A Mark Of God’s Presence by Marjana Luist

A few years ago, on a beautiful summer day, our family gathered by the rally track to cheer on my nephews in their race. We spent the entire day on a treeless hill, fully exposed to the sun. By evening, the effects were undeniable—our uncovered skin had turned red.

Just like the sun leaves a mark on us, so does God’s presence—though not on our skin, but within us. Being in His presence changes us, and that change is reflected in our attitudes, actions, words, and very being.

A deep tan requires more than a few fleeting moments in the sun. Likewise, true transformation into God’s likeness is not instant—it takes time. For real change to take place within us, a quick reading of a few Bible verses or a prayer listing all the things we want God to do for us is not enough. To bear the mark of God’s presence, we must spend time in His presence. A lasting tan requires regular exposure to the sun, and in the same way, the mark of God’s presence in us requires ongoing communion with Him.

Two years ago, while vacationing in a warm country, I spent several days soaking up the sun and swimming in the pool for hours, yet when I returned home, I looked just as pale as when I had left. The reason? A highly effective sunscreen.

Just as sunscreen lessens the sun’s impact on our skin, certain attitudes and spiritual barriers can diminish the Holy Spirit’s transformative work in our hearts. A person may attend church year after year, read the Bible, and pray, yet no real transformation takes place in their behavior, attitudes, or character. The reason is a protective layer that prevents the Holy Spirit from working in their heart. In spiritual life, such “strong sunscreens” can be apathy, certain fears, a false sense of satisfaction with one’s spiritual state, or anything else that blocks the Holy Spirit from reaching the heart.

One could attend three worship services and five Bible studies in a week, seemingly basking in God’s “sunshine,” but if there is a protective layer around the heart, no mark of God’s presence will be left. Faith will remain superficial and will not transform into a heartfelt belief. Not every religious experience changes us, but rather, the experience of the Holy Spirit working within us and in our lives.

Faith moves from being an intellectual belief to a deeply personal conviction when we encounter the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. This was also the case with John Wesley, who after the Holy Spirit’s light broke through, spoke of his heart being “strangely warmed.”  

When we remove the barriers around our hearts and truly seek God’s presence, we allow His Spirit to transform us. This is not a one-time event but a continual process—like stepping into the sunlight daily, allowing its warmth to leave a lasting mark. It is this “sunlight” of God in which we are transformed into His likeness and where our divine image is restored. The mark of God’s presence and the work of the Holy Spirit in us bring forth Christlike qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18, when we approach God with unveiled faces (without protective layers), we are transformed into His image (Christ-likeness) with ever-increasing glory. This is the work of the Holy Spirit—the true mark of God’s presence in us.