Something Smells

 

When I was a little kid, growing up in bush Alaska, we learned to be very careful around bears. Bears in Alaska are great big creatures that can lop off your head with one swoop of their massive claws. You don’t mess around bears, period. They aren’t cute and cuddly. They aren’t going to stop by for a chat, if you happen upon them in the Alaskan wilderness. Bears are deadly and you need to be aware of them, before trumping off into the Alaskan wilds.

My grandma took us berry picking, often, in the fall. She usually carried a gun, when we went. My grandma also taught us some things about bears. Most of the time, bears didn’t want to meet you, as much as you didn’t want to meet them. But there were some precautions, just in case. You needed to know the signs of bears. One of the biggest signs of a bear is that they stink really, really bad. I’m talking rotten, smelling. For some reason, bears like to roll around in dead fish and fish guts. I haven’t investigated why this is true, but take it from an Alaskan-bears smell really, really bad. You don’t need to know why, just know that they do. That’s your telltale sign that “something rotten” is afoot, because, well, something rotten is afoot. So, it could be a bad idea if you go hiking in Alaska with a bad cold. Your sniffer could be the thing that saves your life.

I remember telling this to my overly sensitive five year old daughter. We went hiking one day, on a visit to Alaska, and she stopped every five minutes, swearing she could smell something rotten. She was over reacting and I kind of regretted telling her that.

The Christian life also has a telltale sign that the enemy is afoot. Like a bad smelling bear, there are signs that the enemy is near. And just like there are lots and lots of bears in Alaska, the enemy has lots and lots of demons working for the enemy, wreaking havoc in the Christian’s life.

Like the bad smell bears emit, the enemy has its signs. Know them, and you could save yourself grief. God is not the author of chaos. He says that in His Word. So if God is not the author of chaos, where does chaos come from? Take a wild guess. If God is not the author of chaos, then the enemy must be. And therein, lies your telltale sign, chaos. When you are a true believer, and things seem to go haywire in your life, know the enemy is near, causing the chaos. The enemy can cause disruptions in your relationships: husband and wife, child and parent, or sibling and sibling. The enemy causes disruptions in your relationship with God. You may have allowed some sin in your life or you aren’t spending time with God like you need to.

Strife and chaos don’t come from the Lord. The enemy breaks down our barriers and we let more and more sin in our lives. If you find yourself, doing things you shouldn’t. If you find there is discord in important relationships, something rotten is afoot. And like the bad smell from bears, once you smell it, get out as fast as you can. The same is true of the enemy. When you see the chaos or sin around you, flee whatever it is you’re doing, that isn’t right. Either you’ve let someone in your life that isn’t good, or you’re doing something that isn’t good. But know the signs, because the signs are there.