaking in tongues… but I want even more is the gift of prophesy!!! I want it ALL!!! I LOVE my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus and want as much of them as I can have. I keep praying for this to happen, but it hasn’t yet. I won’t give up faith that He will bless me with these giftings. I would appreciate prayer, if you would be so kind. I definitely believe in the power of prayer in large numbers of those who come into agrreance 🙂
God bless you sis and thank you so much for all the continued encouragement you bring to my life!!
Lori
My experience with the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a life-changer! I was living in sin, even though I was saved. God was convicting me of my sin but I didn’t see how I could stop. One Friday night, a friend invited me to a prayer meeting at another lady’s home. That lady prayed over me and all of a sudden, I felt liquid warmth all over my body. I started praying in tongues and for the next year, I was on a honeymoon with Jesus. I am not kidding – He was all I could think about even though terrible things were happening to my family, work at the church I was then attending. He was with me every step of the way. It was a wonderful time and I so want that honeymoon again. 🙂
Wow, that’s awesome, Stephanie. You CAN have that experience again. In the New Testament, the apostles and the early church kept getting filled and refilled with the Holy Spirit. Over and over. I would encourage you to just get alone with God for a few hours, get on your face, ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you and pray through you, and start thanking Him and praising Him from your heart! Ask Jesus to re-baptize you in His Spirit! And He will. 🙂 <3
Wow incredible I am yearning to be baptized with the holy spirit so much. I can’t wait to be immersed in His presence. I have been praying and reading materials about the Holy spirit. I think about him all the time. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I prayed for you this morning, Gladys. Papa God is eager to baptize you in His Holy Spirit! I pray He would help you receive everything He has for you this very day, in Jesus’ name!
I pray that God please baptize me with the Holy spirit and Fire. I also been praying to speak in tongues and if I have the gift of prophecy. I am believing and standing in faith for these blessings. Thank you God and Jamie 😭🙏🏾🙌🏾🔥
I REALLY WANT THIS!! When and where can I find a conference like this?? I am only 18 years old so it is hard for me to travel far. But I’m so hungry. ONLY THEN WILL I TRULY LIVE
Hi Rubi. Where do you live? I can try to recommend something.
I live in New Mexico right now but am moving to California in 1 month.
If you’re going to California, would you be within reach of HRock Church in Pasadena, or the Jesus Culture church in Sacramento, or Bethel Church in Redding, CA? I would so, so, so, so SO highly recommend any of those if you can get to them. Or to any of their outreaches, conferences, concerts, worship services, prayer meetings, or anything else they do.
Oh yes I want to be baptised by the Holy Spirit. I have at a certain stage felt the Holy Spirit touching me and cried out loud in church. Sometimes I will cry and pray but not in tongues. I have felt that inner happiness which I did not know where did it come from, You know having that inner peace. Felt like I am complete and I do not want anything except Jesus. I have everything but I have never spoken in tongues.
I would love to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the evidence of speaking in to hues. Please pray for me!
What an amazing encounter. Please pray that I will be baptized by The Holy Spirit too. I am so thirsty of it. 🙂
God bless you.
Iam so glad to read your experience. God has bee talking to me through his word and through preachings asking me to receive holy spirit baptism and to pray in the spirit . Iam praying for his overflowing experience and to pray in tongues . Please do pray for me.
Love
Dolly
Hi, just a short note, I’m so new to this. But I want more. Thank you so much for writing on line so I could see it and be able to learn more about Jesus. In time I know I will learn more than I could ever want. Thank you again. And yes I believe Jesus died for my sins and he is my lord and savior.
Thank you and God bless everyone !! Please prey for Joshua and I now search for his guidance like never befor and I just really apriciate the reading here and sincerely love and appreciate all that has been done and will be done !!
hello everyone. I started looking over the internet after I started speaking in tongues i which was just the Sunday that passed. I realised that I spoke just few same syllables repeatedly and o felt I wanted to say more. prior to my experience I was afraid that I would blaspheme or the holy spirit would be too much for me to handle or unworthy. I’m greatful that God bestowed this in me and I only hope for better things to come. I’ll like to be bolder than I’ve ever been and closer to God than ever. stay blessed
Hi. I am hungry since over a year to find God, studying and praying. I had the conviction of the baptism in Jesus Christ name and churches here not exept one who is mixed but they did not want to pray till I was baptised in watter. Recently I was baptised in Jesus name only, but someone said had to be Jesus Christ and by a church not some people.
Those people prayed for me but I did not experience anything like you, they said to try and speak in tongues like them and not much happened.
Could you please pray for me or do you know someone who could pray here in Romania? Many thanks.
Thanks for sharing your story. I have been seeking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit for a while. Was just wondering if you knew of any conferences in the midwest or of any other nationwide conferences coming up. I live in Nebraska. Thanks.
Yes, mine. 🙂 September 9-12 in Cleveland, Tennessee. Look also on The Elijah List for their list of conferences.
Pray for me that I receive the holy spirit baptism.
Please pray for me that I would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I am desperate for more of the Lord’s presence
I am getting so much from reading your blogs & prayers. Thank you. I have also went to the alter call at church 4-5 times asking to be baptized in the Holy Spirit but nothing happens. I don’t feel anything, I can’t sense god’s presence and I don’t have the evidence of speaking in tongues. I stopped asking and seeking because I don’t want to keep being rejected and leave more confused than when I came. I love the lord and keep seeking Him but I don’t seek the baptism anymore. When I think about it I cry and am hurt that it’s not coming to me. I don’t believe it’s God, I believe it’s something in me, the way I’m wired l, I don’t know. But I love Jesus and will serve Him. I do feel like I’m missing something.
