Author: Billy Conrad

September 12

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. — John 7:38

Scripture reading: John 4:1–14

God wants to help us to see that every child of God ought to receive the Holy Spirit. Beloved, God wants us to understand that this is not difficult when we are in the right order. I want you to see what it means to seek the Holy Spirit.

If we were to examine John‘s gospel, we would see that Jesus predicted all that we are getting today with the coming of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord said that the Holy Spirit would take of the things of His Word and reveal them to us. (See John 14:26; 16:14.) He would live out in us all of the life of Jesus.

If we could only think of what this really means! It is one of the ideals. Talk about graduation! Come into the graduation of the Holy Spirit, and you will simply outstrip everything they have in any college there ever was. You will leave them all behind, just as I have seen the sun leave the mist behind in San Francisco. You will leave what is as cold as ice and go into the sunshine.

God the Holy Spirit wants us to know the reality of this fullness of the Spirit so that we will neither be ignorant nor have mystic conceptions but will have a clear, unmistakable revelation of the entire mind of God for these days.

I implore you, beloved, in the name of Jesus, that you should see that you come right into all the mind of God. Jesus truly said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8).

Thought for today: Jesus is all the time unfolding to every one of us the power of resurrection.

September 11

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. — Acts 1:8

Scripture reading: Acts 1:1–11

I believe God wants us to know more about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And I believe that God wants us to know the truth in such a way that we may all have a clear understanding of what He means when He desires all His people to receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, our Mediator and Advocate, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He commanded His followers concerning these days we are in and gave instructions about the time through the Holy Spirit. I can see that if we are going to accomplish anything, we are going to accomplish it because we are under the power of the Holy Spirit.

During my lifetime, I have seen lots of satanic forces, Spiritualists, and all other “ists.” I tell you that there is a power that is satanic, and there is a power that is the Holy Spirit. I remember that after we received the Holy Spirit and when people were speaking in tongues as the Spirit gave utterance—we don‘t know the Holy Spirit in any other way—the Spiritualists heard about it and came to the meeting in good time to fill two rows of seats.

When the power of God fell upon us, these imitators began their shaking and moving, with utterances from the satanic forces. The Spirit of the Lord was mighty upon me. I went to them and said, “Now, you demons, clear out of here!” And out they went. I followed them right out into the street, and then they turned around and cursed me. It made no difference; they were out.

I implore you to hear that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to possess us so that we are, and may be continually, so full of the Holy Spirit that utterances and revelations and eyesight and everything else may be so remarkably controlled by the Spirit of God that we live and move in this glorious sphere of usefulness for the glory of God.

Thought for today: There is a fullness of God where all other powers must cease to be.

September 10

He received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. — Acts 9:18

Scripture reading: Acts 16:16–34

Notice that when Ananias came into that house, he called the onetime enemy of the Gospel “Brother Saul” (Acts 9:17). He recognized that, in those three days, a blessed work had been accomplished and that Saul had been brought into relationship with the Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ. Was this not enough? No, there was something further, and for this purpose the Lord had sent Ananias to that house to put his hands upon this newly saved brother so that Saul might receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

You say, “But it does not say that he spoke in tongues.” We know that Paul did speak in tongues, that he spoke in tongues more than all the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:18). In those early days, it was so soon after the time of that first Pentecostal outpouring that they would never have been satisfied with anyone receiving the baptism unless he received it according to the original pattern given on the Day of Pentecost.

When Peter was relating what had taken place in the house of Cornelius at Caesarea, he said, “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). Later, speaking of this incident, he said, “God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8–9). We know from the account of what took place at Cornelius‘s household that when the Holy Spirit fell, “they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God” (Acts 10:46).

Many people think that God makes a distinction between us and those who lived at the beginning of the church. But they have no Scripture for this. When anyone receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, there will assuredly be no difference between his experience today and what was given on the Day of Pentecost. And I cannot believe that, when Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit, the Lord made any difference in the experience that He gave him than the experience that He had given to Peter and the rest a short while before.

And so Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit, and in the later chapters of the Acts of the Apostles we see the result of this infilling. Oh, what a difference it makes!

The grace of God that was given to the persecuting Saul is available for you. The same infilling of the Holy Spirit that he received is likewise available. Move on to a life of continuous receiving of more and more of the blessed Spirit of God.

Thought for today: Do not rest satisfied with any lesser experience than the baptism that the disciples received on the Day of Pentecost.

September 9

He received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. — Acts 9:18

Scripture reading: Acts 9:10–22

God chose Saul. What was he? A blasphemer. A persecutor. That is grace. Our God is gracious, and He loves to show His mercy to the vilest and worst of men.

There was a notable character in the town in which I lived who was known as the worst man in town. He was so vile, and his language was so horrible, that even wicked men could not stand it. In England, they have what is known as the public hangman who has to perform all the executions. This man held that appointment, and he told me later that he believed that when he performed the execution of men who had committed murder, the demon power that was in them would come upon him, and that, in consequence, he had been possessed by a legion of demons.

