Every Ancient Symbol of the Holy Spirit Explained | David Diga Hernandez

You know, there's always more that can be known about the precious Holy Spirit. In the Scripture we read, Psalms 103:7, He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. You see, some are only familiar with the actions that God takes, but very few actually know his nature. In Isaiah 45:15, we read, Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior. Now, why is it that God has a hiding nature? Why does it seem that sometimes he conceals the different facets of his person within symbolism and mystery? It's because the Lord wants to be sought. Acts 17:27 declares his purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. And Proverbs 25:2 says, It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover them. So God conceals and we search out the nature of God. The nature, the power, the presence, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is described all throughout the Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. And sometimes the Holy Spirit is mentioned very specifically, like in Acts 1:8, but you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you. He's very directly mentioned there. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is mentioned in a subtle way in that you can see his power at work, but he's not necessarily specifically referenced. And then there are times when the Holy Spirit is referenced in symbolism. That is, there are mysterious ancient symbols of the Holy Spirit that reveal facets of his nature. You know, Jesus spoke in parables. Matthew 13:11-12 says, He replied, you are permitted to understand the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. The Lord reveals, and as he reveals, we respond to that revelation. And depending upon how we respond to that revelation will determine whether or not He bestows more revelation upon us or not. So all throughout the scripture, you will see these different symbols of the Holy Spirit. We're gonna look at them right now. And as we look at these symbols, we're gonna discover facets of the nature of the Holy Spirit. This will improve your relationship with the Holy Spirit if you can understand these different sides to his nature and power. First, there is wind, fire, oil, Light. The dove. The cloud. The seal. Water and wine. Let's take a look at that first one now, wind. It was about 2 or 3 in the morning when I was awakened by the Holy Spirit after a night of praying. When I woke up, I could sense the presence of the Holy Spirit like a thick cloud in my room. You know, there are those moments where you're with the Holy Spirit, where it almost feels as if the air itself is charged with a sort of static electricity. And I could sense the pressing of his essence on the room. And I wake up, and when I wake up, I take in a deep breath. And it felt as though, you know that feeling you get when you drink a cold glass of water on a hot summer day and you can feel the cool entering your body? Well, that's how it felt when I took a breath, except it wasn't just, it wasn't just my mouth that felt cold. It was as though every single cell in my body came to life. It was this intense, energetic, physically felt, refreshing sensation that permeated my being. It was as though I was breathing in the very breath of God. And I remember it was so intense that I gasped when I woke up because I can feel I could feel it filling my body. That was one of my encounters with the Holy Spirit's presence as a wind. In the Old Testament, the word for spirit is ruach. The Hebrew word ruach can mean spirit, wind, or even breath. In the New Testament, the word for spirit is pneuma, which can also mean spirit, wind, or breath. Of course, as far as the words and languages, there is much more to it than that. But for the sake of simplicity, just note that Ruach and pneuma can mean spirit, wind, or even breath. Think about when Jesus instructed his followers to wait for the person of the Holy Spirit, Acts 1:4-5. Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised. As I told you before, John baptized with water, but in just a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Now imagine what they were thinking, the excitement they felt. Here, Jesus had told them that the one who was coming had to come, and that's why he had to go away. He told them of this Comforter, this Advocate, this Messenger, this other one. And here they were waiting for the Holy Spirit, not knowing exactly what to expect. Imagine the excitement. Imagine the anticipation as Jesus tells them, I'm sending another one to you. So there they are waiting for the presence of the Holy Spirit. And then in Acts chapter 2, At verse 1, we read, on the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly there was a sound from heaven, like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Think about that. The presence of the Holy Spirit entered the room suddenly, like a mighty rushing wind. This was the wind from heaven. He comes in suddenly and from seemingly nowhere, whirling about the atmosphere, changing the circumstance. The presence of the Holy Spirit is like the wind. John 3:8 says, the wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind, but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit. Now, in John 20:22, we read, Then he breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit. So the wind of the Spirit refreshes you. The wind of the Spirit is mysterious. The wind of the Spirit comes from seemingly nowhere. You ever been in a service or maybe in a time of prayer when all of a sudden the room seems to fill with the essence of the Holy Spirit? Yes. That's because he's like the wind. You can't tell where he's coming from or where he's going. And we don't always understand what he's doing because he is mysterious like the wind. One of the symbols of the Holy Spirit is wind. Wind speaks to his mysterious nature. Wind speaks to his sudden nature. Wind speaks to his often unpredictable manners of doing ministry. Wind speaks to the refreshing that he brings. And that is a symbol. Amen. of the Holy Spirit. Next symbol that we see is fire. My father grew up in revival. As a young boy, he attended a church in Southern California during the Jesus People Movement, and they experienced revivals that people still tell stories about today. In one instance, my father, as a young boy, he was about 10 years old, was standing in the church service, And he recalls this pounding on the back of the church doors. When the ushers finally opened the doors, in rushed a group of firemen. At first, they were ready, it seemed, to do some work. And that readied stance soon turned into bewilderment. Suddenly they were looking around confused. You see, people had been calling from all over the neighborhood saying that they could see flames and smoke coming out from the top of the building. But the fire that the people were seeing wasn't physical. It was the fire of the Holy Spirit. And this wasn't the only time that this happened in that church. And in fact, as I've traveled and told this story, I'm finding that there are many people who've experienced this exact same thing at their church too. It's a manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit. One of the symbols for the Holy Spirit Is fire. Acts 2:3 says, then what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. Now the presence of the Lord is often described as being like or being accompanied by fire. Exodus 3:2, and the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. And he looked and behold, the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed. Think about the fact that the Lord is described as having eyes of fire. Daniel 10:6 says, his body also was like the beryl, and his face was as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. Think about that. When you look at the eyes of the Lord Jesus, you're looking at his Spirit or the nature of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us not to quench the Holy Spirit in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, quench not the Spirit. Now that word there means to extinguish as you would a fire. And many of us extinguish the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives through disobedience, through doubt, through delay. God wants to consume your life with the fire of his Holy Spirit, but you have to give him something to burn. And often many of us feel as though we're losing the influence of the fire of the Holy Spirit, Not because the Holy Spirit isn't a consuming fire, but because we aren't putting anything on the altar to burn. You feel like you're losing your fire for God? Just begin to surrender. Just begin to yield, and that influence will grow. John the Baptist described the fiery nature of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:11, I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God, but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am, so much greater that I'm not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. In the Old Testament, God demonstrated the fact that he was with his people through a pillar of smoke and a pillar of fire. In Numbers 9:15, we read, On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered it. But from evening until morning, the cloud over the tabernacle looked like a pillar of fire, Now, in the Old Testament, the presence of the Holy Spirit abided with the people of God as a pillar of fire. And today, the presence of the Holy Spirit dwells in you and I. 1 Corinthians 6:19, don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? So one of the symbols for the Holy Spirit is fire. Fire cleanses, fire consumes, fire represents passion, fire represents purity. Fire represents the spreading influence of the Holy Spirit. Fire represents his holy nature. And that fire burns in you. Think about Jeremiah the prophet. Your word is like a fire shut up in my bones. That fire consumes our very lives. And that fire manifests as passion for the Lord. So you want to increase the fire of the Holy Spirit in your life. You wanna give him more influence. And as I said just a moment ago, you have to give him something to consume. The 3rd symbol we're gonna look at is oil. Now, I remember as a young boy on Tuesday nights, my Aunt Esther would take me to her prayer meetings, and she would host these intercessory prayer classes once a week. And this group of intercessors would pray for hours and hours