Many seekers have been told by well-meaning people that they might get something that is
false or counterfeit when receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I have heard people say,
"You know, there is a wrong spirit as well as a right one. I want to be certain and be sure I get
the right thing."
When 1 hear people talk like that, I point out
Luke 11:11-13 to them.
LUKE 11:11-13
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he
ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: HOW MUCH
MORE SHALL YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THEM THAT ASK
HIM?
Jesus was saying in this passage of Scripture, "If your child asked you as a parent for bread,
would you give him a stone? If your child asked you for a fish, would you give him a serpent? If
your child asked you for an egg, would you offer him a scorpion?"
No, of course you wouldn't. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"
(Luke 11:13). We can be assured that God will not give His children a counterfeit when they
ask Him for the Holy Spirit.
It is a different thing entirely, of course, when a sinner is seeking the Holy Spirit because the
sinner cannot receive the Holy Spirit (John 14:17). But if a person who is a child of God is
seeking the Holy Spirit, he is not going to receive an evil spirit.
Notice that the words "serpent" and "scorpion" are used here in Luke chapter 11. Turning to
Luke 10:19, we read that Jesus said, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. . . ."
Jesus used the terms "serpents" and "scorpions" to talk about evil spirits. So He said in Luke
11 you are not going to get a "serpent" or a "scorpion" when you ask for the Holy Spirit. If you
are a child of God and you go to your Heavenly Father to receive the Holy Ghost, then that is
what you are going to get — the Holy Ghost.
When I have given these scriptures to those who have been misled by false teaching, I have
seen them immediately begin to speak with tongues. They later told me, "If I had known that, I
could have been speaking with tongues and could have known the fullness of the Spirit for
many years. But I was afraid I might get a wrong spirit." Thank God, we can be relieved of our
fears through the Word of God.