Hi, I’m Lindy-Ann Hopley, founder of Beautiful Witness Ministries, and welcome to God Today. I’m so excited to share a testimony of when the Holy Spirit appeared on my bed. Now let me just reverse a little bit on that story. At this point, I was a worship leader. I was praying in tongues. I was serving in every capacity in the church imaginable. I was like, pick me, pick me, pick me! But I had never really seen any kind of miracles, especially when it came to healing. And I remember someone giving me a book, a pastor from Zimbabwe, Africa and he said, “Oh sister Lindy, you have to read this book.” It was called Good Morning Holy Spirit. I didn’t know the author and had never heard of the book. I realized at that point, I never really knew the Holy Spirit either.
I was sitting on my bed and my feet were out and I’m against the headboard. I had the book in my hand and I’m reading it. And he talked about all these incredible miracles. At that moment, I was like, am I even a Christian? He’s talking about people jumping out of wheelchairs, crazy miraculous sightings. I just realized that there’s so much more. Hunger started welling up inside of me, I was crying, and I said, “God, I must have more. I must have more, I want this. I want this kind of relationship with Your Holy Spirit.” I realized there was more and I wanted it.
I didn’t even know how it worked, but at that moment, as I cried out to God, I said, “God, I must have more. I want this kind of relationship with Your Holy Spirit.” Suddenly right in front of me in my bed, an invisible man appeared. You could only see the outside lucidness of His body, almost like the invisible woman in the Fantastic Four. And I knew it was the person of the Holy Spirit. I was undone realizing that the King of the universe would take the time to come and speak to me. And on His lap, He had my big Bible open and He said, “Lindy-Ann, read Luke 11:11.”
I opened my eyes and I took the Bible and I picked it up. I didn’t know what the Scripture was. I went there and it said, “If your father who is evil knows how to give a good gift, how much more your Heavenly Father will give you the Holy Spirit when you ask Him for it.” I said, “God, I ask You for Your Holy Spirit.”
To make a long story short, the next week, the author of the book was in my city, Cape Town, South Africa, where I’m from. I went there all by myself and as he was speaking he said, “Everybody, stop what you’re doing.” The Holy Spirit came towards the back of the room. I’d never seen anything like that. I also thought that people were paying actresses to pretend like they were sick so they can make money out of those who are watching. I was such a skeptic Christian, right? If you’d asked me, do I believe in miracles? I’d say yes, of course, hallelujah, praise the Lord. But in actual fact, I never did. At that moment, that’s what I realized.
As the speaker said, “Start praying in tongues. The Holy Spirit is here,” I saw what looked like an invisible hand starting to go over the audience and people falling over – no one even touching them. As the Spirit of God as in the book of Acts came towards the back, there was a lady in a wheelchair with small little wheelchair legs. I knew she was no fake. And as it touched her wheelchair, she got out of that wheelchair and started to walk. I burst into tears and I just prayed out loud to the Lord. I said, “God, forgive me of my unbelief.”
At that moment, the power of God, the baptism, which means immersion of the Holy Spirit, came upon my body. And I was driving home as if I was in a cloud mobile. I’ll never forget it. Now up to this point, I had never prayed for a sick person that I’ve actually seen healed or anything. And that night as I drove home I got to a gas station and the Spirit of God said, “Pull in here.” I went inside and there was a man with a completely crippled hand. It was closed and the power of God, the Holy Spirit of God, which He speaks about in Acts, came on me. He says, “When the power of God comes on you and when you receive that Holy Spirit, you will receive power. You will receive boldness.”
That’s what happened to me. And I literally went up to him. I asked him if he knew Jesus Christ, led him to Jesus, and I prayed a prayer I’d never prayed before. I said, “Be healed in Jesus’ name.” And that crippled hand just opened. He said, “Madam, madam, madam it’s working.” He was instantly healed. I think I was more shocked than he was, but that’s what it says in Scripture – we will receive power and boldness when the Holy Spirit comes on us.
I want to pray for you right now. Maybe you’re already a believer. Maybe you do not know Jesus, but right now, I want to pray for the Holy Spirit to touch you in a tangible way – for that power and boldness, which He promises in the book of Acts.
Put out your hands to receive. Father in the name of Jesus, I release a baptism of Your glory, of Your Holy Spirit and fire. Lord, ignite the saints with power and with boldness to be Your witnesses on the earth. May they have a face-to-face encounter with the living God, the person of the Holy Spirit. May they be immersed in body, soul, and spirit. Never the same again in Jesus’ name. God bless you.