and hours every Tuesday night. And I remember going to these prayer meetings. This is where I learned to intercede and seek the Lord. Some of the deeper truths of prayer I learned there. And I can recall several instances where we as a group would gather to pray. And at first I could feel my flesh fighting. I could feel like I wanted to leave. I didn't want to be there long. But then the presence of the Holy Spirit would manifest so beautifully in that room that I didn't want to leave even after 2 or 3 hours. Now, looking at that room where we gathered, you wouldn't think much of it. It was an attic in a church that had been furnished with chairs. They finished the walls and the ceiling. They put an air conditioner in there. You looked at the building itself, it looked plain and ordinary. The gathering itself seemed mundane, but the moment we began to pray, the presence of the Holy Spirit could be felt in that room. And I'm telling you, some of my best experiences with the Holy Spirit were in that church attic. And I remember that team would pass out this special oil that they had made. And there was a gentleman there by the name of Jeff, and Jeff actually learned to create the oil as they did in Israel. And so to this day, I can still remember the smell of that oil. And every time I smell a scent that's very similar, it takes me back to those moments that I had with the Lord in those prayer meetings. Now we, according to the scripture, would lay hands often, pray for the sick with oil. We would pray over one another with oil. We would take it home and pray over our homes, pray over our loved ones. I remember I walked around with a bottle of oil about this big everywhere I went. And I think of that oil and what it represents biblically. You know, that oil in the Old Testament was used in a ceremony known as the anointing ceremony. Priests would be anointed, kings would be anointed, prophets would be anointed. When they were making the different items that would go into the tabernacle, they would anoint those different items with the oil. And that oil represented something special. When, when you were marked by that oil, it was understood that you were marked by God, that you were being set apart, that you were being put in a position of power or authority or influence, that you were being protected by the Lord, that you were being purified by the Lord. The oil represented all those things. Now, even in the New Testament, we're instructed to pray using oil. I don't quite understand all of the spiritual dynamics behind that. I just know that in the acts of faith, when you respond with faith to the Word of God, that things begin to happen. And you can reference that in James 5:15-16. But you know, there's something to be said about the tangible touch of God's power. And when I say tangible, I mean that there's a physical quality to the power of God. Yes, the power of God influences us internally. He can affect your emotions, your thoughts. He can change your circumstance. He can protect you. We understand all of that, but there's an aspect to his power that's actually physical, tangible, manifested in this reality where people can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit on their physical being. I've been in services where I felt like heat on my hands. I'm sure you've experienced the same. Sometimes in our services, people say they feel like a wind blow through the room. They feel like a weight resting on them. Often reported is the sensation of electricity moving up and down people's body. Now, this doesn't always happen, but this is a very real quality to the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 19:12, we read, when handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases. And evil spirits were expelled. So there was something about the tangible quality where even just that physical touch, a handkerchief would touch, and then they would take that to the sick, and they would take that to those who were demon possessed, the demons would come out of the people, and the sickness would come off of those who were oppressed by sickness. Look at Mark 6:13. And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil. Again, I can't claim to understand all of the dynamics behind this particular act, But there's something to be said of that. What I can say is that oil, when it's backed by faith, isn't just oil. So we do have that Old Testament ceremony. We have that New Testament reality regarding the oil, but there's another reality regarding the oil. And that is that it's a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Look here in Acts 10:38, and you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. In the Old Testament, they were anointed with oil. That oil was the symbol that they were marked by God. In the New Testament, we are anointed with, or smeared with, the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit upon us is God's mark on our lives, that we've been set apart, we've been purified, that we're protected, That we've been given position and power in Him, that we have a specific task given to us by God. And again, I don't want to completely dismiss the reality that oil can still, yes, be physically used today, but