How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit?

You can be filled by just approaching a pastor who knows how to do this, does not have a series of disobedience or bad reputation (as in major sins like addiction or sexual problems that kind of thing that is not resolved.) to lay hands on your to pray to receive. Why I say that you need to make sure the pastor's okay, because there's the danger of transferring the dump from one person to another when laying hands. That's why normally (I just learnt) we pray ourselves (the person who's going to pray and lay hands) to ask God if we ourselves have un-confessed sins and to repent and cleanse ourselves before laying hands on the person to be prayed for. In fact, you can do it yourself. The article below is a good guide for you.

But one thing, be aware that there MAY be manifestations like being "slain" meaning, feeling your legs go numb and then you will fall on your back and God will minister to you when you just lie there, or other manifestations like vibration or shaking of your body, feeling heat all over and so on so forth :) Don't be afraid.

Oh another thing I remembered to address. Some may ask, how do you know it is the Holy Spirit and not an evil spirit filling the person?

The answer is very simple and very clear. Fear, pain and sickness doesn't come from God. If something gives you fear, it is not from God. It is from the devil. When the Holy Spirit fills you, all you feel is peace. It's all nice and warm xD (Sometimes you won't feel heat. It depends on God whether He brings that to you or not. Like for me, I didn't feel anything, only shaking all over.) Another clue is that when you get "slain", you are still concious although it may look like the person fainted. Only if the person is "possessed" by an evil spirit is totally unconscious of what happened. Like the gift of tongues, you can start or stop as you like. It's not like the Holy Spirit comes and possess your tongue and force your tongue to move. The Holy Spirit is VERY gentle. If you push Him away, He won't come. He will never force His way in.

This article below is taken from the book Drawing Near by John Bevere, Appendix B, Pg. 241.

Receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit is as easy as receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Some struggle, become discouraged, and can't receive most often due to the neglect of receiving basic scriptural instructions before asking. I've learnt it is always best to show seekers what God says before praying, as this develops their faith to receive. So before I lead you in prayer to receive, allow me first to instruct. (Note: It is important that you have completed Chapter 11 before proceeding any further.) [I think the posts before this about Holy Spirit may be sufficient.]

First and foremost, you must have already received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior (see John14:17).

There can be no pattern of disobedience in your life. We are told that God gives His Spirit "to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32). I've learned from experience this especially includes the area of unforgiveness. In our meetings I've seen many times hundreds receive the Holy Spirit and immediately speak in other tongues, yet a dozen or two of the hundreds stand and look bewildered. In almost every case in going to those few dozen I would find the Lord leading me to deal with harboured offense. Once seekers forgave they immediately received and spoke in tongues. So before we go any further let's pray together.

Father, I ask that You would search me and show me if there is any disobedience in my heart. Please show me if there is any person I have withheld forgiveness from. I purpose to obey and forgive no matter what You reveal to me. I ask this in the name of Jesus and that You so very much.

To receive the Holy Spirit all you have to do is ask! Jesus simply says, "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fist? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke11:11-13). He is simply saying that if our children ask us for something which is our will to give them, we won't give them sometime evil and different. In the same way, if you ask the Father for His Spirit, He won't give you an evil spirit. ALl you have to do is ask the Father in Jesus' name, and you will receive His Holy Spirit.

You must ask in faith. The New Testament tells us it is impossible to receive from God without faith. James 1:6-7 states:"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for He who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. So ask yourself at this moment, "When will I receive? Will it be when I speak in other tongues, or will it be the moment I ask?" Your answer should be - the moment you ask! For in the Kingdom, we believe then receive. Those who do not have faith say," Show me and I will believe" but Jesus says,"I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them" (Mark 11:24). Notice you believe first, and then you will have what you've asked for.

Acts 2:4 says, "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Notice they spoke with tongues; it was not the Holy Spirit who spoke in tongues. They had to do it, as the Spirit gave them to words. So there is a yielding! I can be in a swift moving river, but if I don't pick up my feet and yield to the river, I won't flow with it. So there are three areas we must yield: First, our lips. If I don't move my lips, wonders, whether English, a Foreign language, or a heavenly tongue, cannot come forth. Second, our tongue. If I don't move my tongue, I cannot speak. Third, our vocal cords. If I don't yield my vocal cords to my lungs, then I cannot speak.

You may at this point think I'm being sarcastic, but I'm not. After years of seeing people struggle, I've learned many subconsciously thing the Holy Spirit is going to grab ahold of their lips, tongues, and vocal cords and make them speak. No, we speak, or yield, as He gives the utterance.

Jesus says, "'He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, our of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke and concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John7:38-39). When you ask for the Holy Spirit, you may have a syllable bubbling up, or rolling around in your head. If you will speak it in faith, it will be as if you open a dam, and the langnuage will come forth. I like to see it as a spool of thread in your guy and the tip, or beginning of the thread, is glimpsed at your tongue, but as you begin to pull (speak), out comes the rest of the thread. Some think they are going to have the entire language in their mind then they will speak. No, we are to speak in faith.

I remember when my wife prayed to receive the Holy Spirit she didn't speak in tongues for a time, then she and a few friends were praying a few weeks later and she began to speak in tongues. She then said," I had that syllable running through my head the past few weeks while praying, but didn't yield to it till tonight." I believe this is the case for so many - they ask, receive, but don't yield.

Scripture states," The spirits of the prophets [spokespersons] are subject to the prophets" (1 Cor 14:32). This simply tells us that we are the ones who speak, and that the Holy Spirit will not force Himself on us. I recall the day I was filled with the Holy Spirit I didn't know how to speak again. I went to another brother at the gym and asked," How can I do it again?" He said, "John, just do it!" I went out for a run and began to speak in tongues again while running. I was overcome with joy. We must remember the Holy Spirit is always ready to go; we are the ones who must yield. It is like a water fountain. The water is always there; all you have to do is turn the knob and out comes the water. So pray in tongues frequently!

Now that you have received basic instructions from the Scripture, if you believe you will receive we can pray together. One last thing: you cannot speak English and Spanish at the same time. Even so you can't speak in English and tongues at the same time. So remember, just believe and yield! Let's pray:

Father, in the name of Jesus, I come to you as Your child. You said if I asked You for the Holy Spirit You would give Him to me. With joy I now ask in faith; please baptise and fill me at this very moment with Your Holy Spirit. I receive all You have for me including the ability to speak in tongues. So now in faith I will speak in new tongues! Amen!