His life was so miserable that he decided to kill himself. He went down to a certain train depot and purchased a ticket. English trains are much different from American trains. In every coach there are a number of small compartments, and it is easy for anyone who wants to commit suicide to open the door of his compartment and throw himself out of the train. This man purposed to throw himself out of the train in a certain tunnel just as the train coming from the opposite direction would be about to dash past; he thought this would make a quick end to his life.

There was a young man at the depot that night who had been saved the night before. He was all on fire to get others saved, and he purposed in his heart that every day of his life, he would get someone saved. He saw this dejected hangman and began to speak to him about his soul. He brought him down to our mission, and there he came under a mighty conviction of sin. For two-and-a-half hours he was literally sweating under conviction, and you could see a vapor rising up from him. At the end of two-and-a-half hours, he was graciously saved.

I said, “Lord, tell me what to do.” The Lord said, “Don‘t leave him. Go home with him.” I went to his house. When he saw his wife, he said, “God has saved me.” The wife broke down, and she, too, was graciously saved. I tell you, there was a difference in that home. Even the cat knew the difference. Previous to this, the cat would always run away when that hangman came through the door. But the night that he was saved, the cat jumped onto his knee and went to sleep.

There were two sons in that house, and one of them said to his mother, “Mother, what is up in our house? It was never like this before. It is so peaceful. What is it?” She told him, “Father has gotten saved.” The other son was also struck by the change.

I took this man to many special services, and the power of God was on him for many days. He would give his testimony, and as he grew in grace, he desired to preach the Gospel. He became an evangelist, and hundreds and hundreds were brought to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through his ministry. God saved Saul of Tarsus at the very time he was breathing out threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, and He redeemed Berry the hangman. He will do it for hundreds more in response to our cries.

Thought for today: The grace of God is sufficient for the vilest, and He can take the most wicked men and make them monuments of His grace.

September 8

He received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. — Acts 9:18

Scripture reading: Acts 9:1–9

Ananias went down to the house on Straight Street, and he laid his hands on the one who had before been a blasphemer and a persecutor. He said to him, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17). He recognized him as a brother whose soul had already been saved and who had come into relationship with the Father and with all the family of God, but there was something necessary beyond this. Yes, the Lord had not forgotten his physical condition, and there was healing for him. But there was something beyond this. It was the filling with the Holy Spirit.

Oh, it always seems to me that the Gospel is robbed of its divine glory when we overlook this marvelous truth of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To be saved is wonderful; to be a new creature, to have passed from death to life, to have the witness of the Spirit that you are born of God—all this is unspeakably precious. But whereas we have the well of salvation bubbling up inside us, we need to go on to a place where from within us will flow “rivers of living water” (John 7:38). The Lord Jesus showed us very plainly that, if we believe in Him, from within us will flow these “rivers of living water.” And this He spoke by the Spirit. The Lord wants us to be filled with the Spirit, to have the manifestation of the presence of His Spirit, the manifestation that is indeed given “for the profit of all” (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Thought for today: The Lord wants us to be His mouthpieces and to speak as the very oracles of God.

September 7

He received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. — Acts 9:18

Scripture reading: Acts 8:14–40

When Saul went down to Damascus, he thought he would do wonderful things with that bunch of letters he had from the high priest. But I think he dropped them all on the road. If he ever wanted to pick them up, he was not able to, for he lost his sight. The men who were with him lost their speech, but they led him to Damascus.

Some people have an idea that it is only preachers who can know the will of God. However, this account of Saul shows us that the Lord had a disciple in Damascus, named Ananias, a man behind the scenes, who lived in a place where God could talk to him. His ears were open. He was one who listened in to the things from heaven. Oh, they are so much more marvelous than anything you can hear on earth! It was to this man that the Lord appeared in a vision. He told him to go down to the street called Straight and to inquire for Saul. And He told him that Saul had seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him so that he might receive his sight. Ananias protested,

Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name. (Acts 9:13–14)

But the Lord reassured Ananias that Saul was a chosen vessel, and Ananias, doubting nothing, went on his errand of mercy.

The Lord had told Ananias concerning Saul, “Behold, he is praying” (v. 11). The Lord never despises a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). Saul was given a vision that was soon to be a reality, the vision of Ananias coming to pray for him so that he would receive his sight.

Thought for today: Repentant prayer is always heard in heaven.

September 6

“Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. — Acts 9:17–18

Scripture reading: Acts 8:1–13

Saul was probably the greatest persecutor that the early church had. Saul hated the Christians: “He made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison” (Acts 8:3). In Acts 9, we read that he was breathing out threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. He was on his way to Damascus for the purpose of destroying the church there (vv. 1–2).

