May 5, 2023: He Will Baptize You With The Holy Spirit!

"I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!" (Mark 1:8, NLT)

What does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit? Let's take it at face value and then try to 'unpack' it. The Greek word baptizo means to “immerse,” “dunk,” “sink," and “wash.” The one thing that all of these words have in common is completeness. If something sinks in water, it is entirely underwater. If something is immersed in water, it is totally put under the water. If something is dunked in water, it is totally moved under the water so that the water touches every part.
    
To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to be totally immersed in the presence of God until God's presence touches every part of that person's life and being. This is what God wants for us! He wants us, as believers, to live immersed in Him. 
    
His presence in my life now empowers me to be a witness of Jesus Christ. Mark 16:17 says, "These signs follow those who believe...," and Mark lists these supernatural signs that follow. A person baptized in the Holy Spirit should expect God to do supernatural things through them. A person immersed in the Holy Spirit becomes dangerous to the kingdoms of darkness. They personally conform to Christ in every part of their being. They aggressively pursue freeing others from sin's bondage. They joyfully carry the light of Christ to those oppressed by darkness. They become a picture of God in the earth!