I do want to point out that that oil in the Old Testament was a foreshadowing. It was a shadow of the substance, which is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Number 4, light. Now, I haven't shared this story often, But when I was a teenager, as I would read the Scripture, I would sometimes get a vision. And in that vision, certain verses would literally be illuminated. That is, I would see like a glow behind the letters. And that was the Holy Spirit highlighting certain truths to me. It wasn't always, but it would happen sometimes. In James 1:5, we read, If you need wisdom, ask our generous God and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. When I first read that verse, I said, Lord, if there's anybody who needs wisdom, it's me. There I was, a young boy. I had grown up in church, but I knew I needed the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. And so I asked him for divine wisdom so that I could understand and explain the scriptures. And soon after that, it was like an entire world was open to me. Suddenly what I was reading began to make sense and not just make sense, there were truths that would jump out at me and actually transform me. Well, that's the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit illuminates the scriptures. John 14:26 says, but when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative, that is the Holy Spirit, he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. That's the work of the Spirit. He reminds and He reveals. He reminds you of what you've heard, and He reveals truths as you study the Word. The Holy Spirit is your teacher. That's why He's a symbol of light, or light is a symbol of His presence, because that's the illuminating, revelatory nature of the precious Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives you revelation of the Word of God, See John 14:26. He gives you revelation of the ways of God, 1 Corinthians 2:10-12. And he gives you revelation of the will of God, Acts 16:6-7. He gives you revelation of the Word. As you're reading the Scriptures, you can sit with the author. Remember, it was the Holy Spirit who inspired every word in Scripture. So as you read, you don't have to read it alone. You can say, help me, Holy Spirit, to understand and receive from the Word of God. The Holy Spirit gives revelation of the nature of God, not just what he does, not just what he has said, but he takes those truths, builds upon them to help you understand how he is. Remember, if you look at someone's actions only, then you're going to constantly judge them by those actions, in that if they ever do anything new, You're going to fold your arms and say, well, I don't know if I've ever seen them do that before. I've never seen God do that. But if you know his nature, then when God does something a little different, you can say, this looks like something that God would do. Some people are just stuck on just his actions. They don't know his nature. That's why you need the help of the Holy Spirit. It's not just cerebral. It's not just intellectual. This is spiritual. It's an actual relationship with an actual living God. That's why you need the help of the Holy Spirit. And then revelation of the will of God. The Holy Spirit illuminates the way. When you don't know what direction to go, what college to choose, what job to work, what state you should live in, what spouse to choose, there's the difficult choice right there. And that's one of the most important ones. Besides receiving Jesus as Lord, choosing who to marry is the most important decision. And so the Holy Spirit can help you even with that. The Holy Spirit is your business partner. If you're a business owner, the Holy Spirit is your business partner. And he speaks wisdom, instruction, direction, insight, and strategy. If you're a student, the Holy Spirit isn't just your teacher of the word, he's your teacher in life. He can light your mind on fire with wisdom from heaven and cause you to understand. He can give that to you. So not just necessarily for the spiritual dynamics, but also for the everyday dynamics. He is the light of God. He is the one who reveals the way. The Word of God contains the written foundational truths concerning God's will and God's ways. However, there are certain aspects of God's will that only the Holy Spirit can reveal to you, especially when those aspects Have to do with specific things in your life and ministry. The same goes for the ways of God. God's ways or nature can only truly be understood by the Holy Spirit. 