Skip to main content

Spirit IN vs UPON

A critical distinction in understanding how the Holy Spirit works: there's a difference between the Spirit IN you and the Spirit UPON you.

The Spirit IN You​

When you're born again, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell IN you:

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth... ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." — John 14:16-17

The Spirit IN you is for:

  • Your personal transformation
  • Your relationship with God
  • Your sanctification
  • Your guidance and conviction

The Spirit UPON You​

But when the Holy Spirit comes UPON you, that's when supernatural acts happen:

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come UPON you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me." — Acts 1:8

Notice Jesus didn't say the Spirit would come IN them—He was already in them when Jesus breathed on them (John 20:22). He said UPON them. That's the baptism of fire that releases miraculous power.

Biblical Pattern​

Throughout Scripture, the Spirit coming UPON someone marked supernatural demonstration:

  • Samson had the Spirit, but when the lion roared, "the Spirit of the Lord came UPON him" and he tore the lion apart (Judges 14:6)
  • David was anointed, but the Spirit came UPON him for mighty acts (1 Samuel 16:13)
  • Jesus had the Spirit from birth, but at His baptism the Spirit descended and remained UPON Him for ministry (John 1:32-33)
  • The 120 disciples had the Spirit IN them from John 20:22, but needed to wait until the Spirit came UPON them at Pentecost before they could turn the world upside down

The Cup in the Bucket​

Think of it this way:

You can have a cup filled with water (Spirit IN you). But when you take that full cup and set it in a five-gallon bucket of water, now the water is both IN the cup and all around it (Spirit UPON you).

That's when miracles happen.

Practical Implications​

For Healing Ministry​

Apostle Delmar has raised people from the dead—but only when the Spirit came UPON him. He once saw a dead man on the roadside and wanted to raise him, but without the Spirit coming UPON him, he knew he'd just look foolish.

Another time, the Spirit came UPON him so strongly he followed an ambulance, walked into a house full of paramedics, and raised a man from the dead—because the fire was UPON him, not just in him.

For Receiving Ministry​

This is why positioning yourself under anointed ministry matters. The Spirit may be IN you, but someone walking with the Spirit UPON them can release power you can't access on your own.

Your faith plus their anointing equals breakthrough.

How to Experience the Spirit UPON​

  1. Ask — "How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13)
  2. Tarry — The disciples waited in the upper room until the power came
  3. Pursue — Seek the Holy Spirit with desperation
  4. Position — Get under ministry where the Spirit is moving
  5. Yield — Complete surrender to God's will