When we preach, our desire is for God’s Word to truly mark the lives of those listening. We want them to learn, certainly, but more than that, we want them to be changed. We want them to apply the Scripture in their lives that they will not be hearers only, but doers also. We want them to be moved not only in their daily lives, but first and foremost in their hearts and faith. We don’t want them to get half a touch from God’s Word. We want significant life altering and inner change to occur that will flow out in real and tangible ways.
If we don’t want only half a touch for them, we must not allow ourselves to settle for only half a touch ourselves.
We must not fall into the trap of merely looking at the text and building a message for our listeners, without engaging ourselves fully in the process. Our preparation must be more than a mental planning exercise. Our time in the Word must be saturated in prayer so that our hearts are changed, our faith is grown, our sin is convicted, our actions shifted, our knowledge increased and so on. If you don’t want only half a touch for them, don’t settle for half a touch for you.
Excellent reminder. Thank you.