The Holy Spirit Emanates from Believers

When we had an ice cream business we would take our ice cream to the fairs. Serving out of the booth, we had many customers, it was enlightening the things I noticed from behind the counter.

Sometimes scantily clad women would approach the booth to buy ice cream. I was always friendly with everyone but some of them would begin to pull their cloths together to try to cover up, as though they were embarrassed. When I had not looked any particular way or said anything at all except to smile at them, they watched me sheeplishly as though being humbled.

I always attributed the reactions of some customers to the Holy Spirit. They were being confronted by the Holy Spirit in me and probably thought it was something about me. I am convinced that this happens a lot when we can't figure out why someone would not like us or would feel uncomfortable in our presence when we have not even had time to say or do anything.

When extended family act like they don't like you, but you can't figure out what they dislike, it very well could be Christ in us and not us at all.

There are times when it seems like people are fabricating reasons to dislike us but even they cannot find a real reason, so they make one up.

This is why, at times there seem to be irrational actions and attitudes that even those who hold us in disregard can't say exactly why they are not comfortable around us. I have had people "guess" what was wrong with me when there had no evidence of what they were saying.

John 16:7-9 "…7 But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me;…"

Notice in verse 8 that God says that it will be the Holy Spirit that convicts unbelievers of sin. Even when we say nothing the unbeliever senses the Holy Spirit in us and are made to feel strange, believing it is something about us they are sensing.

Since the unbeliever cannot see the Holy Spirit, they come against the one they can see, that is us.

Ian Thomas said this:
"The Holy Spirit is like a man with a lamp entering a dark and dirty room, and what you have learned to live with in the dark becomes repugnant in the light."