Traditional Christians often have a difficult time accepting the baptism of the Holy Spirit due to the many misconceptions they have about what such an experience entails. I have found that Charismatics deal with the same issues when they are encountering new levels of intimacy with God. We still have a “residue” of religious sentiments that effect us, even if we were raised in the Spirit-filled community.

     The following is a break-down of several truths that we always come to understand more as we enter deeper into God's glory and power. Much of this needs to be repeated over and over again for us to gain the fullest revelation of it.

     The Holy Spirit is Not Foreign: When God shows Himself to us in a new way through the Holy Ghost we do not have to be afraid of something weird or completely unfamiliar. It is the same Spirit working with us who has been in our hearts since we were saved, and who had been drawing us to Christ long before that. Nothing will be too mysterious or come from a different source than the One we have already been trusting (Heb. 13:8).

     We Can Still Maintain Control: Galatians tells us that the Spirit gives us peace and self-control (vs. 22-34), and God will never contradict His Word. We do not have to worry about Him commanding us to do wild and embarrassing things without making us comfortable enough to obey. Just because we have submitted to Christ's lordship does not mean that we have become robots that have no say in how we behave.

     Anointing Does Not Equal Godliness: Evangelicals sometimes teach incorrectly that to be “filled with the Spirit” is to be walking in moral purity. This is not true, but neither is it very far from the truth. We need supernatural empowerment on a regular basis because it does help us live for the Lord righteously. It is not an automatic thing though (2 Cor. 3:18). One can work great miracles without ever claiming to “have it all together” already.

     God is Always Good: Some people have a perspective of God as being so sovereign and authoritative that He can chose when to curse us anytime He wants to, and we just have to be faithful to follow Him anyway. Our Father always looks upon us with love though, and He only wants the best for us. We do not have to question whether He wants us to have more of the Holy Spirit and His blessings (Luke 11:11-13, 3 John 1:2, Jer. 29:11).

     I encourage you, meditate on these concepts, and especially on the Scriptures mentioned with them. God has so much to give us, but we are often reluctant to receive it whole-heartedly because our mindsets are inhibiting us. We need to have more faith in the Holy Spirit in order to see Him bring us greater revival personally, and to bring it to our communities. The Lord wants to visit us with all His splendor, but He prefers to do so as we welcome Him warmly. We must let our guard down.