Hey Deana. Thanks for sharing. I’m sorry this has given you sorrow. Jesus definitely wants to baptize you in His Holy Spirit and fire. His Word says so! Sometimes though we have things that keep us from receiving. One of the big things that can keep us from receiving from the Holy Spirit is any kind of unhealed wound inflicted by our mothers or mother-type figures–or unforgiveness toward our mothers. That may not be the case with you; I’m not sure. But if it resonates with you at all–if the Lord calls your attention to any type of situation you’ve been through that might fit–then please, please be sure to sign up for the webinar I’m teaching tomorrow on this.
If it doesn’t resonate, just be sure to watch the Baptism in the Holy Spirit I’ll be teaching soon. It will be free. 🙂
I’ll pray for you also. But just know that the Lord is NOT excluding you, not leaving you out. He WILL give you what you’re believing Him for!
Love in Christ,
Jamie
Thank you for the kind words! I will sign up for the webinar. I’ve heard many times people say it’s either hidden sin or I’m not receiving because of pride or not believing. That only leads to more confusion on my end. As for my mom, she was the one and only person I experienced love by, however she stayed in a very physically abusive marriage for most of my life and I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t leave him & get us out of the situation, but she thought God wanted her to stay in it. I don’t recognize any unforgivenss towards her but maybe this is something that needs to be looked at. I know that Jesus wants everyone to have the baptism of the Holy Spirit , but I can’t find in the Bible where this didn’t happen for some people, or people couldn’t receive . I will continue to seek Him though. Thank you for your prayers!
Hello my name is Annemarie. I have this strong desire to revive the Holy Spirit but didn’t yet even when I pray I ask Jesus baptisé me of your Holy Spirit and nothing.
I totally confused, and I’m looking for the answers. Why I’m not receiving it. I ask for forgiveness before my prayer. I’m doing my best to God’s law but nothing yet. Please help
It’s really true that we have to be more concern with our spirituality and seek more of the Holy Spirit,in order to have God within us. Baptism of the Holy Spirit
I have been praying nonstop for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I’ve had hands laid on me by those with the spirit, I’ve had a water baptism and I repent daily for my sins. I see the holy spirits work in my life but not the baptism and I was wondering if you could please pray for me. I want a closer relationship with Jesus more than anything and i know the baptism will do just that.
Thank you for your testimony.
God bless!
It’s really true Thank you for your testimony.
Yes, Jamie, I have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I have similar background of being brought up in a “traditional religtious family” and church which does not speak in tongues; the people don’t show life – no raising hands, no “hallelujahs”, look like zombies in church with frowns on their faces. Since this is evidenced in my life strongly my entire family has “disowned” me, taken me to court, made me a “Ward of the State” because court papers she is “incapacitated” with mental health issues; my inheritance is tied up where I have not rights (except to vote) – living under this lie from hell since 2011. I expect to be rightly restored by Jesus Himself some time in 2022. My CAR WAS TAKEN FROM ME; MY DRIVER’S LICENSE HAS NOT BEEN RESTORED; JUST WENT BEFORE STATE JUDGE LAST WEEK AND HE DENIED MY GETTING DRIVER’S LICENSE. I am waiting on the Lord. If I need an excellent attorney to take my case to Supreme Court, it will happen. Waiting on the Lord for next step. Listening to the prophets. It shall be done!!!!! Evil exposed, crooked places and injustices will be straightened out by the Lord Himself. His remnant is under His wings and covered with protection by His angels and by His Promise. Hallelujah!
I am new to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When I began reading your story, it sounded just like me. My parents grew up Free Methodist and we were raised with the same very conservative Christian traditions and man made rules. I had always been told speaking in tongues is not for today, but I could never understand why. I would always hear maybe 1 person in my church congregation ever do it, but every time I would take notice someone would tell me I must have misheard them. I’ve been in and led worship teams for many years and I would watch congregations just stand there, no clapping, no hand raising, just going through the motions and reading the words on the screen. It bothers me. I don’t understand how people can’t feel the connection through musical worship. However, I have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit or my prayer language, but I’m desperate too. I reached out to a somewhat local pastor who preaches on this, encourages speaking I’m tongues, and has a book. I reached out to him, Pastor Russell Johnson, on Instagram to ask him about the subject, not really expecting a response, but not only did he respond but he sent me a free copy of his book! It took me no time to read and now i desire it even more! I’m trying to get into my Bible more, small increments, just the same as in your story. I wish I could have it prayed over me, but I know my family would not support this desire of mine.
Thank you for sharing your experience. It encourages me to stick with getting into the word and keep asking and praying to receive.
I received the holy spirit some years ago, but its only now that im walking in it, thankyou Jamie for that powerful testimony wow you always give me hope when you post be blessed
Yes, I want the experience of Holy Spirit baptism. It seems like “experience” isn’t the right word in my heart. I’m not sure what I’m trying to say. Maybe, I want to be FILLED and overflowing with the gift from God! I have sought to be filled, there is a reason I have not had this experience. Please pray for me.