1 John 2:20 says, but you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. Number 5, the dove. What does the Holy Spirit look like? Well, we're given one physical description in Luke 3:22, and the Holy Spirit in bodily form descended on him like a dove. And the voice from heaven said, you are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy. Now I'm not saying that the Holy Spirit is literally a bird, but there's symbolism there. There's something about his nature that was dove-like. So here's what we can do. Because one of the symbols for the Holy Spirit is the dove, we can therefore take some of the biblical descriptions of doves and apply them to the Holy Spirit. I'll give you an example. In Song of Solomon 5:2, we read this, I sleep, but my heart waketh. It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled. For my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. There we see the dove being described as beloved and precious. In Matthew 10:16, we read, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. So biblically speaking, doves were understood to be gentle, pure, innocent, beloved. And therefore we can take those attributes in biblical symbolism and apply them to the nature of the Holy Spirit. There has been some pushback on this. I've heard some people say, well, the Holy Spirit isn't gentle. He's not a gentleman. And I understand that the Holy Spirit definitely can come like a mighty rushing wind. His power can be electric, fiery-like, as we've read about in Scripture, but there are different facets to his nature. So yes, there are moments when the Holy Spirit is gentle. There's something very elegant about the presence of the Holy Spirit. There's something very majestic, very kingly, very regal about the presence of the Holy Spirit. And so you have to remember that when you're talking about the Holy Spirit, you're talking about a very sacred, ancient presence and power, God's divine essence here upon the earth. And there's beauty to that. So I'm not saying the Holy Spirit isn't powerful or isn't like a fire or a mighty rushing wind. I'm saying that in some of the aspects in the way that he works, He can be very gentle. And generally speaking, there's a royal air about the way he moves. And this is why often you can discern some things are just not, not of God. Again, not saying he doesn't ever move in great power or intensely, but that there's always going to be a sacredness about the way that he moves. The Holy Spirit is that gentle dove who's patient with us, who gently guides us along this path. Who corrects us, who won't force his will upon us, but waits for us to surrender and to yield. Number 6, the cloud. Now, as you look at the Old and New Testament, you'll see that often when the glory of God would appear, so would the cloud. So the cloud would conceal and reveal the glory of God. There are stories that come from the ministry of Miss Kathryn Kuhlman, who many of you have read and heard about. And Kathryn Kuhlman was considered someone who truly loved Jesus and truly loved the Holy Spirit. And she had a powerful healing ministry that would draw thousands, and many miracles were reported. But more important than the miracles, more important than the power demonstrated, was the way that she walked with the precious Holy Spirit. Often in her meetings, people reported seeing like a glow come upon her. Others would report like a cloud hovering above the meeting. The power of God would so manifest in her services that people reported seeing that glory cloud. Now that still happens today, I believe. We still see these manifestations of his power. And I don't know about you, but I wanna walk with the Holy Spirit in such a way that his glory goes with me and that people can begin to see his glory. his presence on my life. In Exodus 24:15-18, we read, Then Moses climbed up the mountain and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for 6 days. On the 7th day, the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. See, Moses is inside the cloud, but to the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. So Moses disappears. I love that. He disappears into the cloud. That's what happens when you begin to fellowship with the Lord, with the Holy Spirit, you disappear in that cloud of glory. And you become concealed by that, covered in that, protected by that. It becomes the world in which you walk, the world in which you exist, the world that you're most aware of. when you walk in the presence of the Holy Spirit in that way. Moses spoke with God in the cloud. You see that in Exodus 34:32-35. The children of Israel received guidance from that cloud in Exodus 13:21. The priests could not stand to minister in that cloud in 2 Chronicles 5:13-14. Now watch this, the presence of the Holy Spirit also manifested in the form of a cloud at the transfiguration of Jesus. Here's a New Testament reference, watch this. Matthew 17:5-6. But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And a voice from the cloud said, this is my dearly loved Son who brings me great joy. Listen to him. The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. Now watch this. This is so beautiful what's happening here. As he's speaking, a bright cloud comes and overshadows them. And the voice from the cloud says, this is my Son, is my beloved Son. Notice here that the cloud brought revelation of Jesus. The cloud manifested upon the presence of Jesus, on his being. The Holy Spirit points to Jesus. