Captivated by His Fragrance

Walking through the fragrance department can be such a memorable shopping experience because it enhances so many of your senses. Not only is perusing the aisles filled with beautiful perfume bottles fun to look at, but it can also transport you to another dimension of experience through your sense of smell. Having the opportunity to sample the colognes, sprays, and mists invites you to perceive yourself in a fresh way. A new perfume can make you feel like a different person!

Even more special is what happens when you finally leave the fragrance department. As you move through the store shopping for clothing, accessories, or shoes, that lovely, lingering scent remains with you. You might hear the clerk or another customer say, “You smell wonderful!” Being in the presence of the fragrance department has left a tangible impression on you and others, as you carry the beautiful aroma of the time you spent there.

Can we be honest? Some days, we don’t feel so fragrant. Feelings of defeat, fear, and discouragement can creep in, causing us to feel overwhelmed and exhausted, wondering if we’re going to make it. You may feel like you want to quit; yet, you know that in Christ you are not a quitter. On top of that, you feel badly because you know that you are not supposed to feel discouraged.

So, what can we do to walk in the fragrance of Christ every day?

1. Always remember God loves you. It’s such a basic step in your walk with God, yet so fundamental to moving forward. If you can truly grasp His love and grace, it will permeate your core and forever change you! God is love and His love for you is constant no matter where you are, no matter what you have done or haven’t done. He loves you and nothing can separate you from His love. He is the most wonderful, indescribable, penetrating fragrance that you will ever experience!
2. Get honest before God. Have a “Come to Jesus Meeting.” Take the mask off and get real before God and tell Him how you feel. What is a mask? It is something a person wears. It represents a character, a person, or thing. Yet, the true identity is hidden and not revealed until the mask comes off. Sometimes in life you wear masks to hide the pain, the hurt, the fear, etc. You may keep wearing them thinking those feelings will go away and no one will see the real you. However, it’s time! Take off the masks and come to God; get real with Him. Matthew 11:28-29 states: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (NIV).
3. Prayerfully give Him your cares and anxieties. First Peter 1:7 tells us: “casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]” (AMP). No matter what you’re feeling, God can handle the truth. He is truth. He will not reject you nor abandon you because of your feelings. He cares for you. He desires to be intimate with you. Allow Him to pour the oil of His Spirit upon you. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 KJV).

There is a woman in the Bible who walked in great faith and courage, her story is told in Matthew 26:7-13. She had been forever changed by God’s love, she was honest before Him, and she experienced firsthand the great joy and freedom that would come when she cast all her cares and anxieties upon Him. Can you imagine the faith of this woman walking into Simon’s house with all the disciples (only men) present? Boldly she walked right up to Jesus, broke an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, and poured it on His head as He sat at the table. The disciples were outraged, but Jesus was pleased. In verses 12 and 13 it says: “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her”(NIV).

Can you imagine the fragrance that filled that room? The alabaster jar breaking before the Lord, her courage, and all her insecurities and fears breaking off as she sat in His presence—regardless of the cost, she came to Him and expressed her love.

Your faith in God makes you more fragrant. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 KJV).

When we come to Jesus in our brokenness, we become more fragrant. As we choose to die to our will and desires, His oil of grace yields its sweet fragrance into our lives. His grace is freely dispensed to us as we die to ourselves. We are no longer victims of our emotions, circumstances, or sins. We become the victorious! We are the earthen vessels God desires to pour His fragrance into. Second Corinthians 4:7 states: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (KJV).

Even though our vessels are all different, Christ paid in full the price for us to walk in the aroma of His fragrance of love, grace, peace, mercy, and truth. As we continue to yield ourselves to Him, He will use what we are going through to help someone else to experience His fragrance in their lives.

Walk into His presence on a daily basis. Allow His scent to cover you and He will make you the sweet-smelling savor that draws others to Him!