Sid Roth - Who Is the Holy Spirit
My guest teaches how you can walk 24-7 in God's presence, the place where all things are possible. Next!
Sid Roth: Now, David Hernandez provokes me to jealousy. He doesn't know how biblical he is. You see, it's the job of the Gentile to provoke the Jew to jealousy. But there was someone else I knew, David, that provoked me to jealousy no end. Her name was Kathryn Kuhlman. As far as I'm concerned, she had such a close relationship with the Holy Spirit. I remember to this day, she would say, "Don't grieve Him. He's all I've got". And you have that. But I understood it that this started based on a Word of God before you were even born. Tell me about that.
David Hernandez: Well, the prayers of parents are powerful. And my parents had prayed a very specific prayer for myself and each of my siblings. For my older sister, they prayed that she would be a worshiper, that came to pass. For my brother, that he would carry a boldness, that definitely came to pass. Then for me, they prayed that I would be sensitive to the person of the Holy Spirit. And ever since the age of seven, I can recall being very aware of an atmosphere of the Spirit around me.
Sid Roth: That is so wonderful. I didn't even know about such things for the first 30 years of my life. You've really had a leg up on me, and probably a lot of you people. There are a lot of people, we know there's a Holy Spirit, many have even been filled with the Holy Spirit. But to you, who is the Holy Spirit?
David Hernandez: To me, the Holy Spirit is a friend, because He is a person. The Holy Spirit is also God. We see in Psalm Chapter 139, Verse 7, that the Holy Spirit is omnipresent. We see in First Corinthians Chapter 2, Verses 10 through 12 that the Holy Spirit is omniscient because He knows the mind of God and searches out the deep things of God. We also know that the Holy Spirit is omnipotent because in Luke Chapter 1, Verse 35, we see that it's the same power of the most High that overshadowed someone when the Holy Spirit came upon them. The Holy Spirit is the One who helps us to pray. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives us boldness for evangelism. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives us the power to overcome sin. As I say, He is the "Holiness Spirit". The Holy Spirit is the One who stirs hearts for faith to believe for the miraculous, and to receive and become all that God desires. The Holy Spirit is the One who guides us into the deeper things of God, who reveals those heavenly treasures which are revelations that cause transformation in us. The Holy Spirit is the One who walks with us 24-7, constantly abiding, a faithful friend, empowering us with the grace of God to accomplish the perfect Will of God within the earth, and become that will of God filled with power in the earth. The Holy Spirit is the One who empowers us for ministry and guides us through everyday life as it pertains to ministry so that we don't miss a single detail. And the Holy Spirit is a person, the person of God in me, around me, with me, constantly abiding, as I say.
Sid Roth: A lot of people refer to the Holy Spirit as "It". That's not who the Holy Spirit is to you?
David Hernandez: Not at all. Jesus referred to Him as "He". He said that "He shall lead you into all truth". He will remind and reveal- John 14:26.
Sid Roth: Okay, I am all ears on this next question, and you will be, too. Give us some secrets you have learned to have intimacy with the Holy Spirit.
David Hernandez: Well, it all begins with oneness with the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians Chapter 6, Verse 17 says, "He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him". When I pray, I'm not praying to connect with God, I am praying from connection with God. I pray from that confident place, knowing that I already have His ear. I tell people, imagine how much time you could save if instead of begging God to hear you, you simply believe that He already did. Jesus began by saying, "Our Father, who art in Heaven," not, "God, please hear me". He came from this place of confidence, that confidence being that oneness, that oneness coming from surrender. You know, people often ask me, how do I get more of the Holy Spirit? And I tell them, the good news is, you can't get more of the Holy Spirit, because all He is, or ever shall be, dwells in fullness the moment you receive Christ as Savior. So, it's not a matter of me getting more of the Holy Spirit, it's a matter of the Holy Spirit getting more of me. Surrendering to that One, as John 3:30, "I must decrease, but He must increase," allowing Him to overtake every aspect of my being. I think of Enoch, and the scripture says, "Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him".
Sid Roth: Is that going to happen to you?
David Hernandez: I say yes. I say, "Lord, I want to be a was not. I want to be a tear in the fabric of time and space, through which eternity Himself can step into the creation. I want to be that empty place, that porter, that carrier of the glory, the lack of something that allows the Holy Spirit to feel. You know, we often say, "I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit," but the Holy Spirit cannot fill someone who is full of themselves. So, as we empty ourselves and say, "God, fill me and take over every aspect of who I am, I want you to take over everything to where my presence becomes Your presence". You know, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Look throughout all the scripture, and very rarely do you see the Holy Spirit revealed in physical form. That's because you and I are the physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit's presence. You don't have to go looking for an atmosphere when you are an atmosphere. You don't have to go seeing His presence when you carry that presence. I am an atmosphere of heaven. I am a carrier of the glory. When you walk into rooms, demons start to tremble. When you walk into rooms, sickness starts to lose its grip on physical bodies, because of that oneness with His presence that flow with who He is, living in that rhythm of Heaven, saying, "Holy Spirit, take all of me".
Sid Roth: Give me an example of when the flow of the Spirit- the lady with paralysis.
David Hernandez: Well, there is something that the Holy Spirit's been doing in our ministry, and well, we see many miracles. I've told you, we see a lot of paralysis healed, for some reason. And so, I was ministering on the East Coast, and I remember...
Sid Roth: Well, you know, Jesus saw a lot of paralysis healed...
David Hernandez: Yes, Sir. Yes.
Sid Roth: ...so why shouldn't we?
David Hernandez: I like to say there's not something special about me, there's someone special about me, and that's the Holy Spirit. So, it's His work. So, I remember I was ministering on the East Coast, and I'm walking into the church through the foyer. I'm walking past joyful greeters as they welcomed me into the church, and I'm shaking hands with different people. One woman caught my eye. She was leaning on her cane, and I could tell that she was struggling to move about the foyer, and she reached out to shake my hand. I remember seeing such joy on her face; it was like it was like, it hadn't even fazed her. She was ready for a miracle; she was in the place of faith. So, as I'm ministering, I'm preaching my message. And I like to use what's called "Spirit-led structure," you set it up and then the Holy Spirit can knock it down if He wants. So, I'm over there ministering, and I remember hearing the words coming out of my mouth, but it was as if I was a listener with those in the congregation listening to me speak. I remember hearing myself interrupting my own sermon. And it was as if the Holy Spirit had taken hold of me. I understand that we have self-control, it is a fruit of the Spirit, but this was not a loss of control. This was an overtaking, being controlled from the deepest part of who I am.
Sid Roth: You were operating out of the Spirit rather than the brain and the flesh.
David Hernandez: Right. It was a different function. And I remember, you know when that anointing comes on me, I become a different person. So, I remember, I'm just in the middle of my sermon, I start calling this woman up. And I knew that I knew that I knew that she would be healed. And so, she comes to the front. Now, I very gently took her cane, set it aside, and I told her to receive her miracle. Right there in front of everyone, she began to move her right arm, her right hand, and lift her right leg. She hadn't been able to do that for years, move like that. And there was a collective gasp and sense of awe that came over the congregation. By the end of that revival weekend, she was dancing on the platform during the worship. And the people's faith were stirred. But that's what comes - things like that. They're a manifestation of living in that inner reality with the Spirit.
Sid Roth: The oneness you talk about, that's what you're explaining right now. When people read your book, and you explain how to pray in the Spirit in the book, can every true believer enter this oneness, this surrender that God had directed you to?
David Hernandez: Absolutely. First John 2:27 says we've all received that anointing within. We've all received that stirring within us, the Holy Spirit residing. Now some people want to know, well, how do I activate that, because I know I've had that deposit. Well, think about this, First Thessalonians 5:23 alludes to the fact that I am a spirit who has a soul that lives in a body. My body is my earth suit, my soul, my mind, my will, my emotions. And my spirit is my connection with God. So, the key, then, is surrendering the outer shells of who you are to that inner reality, John 7:38, "Out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water". Surrendering to that innermost reality is the essence of the Christian life. It's not something special for people who sit on Sid Roth's program. It's not something special for the guy who stands at the pulpit with the microphone. This is to be - the early church understood this. This is why the Gospel exploded onto the scene in the face of persecution, because they grabbed a hold of the reality that all believers get their identity from deep within, not judging themselves based upon the outer shells, but pooling from that inner reality and recognizing, I am one with the Holy Spirit. I am one with God. I fellowship with Him already, and it's just a matter of releasing that through surrender.
Sid Roth: You know, the most amazing thing, as some of you may have tuned in late, or you take a look at David, and you say, boy, he's a pretty young guy. I don't know if he can teach me anything. How many years have you walked with the Holy Spirit?
