David Diga Hernandez - How to Surrender to the Holy Spirit

I want to share with you a very simple message this evening. I want to talk to you about surrender to the Holy Spirit. Whenever we talk about subjects like surrender to the Holy Spirit, I think sometimes we can be caught up in what some might consider to be the hype of those subjects. And I do believe—let me say this right up at the front—I do believe that every aspect of our being was created to respond to God. I’ve had people ask me, 'Well, do you want a genuine encounter with God, or do you just want an emotional experience? ' To that, I would say that in many cases, a genuine encounter with God is a very emotional experience. Because you come into such a weighty presence, how can you stand in the presence of God and not be moved?

Somebody asked me the other evening, 'Do you believe in being drunk in the Holy Spirit? ' I said, 'That depends on what you mean by that. How do you define that first? ' Because I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to believe that God’s presence can cause so much joy that it makes you laugh. I was looking at my daughter the other day, and I just started laughing. She said, 'Dad, '—she’s five but she’s 16—she said, 'Dad, why are you laughing at me? ' What are you telling me? Stay back this way? Okay. Thank you, Patrick. That’s my friend Patrick, by the way. He likes to stay in the shadows, but he’s a godly man. I’m sorry, man, he’s just trying to help, and I’m over here using him as an illustration.

Okay, we’ll move on. So my daughter, Arya—I’m looking at her and I just start laughing. She goes, 'Dad, why are you laughing at me? ' I said, 'Baby, you’re just so precious, I can’t help it. I’m not laughing at you, you just bring me joy, ' and I just start laughing. And I thought it was similar in the presence of the Holy Spirit. I’m not talking about being belligerent and overly sensational just for the sake of show. But is it so difficult to believe that the presence of the Holy Spirit can cause us to be so moved that we laugh, that we cry, that we feel? I don’t think so.

So, I’m not by any means degrading the idea of having an emotional experience in the presence of the Lord. What I am saying is emotion alone cannot define your communion with the Holy Spirit. What is surrender to the Holy Spirit? Simply put, surrender to the Holy Spirit is obedience. Now, many would try to define surrender to the Holy Spirit as this ethereal demeanour—this disconnected, otherworldly mentality where you’re just sort of floating through life like a hippie and just, 'Whatever happens, happens, ' and, 'Wherever I go, I go, and I’m like the wind.' That’s a disorder. That’s not surrender. And so, when we talk about surrender, we’re talking about submission to God by obedience to the will and the Word of God.

Now, I’m a fourth-generation Christian, third-generation preacher, as Pastor Vlad mentioned during the introduction. My parents, when I was born, prayed a simple prayer over me: that I would be sensitive to the person of the Holy Spirit. I believe that prayer has helped to direct and shape the flow of even the ministry today, where I sense this passion, this zeal, to introduce believers to the person of the Holy Spirit. But it didn’t begin that way because prayers are like seeds that need to be watered. My testimony is one of being set free from legalism and religious thinking.

Now, when I use that term 'religious, ' often what comes to mind is likely a Facebook argument that maybe you got in with a friend, and you didn’t know what else to say, so you just said, 'Well, you’re religious.' Christians have kind of turned it into this ambiguous insult that we use against one another, never truly understanding what it means to be religious. I’ll tell you, simply put, to be religious or legalistic is to try to do, in human effort, what can only be accomplished by Christ on the cross—to add to that finished work and think that we, in any way, are helping Him to save us. That’s simply what it is. But I grew up, and I knew the Scripture. At seven, eight, or nine years old, I was memorizing sections of the Bible.

I grew up in a charismatic church that my dad pastored, and I went to a private Baptist school. Talk about a combination! And I knew Jesus historically, I knew Jesus philosophically, I knew Jesus socially, but I did not know Jesus personally. From a very young age, I began to be tormented with fear, anxiety, and depression. As early as the age of seven, when I first heard the audible voice of God, I began to sense this warfare over me. It was that voice that spoke peace to me, and I could sense, hovering about the atmosphere, a conflict between light and darkness, angelic beings, and demonic forces.

As a young boy, I could hear demonic voices, I could see demonic faces, and I’m not saying this because I am proud of having these demonic encounters. I just want you to know how deep the darkness truly was—visions of Hell, visions of the demonic, tormenting dreams. All of this intensified over the years, culminating at the moment when I was 11 years old. I grew up as a pastor’s kid, and we pastor’s kids understand that sometimes family vacations also doubled as Bible conferences. So, my family took a vacation to a Bible conference, and we all shared one room—all five of us: my mom, my dad, me, my younger brother, and my older sister. We crammed into a room with two beds. My brother and I slept on the floor.

