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I remember when I was baptized in water - I felt the Holy Spirit had given me peace because God had taken off the sinful load on my chest and I felt so light. So I do believe water baptism can be related to the Holy Spirit because baptism is confessing with our lips that Jesus is God's son whom he sent on the cross to die for our sins.
When a person is saved (I'm not saying that water baptism = saved) - they can ask for the Holy Spirit to be more active in their life and it dwells in every believer.
For many years I felt empty, went to a church filled with the Holy Spirit and I felt on fire for the Lord again because the church would invite the Holy Spirit in. I had felt the Holy Spirit before after I had confessed Jesus is Lord and perhaps not too long after that my faith was waning or I wasn't diving into God's word like I should. So when I went to this church and it was so filled with the Holy Spirit - I simply asked, "God, I have witnessed the things people can do through you in the Holy Spirit. I do want that in my life dear Lord!"
You know, I felt a lot different from then on. Once you have the Holy Spirit working in you and you know it - your life will change and you won't be the same. Once it's active in you, you just know. I'm not sure how to explain it other than that.
For instance, there will be times not in my life where I feel like I've been hit by a brick because something is not right or I will feel within myself that I am craving God's word! I will literally feel when my soul is starved and notice my actions and words will represent that, too, because I won't be filled with the love of the Lord. I can feel when I need God's word and if I go a day skipping God's word - it's like I can feel myself dry up inside because God's word satisfies the soul and it makes us whole!
I used to be able to watch gruesome horror stuff, whether it was a movie or a show on tv and wasn't influenced by it at all. Now, I can't tolerate horror films - I just can't. It may sound weird, but I can't. If I even see a trailer, I sometimes freak out and can't watch. I have become so sensitive because I know that spiritual warfare exists and don't find horror films as a source of positive entertainment on the soul. I feel that this is the Holy Spirit working in me.
I also feel that if I am around people that constantly swear that I'm taking a stab wound to the soul. It just hurts spiritually to hear people talking in such filthy language. Before I accepted The Holy Spirit more into my life, I could ignore the language and get past it and eventually ignore it because I had heard so much of it. Now a days, if people are cursing and swearing, it hurts me because it hurts God.
When I am praising God, reading His word, or praying - I tend to cry when The Holy Spirit touches my soul. I am not sure why I cry whenever I feel my heart being softened and my soul being filled with the spirit. I used to be ashamed to cry in front of people and when I visited a church that invited The Holy Spirit in and believed in The Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the laying of hands, and things pertaining to that - I cried like a baby. I had never experienced such light, such truth, such fullness in my soul although at first I was battling myself and telling God, "What is going on in this church? I do not understand! I have never seen this! I have never felt this way! What is this?! Forgive me for not understanding and praising as these people are praising." I grew up a church girl that never had this experience before. The feeling of having The Holy Spirit was so amazing and there was so much I did not understand about The Holy Spirit so I asked for the Holy Spirit more in my life and so that I may understand more about The Holy Spirit.
I also believe that the gifts from the Holy Spirit are incredibly active to this day. Some churches do not believe this and believe that the gifts died with the apostles, but I've seen too much to know that this is not so. God gifts us gifts through the Holy Spirit to prepare us on our walk and in order to complete the purpose that God has for our lives.
