Spiritual Senses #3 – Sense of Smell Reveals Hidden Activities

A Spiritual Kingdom

A pair of cardinals 2013

Warning: You might not like this blog. However, I’ve learned ALL things work for good if we love God and are called according to his purpose. So here goes:

1) A handful of us Christians were invited to meet with a church family in their home for prayer. They believed they were being spiritually attacked. On my way that evening, I kept smelling alcohol and vomit in my car. Of course, I put on the AC, but the smells still hung in the air. So, I rolled down the car windows to let some fresh air in and get rid of the odor. Nothing seemed to help.

I began to pray in the Spirit. Some of you guessed correctly that the adult members of the household drank alcohol to excess, hence the smell of alcohol and vomit. They kept their consumption “hidden” from the church because they were in leadership positions. After we revealed their hidden activity, they came clean, cried and repented. Then we cleaned their house for them, spiritually speaking.

Drinking alcohol in moderation is not a sin—until as in all things—it is taken to excess; and where excess is, so are the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19, 21);and fleshly works invite all types of spirits to play havoc with Christians.

2) I had a window seat in a crowded bus. The lady next to me got off at her stop. Immediately, a man in his late thirties sat down. It was after work, so I expected everybody on the bus to have body odor. However, spirit-odors are stronger. I began to smell the odor of a wet moldy rag coming from this guy. Finally, I excused myself. After I stepped into the aisle, I asked if he was a Christian. Then I suggested he stop what he was doing because the smell gave him away. I got off the bus.

I can say with certainty he was a Christian engaging in an activity that will prevent him from inheriting the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19, 21). Even though the world has a different set of values, Christians should know better. Thus, a Christian’s hidden activity should be made known to them (Acts 5:1-11).

“Instead of fragrance, there will be a stench;” (Isaiah 3:24).

Next time: Sight: Watching Movies on a Personal Screen

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Scriptures marked “NIV” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Spiritual Senses #2 – Connecting the Spiritual Sense of Smell

A Spiritual Kingdom

My spiritual sense of smell was now opened and I had a lot of questions: How does it behave? What does God want me to do with it, etc?

First, spiritual smells behave exactly like physical ones do. That’s because the Spirit works with what we know (John 3:11 NIV). The smells are familiar to us—like popcorn, gasoline, French fries, rotten eggs, trash, urine, etc. So, if we smelled grilled hamburgers just as we passed by a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant, what are the chances the aroma originated from there? If odors don’t originate from their natural context, then we know they have a spiritual origin!

Next, make a connection; the answer is already in us: 

Saturday. I was house-cleaning using detergents when I began to smell curry. Who would be cooking curry so early in the morning? I went outside and sniffed the air. Maybe it was coming from next door. I sniffed again. Nothing. I returned to the house and the smell of curry became even stronger. A quick prayer. A thoughtful pause. Hmm. Mom’s the only one I know who cooks curry. I wonder if—? I called mom. She sighed with relief, “Oh daughter! You’ve been on my mind. I think I have to tell you something”. At her place, mom confided that she felt she had only a couple of years left to live and she wanted to make her last wishes known to me. I wrote them down that day. Two years later she passed.

God cares for people and sends help in different ways (Dan. 2:1, 19; Zech. 1:7-9; Acts 10:9-15; 28); but most of the time, we miss it because we don’t know how to read spirit.

Next time: Sense of Smell Reveals Hidden Activities

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Scriptures marked “NIV” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Spiritual Senses #1 – Perfumed Smell

A Spiritual Kingdom

Courtesy: Dean Williams 2012

We were a young church back then. It was Friday, the day we held our first workshop on the Nine Gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:7-10).

That night, I lay down to sleep, but I was too happy! I tossed and turned, going over the day’s activities, and thanking God for being with us and blessing our presentation. How long I thanked him I do not know.

Then, a scent of perfume met my nostrils. Curious, I got up to check on the source. Everyone was sleeping, so I lay back down again. The scent seemed stronger now. I breathed in the sweet perfume because it smelled so wonderful! However, the perfume seemed to be getting more concentrated. I sat up, thinking a change of air around me might help; but the aroma clung to my nostrils. It was like eating too much sweet cake! The strong perfume began to make me cough. I ran outside, hoping the wind would blow the perfume away; hoping to catch my breath of regular air. After a while, the perfume dissipated, although I coughed a little here and there. Eventually, I headed back to bed. I still had a workshop to finish the next day.