How did God deal with such a person? We would have dealt with him in judgment. God dealt with him in mercy. Oh, the wondrous love of God! He loved the believers at Damascus, and the way He preserved them was through the salvation of the man who intended to scatter and destroy them. He shows mercy to all. If we would just realize that we are alive today only through the grace of our God!

More and more, I see that it is through the grace of God that I am preserved every day. It is when we realize the goodness of God that we are brought to repentance. Here was Saul, with letters from the high priest, hurrying to Damascus. He was struck down, and he saw a light, a light that was brighter than the sun. As he fell speechless to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” He asked, “Who are You, Lord?” And the answer came back, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” And Saul cried, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” (Acts 9:4–6).

I do not want to bring any word of condemnation to anyone, but I know that many have felt very much the same way toward the children of God as Paul did, especially toward those who have received the Pentecostal baptism. I know that many people tell us, “You are mad,” but the truth is that the children of God are the only people who are really glad. We are glad inside and outside. Our gladness flows from the inside. God has filled us with “joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). We are so happy about what we have received that, if it were not for the desire to keep a little decorum, we might be doing strange things. This is probably how the apostle Paul felt when, referring to himself and his coworkers, he said, “we are beside ourselves” (2 Corinthians 5:13) in the Lord. This joy in the Holy Spirit is beyond anything else. And this joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Thought for today: Our God delights to be merciful, and His grace is granted daily to both sinner and saint.

September 5

And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. — Acts 22:16

Scripture reading: Galatians 3:1–14

I want to take you to the Scriptures to prove my position that tongues are the evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Businessmen know that in cases of law where there are two clear witnesses, they could win a case before any judge. On the clear evidence of two witnesses, any judge will give a verdict. What has God given us? He has given us three clear witnesses on the baptism in the Holy Spirit—more than are necessary in law courts.

The first is in Acts 2:4, on the Day of Pentecost: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Here we have the original pattern. And God gave to Peter an eternal word that couples this experience with the promise that came before it: “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (v. 16). God wants you to have this—nothing less than this. He wants you to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit according to this original Pentecostal pattern.

In Acts 10, we have another witness. Cornelius had had a vision of a holy angel and had sent for Peter. When Peter arrived and proclaimed the Gospel message, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard his words.

And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. Acts 10:45)

What convinced these prejudiced Jews that the Holy Spirit had come? “For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God” (v. 46). There was no other way for them to know. This evidence could not be contradicted. It is the biblical evidence.

If some people were to have an angel come and talk to them as Cornelius did, they would say that they knew they were baptized. Do not be fooled by anything.

We have heard two witnesses. Now let us look at Acts 19:6, which records Paul ministering to certain disciples in Ephesus: “And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

These Ephesians received the identical biblical evidence that the apostles had received at the beginning, and they prophesied in addition. Three times the Scriptures show us this evidence of the baptism in the Spirit. I do not glorify tongues. No, by God‘s grace, I glorify the Giver of tongues. And above all, I glorify Him whom the Holy Spirit has come to reveal to us, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who sends the Holy Spirit, and I glorify Him because He makes no distinction between us and those who believed at the beginning.

But what are tongues for? Look at the second verse of 1 Corinthians 14, and you will see a very blessed truth: “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” Oh, hallelujah! Have you been there, beloved? I tell you, God wants to take you there. The passage goes on to say, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself” (v. 4).

Enter into the promises of God. It is your inheritance. I pray that you may be so filled with Him that it will not be possible for you to move without a revival of some kind resulting.

Thought for today: Be sure that what you receive is according to the Word of God.

September 4

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? — Acts 19:2

Scripture reading: Isaiah 61

When I returned home from Sunderland, my wife said to me, “So you think you have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Why, I am as much baptized in the Holy Spirit as you are.” We had sat on the platform together for twenty years, but that night she said, “Tonight you will go by yourself.” I said, “All right.” My wife went back to one of the furthermost seats in the hall, and she said to herself, “I will watch him.”

I preached that night on the text the Lord had given me from Isaiah 61. I told what the Lord had done for me. I told the people that I was going to have God in my life and that I would gladly suffer a thousand deaths rather than forfeit this wonderful infilling that had come to me.

My wife was very restless, just as if she were sitting on a red-hot poker. She was moved in a new way and said, “That is not my Smith that is preaching. Lord, You have done something for him.”

As soon as I finished, the secretary of the mission got up and said, “I want what the leader of our mission has got.” He tried to sit down but missed his seat and fell on the floor. There were soon fourteen of them on the floor, my own wife included. We did not know what to do, but the Holy Spirit got hold of the situation, and the fire fell. A revival started and the crowds came. It was only the beginning of the flood tide of blessing. We had touched the reservoir of the Lord‘s life and power. Since that time, the Lord has taken me to many different lands, and I have witnessed many blessed outpourings of God‘s Holy Spirit.

Thought for today: It is when you get out of the will of God that you have a hard time.