I remember going into one of the sessions at that conference, watching the people dance, laugh, and celebrate with great jubilation as they worshipped God. In my heart, as I watched them, I became jealous because I could see that they were truly free. Yet, here I was, knowing the scripture, knowing the system, knowing the structure, knowing the moral code, but not having what they had. Here’s the thing about being set free from legalism and religious thinking: it requires the sacrifice of your ego. Before you can encounter the genuine, you have to admit that you have a counterfeit, and sometimes religious pride will not allow you to acknowledge that reality.

I remember standing in that worship service, then leaving and going back to the hotel room. The following night, the torment became so intense that I told my family, 'You guys go on to the service, I’m going to stay in the room.' They let me do it. I was lying in the bed, staring at the ceiling with visions of Hell flashing before my mind. I began to sweat and tremble in fear, and finally, I said, 'I’ve had enough. I have to come to know Jesus. Someone has to set me free from this.' I knew it intellectually—I read the warfare books, I read the prayer books, I read the intercessory books, I read the worship books, revival books, prophetic books, even at that early age—but I knew I was missing something. I remember my dad, mom, sister, and brother came back from that session, and I approached my dad. I said, 'Dad, I need to talk to you.' He could tell that something was wrong, so he dismissed my mom, brother, and sister. My dad sat on one bed facing me; I sat on the other bed facing him. I told him, «Dad, I need Jesus». So, we began to pray.

Now, some might ask, «Is the sinner’s prayer in the Bible»? In the Bible, you won’t find the sinner’s prayer, but you will find sinners who pray. Confession corresponds with the receiving of salvation—it doesn’t necessarily cause it, but there’s something to be said about confession. So, I’m sitting there, and my dad is praying with me. As we began to pray, suddenly I could feel that dark cloud over my head beginning to dissipate. I trembled as I realized, within myself, I’m about to meet Jesus—the one I’ve read about, the one they’ve talked about, the one I’ve heard stories about. They’ve made movies about Him, they’ve written books about Him—I’m about to meet Jesus.

As he began to lead me in that prayer, I couldn’t even get the words out; my mouth was shaking, tears were streaming down my face, and I was praying the prayer in my head because I just couldn’t speak it. I was sobbing so, so, so uncontrollably. And I’ll tell you this: for the first time, I began to feel divine life flowing through me. I felt an immense, everlasting love begin to overpower me. The depression was being replaced with joy, the fear was being replaced with peace, the uncertainty was being replaced with clarity. And the moment that Jesus walked in, every demon ran out. [Applause] Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

So, I had this encounter with the Holy Spirit, and suddenly I could sense the wind of the Spirit moving me along this purposeful path. I could sense the divine hand of God guiding me, and things began to change. When I read the Scripture, suddenly it wasn’t just a text I was trying to memorize—those words became spirit and life. The songs that we sang in church weren’t just to pass the time until the preaching began; they were anthems unto God, presentations for a loving heavenly Father who deserved to receive every bit of praise. Something began to change in me, and I noticed this spiritual momentum beginning to pick up—until the momentum began to fade. Now, this is the part of the testimony that very few will share with you, because it wasn’t an uninterrupted progress.

You see, as time went on, I began to feel less enthusiasm. I felt as though my spiritual momentum had been prevented by this unseen object. My prayer life was on fire, my devotion to the Word was consistent, my worship was passionate, evangelism was bold, righteousness became second nature—and suddenly, it stopped. I began to reach back to my religious thinking: «God, what did I say? God, what did I do? God, are you angry with me? God, did I make a mistake, causing You to turn Your face from me»? Then, I read something that transformed my life. A simple verse—I have more Scripture for you as the evening continues, but I want to just show you here—2 Corinthians 13:14: «May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all».

I began to realize from this verse that there was a friendship to be had with the Holy Spirit. So, I began to reach for materials, books, and resources on the subject, and my thinking about the Holy Spirit began to change. You see, many believers see the Holy Spirit—and even God the Father—as some distant, impersonal, disconnected figure uninterested being. Many of us approach prayer as if we’re trying to negotiate for God’s attention, as if God is standing there with His arms folded, looking at us when we come into the prayer room, saying, 'If you know the correct password, I’ll move. If you jump high enough, I’ll give you the breakthrough. If you shout loud enough, I’ll give you the healing.