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus. The Holy Spirit reveals the presence of God to us, and the Holy Spirit conceals the presence of God from those who have not had that revealed to them yet. That cloud conceals and reveals the glory. The cloud, which is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit, represents the glorification of Jesus, represents the glory of the presence of God. Number 7, the seal, like the stamp, not the sea creature. You know, there are a lot of Christians who feel like they're constantly on the verge of losing their salvation. We are given the assurance of salvation, not the guesswork of salvation. So if that's you, every day you're living your Christian life, wondering if you made a mistake that finally made God reject you, or you think that You finally exhausted the patience of the Holy Spirit. Let me put it this way. The Holy Spirit is more patient with you than you are with yourself. Isn't that precious? The Holy Spirit is more patient with you than you are with yourself. And so we see here in 2 Corinthians 1:22, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. When you buy a home, in order to get the process started, you have to deposit what's called earnest money. And once you've deposited the earnest money, the seller knows that you as the buyer are serious. You mean business. In the same way, we know that God means business because He's deposited the Holy Spirit within us. Heaven, your glorified body, the future kingdom of God. Yes, we know the kingdom is here and now, but there's also— The future. some aspect of the kingdom of God that's then and there. Everything that he's promised you, all the riches in Christ, all the glory in Christ, everything that he died to give to you is guaranteed to be yours. And as proof that God means business, he put his Holy Spirit in you. That deposit now rests in you. That is your assurance that you belong to him. In Jewish wedding culture, the father of the groom would usually be the one who picked the bride for his son. After the father of the groom found whom he believed to be the choice bride, he would approach the bride and her family. There would be a written marriage agreement made. After the written agreement was finished, it was customary for the father of the groom to give a gift to the father of the bride. That gift acted as a deposit For the bride. It was a promissory note, a guarantee of the groom's intentions to marry. Once that deposit was made, the intent to marry would become official. The Jewish wedding traditions, like many of the Jewish traditions, mirror the spiritual realm. Just as the father of the groom selects the bride, so God the Father has chosen to give the church to his Son. And just as the father of the groom leaves a gift representing a promise, so God fills you with his Holy Spirit, his divine promise. The Holy Spirit is God's seal of promise in you. So if you've ever found yourself being worried or being overcome with guilt and shame, or constantly wondering if God has rejected you, then this revelation will change your life. That's not hyperbole. I'm not exaggerating. I'm not just trying to hype you. That is reality, that your life will be changed if you capture this revelation of the assurance of salvation that we have in him. Aren't you tired of walking around worried and paranoid, wondering if you finally made your last mistake? God doesn't want you living like that. God doesn't want— maybe you have this fear that one day you're gonna stand before God and he's gonna reject you when you get there. There's a lot of— Let me just say it like this. There's a lot of really terrible preaching out there that makes Christians second-guess whether or not they're going to be accepted on the Day of Judgment. And it's just not biblical. They'll quote, like, for example, Matthew chapter 7, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? But I want you to really study that text. Notice that the people who were rejected by God were people that were relying upon their own works, not on the finished work of the cross. When you put your faith in Jesus, it's not guesswork, it's a guarantee. So this idea that we live our whole lives as Christians with our fingers crossed, hoping that we were good enough at performing our Christian duties, that when we stand before God, that he accepts us, that is not just unbiblical, it is heretical. It's demonic. That sort of tormenting religious lie is not of God. And I'll tell you how you know you're under that bondage, because even as I share this, there's this fear to believe that, because there's this nagging voice in the back of your head saying, oh, that's dangerous. That's dangerous. You're gonna be too confident and watch, that confidence is going to— no, if your confidence is in the Lord, you will not be put to shame. My confidence is in his salvation. And the Holy Spirit agrees with what I'm saying to you. We will put on heavenly bodies. We will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we wanna die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we wanna put on on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this. And as a guarantee, God's guaranteeing it. This is not some unreliable person who breaks their promises. This is not like that friend of yours who you know that you invite them somewhere, they say, I'm gonna go. And then later on you get a text saying, actually, I'm not feeling it. This is not your unreliable family member who everyone knows, you just don't trust what they say. This is God now. Ephesians 1:13-14. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest, there's that key word, of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. This is, A guarantee. And that is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit. He is that seal. He is that stamp. He is the finality of your salvation, God's promise to you. Number 8, water. I was at a powerful healing service, early 2000s, I was a teenager. The man of God who was ministering called for the preachers of the gospel to come down and receive impartation. I ran down to the stage. It was a stadium, so I had a long run. I get down to the platform and the platform reached my shoulder height. As I'm standing pressed up against the stage with a crowd pressing behind me, also trying to get on stage, I watched as the man of God was laying hands on people and they were being touched by the power of the Holy Spirit. And as he ministered, they sang that song, Holy, Holy, Holy Are You, Lord. Choir singing, the people receiving the touch of the Holy Spirit, the atmosphere electric with God's power. I began to sense peace and joy, the weight of the glory of God pressing on that platform. And then I felt something interesting. I felt like waves of water cresting over my body. as I stood next to that platform. It was as if there was a stream of power on the platform itself, overflowing like a waterfall and rushing over me. I'm telling you, it was one of the most wild sensations I've ever experienced in a church service. Eventually I get on the platform, the man of God lays hands on me. I don't even realize I go out under the power. When I open my eyes, I'm on the floor. When the ushers picked me up to take me back to my seat, I felt as though I had been dunked underwater because when I came up, it was like refreshing. It was the presence of the Holy Spirit manifested like a river. In fact, even in our healing services, when I'm praying for the sick, I often tell them there's a river of healing flowing through this place. This is as we're singing hallelujah. And that river of healing does manifest. And people report like waves of water coming out over them as they receive their healing miracle. That is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit's power as water. John 7:37-39. On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, anyone who is thirsty may come to me. Anyone who believes in me may come and drink. For the scriptures declare, Rivers of living water will flow from his heart. When he said living water, he was speaking of the Spirit who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory. The Holy Spirit here is described as rivers of living water. He brings you to life. He refreshes you. Wherever the river flows, life thrives. Wherever the river goes, there is a flourishing, there is a fruitfulness. And that's what the presence of the Holy Spirit does in our lives. Water cleanses. He cleans you up. He cleans your mind. He cleans your words. He cleans your behaviors. Water quenches. Only the presence of the Holy Spirit can satisfy the deepest longing of the human heart. He causes that thirst to be quenched so that you're not seeking that fulfillment in the world, but you seek it in his presence. He refreshes you in those moments of life where you feel like giving up, where you feel like you've done all the work that you can do, where you feel like you're spinning your wheels in frustration, but you have no forward movement, where you feel the weight of responsibility resting on your shoulders. He refreshes you. You feel the heat of the sun on you. And like every step in the Spirit takes all the strength you have. In those moments, when you most feel like giving up, that's when the rivers of living water wash over you and the Holy Spirit refreshes you. Number 9, wine. If you've ever watched our healing services online, you'll notice that we do testimonies toward the end of the service. People come up and they testify of what God healed them from, what they experienced while they were being healed, and we rejoice with them at their testimonies. So during that portion of the service, in one service that we had, this woman comes up and she begins to testify that she was healed of depression. And I could see this smile on her face. She was beaming with joy. She didn't look like someone who had depression. I know that sounds ignorant to say because depression doesn't always have immediate symptoms, but what she was describing to me was this persistent solemnness, this persistent sadness. She said that it was just constant, and I wasn't seeing that on her in the moment. So I asked her, well, what are you sensing now? And as she went to try to explain to me the joy that she was feeling, That smile on her face turned into laughter. Now I know people have issues with holy laughter. I don't know why. I honestly don't. We have no issue with people crying in church. Why on earth do we have an issue with people laughing in church? It's an expression of human emotion responding to the presence of God. I do also understand that some people exaggerate it and some people make it a show, but there are times, let me tell you, there are times when the joy of the Spirit is so overwhelming, It's like laughing with a good friend. It's just this bubbly, wonderful, joyful overflow that you can't control. She begins to laugh, she's smiling, she's trying to get her words out. I say, what's going on with you? She says, I don't know. She says, this is— and then she said this, she said, this is the first time I've laughed in years. What was that? That was the joy of the Spirit. That is what the symbol of wine represents. In Ephesians 5:18, we see a direct contrast here. Don't be drunk with wine because that will ruin your life. Okay. Instead, what's the alternative to worldly wine? The heavenly wine, which is the presence of the Holy Spirit. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. Think about that. The presence of the Holy Spirit produces joy. joy and peace and boldness. Watch this, Acts 2:13-15. But others in the crowd ridiculed them saying, they're just drunk, that's all. Think about that. The presence of the Holy Spirit made these disciples and this church appear as though they were drunk. Then Peter stepped forward with the 11 other apostles and shouted to the crowds, listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem, make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk as some of you are assuming. 9 o'clock in the morning is much too early for that. What made them think they were drunk? Now here, I'm not advocating for belligerent behavior or foolishness. What I am saying is there was something about their demeanor that made them think they had a little bit too much wine. But what was that? It was the fact that they were bold. It was the fact that they were joyful. It was the fact that they were at peace. It was the fact that they were That's what the wine of heaven does. You know, in the world, when people live lifestyles of drunkenness, often they embrace those lifestyles because they like the boldness that they get from the alcohol. They like that they can just speak their mind and they can go out and they have no social anxiety whatsoever. They have no self, what's the word? They're not too self-conscious. They're just bold. Bold. Well, you don't need wine for that. You have the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the wine of heaven, symbolizes the boldness he gives, the joy he gives, the peace he gives, and the difference he makes in your demeanor. That is the wine of heaven. So Father, I pray in the name of Jesus for your people who've received these beautiful treasures of revelation. And I ask that you would cause us to be more aware of and responsive to the nature and power and voice of the precious Holy Spirit in our lives. Father, I thank you that even now, you are causing that one receiving this prayer now to become aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Envelop them, I pray. Let them sense you near to them. Let them sense your joy, your peace. Let them experience the wine of heaven, which brings boldness. Let them experience that refreshing river of your presence. Let them experience the fire of the Holy Ghost that brings forth passion for the things of God. Let them experience that seal of the Spirit, that they might be confident in who they are in you, confident in their salvation. Let them experience all aspects of your work, nature, and ministry. Precious Holy Spirit, do that work in their lives today, and let us appreciate you more. Let us become more aware of you, that we might see the increase of your influence in our lives. And I want you to say this out loud. Say, welcome, Holy Spirit. And if you believe that, you truly receive that. Type amen in the comment section right now. One of the passions of this ministry, one of my divine assignments, I believe, is to introduce this generation to the Holy Spirit. And so I want you to help me with that. If you love the presence of the Holy Spirit and you want other believers to come into this awareness of the Holy Spirit as a person, then get behind the work of this ministry today. So I challenge you to step out in faith. Faith. Get behind the work of this ministry. More than just teachings on the Holy Spirit, we also do events around the world that we call Holy Spirit Encounter Services. At these services, many people are saved, healed, delivered, and have encounters with the Holy Spirit. We also release other forms of media. I teach on spiritual warfare, prayer. We have the Holy Spirit School that we offer for free that's training believers all around the world. We also now are We're planting churches through what we call the Encounter Church Network. Bottom line, the ministry's expanding, and I want you to pay it forward. If you've been blessed, you've been helped, pay it forward. No more delay. Ask the Holy Spirit what you can do today, and you watch how God will bless you for it. You can become a monthly ministry supporter. Consider a gift of $30 a month. I know that's challenging for many, but consider it. Pray about it. Step out in faith. $30 a month, and you can sign up by going to davidhernandezministries.com/partner for that monthly gift. You can also give a single gift by going to davidhernandezministries.com/donate. Remember this, there's no gift so small that it doesn't count, so everyone should participate. And there's no gift so large that we wouldn't know what to do with it, so everyone should give sacrificially and generously.