I got saved when I was thirteen years old. i grew up in a small town of 3,000 in the very top of the Texas panhandle. The summer between my 8th grade and my freshman year in high school, I had a summer job, plowing for my neighbor who was a farmer. One morning, as we were driving to the field, he said, "You know Jay, there is only one thing in this world that is free." I thought, "Oh no! I'm going to be preached to!" I asked what that one thing was and he responded, "Salvation." That was all he said but the Holy Spirit began to deal with me.

     I went to the same Southern Baptist church that he did. I always liked church but the Sunday School I went to had three other boys who were wild. The fathers of all three of them were on the church board. The guy that taught the class was a great guy but I didn't want to do the wild things that the three other guys were doing and because of them I got absolutely nothing out of Sunday School.

     Right before school started that summer, our church had a revival. An elderly minister came in and had a series of meetings for three or four nights. in one of those meetings, the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sins and when the minister gave an alter call, I went forward. I truly desired to get to know Jesus and I enrolled in a seminar they were going to have at church called the "Change the World School of Prayer." It was so far above my head that I didn't get anything out of it. I tried to live a Christian life but had no one to mentor me and after about a year, I fell back into my old ways.

     When I was 18, my older brother died of cancer. Through his sickness I began to search the scriptures to see what they said about healing. I had met a guy who was a drug dealer in the town I was living in. He and I were always going to get together and smoke some maraijuana but it never had worked out. I never smoked a lot of it but when I did, I enjoyed it. One night, I was in my apartment getting ready to roll a joint when my parents showed up. Just as they left, a friend of mine who didn't smoke pot showed up. While he was there the drug dealer friend of mine showed up. But, something was different. He was bouncing off the walls and he said he had "been saved!" He told me I should try Jesus and I told him I had already tried and that I couldn't live a Christian life. He kept after me and the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sins again so I prayed with him and gave my life back to Jesus. I poured what little bit of marijuana I had and some alcohol down the toilet. I made a comittment to the Lord that I would serve him the rest of my life, no matter how I ever felt.

     Two weeks later, I was driving in my red, 1976 American Motors Pacer east on 9th street in Perryton, Texas and I was turning north onto Main Street. I was worshipping the Lord and singing praises to Him when all of the sudden, I felt like I had been plugged into 440 volts of electricity and at the same time, had ice water thrown all over me! I felt tremendous power come on me and I began to speak in tongues that I did not understand. Nothing took me over but as I began to speak in tongues, my life was CHANGED!

     From that momen on, God began to show me things in the spiritual realm. It was like a blindfold had been taken off of my spiritual eyes. I heard God speak to me on several occassions. One day, I was suffering terribly with a horrible case of strep throat. I was reading a book about Smith Wigglesworth and the Lord spoke plainly to me and said, "Rebuke the spirit of infirmity." I didn't know exactly what that meant but I put the book down and said, "Spirit of infirmity, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!" Instantly, the sore throat was healed. I guess I thought I would feel a warm feeling or see fireworks but none of that happened. My throat was perfectly normal. It was the first time i had ever experienced true healing.

     Three or four years later, I had made a committment that when I got home from work, I would sit down and study the Bible. I was working as a pumper in the oil field and I was working a lot of hours every day. One night, I sat down at the kitchen table to study the Bible. The chair next to me was pulled out and it was almost as if Jesus Himself sat down and began to lead me through the Word to what He wanted me to read. It was at that time that He revealed that He had called me to the ministry and that call came before I was even formed in my mother's womb. He told me to, "Build foundations in the people's lives so they may be strong and stand and not fall." Not long after that I applied to Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was accepted. Since then I have pastored four churches in Colorado, Texas and Utah. I currently teach and lead a life group at First Baptist Church of Orlando.

D.M. - Male - Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

     I received by faith the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. I saw it in the Word of God and wanted it and desired it. I received it by sitting in the pew on a Sunday night service. I remember the afternoon before I said tonight I will receive the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and I did.

     When it happened the only way I can describe it is that it was like a flow of water coming out of me but out of my spirit and my mouth with words and a different language I had never spoke before. it did not come out of my head or my mind. I seemed to be overcome with emotion that came from the touch of God. The tongues or words came automatically from God, I did not make myself talk in these tongues and I could stop it if I wanted to.

     My prayer life changed because I could pray in other tongues when I did not know how to pray concerning a matter. Answered prayer increased  when I prayed in tongues or in the spirit as the Word says. I seemed to have a greater understanding for spiritual things and of the spiritual gifts the word talks about. I became more sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in me and guidance in the affairs of life from God was easier. I had a greater desire to tell others about Christ.

P.F. - Female - Orlando, Florida

     We had been going to  a Pentecostal church for about a year.  I had heard many people speak in tongues and seen demons cast out at a concert.  We then moved as we were in the Navy.  We went to a new church and I had misgivings about the church.  However, one Sunday we were in life group and we had taken out our wallets and where praying over them.  I really was moved to ask God for what I needed to move forward in my walk with Him. (Though we are not rich God has more then taken care of our needs) Well  suddenly I found my self speaking in a different language.  I have had a prayer language ever since.  It has been so helpful when I have prayed and prayed for people until I do not know what to say and so the Holy Spirit can plead on my behalf the exact thing that will help me and the person I am praying for.   I was praying in the spirit one time at a women's convention and I was behind a Missionary who was also praying in the spirit.  At the exact moment I knew she was asking God for a child. I learned later that she was unable to conceive and because of being missionaries they had not had any luck in adopting. I did not know any of this but I did know that God told me the answer to her prayer was that she would have a child before the year was up.  She cried so hard when I told her. Two months later she was the mother of a 3 month old baby girl.  It was the first time I had ever interpreted someones language.  This experience was  such a wonderful personal thing. God could not have given me this new gift in a more awesome way.  When I am truly defeated by the world my prayer language uplifts me and helps me to come to the throne of God. I often feel like I am laying at His feet when I use the language that started on the first Pentecost with the preaching of Peter.  I do not believe he gave the disciples anything more than he has for us.  However, I also do not want it to divide us.  I know that now I am in a Baptist Church and must choose to follow the way of the pastor. 

C.T. - Female - Hot Springs, Arkansas

     I was 12 years old when I received. I was at the altar with others around me praying for me. It took a while to get relaxed to let the spirit work. When the tongues came the best I remember they were pretty fluent. Over and over for a while and then a language came.

     I was so young that I really don't know exactly what it did for me. I was aware that something different happened to me. I seemed to be more aware of sin when I sinned.

     As I got older I began to read the word about the gifts of the spirit and desired to be used in them. As a result God began to use me in prophecy and words of wisdom. That became a normal thing in my life. My desire for more of the lord was present. I got a call on my life to teach the word.  I can remember very plain how that happened.

     I was in the back yard and meditating on the lord and he began to speak to me in my spirit. He said I want you to lead my people. I argued with the lord because I wanted to win souls. He said that would come also.
The spirit of God is different when you are baptized in the Holy Ghost. The lord seems more near to you. His presence is sweeter it seems. Your ability to understand the word is easier. I believe you have to be baptized in the Holy Ghost before you can be used in the gifts of the spirit. Some think different than I do. I know of one that teaches and believes he received the gift to teach although he has not spoken in tongues. I guess many denominations agree with that. I just believe there is more to understand when you seek the lord and pray in tongues. More revelation comes when you pray that way.

The Thee Baptisms for the Believer - Introduction

Read Part One - The Baptism into the Body of Christ

Read Part Two - The Baptism into Water

Read Part Three - The Baptism into the Holy Spirit

Testimonies from People Who Have Been Baptized in the Holy Spirit