If you say the correct thing in the scripted prayer, then and only then can I move on your behalf.' That again was reaching back to my legalism. The Lord began to show me it wasn’t like that. I began to see the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament Church, in the life of Jesus, and even in the Old Testament. I began to look at Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit of God hovers over the face of the deep. God speaks, the Spirit moves. He breathes upon the Word; the Word is the substance with which the Holy Spirit creates the character of Christ in you. I began to look at how the Holy Spirit gave Joseph the ability to interpret dreams, how He moved the prophets to speak the oracles of the coming Messiah, how He inspired in the heart of David poetic stanzas of worship, giving wisdom to Solomon and strength to Samson. I saw how the Holy Spirit rested upon the disciples, empowering them to cast out devils, preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, and proclaim the name of the Lord. I wanted that.

So, what did I do? I reached for my religion again. Now, please understand, this part of the story is not a formula you should apply. I’m telling you how I approached it. Many times, people hear this and misunderstand it. Please listen very carefully to what I’m saying. I am not saying that the Holy Spirit moved because of what I did next; I’m saying I learned something in trying. I locked myself in the room and said, 'God, I’m not leaving here until I have an encounter with You.' Now, desperation has its place, but while desperation is a great initiator, it is not a great sustainer. Desperation implies lack, disconnection, and an unwelcome situation. Desperation can initiate things, but it should not sustain you. It’s the difference between hunger and starvation. You should stay hungry spiritually, but you should never starve because that means you’re not doing the basics of the Christian faith.

So, I shut the door, made that ultimatum, and began to pray. I’m walking back and forth across the room, praying with all the strength I could muster. I say to myself, 'Surely, 45 minutes have passed.' I look at the clock — five minutes have gone by. 'Never mind, ' I say. I continue praying, pressing in, pressing in. One hour goes by, and absolutely nothing happens. So, I said, 'Okay, I’m going to reach for the more aggressive side of prayer.' I began to recount all that I learned about intercessory prayer. I began to decree and declare, to take authority and dominion, and to pray the bloodline of Jesus around me. There’s nothing wrong with praying this way, but I was doing it ritualistically. And you bet, if there was an adjective, I attached it to a demon, whether it existed or not. I didn’t care.

The spirit of distraction in prayer, the spirit of sleepiness in prayer, the spirit of 'I don’t know what to pray' — I didn’t care. I was rebuking whatever I could find. I’m sure I got a few real ones. I’m aggressive, I’m bold, and I know my authority. You know, the devil doesn’t care how much you think you know about the spiritual realm. Think about when he tempted Jesus: 'If you are the Son of God, if you are the Son of God.' If I were Jesus, I would have said, 'Were you not there when I was baptized, and I came up out of the river, and the voice of the Father spoke, «This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,» and the dove settled upon me—the Holy Spirit? ' If anyone could have used their experience, it was Jesus, and he didn’t. He said, 'It is written.'

So, there I was, though, trying all my techniques. Two hours go by, nothing happens, and at this point, I’m beginning to regret my ultimatum. I’m saying, 'Lord, maybe a snack, maybe a nap, maybe a break.' So, what did I do? I began to intellectualize everything I had learned of prayer and the presence of God: the practice of the presence of God, praying in tongues, intercessory prayer—yes, that was in spiritual warfare, but there’s a little bit of it that applies here. Then my mind began to race. Can I pray while standing? Do I have to sit? Is it okay to pace back and forth? Do I pray in tongues? Do I pray with my natural mind? On that note, is it okay to pray in tongues in my mind? I had so many questions, and I’m trying to apply all of these different techniques. Intellect failed.

Now, I reach for emotion, and I begin to try to guilt God into a response. 'God, don’t you see me? Don’t you love me? God, can you hear me? If you don’t reply, I don’t know what will become of me.' Tears. I was tensing my body with everything I had; my carpet was drenched with tears. Emotion failed. You cannot make up with emotion what you lack in faith. Noise does not equal power. Four hours went by. There’s nothing more I could do. I was empty of myself. You know why God will sometimes wait until the last minute to show up? I mean, think about it. He won’t wait until the bill is due; He’ll wait until they’re about to turn off the lights. Then, suddenly, the resources come. It’s so that when the miracle comes, you know who gets the glory. It’s so that you know that it was nothing you could do.

Let me tell you, if it were possible by human effort to enter into the awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in those four hours, I would have been in. No man or woman, no matter how anointed they are, knows the way into the depths of the presence of the Holy Spirit. No one knows how to find Jesus—only the Holy Spirit does. And so, in that moment, I began to give up. I began to weep, not out of trying to get a response, but because I was done. I said, 'I don’t know how to pray. I don’t know how to find Jesus. Please help me find Jesus.'

