As the end of 2019 drew near, we began to ask the Lord what He wanted to say about the coming year. The Holy Spirit said this, “Let the sweet fragrance of the True and Living God permeate your homes and your lives forevermore.” This word from the Lord turned over and over in our hearts and spirits. There were two areas the Lord specifically described to us as He explained to us what He means. The first area the Holy Spirit highlighted is fragrance and the second is time. The Lord said to us, “Let the sweet fragrance of the True and Living God permeate your homes and your lives…”
Think about a very desirable fragrance or aroma for a moment. It will most likely trigger your senses; causing you to remember a particular scent, where it came from, where it resided or where it could be found, and who is associated with the fragrance. While we were sitting before the Lord, reflecting and discussing this in our own lives; I was reminded of my childhood. When my parents wanted to freshen up the house, they would burn incense…oil-based and musky. The smoke from the incense filled the rooms of the house so the entirety of the home was consumed by, permeated, or contained the aroma into every fiber of every material. Curtains, pillows, and fabrics were saturated by the aroma. So much so, that long after the incense ceased to burn, any item taken from our home still carried the fragrance with it.
We have a friend who loves to use [essential] oils on her skin as part of her care regiment. Friends and family recognize her fragrance. We know where and when she’s been for a visit, or who has been to her house; even long after she’s left or someone has visited her home. Now we love our friend, so the fragrance is not bothersome or offensive. As we continued to reflect on what the Lord was saying to us, we remembered the Lord…How welcomed He is in our home; and how much we love His presence – so much so, we never want Him to go. The Lord showed us a home so filled with His presence that He is a permanent fixture there. Where everyone that enters immediately knows, senses, and feels His presence there.
For Christians / Believers, we should allow the fragrance of Christ to permeate through every aspect of our life and being; including our homes. This is what the Lord desires to do in each and everyone…invite Him in and let Him do this in you. The more time we spend standing in God’s presence, the fragrant aroma of Him will become part of us; filling our very being. So much so, the fragrant aroma of Christ comes from within, and others are then able to know Him and His presence everywhere we would go. Just look at what the apostle Paul declares to us in 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (CJB)…
But thanks be to God, who in the Messiah constantly leads us in a triumphal procession and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of what it means to know Him! For to God we are the aroma of the Messiah, both among those being saved and among those being lost; to the latter, we are the smell of death leading only to more death; but to the former, we are the sweet smell of life leading to more life. Who is equal to such a task? For we are not like a lot of folks who go about huckstering God’s message for a fee; on the contrary, we speak out of a sincere heart, as people sent by God, standing in God’s presence, living in union with the Messiah.
What is the fragrance of the Messiah? Living out life standing in God’s presence in perfect union with Him – just as Jesus did everywhere He was sent during His time as a Man on earth (John 8:42). By completely submitting every aspect of our lives to the Lord (Ezekiel 20:41), and following the example set before us in Jesus, we are presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice; which is our reasonable service of worship (Romans 12:1) and is an acceptable and soothing, fragrant aroma to God.
Now concerning the second area, the Lord spoke to us about, the area of Time: He [the Lord] used the word, forevermore; in discussing letting the sweet fragrance of the True and Living God permeate your home and lives. God could have said, “this year”, “this season”, “2020”, you name it (any of which we would have expected to hear). He could have used any word He wanted to signify this statement is for a particular “season” or for a specific period of time who’s ending is definite. However, the Lord chose to remove limits or boundaries; signifying instead, the eternal nature of His decree. We often look at a new year as a time to start something new or make a change for the better. It is an admirable desire to be sure, but many times the change is temporary. The Lord desires our continual pursuit of Him to maintain an uninterrupted relationship with the Most High God. The mind-set He spoke to us of was forever, not a momentary resolution.
The Lord is not limited by the confines of a new year’s beginning and an old year’s end. After all, the Jewish New Year is celebrated during a completely different time of year than what we celebrate around the world. Newness of life exists in the Messiah. He has appointed time, and the timing of things, according to His plan; which He set firmly in place since the beginning (Isaiah 46:10; Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Whether you are just beginning or entering into your relationship with Christ, or if you already live out your life and relationship with the Lord in this manner, we encourage you to respond and reciprocate His love (1 John 5:3) and press on into a deeper relationship with Him (Philippians 3:12-15; Hosea 6:2-3; Hebrews 6:1). As Scripture states in Ephesians 5:1-2 (NASB) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
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