In the town I live in there is a company that manufactures paper. The company has been around about as long as anyone can remember...and so has the smell that it produces. During the production of paper wood is turned to pulp and that pulp is turned to paper. (I realize I just simplified a process that is probably way more complex than that...but just go with me) And during this transformation an odor is create that is quite pungent. The only thing I can relate it to on certain days is a very strong sulfur smell, at least to me that is how it comes across. And because the company has been around so long, and offered some of the best paying jobs in our town, people often refer to the odor as the smell of money. Now the interesting thing about all of this is that once you have been in our town long enough you almost don't smell it anymore. I say almost because some days are definitely worse than others. But for the most part you really do forget the odor is even there. However, you let a visitor come in from out of town and this will be the first thing they ask you about our town.."What is that awful smell?" And a lot of the time we laugh and explain it....
This morning God was speaking to me about our natural and spiritual lives. How we can tend to put up with things in our life that He does not want there. And one of the reasons this happens is because we become desensitized to whatever that thing is. We can even become very comfortable with it. Whether it be sin, something that has too high of a priority in our life, or just something that is taking up to much of our time...it can become almost impossible for us to see because we are to close to the problem. Just like the odor in our town, we don't smell it most days because we are too close to it and we're so used to it being there. This is not a good thing. Becoming desensitized (or too comfortable) with an issue in our life is exactly what the enemy would love for us to do. It's much like living with a pain for too long. Just because you have become used to the pain doesn't mean something isn't really wrong. The pain is the indicator and just because you have learned to ignore it does not mean that problem has gone away...or isn't getting worse. For this reason it is SO important to be in God's word daily, be in a time a prayer with Him, and allow Him to put people in your life that can speak openly and honestly to you about your life. People who are themselves at a great spiritual place with God. People on the outside can a lot of times see things that you can't. They aren't living with the problem, or so close to the problem that they have become blind to it. So it stands out to them.
God will also give you spiritual eyes if you ask Him, and let Him. But like I have said many times, out of His great love for you He will not force Himself upon you. However, I can tell you this from my own experience....if you claim His name, and you claim to be a follower of Christ, but you hold tight to certain sins and a destructive lifestyle, He will only tolerate that for so long. Sometimes He will allow you to get into situations that blow the doors off of your secret sin, or He may send someone along to completely call you out on it. When this happens you really have a few options. One, you could ignore it all and continue to live so close to the issues that you stay blind and desensitized by them. Two, you can become angry at God or the person who is tying to love you and help you. Or three, you can see God in the situation and fall on your face before Him and see that is out of pure love that He is trying so hard to rescue you from this destructive life you have become so used to. I realize that when this happens pride HAS TO take a back seat and you must allow humility to take it's proper place. Your flesh will hate this feeling, but this is where God heals and restores the most. Don't fight it!
God really is a God of love...more love than we can wrap our heads around. Sometimes that love is gentle, and sometimes, like a good parent, it may feel like tough love. But we must not forget that nobody else in our life has died, or sent their son to die, just to show us love and give us the choice to show love back. If God is nudging you about a "smell" in your life that He can't stand, don't just continue to live with it. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you cleanse your life of ANYTHING that is not pleasing to God. He can help you get out of situations, get out of relationships, fight off desires, see the truth and most importantly...receive forgiveness for whatever it is...IF you don't reject Him!
God, It is my prayer today that people would become aware of their surroundings. Please open their eyes, minds and hearts to Your truth. Holy Spirit bring forth awareness to anything we have become comfortable with in our life that is not pleasing to God. Then give us the courage, wisdom and strength to remove it from our life. Your word says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do ALL THINGS through Christ....help us to believe that and live that out today. In Jesus name, Amen
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