David Hernandez: Well, I'm 31 today, and I remember I was saved at the age of 11, so just about 20 years walking with the Holy Spirit. And He's my closest friend. And I remember he was a friend to me in a season of life - you know, those awkward teenage years where you sense that rejection. Everyone goes through a phase where they don't feel like they quite belong. And I remember I was in the confusion of that season in my life that the Holy Spirit showed Himself to be my friend. And ever since then, we've been very close.
Sid Roth: If someone got hold of your brand-new book and your teaching CDs and devoured it, and followed these secrets you've been taught your whole life by the Holy Spirit, can they do everything you do? Everything?
David Hernandez: I believe that, and more. I like your saying, "Anything I can do, you can do better".
Sid Roth: Let's leave it at that. When we return, David will pray that the same intimacy he has with the Holy Spirit, you're going to manifest it. You're going to operate it. Be right back.
Sid Roth: Now I know a lot of you, when you see someone's going to talk about prayer, you kind of tune them out, you say, that's for people that are, quote, "intercessors". And I do pray. But you get into a realm where it's a delight.
David Hernandez: It's no longer an obligation. It's an opportunity when you move past the flesh. You know, you can sing in church and not really have a fight put up by the flesh. Some people can read the scriptures and not really sense that fight. People could do ministry and charity and good deeds, and that fight isn't really put up. But the moment you begin to pray, the flesh starts to squirm and try to distract. Why? Because prayer is the death of the flesh. Prayer is how you weaken that side of your nature. And really, it is the flesh...
Sid Roth: You know what? I know one friend of mine that says, "Flesh, you stop it"! He'll talk to his flesh. "You surrender, flesh. You're done"! And then he starts praying in tongues.
David Hernandez: And that's one of the keys to really finding this breakthrough, that oneness with the Spirit, because anything that strengthens my Spirit weakens my flesh. Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 6 through 7, says, "Don't worry about anything, pray about everything. Tell God what you need while thanking Him for what He's done". Here is really one of the keys to seeing that prayer go from that discipline, or that sense of obligation, to finding that flow. I'd like to say that every shovel is full of dirt before you hit the water when digging a well. And prayer is like that. When I'm digging for that wellspring, I have to uncover those layers of dirt, or the flesh. And so, when you present your needs to God, says, "Don't worry about anything". Worry is the flesh's powerless counterfeit for prayer. And when I pray, I'm talking in faith...
Sid Roth: Wow, that is so profound. You've got to say that again. Look in the camera and say it.
David Hernandez: Worry is the flesh's powerless counterfeit for prayer. When I'm worrying, I'm praying really in the flesh. And so, what you do is, you approach God, and here's the thing, you approach God, you give Him all those things that are weighing on your mind - responsibilities, family, and ministry - all those things that I call "inner chaos". And it's like trying to ascend the Mountain of Glory while wearing a backpack, you want to put that off before you begin to climb. So, when I present my request to God and leave those in His hands, the Bible says, then the peace fills my heart. Now here's the mistake many believers make: Once they receive that peace from having unburdened themselves from all of the responsibilities of this world, then they say, "Oh, I sense that peace. Thank you, Lord, I'll see You later," and then they leave. But the peace that God gives you after the prayer request is not the end of the journey. Peace is the beginning. The Holy Spirit wants to take you into the depths of the Spirit, but He waits for you at the Gate of Peace.
Sid Roth: Many people take it as, oh, that's my sign that my prayer has gotten through. Bye, bye, Holy Spirit. Bye, bye, prayer. You're saying that's God saying, "You're doing right, son. You're doing right, daughter. There's more. I want you to enter into this wonderful presence".
David Hernandez: Yes. And that's the key, is once you've rid yourself of the flesh and you've been flooded with that peace to where the flesh can no longer torment your mind and keep you from praying, now I take that peace, and because I'm in that place of peace, I can enter into the deeper things of God, without being distracted by the flesh. And then I can obtain those things that manifest in my life. And when I say "obtain," I don't mean that you didn't have them before. I really am describing when that which is in you becomes manifested in the outer shells of who you are.
Sid Roth: I know people that pray in tongues all day.
David Hernandez: It's an important gift.
Sid Roth: Sometimes I scratch my head, and I say, "How can you do that"? And they're probably scratching their head and they're saying, "If you experience the results and the ecstasy and the joy I experience when I get deep in the Spirit, how can you not do that?