Surprise! I woke up, to find perfume still clinging to my nostrils. Was it just my imagination? After the workshop, all the attendees gathered at the front of the church for prayer. I coughed a few times and worried because it seemed to me that the perfume was coming out of me and spreading into the air around us. At that moment, one of the teenage boys in the group remarked that he smelled perfume. Was anybody wearing any? The answer was ‘no’. Some innate wisdom in me warned that I should keep my mouth shut. Frightened Christians often attribute spiritual occurrences as from the devil—and I wasn’t going to be a fool for anybody’s fear that day.

The Scripture is: “All the while my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27:3).

Thirty-three years later, it’s been tough-going, growing up and learning about spirit. Today, I’m at a Garden Party; and while I don’t please everyone, I do try to please the Lord.

Next blog-Connecting the Spiritual Sense of Smell

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Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Spiritual Senses #0 – Let’s Learn to Interpret the Signs

A Spiritual Kingdom

The Bay, Island of Oahu 2012

From the moment we are born again, our spiritual eyes are opened. Now, we can “see” (ĕidō, perceive, be aware, to know by observation) the kingdom of God (John 3:3 NIV). Yet, since this kingdom is a spiritual one, what we see (ĕidō, perceive, or know by observation) is both exciting and worrisome because:

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world… (John 18:36);

Not of this world! Exciting because his kingdom is spirit; worrisome because his kingdom is spirit. After all, what can a fleshly person immediately know of “spirit” (pnĕuma, a current of air, wind; *also breath; then especially the spirit, which, like the wind is invisible, immaterial, and powerful).

Our minds lack spiritual understanding about the things we’re beginning to see (ĕidō, perceive, or know by observation). So how are we supposed to interpret the signs that manifest in our daily lives?

After we buy a car, an Xbox, or move to a place whose culture is foreign to us, don’t we take the time to 1) get acquainted with it, 2) learn the manual, and 3) adjust to its matrix, culture, or guidelines until we gain a working knowledge of what’s before us?

If born again Christians can figure out the ways of a spiritual kingdom, we’ll feel more confident to interpret the signs that are sent to help us. Since we are fleshly-beings who are accustomed to using our five senses—smell, see, hear, touch, and taste—then that’s a good place to start.

Next blog-The Sense of Smell.

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Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked “NIV” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. *Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1981.

Spirit #17 – A Clean Heart and a Right Spirit

Workings of the Holy Spirit

courtesy: Dean Williams 2012

If we listen to the word but don’t do it, we are like people who look at ourselves in a mirror, leave, and then forget what we looked like (James 1:23, 24 NIV). Is the mirror our heart?

1. King Saul received a word from the Lord, but did not do it (1 Sam. 15:3, 9). Then he lied about it (1 Sam. 15:13); got caught (1 Sam. 15:14); and blamed the people for his disobedience (1 Sam. 15:15). His actions mirrored the contents of his heart—so God was not pleased. Saul lost his crown, his kingdom, and the Lord’s Spirit; and an evil spirit from the Lord was sent to trouble him (1 Sam. 15:26, 28; 16:14-16).

2. God chose Eli to be his priest, to offer sacrifices, burn incense, and wear an ephod before the Lord (1 Sam. 2:28). However, Eli honored his sons above the Lord (1 Sam. 2:29)—even while his sons sinned against God, and caused Israel to sin also (1 Sam. 2:17, 22-25, 29). Eli had a faithless heart; so God declared that not one of his family members or his descendants would ever reach old age; and in one day, Eli’s two sons died (1 Sam. 2:30-34).

How does this apply to Christians? Every Sunday we love to listen to God’s word, yet on Monday we don’t apply it. We have dirty mirrors. And if we think the above examples of a king and a priest don’t apply to us, remember that kings wield power (1 Cor. 4:20; 2 Cor. 4:7; Eph. 3:20; 2 Tim. 1:7) and priests offer sacrifices (Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:15).

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps. 51:10).

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Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved.