David Diga Hernandez - How to FEEL the Holy Spirit's Presence

Is it possible to physically feel the presence and power of the Holy Spirit? It absolutely is, and I’m going to show that to you from Scripture. More importantly, as we look at this truth revealed in Scripture, your faith will be stirred. It is my prayer that by the end of this message, you will sense the touch of the Holy Spirit’s power upon you, whether it has been years since you’ve felt that touch or whether you’ve never sensed it before. I believe that the tangible power of God is present to transform your life. I’m going to show you what Scripture says on this matter, and then we’re going to pray. When we pray, I believe that as you join your faith with mine, you will have an encounter with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

First, we look to Scripture. Acts 17:27 says that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might feel after Him and find Him, though He be not far from any one of us. God is not a million miles away; He is right next to you, whether you sense Him or not, whether it has been a while since you’ve thought about Him or not. This is the reality: He is looking at you right now; He is listening to you at this very moment. He is in the room with you right now.

There is an old story about an evangelist named Smith Wigglesworth. Smith Wigglesworth was staying in the home of a family while he was preaching a revival locally in their town. The wife was saved, while the husband was not a believer. During that revival meeting, the husband and wife agreed to give the man of God their room, so he slept in their bed while they slept in the next room. Each night, he would go and preach that revival and then come back and sleep in that bed. Finally, the revival came to an end. The wife had been praying for her husband; she had been hoping that he would attend one of the meetings, but he didn’t. She had been hoping that he would have an encounter with God, but he didn’t. So, as Smith Wigglesworth began to leave their home, he walked out the front door and down the street, and the wife chased after him. She called out to him and said, «Please wait! My husband isn’t saved. Can you pray for him or minister to him somehow?»

As the story goes, without missing a step, Smith Wigglesworth slightly turned his head to call back to her with a simple instruction: «Don’t change the sheets.» An odd instruction indeed, but the woman obeyed by faith; she obeyed the instruction of God’s servant. That night, the husband and wife went to bed, and the wife did not change the sheets. That night, the husband began to have nightmares about the afterlife—specifically about hell, sin, and the judgment of God. He hopped out of bed, fell to his knees, and cried out for God’s forgiveness. He became a born-again believer.

What exactly happened there? It was the tangible touch of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. You see, there is a tangible element to the power of God. The power of God can manifest in a physical way. In our meetings, people often report feeling electricity, heat, or weight come upon their bodies while experiencing a miracle, healing, or some other form of breakthrough that God is giving them. This is the reality: the power of the Holy Spirit has a tangible aspect to it.

Now, looking to Scripture for examples, let’s first go to 2 Kings 13. «Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring. Once, when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of these raiders; so they hastily threw the corpse into the tomb of Elisha and fled. But as soon as the body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet.»

Now, before we continue to look at other examples of the tangible power of the Holy Spirit in Scripture, it’s important that we remember this: it’s not the object itself; it’s not the man or the woman that produces the power. The power comes from the Lord, and this is the way that He sometimes chooses to operate. Let’s go now to Acts 5, and I’m going to read verse 15. «As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats, so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by.»

In Acts 19:11–12, the Bible says, «God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.»

In Mark 5:21, the Bible says, «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.» In Mark 5, we see the example of the woman with the issue of blood. She came up behind Jesus, reaching out in faith and touched the fringe of His robe. When she did, she felt within her body immediately that she had been healed. Verse 30 says that Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him; Jesus could actually feel the power leaving His physical being. In James 5:14, the Bible tells us this: «Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray.»