In a moment of quiet surrender—not struggling, not tensing, not striving—I simply gave up. 'It’s not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit, ' saith the Lord. In that moment, I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit fill the room. He’ll wait till you come to the end of yourself. You know, prayer is like digging a well. Every shovel is full of dirt until you hit water. I had a lot of flesh to be removed, and that four hours was the Lord crucifying it. That’s why you squirm when you go to pray—it’s your flesh fighting you, because prayer is the death of the flesh. And so, there in that moment, I literally sensed a breeze come into the room, and a weight came upon me, and the plain, ordinary settings of my room became heaven on earth. And I began to feel pulses of electric sensations move up and down my body, and I began to feel the love of God flowing through me. Joy and peace — what I had sensed at salvation, only multiple times more — and in that moment, the presence of Jesus was more real to me than my own physical body.

I thought that if I moved my hand, I might feel it brush up against His robe. That encounter lasted maybe a couple of minutes, but had I sought it for a hundred years, it would have been worth every second. Something in me changed that day — a friendship began, and suddenly now again, there was this life flowing through me. In John 20:22, Jesus breathes on the disciples and says to them, 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost.' I thought this was interesting since the disciples had, prior to this, already been casting out devils, already been raising the dead, already been healing the sick, and already been preaching the gospel. How did they do that? Well, how did Jesus do it? The prophecy of Isaiah foretold that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon Him, empowering Him to do that ministry.

When Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees, who were accusing Him of using demonic power to drive out devils, what did He say? He said, 'If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God…' Well, who raised Jesus from the dead? Romans 8:11 tells us the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you. So, Jesus cast out devils by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus preached the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:38 says, 'How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He began to heal and to drive out demonic power.' He healed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, it should be noted that His disciples would do the same, not through their own power, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. How then could He stand before them, breathe on them, and say, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'? Church, this is the great mystery of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. At salvation, you receive the Holy Spirit — that is the baptism with the Holy Spirit. But the baptism with the Holy Spirit is both a well and a river. It’s both an initial encounter as well as a constant state of being. He dwells with you at salvation and continues to work through you throughout. So, here, the disciples, though they had not come to saving knowledge yet because the work of the Cross had not been completed and Christ had not yet resurrected, still functioned in Holy Spirit power. They’re operating in power — the three, the twelve, the seventy-two — and then Jesus breathes on them and says, 'Receive ye the Holy Spirit.'

Now, wait a minute. Let me show you something: go to Acts 2, Acts chapter 2, beginning at verse number one. On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. Verse 4 says, 'And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.' Now, consider the progression: the disciples have the Holy Spirit to perform ministry. After the resurrection, people receive the Holy Spirit in a different way. 1 John 2:27 mentions the anointing within you, while Acts 1:8 says the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

The anointing within you is for salvation, and the anointing upon you is for the work of ministry. But watch this now: the same in Acts chapter 2 — we’re the very same in Acts chapter 4. Peter and John are confronted by religious leaders pressuring them, saying, 'You have to stop preaching the gospel.' Now this is powerful. Look at this: Acts chapter 4. Go there now, please. Acts chapter 4, and let’s go to verse 30, where we begin reading. In verse number 30 is the prayer that the church prays after they were confronted by religious leaders. So, the church is praying. By the way, the disciples, among them Peter and John, say, 'Stretch out your hand with healing power. May miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.' Verse 31: Look up at me before we read it. Power upon them for the work of the ministry.

Acts… excuse me — John 20:22, Jesus breathes on them and says, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.' In Acts chapter 2, they are all filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter and John among them. In Acts 4 — watch this — after this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all, say all, filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. When is the Holy Spirit received? At salvation. When did they receive him? At salvation in John 20:22 and in Acts chapter 2 and in Acts chapter 4. What is being described here is no contradiction, my friend, because at salvation you receive Him, and the rest of your life is the release of Him.

When the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you, He comes to dwell in the fullness of His power. There is no portion of the Holy Spirit. There is no spiritually elite. You get the same Holy Spirit that the disciples had, that Jesus carried when He walked upon this Earth. The same Holy Spirit in them is the same Holy Spirit in you. The Holy Spirit is not a reward for being spiritual; He’s your only hope of being spiritual. Many believers think that when they make a mistake, the Holy Spirit leaves. No! Ephesians 4:30 — when you make a mistake, the Holy Spirit doesn’t leave; He grieves. He abides to convict and help you get it right. What sense would it make for God to remove from you your only chance of being holy as a punishment for you not being holy?

