If one enters the Presence of God there is an immediate understanding of the sin still residing within us. It is not a general ‘knowing’ but specific on an area of our lives the Holy Spirit usually has pointed out to us previously. The Holy Spirit convicts us of those acts or words specifically, and we have a choice to ignore Him or surrender to Him… in repentance. It doesn’t matter what level of saint you are — His Presence will always make you aware of where you have fallen short and show us the core issues within us that need correction. If we surrender to the Spirit, He will lead us in repentance to a place of cleansing.
An example would be the major prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6:4-7.
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
This phenomenon of the Presence and one’s understanding and conviction of one’s specific area of sin is always a sign that you are in His TRUE Presence. In His Presence sin is revealed. The two together …sin cannot remain. You either leave His Presence or surrender to Him, at which point of your repentance He provides your cleansing of that specific sin. Jesus’ blood is applied and the debt account (Romans 6:23) of your sin is forgiven. (1 John 1:9)
We don’t need to be in His Presence to repent of sin, in fact the Holy Spirit is constantly reminding us of what He wants us to repent of. A humble attitude, daily, and moment by moment repentance is a sure sign of a vital intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. Keeping short accounts with Him maintains that intimate relationship. If you ignore His promptings and conviction you are in jeopardy of being able to hear Him later on and your close connection to God will dwindle. At which point most people slip into the religious lifestyle to maintain the facade of righteousness.
The awesome blasting light of His Presence will always expose every shadow of sin within us.
Seeking His Presence is one of the bravest things a human can do. Are you willing to run to Him?