From Fearful to Spirit-Filled

Growing up I always went to churches and Christian schools that did not encourage the power of the Holy Spirit. I was scared of the idea of speaking in tongues and didn’t even consider the Holy Spirit as a part of the Trinity to be talked about or thought about. When I met my husband, he was a charismatic Holy Spirit filled Christian; we got into long and frustrating theological debates about the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues.When I was away living in Africa for 6 months experiencing God outside of America I was touched by my experience and sent Jery, my not yet boyfriend, a book called “Christianity Rediscovered”. He sent me back “Surprised by the Power of the Spirit”. It was a powerful book but still frustrating for me as my mind didn’t fully understand the gifts of the Holy Spirit or what He wanted to do for me.When I moved back to San Diego, I started attending City Church. It was there that I really felt the Holy Spirit presence and was finally able to understand His role in the triune God and all the gifts He had for me. My fear started to subside. After about a year at my new church I came to realize that anyone could ask for the gift of speaking in tongues and be filled with the Holy Spirit and that once you received that gift you got to let go of so many things! During one service I went up to the front and asked a female pastor to pray for me to receive the gift of speaking in tongues. I got it, and it felt so weird! It’s similar to when you start speaking a new language like French or Spanish and really try it out on someone who only speaks that language and you have no idea how you did with it or if they understood at all! But as the days passed and I used it more and more, it became natural, comforting and peaceful.I love that when I don’t have the words to pray the Holy Spirit will pray for me! I love that when I need His presence I can always muster it with speaking in tongues. I love that when others pray for me in tongues I always can get into His presence and feel His peace.

“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you” John 14:26

I pray that you too would pray and ask God if He would fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit and receive your spiritual prayer language. Is there anything that scares you or makes you want to resist it?Love you,Martina McKinney