So, saved, not saved, saved, not saved, every mistake you make? No! The Holy Spirit abides, and He remains, and He helps you to get it right, my friend. All power, all love, all peace, all boldness, all righteousness, holiness, and love — all of it dwells in you in fullness and completion the very moment you are born again. So then, my friend, when you ask, 'How do I get closer to the Holy Spirit? ' Good news: you cannot. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. When you say, 'How do I get the Holy Spirit to come? '

My friend, you cannot — He hasn’t left! So then, it’s not a matter of you getting more of the Holy Spirit; it’s a matter of the Holy Spirit getting more of you. That’s what we’re seeing here: as you progress to greater measures of surrender, you gain greater access to power. It’s like if you have a bank account and you lose your debit card — you didn’t lose your balance; you just lost your access. That debit card is surrender. So, the Holy Spirit abides in you in fullness. I don’t have more of the Holy Spirit than you do; you don’t have less of the Holy Spirit than I. We all share in the same union. We all share in the same fellowship. The difference is, some surrender to that influence within, while others ignore His voice.

When I first began to be used by God, it astounded me. And I’m not saying that to try to sound humble, because I could list some things that would make me not sound humble, and they would be just as true. So, if you see anything good in me, give God glory. If you see anything bad in me, give me grace, okay? I like to say that patience is the fruit I’ve tasted the least in terms of the fruit of the Spirit, and God delivers a new basket for me every day. But I’m just going to be transparent with you — I was not… My friends will tell you I’m very strange, and that would be somewhat of an understatement. I’m not saying this to be funny. I’ve had to learn and watch social cues because from a very young age, I just didn’t fit. And I never felt accepted. I never felt like I belonged anywhere. I never felt wanted.

My parents were great, don’t get me wrong, but these are things that are internal, you know. But when I met the Holy Spirit, I met a true friend who would abide with me always. I remember the kids would make fun of me—my shoes were tied too tight, my skin, they said, was too pale. They made fun of the sound of my voice, and it’s kind of funny because they said I sounded like a radio announcer. This really is my voice, yes, how I talk to my daughter and my wife. Okay, they made fun of my hair, even my last name, which I don’t know why. Probably, you know, you get around the wrong groups. I remember saying to the Lord—and I wasn’t saying this to try to sound spiritual, and I’m not telling this to you to try to sound spiritual, I think we’ve all been here—I remember saying to the Lord, 'What can you possibly do with me? I mean, I can’t point to any skill set that people in the natural realm would look at and go, «Oh yeah, that’s useful».'

Not at the time anyway. And the Lord took that which was weak, and in that weakness, He showed His strength. I remember reading about Enoch. Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him. I read that, and I said, 'Lord Jesus, I want to be a «was not» too. I want to be an empty space through which you can find influence. I want to be a portal through which Heaven can touch Earth.' I remember praying:

Jesus, let my hands be your hands. Heal through them. Let my eyes be your eyes. I want to see things, people, and situations the way you see them. Let my ears be your ears. I want to hear your voice. Let my mouth be your mouth. I want to speak what you have to say. Let my feet be your feet. Take me where you want me to go. Let my heart beat as one with you. Crucify my will and, in its place, resurrect your own.

My friend, it’s not about how charismatic you are, how intelligent you are, or how likable you are. It’s about how surrendered you are to the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26–28: 'And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father, who knows all hearts, knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.' A couple of things—one thing here—the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. What is one thing God does not have? It’s your weakness. God does not have weakness; He needs ours to demonstrate His strength. We don’t know what God wants us to pray for.

My friend, have you ever been moving throughout your week and lost spiritual momentum? Your prayer life is going dry, your devotion to the Word is inconsistent, your worship has lost that fire, and then suddenly, from seemingly nowhere, you get this fresh wind at your spiritual back, and you once again begin to move with swiftness in the Spirit.

My friend, that’s the Holy Spirit praying for you. You did nothing to gain that, earn that, allow that, or even cause that—He is praying for you. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings. The Holy Spirit prays for you—the one who knows you like no one else knows you, the one who knows your weaknesses, your insecurities, your fears, your motives, and your secrets—He prays for you like no one else can pray for you. Observe the way a parent prays for a child, the way a grandparent prays for a grandchild—such passion and zeal and love and affection pales in comparison to the way the Holy Spirit prays for you. And He prays with groanings.

Many of you here tonight are going to touch God in a way you’ve never encountered Him before, but you’re not going to get there by begging. Yesterday’s revival can quickly become today’s religion. Yesterday’s encounter can become today’s system. It’s surrender. Let us come boldly before the throne. Why? Because we have a High Priest. To come to the throne with any other posture besides boldness is an insult to grace because it means that you think some of it, any of it, depends on you. I pray today that the Lord would lift us above the earthly, moving us into the heavenly. And it’s not through the touch of man—it’s through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Even now, as you sit there, some of you can sense that burning in your heart—that’s the stirring of the Spirit of God. That weight, that sacred, regal atmosphere, is the glory of who He is