March 22, 2024 – A Tempting Scent

A Tempting Scent
March 22, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 7:15-17
Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

        “Can you smell it?” The scent of a hot apple pie fresh from the oven. The aroma of a spring day just after a rain. Clothes that have just come in off the line with the crisp scent of a gentle breeze. So many things can bring about a wonderful sense of joy through a simple aroma.

      We are often influenced by the sense of smell. Perfume manufacturers understand this and spend thousands of dollars testing and blending different oils and spices to create a fragrance that will appeal to the masses. Not only does scent attract us, but it can also serve as a warning of danger in the vicinity. Natural gas companies add a strong odor to the gas they pump into homes to alert people to a potential leak in the line. Skunks emit a foul smell when they feel threatened and in danger. The odor of a skunk is often so pungent that it can make you sick when you encounter it.

      Smells, even unpleasant ones, can sometimes tempt us. I used to be a three-pack-a-day cigarette smoker. At the time of writing this, I have not smoked for well over 30 years. Most of the time, the smell of tobacco on someone’s clothes is unpleasant to me. However, occasionally, the scent of cigarette smoke can trigger memories. Why? Because it brings back thoughts of something I enjoyed for many years. I thank God I’ve never given in to the temptation. The freedom from that addiction that I enjoy today far outweighs any momentary pleasure a cigarette could ever bring me. Yet, the temptations are there, nonetheless.

      So how does Satan tempt us? The answer is simple: he will tempt us in any way he can!

     

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     1 Peter 5:8 says: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” I have found one of the best ways to guard against temptation is to keep my focus on Jesus. 

What will you focus on today?

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: MARCH 22, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    Joshua 21 – 24
    Proverbs 7:15 – 17

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   Deuteronomy 12-14
   Luke 1:57-80