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"Sense" sational Musings  Not Allowing Anyone to Touch Us Is a Big Mistake! Taken from Tammy’s book, Loving God With All Five Senses www.legacyministries.info www.tammymelton.blogspot.com August 2010 Edition

Some people want to be “untouchable”—and that is the biggest hindrance they have to loving God and others. Why does this happen?  One reason is because they have been hurt, and they do not want to be hurt again.  They do not want anyone to be able to touch them. They need a healing touch from the Master before they can get close to anyone.      Another reason people do not want to get close to others is that they are concerned about their reputation.  Why are we so concerned about what people think of us?  We need to be more concerned about how we represent Christ than we are about our reputations. I like what Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10 (NIV): “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please man?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”       People who are hurt and continue to worry about their reputation instead of their representation of Christ will react one of two ways.  They will either have a victim mentality or they will become hardened and angry.  Either way, they are not allowing anyone, including God, to touch them.  The person with a victim mentality will wallow in self-pity and pull away from others, while the person who has developed a hardness of heart gives out a message that no one will control him again.    In either case, the person who does not want anyone to “touch” him is focused on himself.  That is pride.  Notice that the letter “I” is the center of pride, and pride is the center of every sin. Every sin you can think of is self-centered.   What we need to remember is that it is not about us! 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” (Emphasis added)      When we remember this truth—that it is not about us—we will not wallow in misery, but instead we will allow God to take care of the situation as only He can.  The enemy’s way of getting us to dwell on ourselves is to have us dwell on the parts of the scripture passage above that say, “we are hard pressed on every side; we are perplexed;persecuted; struck down.”  The Lord’s antidote for self-pity is for us to dwell on the parts that say, “yet not crushed; but not in despair; but not forsaken; but not destroyed.”  This will help us to get our focus off our problems and on to the Problem Solver!      Another one of the enemy’s tactics to get us down is to isolate us.  When you are going through trials, you may be tempted to stay home and not go to church.  You can be a Christian and not go to church, but it is hard!  If you follow through with the temptation to stay away from church, you are forgetting that as believers in Christ, we encourage one another in the faith.  Solomon lets us know in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 hat two are better than one, because if one falls, the other one will help him up. In verse 10, he says, “…but woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.”   When you stop going to church, it is like taking a coal from the fire and seeing the flame die. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”      Usually the next step after not attending church is to isolate yourself from God as well.  That is when we lose our peace, because He is our peace! “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).      The truth is that Jesus was isolated so that we do not have to be.  Some people who have isolated themselves from others, and even from God, are just broken and need a healing touch from God.  They may have been betrayed by a friend.  They may have just experienced the loss of a loved one through death.  We need to look for these people.  Is there someone you know at your church whom you have not seen for a while?  They may need an encouraging phone call or a visit to let them know that someone cares.  Or maybe you are that broken person.  Know that Jesus went through major rejection and sorrow, and He understands what you are going through.  Though He is the healer, He oftentimes uses other people to pour His love and blessings on you.  Let Him.  One day you will have that same opportunity to reach out to someone else who is hurting.   --Tammy Melton is the author of Loving God With All Five Senses. She is also the founding president of Legacy Ministries for Christ, Inc in Fayetteville, GA.  www.legacyministries.info; www.tammymelton.blogspot.com. Check out www.thechristianpulse.com and listen to Tammy's pulsecast, "Take 10! 10 Minute Messages for People on the Go." ___________________________________________________

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Kat's Kernals Little Known Biblical Facts Did you know the people of Bible times practiced Green living? Think about the pottery. The potter formed a vessel and if misshapen or flawed, he dropped it to the floor. The broken pieces, known a potsherds, were ‘recycled’ to carry burning coals (Isa 30:14), to scoop water from a cistern, and for note taking or receipts (Jer 32:14). The pieces too small to use elsewhere were ground into grog and used as a tempering agent in a new pot. If you feel like a broken vessel or the ‘grog,’ look around you, God can use the worst of your life to temper and strengthen another of His vessels. Kat Crawford©2008 -- Kat Crawford is a freelance author and speaker from Omaha, NE. She is known as Lionhearted Kat and has wirtten a very informative book, entitled, "Capsules of Hope for Caregivers." Check out her website: www.capsulesofhope.com!

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Inspirational Quotes:   God is more interested in your future and your relationships than you are. -- Billy Graham Alleged "impossibilities" are opportunities for our capacities to be stretched. -- Charles Swindoll A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. -- Max Lucado Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything. -- Peter Marshall