At Pentecost (Acts 2) the disciples devoted themselves to constant prayer until the Holy spirit came upon them with tongues of fire, filled their lives and gave them courage and power to witness to the world. Some people call this release, or "baptism in the Holy Spirit," the "kiss of the Spirit." Its primary purpose is to empower Christian to bring Jesus to the world. Its primary effect is a tangible experience of the love of Jesus. (The hug of heaven!) Let us continually, daily, thank Him for a deeper release of the Holy Spirit in our own lives. Empowered by the Spirit we can change the world. One campus minister said about his ministry after the release of the Spirit, "Now, what I do, works!" According to Acts 2, this is normal Christians. As you pray the following prayer, change it in some way to make it your own. (5 minutes)

At times in your live you may have inadvertently opened your spirit to some of those influences. It's time to close those doors. It is important when we pray to place ourselves specifically under the Lord's protection and take authority over any powers of evil. ( This has already begun, because praise is one of the most powerful weapons against the enemy. )

Come Holy Spirit, and baptize me with the fire of Your love. I have surrender to the best of my ability, and now I want to be filled with Your Spirit. I need Your power in my life. Please come, and fill me now. Lord, I believe that when I surrendered to You as Lord, we became one. You are the vine and I am the branch of the vine. All that You are is within me. My life flows from You. I believe that as I yield and ask, You will release Your strength, wisdom, healing, etc. to meet the needs of the hour. I yield now to receive Your sanctification gifts of Isaiah 12:2: wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. I need these gifts in my life, to grow as a Christian. I yield and ask You to release Your manifestation gifts of service, as listed in 1 Corinthians 12: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues and interpretation of tongues. I need them to witness to a hurting world. Only in Your power, guided by Your Spirit, can my life be fruitful. Holy Spirit come. Holy Spirit come. I want it all, wrapped in the greatest gift of all: love.

... the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Give me opportunities to use Your gifts to reveal Your love and mercy. Stretch me, Lord. I will not limit Your gifts by my perceptions of what I can handle. Holy Spirit, expand my capability. Work in me in a powerful way. I want every purpose God has for my life to be fulfilled, and I need You, mighty Spirit of God, to bring that purpose to fulfillment. Come Holy Spirit. Come.

As you flow through me to minister to others, I know that You are flowing within me to heal my life too. Thank You for flooding the deep places of my life with Your electric love. Thank You for washing and cleansing any wounds and scars from the past that still have the power to dominate my thoughts and suppress my physical and emotional freedom. Thank You for bringing light into the shadows and warmth to any cold, dark rooms in my soul. Compassionate Holy Spirit thank You for coming and drawing out the uncried tears, the unfinished grieving, the pain of loss, the traumas, the fear, the emotional hurts so painful that they were "buried alive." Spirit of Wisdom thank You for coming into the root cause of any chronic failures. Gentle Holy spirit, thank You for walking through my early years and facing the past with me. Thank You for reminding me that the love of Jesus was always there, filling in the gap between the love I needed and the love I received. (Thank the Holy Spirit for scanning your life and bringing to mind any hurtful memories that need to be healed. When they surface, say simple, "Holy Spirit I surrender that event to You for healing. Thank You for bringing Your good out of the hurt (Romans 8:28). Praise You, Jesus.") Let this be an opportunity for a deeper release of the Holy Spirit as more of your emotional life becomes unbound.

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your presence with me, flowing freely in me and through me. Thank You for being my friend, my teacher, my comforter, my counselor, my intercessor, and the giver of extravagant gifts. Thank You especially for ________________ . (Continue thanking Him spontaneously.)

Close your eyes and sing, "Come, Holy Ghost," or "Spirit of the Living God," or another song that invites the Holy Spirit to come. Amen.