Some of the lessons God has taught me came through Scripture. Others came through experience.

And a few came painfully.

This was one of them.

Someone May Be Watching

Years ago, I began learning something about the presence of the Holy Spirit that I have never forgotten: What seems insignificant to us may be enormously important to the person sitting beside us.

When we walk into a church or Christian meeting, we really don’t know the spiritual condition of the people around us.

The man sitting two seats away may have followed Jesus for fifty years.

Or he may not know Him at all.

The woman behind us may appear perfectly composed while privately facing the greatest crisis of her life. Someone else may have entered that room desperate, frightened, grieving, or even wondering whether life is worth living.

And without realizing it, they may be watching us.

That becomes especially important near the end of a service.

A pastor may say, “Every head bowed and every eye closed.”

The room becomes quiet.

A prayer begins.

Perhaps the Holy Spirit has been dealing with someone’s heart throughout the entire message. Maybe that person is only moments away from responding to God.

Then a Christian nearby begins gathering his things while the Pastor is praying.

A Bible closes.

A chair moves.

Someone slips on a coat and walks toward the door, to beat the crowd.

There could be a perfectly legitimate reason for our busyness during prayer. But there may also be a spiritual consequence we never see.

But the struggling person notices.

And suddenly another thought arrives in that person’s mind:

See? They’re leaving. This is my chance. I can leave too.

A moment that seemed insignificant to one person may become an enormous distraction to another.

Learning This Lesson the Hard Way… 

I had invited one of my uncles, who was Mormon and not a follower of Jesus, to attend a meeting where I was the guest speaker. My dear friend and mentor, Demos Shakarian, founder of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International, introduced me at the podium.

Demos was old enough to be my grandfather, and perhaps because my grandfather had played such an important role in raising me, I felt unusually comfortable with Demos.

We shared many meetings together. He helped me understand things about the Holy Spirit that were relatively new to me—the Spirit’s presence, His filling, and the importance of not interfering with what God may be doing in someone’s heart.

Demos wasn’t a polished clergyman. He was a businessman who had experienced God profoundly and devoted his life and resources to serving Jesus. Demos was also the person who introduced me to Kathryn Kuhlman. In his later years, when he could no longer walk, I sometimes had the privilege of pushing his wheelchair.

I love that man.

But on this particular day, God used someone else to teach me… my Mormon uncle.

After the meeting ended, I casually asked my uncle what he thought of the event.

I expected perhaps a comment about the flowing of God’s Spirit.

Instead, he hesitated.

“Dale, something really bothered me.”

I became concerned.

“What was it?”

His answer caught me completely off guard.

He told me that while someone on the platform was praying, he had been watching me.

I had already finished speaking. I was seated near the front, mentally preparing for whatever came next. My eyes were open. I was looking around, locating my Bible and notes, thinking about where I needed to stand and what I needed to do next.

To me, it was nothing.

To him, it was enormous.

He essentially said:

“Dale, I’m not a Christian. I’m looking into this because you seem genuine to me. But while that man was praying, I watched you looking around and preparing for what you were going to do next. It seemed disrespectful to the God you say you serve.”

Ouch!

That went deep.

My first instinct could have been to explain myself…

I had already spoken.

I had responsibilities.

I was preparing for the next part of the meeting.

All of those things were true.

But none of them mattered.

Because my uncle had seen something I hadn’t seen.

He was watching me to learn something about the God I serve and my relationship with Him.

I had been thinking about the myself and my responsibilities in the meeting.

Yet, my uncle had been thinking about whether Christianity was real.

That realization changed me.

The Bible says:

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…”

—Ephesians 4:30 (NKJV)

And Paul gives this remarkably short instruction:

“Do not quench the Spirit.”

—1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NKJV)

The Holy Spirit is Sensitive

The Holy Spirit is powerful, but He is also gentle. Scripture warns us that our attitudes and actions matter in His presence.

Sometimes we think only dramatic acts of rebellion grieve God.

But what about distraction?

What about irreverence?

What about becoming so occupied with what we are doing next, that we fail to recognize what God may be doing right now?

Of course, there can be legitimate reasons people must leave a service early. Someone may need to catch a flight. A parent may need to care for a child. There may be a medical problem or some unavoidable responsibility. God knows our hearts and circumstances.

This isn’t about creating religious rules.

It’s about developing spiritual sensitivity.

Before getting up, before beginning a conversation, before gathering our belongings during prayer, perhaps we should ask ourselves:

Could my actions distract someone from what God is doing in this moment?

Because we simply don’t know.

The person beside us may be closer to finding Jesus than we realize.

My uncle taught me that.

But by God’s grace, there is a beautiful ending to his story.

Years later, with wonderful help from his wife—my aunt—I had the privilege of helping that same uncle surrender his heart and become a follower of Jesus Christ.

Today, he is with the Lord.

The man who once watched me during prayer, who offered input that changed me forever, eventually came to know Jesus.

I’ve never forgotten what he taught me.

That our reverence matters.

Our example matters.

The little things matter.

It’s Not Over Until It’s Over

The Holy Spirit may be working in a heart three feet away from us, and we may never know it.

So when God could be moving, don’t be in a hurry.

When there is corporate prayer to the God of the universe, we should behave as if that matters.

Don’t assume the meeting is over simply because the sermon is over.

Be sensitive.

Be prayerful.

Be respectful.

Someone may be watching.

More importantly, Someone may be working in the heart of the person who is watching you.

Jesus is coming again. And He’s coming again soon!

Would You Help Bring Our Next Book to Life?

God has placed an important new book on my heart—The Holy Spirit, a message about knowing His presence, hearing His voice, and walking in His power.

Paula and I are inviting a special group of Founding Partners to help bring this next book in our Messages From Heaven series to life. Your sponsorship will help cover the writing, editing, design, and publishing costs, with the special opportunity to have your name permanently recognized inside the finished book (or you can sponsor without your name in the book, if you prefer to remain anonymous).

Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us to bring this life-changing message to others?

Visit the PROJECTS page at DaleBlack.org to learn more about becoming a Founding Partner and help us share this important message with the world. Your prayers for this new book are very much appreciated. Our Projects page is currently under construction but should be available by this weekend. Please revisit that page soon to learn more. 

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