Tickling the Heart

Our senses have the interesting ability to become desensitized to something if exposed often enough. This often requiring starting with a small amount of the offending matter, say an allergen or even a poison, and slowly increasing the dose until a tolerance or immunity is developed. This is the manner by which desensitization to something can be achieved in many areas.

While this is normally a good thing, there is one drawback; we can also desensitize ourselves to something we are supposed to remain sensitive to (or allergic to).

A great object lesson to a child is to tickle their foot with a light touch of the fingertips. Now take the same foot and start massaging the ticklish area, and very slowly change the massage back to the light touch (until it does not tickle that foot). Then use the same light touch on the other foot and they will see that while one foot has become un-ticklish, the other foot still is ticklish.

Now for the object lesson. Explain that their heart is just like that foot. The heart is ticklish to sin when it’s close to God, but if we keep touching it lightly with sin , over and over again, it won’t bother it anymore and can sin more and more without feeling bad. That bad feeling we started with was the “tickling” in our heart showing us this is not something that should be touching us.

We need to keep our hearts “ticklish” to sin as much as possible.

Matt. 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Phil. 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

1 Tim. 1:5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

2 Tim. 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Rom. 16:19 be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.

Prov. 4:23 Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts.

Purity is the goal for the human heart, and gradual desensitization is the road to impurity.

James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

James 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. NIV

Here are the same two verses from the Message:

James 1:14 The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust.

James 1:15 Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.

Keep your heart (and teach your children to stay) “ticklish” to sin. It is our key to a clear conscience and faith before God, hearing God and seeing Him at work in our hearts and lives.

in His service, Dave Cadieux