David Diga Hernandez - How to Welcome the Holy Spirit

Hello, David Diga Hernandez here, and you are watching Spirit Church on the Encounter TV network. Almost everywhere the Holy Spirit goes, He is rejected. Even in many churches around the world, the Holy Spirit is not welcomed. So, I want to teach you how to welcome the Holy Spirit into your life. But first, Steven Moctezuma is here with me; he’s going to lead you in some very anointed worship. This time, it’s a little different, as he is performing an instrumental worship song. So, just prepare your heart and worship the Lord as Steven Moctezuma leads you in this anointed music.

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I want to show you something interesting that I saw in the scripture. Now, the context here is that Jesus is driving multiple demons out of a man, and the demons ask for permission to be cast into a herd of pigs. This is where the story picks up. Mark chapter five, verse 13 says, «So Jesus gave them permission.» The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about two thousand pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. Verse 15 says that a crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. Verse 17 says that the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone. Now, I found this interesting because here we see that Jesus is delivering a man who had been tormented by demonic beings for many years. He had gone insane because of the demonic torment, so these people, instead of focusing on the miracle that Jesus had performed, became preoccupied with the fact that two thousand pigs had died. Now, of course, that would upset the economy, and of course, that would be bad for business for the person who owned the pigs. Still, these people did not recognize who they had with them; all they focused on was the liability, or what they perceived as a liability, and they began to plead with Jesus to please go away from them. Imagine that—a single miracle, someone delivered from a demonic being, and all of a sudden you’re filled with fear of the one who set the man free. So this is what happens, and the people say, «Jesus, please get out of here. Please go.» You know, whenever God is performing a miracle, sometimes there will have to be some pigs that die. Sometimes the miraculous will make you uncomfortable; sometimes the supernatural will put you in a place that is not familiar to you. So as Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him. But Jesus said, «No, go home to your family and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful He has been.» So the man started off to visit the ten towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed at what he told them. So on one side of the lake, we see people saying, «Jesus, please leave; we don’t want you here.» On the other side, we see what happens when Jesus went to the other side of the lake. Verse 21: Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around Him on the shore. So on one side, Jesus is pushed away; on the other side, they are waiting for Him. Now, I want to read a portion of scripture to you found in Acts chapter 16, and then I’m going to make my point. Acts chapter 16, verse 7 says, «Then, coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there.» Now, here I want you to recognize that the scripture refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Jesus. I want to be perfectly clear: I believe in the Trinity. I believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all distinct from one another, and I believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each equally divine. So I believe that God is three in one, the Trinity. But here, the scripture is focusing more on the fact that they are one. Just because I’m focusing on the oneness of the Spirit of God and Jesus Himself and the Father does not mean that I don’t believe in the Trinity. So, having said that, I want to tell you this truth: the Holy Spirit truly is the continuation of Jesus Himself here on the earth. Everything that Jesus was anointed to do while physically on the earth, the Holy Spirit continues to do for and through you. I’m going to say that again: everything that Jesus was anointed to do while physically on the earth, the Holy Spirit continues to do for and through you. So, here’s my point: just as people rejected Jesus, so people today reject the Holy Spirit. Just as people welcomed Jesus, so people today welcome the Holy Spirit—with the same results. So here’s the question: how do I welcome the Holy Spirit? What must I do to make the Holy Spirit feel at home in me? He can be welcomed anywhere, so how do we make room for Him? How do we acknowledge His presence? How do we say to the Holy Spirit, «Holy Spirit, abide with me; Holy Spirit, everywhere else you go, I know you’re most likely rejected, but here with me, you are welcomed, and you are wanted.» And that’s a powerful way to live. So I want to show you how to do it, and these are things you can actually begin to do today. As soon as you hear the truth, you can immediately apply these truths and see the work of the Holy Spirit begin to intensify in you.