But, Lord, I'm A Southern Baptist

There Is More

As a child, I often complained about what we were having for supper. Each time I did, my father responded the same way, "When you get hungry enough, you�ll eat what�s on your plate."

When we really get hungry for God, we�ll eat what�s put on our spiritual plate. What did it take for me to break through the spiritual dryness that plagued me for several years? Hunger? No, something more than hunger�desperation. It took a distaste for my own life, and a desperation for anointing. I had to reach a place where I wanted God more than I wanted me. When He called me to fast, He used those 40 days to reveal Himself to me and fill me with His Spirit; but before that could happen, I had to get very hungry.

I didn�t seek speaking in tongues. I didn�t seek a baptism or an experience. I just got hungry enough to take whatever He chose to give me. I believe God desires to give to everyone the same gift He gave me. Hebrews 13:8 reads, "JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME YESTERDAY AND TODAY AND FOREVER." He baptized the apostles in the Holy Spirit almost 2,000 years ago, and He�ll baptize anyone today who genuinely seeks Him.

WHEN YOU GET HUNGRY ENOUGH, YOU�LL EAT WHAT�S ON YOUR PLATE.

I believe this message rings true for believers all over this world today. I believe this message rings true for you. If you are truly hungry for God, you will take all that God has for you. And you will walk in the depths of His love.

Are you searching for more? Have you grown dissatisfied with your lack of power and conviction? Are you lacking peace? Maybe you�ve been a Christian for years, but you�re lacking joy. Maybe you feel like God is a million miles away.

If any of the above describes you, take heart, because there is more! It�s called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. You might be wondering, "I thought I received the Holy Spirit when I accepted Christ into my life. Why do I need this special baptism?"

It is true, when people accept Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a great work in their lives. The Spirit convicts them of sin, convinces them of righteousness, and dwells within them (John 6:44; 14:17; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13). No one becomes a Christian without this gracious work of the Holy Spirit. However, there is an additional and distinct ministry of the Holy Spirit that God makes available to us called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Baptism is an empowering gift from God the Father that is promised to every believer (Matthew 3:11; Luke 11:13; 24:29; Acts 2:33,38). It helps the Christian to live a holy life and also brings a new devotional attachment to Jesus Christ, making Him very real and precious.

The primary purpose of the Baptism is to give greater power for witnessing (Acts 1:8). Other benefits include a greater joy in spiritual service, and a heightened sense of one�s mission to the world.

To sum it all up, I would put it this way: When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, God places a divine passion in our heart�a passion that supersedes all of the things of this world. This passion causes men to do things above and beyond the natural realm of their human abilities.

The initial PHYSICAL evidence of my Baptism in the Holy Spirit was speaking in tongues. This is what happened at the grocery store. When one is filled with the Spirit, he/she will speak in a heavenly language that has not been learned. The stumbling blocks of limited vocabulary and the inability to express feelings and concerns of the soul disappear as a Spirit-imparted language flows out from the heart. It is as if heaven and earth, time and eternity, God and man all compress together in a glorious act of worship.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for every believer in every generation and every denomination. Following the first great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, the apostle Peter explained to the crowd, "THE PROMISE IS FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN AND FOR ALL WHO ARE FAR OFF�FOR ALL WHOM THE LORD OUR GOD WILL CALL" (v. 39).

This promise is for you. You don�t have to live with spiritual emptiness anymore. Seek God with all your heart, and allow Him to give you this precious gift. Get hungry enough to eat whatever He puts on your plate.