Spreading The Aroma Of Christ Everywhere We Go

 

When We Do Not Feel Like Ourselves

Today we are going to read from the devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries and I decided to print it out. Now, if you don't have a printer, you don't have to go out and print it. All you need is your Bible, a piece of paper, pen or pencil, whatever you've got on hand. If you have highlighters, crayon, colored pencils, you're more than welcome to use them, but it is not necessary. We're not going to read the entire devotional because I would like for you to go ahead and go to Proverbs 31 Ministries  website and read the devotional on your own. However, I'm going to share the verses that are in this devotional and the highlighted areas that stood out to me. I know I've been sharing quite a lot about reading the word of God and asking the Lord to reveal to me by making the letters or the words stand out from its context and speak to my heart about it. It can be very eye opening the things the Lord wants us to pay attention to. 

First, I highlighted Exodus 34 verse 29 in the NIV Bible. I do have The Life Application Study Bible and we're going to read it in the name of Jesus, Amen. 

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

While I was reading the devotional, one of the words that stood out to me was sour mood. We have, I'm sure, experienced a sour mood before. Whether we are surrounded by people, I mean people's energy can actually change our mood, circumstances can change our mood, right? If we allow that mood to extend, we become sour people. 

As I was reading along, another verse that stood out in here, is in 2 Corinthians chapter 2, where it says,

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.”

Isn't that beautiful? 

That is the most beautiful verse I've read!! Sometimes, when we read the Bible, and we read the same verses over and over, we don't catch the beautiful words that describe the presence of God, unless we read it over and over. We get to experience a new way to perceive the verse. That's how I feel right now!I tt continues on to say on verse 15, 

“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15).

We are to Our Father in Heaven the “pleasing aroma” to others. 

Have you ever thought of this before?

Having a sour mood is not going to help us showcase that “pleasing aroma of God.” That bad mood is not going to show the testimony that we are God's children. Now circumstances can make us sour if we do not tackle those thoughts. That uncomfortable feeling of the circumstances that made us sour, waking up in the morning with a sour attitude, is also not going to help us “spread the aroma of Christ” to others. Dealing with this through the word of God, can actually change that bad mood, and experience the presence of God. It will change our attitude right away as long as we let the Lord work for us.  It can change the way we perceive things. And, it can change our mind.  The battlefield is in the mind. We can spread that beautiful aroma that the Lord is speaking His Word.

Isn't that beautiful? 

“We are to God the pleasing aroma.” Wow! I could think of that over. 

I feel led to stop here and just focus on this. These are the most beautiful verses (14 and 15). I could soak up on that all day long. Let’s be thankful and grateful. 

These verses are where Paul defends his ministry. This is very interesting because when we are trying to build the ministry that the Lord places in our hands, every single level we step into, there are going to be new trials and tribulations than before. It's up to us if we are going to let the enemy win trials and tribulations, but I'm glad that Paul began this section by thanking God. 

It is a good reminder to thank God today for “His mercies are brand new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV). God uses us even in the midst of horrible circumstances.The Lord shows Himself in our weakness and what a beautiful thing to know that for we are to God “the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who being saved and those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15). That means that we can carry God's presence everywhere we go, to anyone out there whether they are saved or they're perishing.

We think that people who are saved, sometimes,  know the Bible entirely and we have a misconception that they don't go through hardships, but we all do! God can use us to spread a word of kindness, a word of encouragement to the body of Christ. We also can spread kindness and love, being loving kindness, and spread empowering words through the Word of God, to those who don't know Christ. 

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

We have choices to make between dealing with our bad mood or bad attitudes right away. The moment we feel that our moods are transforming us, we should fight that battle with prayer. 

How beautiful this is!

Keep this in mind: Whether you are beginning your ministry, you have been a seasoned minister, let's thank God for this journey. 

I'll see you next blog post with another devotional time. Don't forget to subscribe to this blog and my YouTube channel and grow this community of queens that want to see themselves as God sees them.