What's That Smell?

Benson & Stone

After raising two daughters and no sons, I am constantly amazed by our two grandsons and how different it is having boys as opposed to having girls. This is Spring Break week for us, so a couple of days ago, Garry picked up both boys and took them to the park while I cleaned my office. Let me give a bit of background here: Lacie (our oldest) and her husband Brandon have one child, Benson, who is five, and Carlie (our youngest) and her husband Preston have one child, Stone, who is almost two. Both girls live near us, so we are fortunate in that we get to see the grands often.

After spending a couple of hours at the park, Garry, aka "Pa," brought both boys  home for some "Nana" time. I didn't have to rely on my ears to know when they entered the house; I only had to catch a whiff of their smell! The very distinct odor of smelly, dirty boys wafted through the living area and into my office. I looked at their dirty faces, hands, feet, and clothes then at Garry and said, "There's nothing quite like that boy smell!"

Now our girls were not afraid to get dirty. They played outside when they were little, played sports, and showed pigs and goats. None of that smells good, but neither does it smell like boys! There's just a real difference.

Did you know that as a believer and receiver of Christ, we are to have a distinct odor? I know that sounds sort of far-fetched, but it is part of our Holy Calling that I've written about before.(Click on "Holy" in the labels to read previous posts on the subject.)

As a side note, let me say that when the Holy Spirit keeps taking me back to the same scripture and concepts, I know He is trying to get something important through my thick skull. I've been pondering this "Holy Calling" idea since September, if not before! I understand that it's more for my own benefit than anyone who may read what I write...So please bear with me as He and I work this out!

• He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace... 2 Tim. 1:8-12

In previous posts I have written about what it means to have this holy calling on a believer's life. A believer in Christ is to be different from the world; we should stand out, stand apart from the leanings of what the world says is right and normal. That's not always easy or comfortable.

In Called to Be Different, Part 2, I wrote that a Christian should not look like, sound like, act like, or think like the secular world. Today I am adding that a Christian should not smell like the secular world either.

The scripture refers to a believer's body as a vessel and a temple.

• If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special vessel for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21 NLT
• Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? 1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT

How many of us try to comprehend what this means? Each individual believer is a New Testament version of the Holy of Holies!

 In Old Testament times, the children of Israel worshiped in the Tabernacle. It was a huge tent that moved with the nomadic Israelites wherever they went. In the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies - the sacred room where the Ark of the Covenant was kept and where, once a year, the High Priest would go in to atone for their sins and hear from God. It was so sacred that the High Priest would tie a rope around his ankle so that if something were to happen to him while in there, he could be pulled out - for no one else could enter that place. 

When Christ gave up His life on the cross, the curtain separating the Holy of Holies was literally torn in two. His death and resurrection gave us complete, personal access to the most Holy God! Furthermore, when we accept Him as Lord and Savior, His Holy Spirit comes to live within us. Thus, we become an individual temple of the Holy Spirit. We don't become God, but we contain God's Spirit. That's a WOW!

As His vessel, we are to let off the sweet fragrance of Jesus - metaphorically - just as they burned sweet incense in the Old Testament temple.

Remember that verse from 2 Timothy says we are called according to His purpose. Part of that purpose is explained in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15:

• But thank God!...Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God...

We are to be offered up to Him to use in this world to bring others to know Him. We do that, in part, by being different.

Just as my sweet grandsons sometimes have that distinct "boy" smell, we are to have the distinct aroma of Christ about us. When we engage in conversation, there should be something that sets us apart from the world; as we go, there should be something different in our actions. We must be mindful that we are a vessel carrying the very Spirit of the living God.

So, as you go - to your family life, to your workplace, to the marketplace - what is it that people smell? Do they smell the nastiness of the world or the sweet fragrance of Jesus?

Confronting Our Enemy...

In my current Bible study, we are discussing confronting our enemy - Satan. I thought this post, originally posted on March 23, 2011, was appropriate as a reminder of how important it is to be properly equipped to wage war against him.


Do you remember the days of playing those childhood games like “Hide ‘n Seek”? My memories of that game are not all that good. I had two problems when I was on the “hide” side of that game.  As a child who wore a leg brace, I was not very fast – so by the time whoever was “it” counted to 10, I usually had not gotten very far. “It” could also track me to my hiding place by listening to the squeaks of the ankle joint of my brace! I always felt like raccoon that was being treed. It's not a good feeling to be someone's prey!

In the spiritual realm, I am also being stalked because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

·         Be of sober spirit; be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8

In that passage, Peter is speaking to believers. So, that someone is me and you – if you are a believer in Jesus Christ! I don’t like the idea of being hunted. I don’t like the idea that someone is actively seeking to destroy me. So what are we to do?  

Paul was very specific in his instructions about fighting the devil in Ephesians 6.  We are to suit up for battle because we are at war with Satan. He is seeking to destroy each of us, to steal our joy and abundant life, to oppress us so that we do not share the news of Jesus with those we encounter. He wants us to be paralyzed, unhappy, and ineffective as a child of God.

·         Put on the full armor of God so you will stand firm against the schemes of the devil… Eph. 6:11

Most of the armor the soldier of that time wore was defensive in nature. The only offensive weapon mentioned is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Just as we saw with Jesus when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, the scripture defeats Satan. He has to flee when God’s Word is spoken. So it makes sense to me to pray that armor of God on everyday to be protected from his attacks. We should pray it on ourselves and on others we care about – especially when they are in the midst of battle and may not be strong enough to pray it on themselves.

The Word of God is powerful – even more so when prayed in the name of Jesus! When fighting your own battles or helping to equip someone else, pray on the armor:

Father, let _____________ be strong in You, and in the strength of Your might. Put on her the full armor of God that she may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Lord, hold her tight with the belt of Truth. You are the Truth; help _______ to hold fast to you and not be afraid. Dress her with the breastplate of righteousness – search her heart, protect her heart, and fill her heart with right motives and emotions. Place on her the shoes of the gospel of peace. Where ever she goes, let her go in the spirit of peace and let her be ready to share Your salvation with those she meets. Place in her hands the shield of faith that it might deflect the flaming missiles of the evil one. Through her faith, let her carry out her purpose and claim the victory that You have already won. And Father, put on _________the helmet of salvation. Remind her who she belongs to and not let her listen to the whispers of Satan. Protect her mind from falsehoods and self-defeating thoughts. Transform her mind into the mind of Christ as she goes about her daily life. Finally, Father, let her carry the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Bring to her mind the verses that she needs for comfort, courage, and battle against Satan. Let her remember Your word that she can claim as she faces the temptations of Satan. Your word says that You have given Your angels charge concerning her, to guard and protect her in all her ways. Thank You for building a hedge of protection around her. Finally, I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that You are able to guard what I have entrusted to You until that day when you return. I entrust _______________ to You.
Eph. 6:10-20; Ps. 91:11; 2 Tim. 1:12

As believers, we can choose to pray or be prey...