David Hernandez: Well, praying in tongues is one of the most powerful tools that God has given to us in our prayer lives. Romans Chapter 8, Verse 26 tells us something astounding, that the Holy Spirit prays for us, with groanings, according to what? The Will of God. So, He prays passionately for me, bending me, inclining my heart toward the Word of God, inclining me toward the things of God. Now think about this, people travel all over the world, they go and get hands laid on them by many great men and women of God. They go to receive impartation, and that's wonderful. But think about this: The Holy Spirit wants to lay hands on you Himself. And the key to this is the gift of speaking in tongues. You know, First Corinthians Chapter 14, Versus 2 and 4 tell me that when I pray in tongues, I'm talking to God, and my Spirit is being edified. First Corinthians 14:14 tells me that when I am praying in tongues, I am praying in the Spirit. Therefore, when I pray in tongues, I'm connecting with the Holy Spirit's prayers, and I'm praying what the Holy Spirit is praying. Therefore, when I pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit is praying for me, through me. It it's as if He's saying, "I'll pray for you Myself if only you give me your mouth. I'll lay hands on you Myself if only you give me the hands". Now many will find this prayer alluding them, because they can't really find that breakthrough to where they can start praying in the prayer language. And really, I know why people can't pray in tongues, and they won't like the answer, but it's the truth. The reason people can't pray in tongues comes down to one word, and one word only. It's ego. And when I say "ego," I'm not just saying pride and arrogance. Ego is doubt, fear, worry, over-thinking, all of those things. When people are trying to receive the gift, they say things like, "Well, this is just me". Or "What if it's not God"? Or "What if I'm forcing something God doesn't want to will for my life"? And it's those types of excuses that the flesh gives to us that prevent us from receiving this gift. Now I want to tell a story real briefly. There was a man who was teaching his daughter to pray. And while teaching her to pray, he would guide her each night, and then he decides, I'm going to allow her to pray on her own, just so she can learn to talk to God. So, one night, he's passing by her room, and he puts his ear to the door, and he listens in on her prayers. She's not praying, she's saying the alphabet, singing it, "A, B, C, D, E, F, G". This happens for two or three nights, and he says eventually, I have to go and tell her that this not how you pray. So, he goes and talk to her and he says, "Sweetie, listen, we talked about talking to God, and you're saying the alphabet, but you have to actually talk to God". She says, "Daddy, I am talking to God, except I just give him the alphabet, and then He can arrange the letters however He wants". That's what you do when you're praying in tongues. The Holy Spirit can only fill what is empty. If I'm praying words of understanding, I'm praying words with meaning and my intention attached to those words. But when I pray syllables and sounds without meaning, I'm praying surrendered syllables and sounds that the Holy Spirit can fill. It's by faith. Leave it to the Holy Spirit to hide the power of God like that behind such a child-like act of faith. Now when it comes to receiving that gift, we have to stop believing this lie that it's not within our control. The greatest revelation someone can receive when trying to receive this gift and overcome that blockage is the fact that you are in control of the gift. Why would Paul, the apostle, devote a whole chapter, First Corinthians 14, a whole chapter to how to control the gift if the gift could not be controlled? The key then - stop over-thinking it. Stop analyzing it. Stop questioning it. Jesus said, "If you ask for the Holy Spirit, I'm not going to give you something else". Trust Him, trust His word, and you release the sounds. As you release the sounds in faith, the Holy Spirit comes and adds His meaning. Everything we do that is spiritual is a partnership with God, a blend between the practical and the supernatural. If you will do the difficult, God will do the impossible.
Sid Roth: I want you to pray to release the presence of God on you that we would hunger and thirst for this oneness, this surrender to the Spirit.
David Hernandez: Father, in the Name of Jesus, I pray for that one receiving this now. And I ask You to set their hearts on fire. You said in Your Word that the Holy Spirit is the One who sets our hearts on fire for Jesus with love, and I ask You now to let the fire, some of you are sensing, I can sense it right now - some of you are sensing, like, a strong heat coming on you. Some of you are sensing, like, electricity. Don't be afraid, that's the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is the real deal. And I want you to receive that right now. Father, in the Name of Jesus, let them sense that power from on high. Strengthen them and stir the desires of the Spirit such as never before. Take them beyond what they can imagine, and pool them into the depths of the Holy Ghost, in the Name of Jesus we pray. And I want you to say it because you believe it. Say, "Amen".
Sid Roth: Amen.