CONCERNED ABOUT THE SMELL

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”  John 11:40 NIV

Jesus had just told some of the folks standing around to “Take away the stone” from the tomb of Lazarus.  Now ol’ Lazarus had been dead for 4 days and his sister Martha was having some serious questions about the genius of unsealing that tomb.  It seems that she was more concerned about the smell than she was with what Jesus had just told her about Him being “the resurrection and the life”.

I am sure that nearly 100% of Christians today would have reacted in the same fashion as Martha.  Most would have been reaching for the handkerchief or tissue to cover their mouths and noses and filled with fear about what might take place when that tomb was opened rather than praising God that Jesus was about to do a miracle right before their eyes.   

What is your answer to the question posed to Martha in John 11:26, “Do you believe this?”

We must simply get honest about what we believe if we are going to “see the Glory of God”. 

Every thought or act of faith will be contaminated immediately with a thought of doubt or fear.  Thoughts or acts of faith originate in the Spirit of Christians and the contamination of doubt or fear is planted in our minds.  If Christians are going to act differently than non-believers, we must “be transformed by the renewing of our minds”.  Romans 12:2 - This is the only way “we can prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. 

Martha believed that Jesus was the Messiah with the ability to do the impossible but her mind was not renewed to deny the natural and expect the impossible.

Satan has so programmed us to doubt through the “worldly system” that it has almost become impossible for us to receive the promises of God.  You will understand how confused we are by the following example if you have ever sprayed your landscaping to kill weeds.  You mix the chemical according to directions and while spraying the weeds you wonder and doubt if the chemical is strong enough to kill the weeds and in the same thought you wonder and fear if the drift from the spray will kill your flowers! 

Satan is the author of confusion.  This is the only way he can keep Christians from receiving the Blessing of God.  Doubt and fear concerning the promises of God will not only keep the sinner from accepting the free gift of Salvation; it will prevent Christians from receiving healing, deliverance, prosperity and joy unspeakable.  Then at the same time doubt and fear will keep the hedge of faith down so low that Satan can continue “to kill, steal, and destroy”.    

Father God, Creator of the universe, the Beginning and the End, help us to understand that to receive You in Your fullness we must “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.  Help us to expect to see the weeds die and the flowers to flourish and help us to expect to see the dead raised and to not fear the smell.  Amen and so be it.  Amen and so be it.