Touched But Not Changed

Has this question ever crossed your mind..

How can so many people come to a worship service and be touched by the presence of God, and nothing changes in their lives?

How can people receive a prophetic word were God speaks to them clearly, but nothing changes in their lives afterwards?

They simply go back and live the same life that they did before.

They were simply...

 “TOUCHED BUT NOT CHANGED”

This is a question that has tormented so many and kept believers awake at night, but the answer is simple and dominated by 2 factors:

1. Unforgiveness
2. A Hardened heart

In today’s article I will be covering how these two factors can influence our lives and keep the presence of God away from us without us even noticing it.

¹I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 

² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)

A lot of people are touched but not changed, because they are not renewing their mind.

The word sacrifice in above scripture was translated from the Greek word “Thusia” which means to give up something or to let something go. It describes an immense amount of power that is released when there is an alignment with the perfect will of God in our lives. 

This specific anointing called “The Thusia Anointing” is the ingredient  that is necessary to set the transformation by the renewing of our minds in motion.

Many times in scripture the Pharisees and Sadducees were touched and they would even marvel at the works of Jesus or His disciples but never changed.

They were touched but not changed because of the hardness of their hearts. They will be eye witnesses to great miracles and experience the touch of the anointing as it happens but will reason in their hearts.  Jesus said that it is not what goes into a stomach which defiles a person, but which comes out of the heart that defiles a person.

What will unforgiveness do?

1. Unforgiveness contaminates and perverts the flow of the anointing in your life.

If someone ministers to you and there is bitterness due to unforgiveness in your heart it will contaminate you and those around you.

¹⁵ Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.

Hebrews 12:15 (KJV)

A very good example is gossip and slander.  The moment we start to gossip or slander people we will begin to defile and poison not just ourselves but the people around us.

2. A person with unforgiveness will not be able to retain anything that have been imparted to them.

You can have people come to church, Sunday after Sunday and lay hands on them service after service, releasing every blessing of God, imparting every gift, release power and the presence of God but as soon as they leave, it all leaks out because of the condition of their hearts.

Unforgiveness perforates the heart, soul and spirit. Whatever is being spiritually released over our lives will just flow out of us. We will not be able to retain the anointing we have received or give it to others.

The bible says, above all else guard your heart, for out of it flows forth the issues of life.

In other words, we must be the bishop of our own hearts – we alone will give an account of our heart, not someone else. Our heart is our own responsibility. 

 “THE STATE OF YOUR LIFE IS THE CONDITION OF YOUR HEART”

What is the heart?

The heart is our inner man. It is our spirit!

From our heart flows everything; our attitude, intentions and our intimate parts.

The Bible states in Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his hearts so he is.

In the original Hebrew language the above verse will read as follows  - How a man is in his heart, that is how he thinks. The heart is the very core of everything in life.  It can determine life and death. The Bible states that life and death lies in the tongue but the tongue gives the secrets of the heart away.

Therefore we desperately need circumcision of our hearts.

What is circumcision of the heart?

¹⁶ Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.

Deuteronomy 10:16 (NKJV)

Until we allow God to come and do circumcision on our hearts there will be no change in our life – we need God to come in and do circumcision on our hearts so that we can be cleansed from our flesh.

Circumcision of the heart means the removal of the flesh. In other words we must cut off that which has hardened our hearts, may it be bitterness, hurt, unforgiveness or envy whatever it may be, our hearts needs to be circumcised.

A hardened heart does not allow us to perceive things in certain areas of our lives. The flesh will not allow us to hear what God is saying or allow us to feel His Presence!

 What hardens the heart?

1. Sin

Every time we sin without repenting something in our heart dies. The sin we don’t repent of is the sin that will harden our hearts!

2. Offenses

Offenses is not in the mind, but in the heart. It is necessary for offenses to come, but we must learn to deal with it! If we don’t deal with it immediately it will cause our hearts to be hardened.  

3. Wounds

Wounds from past, from family - will harden our hearts.

4. Rebellion

When we are in a state of rebellion we willingly choose not to obey God!

There are a few things that a hardened heart cannot do:

• A hardened heart cannot See
• A hardened heart cannot Perceive
• A hardened heart cannot Feel
• A hardened heart cannot Discern

A hardened heart would look like the following:

• A hardened heart is a sign of spiritual death.
• A hardened heart is unable to feel the presence of God.
• A hardened heart will often justify itself.

What does a circumcised heart do?

• It makes you sensitive to God's presence.
• It enables you to receive from God.
• A greater anointing comes upon your life.
• The spiritual realm becomes more real.

When we begin to let go of bitterness, unforgiveness or any other thing that may have caused a hardened heart, we will immediately feel how the presence of God will come back into our lives and we will begin to experience God’s blessing all over again.

You need to decide today to let your hardened heart become a heart of flesh!