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Supernatural Encounters
Smelling the Fragrance of God
By: Jennifer LeClaire
As I pen a prophetic devotional that
will be released early next year, I’ve been spending hours upon hours in
worship and prayer.
The Holy Spirit has been speaking
life-changing words to me that I believe will also be life-changing for those
who read them in the years to come.
The Holy Spirit’s words bring life,
renew our minds to His way of thinking, and reveal His loving heart to us.
Deep worship, abandonment and surrender
— a willingness to yield to His every movement as you listen for the sound of
His heart — ushers you into the Holy Spirit’s presence in a magnificent way.
Sometimes you can even smell His
fragrance.
I’ve experienced the fragrance of God a
few times, but never as strongly as this morning.
I want to share with you what Scripture
says about these supernatural experiences.
His Name Is Like a Perfume
In Song of Solomon,
the Shulamite woman declares that God’s love is better than wine: “Because
of the fragrance of your good ointments, Your name is ointment poured forth”
(Song 1:3-4).
Where the name of Jesus is exalted in
adoration, the stage is set for you to enter into a secret place in which you
smell that anointed ointment that’s poured forth in your midst.
The Fragrance of His Knowledge
Paul the apostle understood the sweet
smell of victory — literally.
When we follow the
Holy Spirit no matter where He leads us, He will give us fresh power to be His
witness and through us diffuse “the fragrance of His knowledge in every
place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being
saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
We may offer a repulsive smell to those
who refuse Christ, but those who are seeking Him will smell His life upon our
garments.
The Fragrance of His Love
When we walk in love, we give off His
scent. God is love, and when we abide in Him, we will smell like Him.
Inspired by the Holy
Spirit, Paul wrote, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And
walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Ephesians 5:1-2).
The Fragrance of the Anointing
I’ve been reading about the Levitical priesthood
this year.
Most of it reminds me how grateful I am
that Jesus went to the cross and we have relationship rather than rules that
allow us to find forgiveness of sin, approach His throne and fellowship with
Him freely.
But I appreciated the passages about
the anointing oil, which was fragrant — and unique.
Exodus 30:23-25
instructs, “Also take for yourself quality spices — five hundred shekels of
liquid myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty
shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane, five hundred
shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive
oil. And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded
according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil.”
The blend of herbs was used for the
anointing oil and only the anointing oil. This was a type of the anointing of
the Holy Spirit.
A.W. Tozer, a 20th-century pastor,
preacher, author, magazine editor and spiritual mentor to many, put it this
way:
“The fragrance of the
anointing oil was unique. If someone went near an Old Testament priest, he
could say immediately, ‘I smell an anointed man. I smell the holy oil!’ The
aroma, the pungency, the fragrance were there. Such an anointing could not be
kept a secret.”
The Anointing Abides
Of course, if you are
born again, the anointing abides: “But the anointing which you have received
from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the
same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a
lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him” (1 John 2:27).
This is true, and yet there is another
experience of the anointing — that fragrance of God, the sweet-smelling aroma
of His presence.
One way to get to that place is through
deep worship, opening your heart up completely to Him, asking for nothing and
ready to receive anything He might offer, and pursuing His heart with all of
your heart.
In the end, there’s no formula for
entering into a place where the fragrance of God manifests.
And that should not be our goal in
intimacy, but oh, how sweet it is when He chooses to allow us to smell the
fragrance of His knowledge, the fragrance of His love, the fragrance of His
anointing!
And if we’ll embrace that moment and
allow that anointing to rest upon us, we’ll come out with a fragrance that will
attract others to His heart. Amen.
Jennifer LeClaire is an internationally recognized author,
apostolic-prophetic voice to her generation, and conference speaker. She
carries a reforming voice that inspires and challenges believers to pursue
intimacy with God, cultivate their spiritual gifts and walk in the fullness of
what God has called them to do. Jennifer is contending for awakening in the
nations through intercession and spiritual warfare, strong apostolic preaching
and practical prophetic teaching that equips the saints for the work of the
ministry.
Jennifer is senior leader
of Awakening House of Prayer in
Fort Lauderdale, FL, founder of the Ignite Network and founder of
the Awakening Prayer Hubs prayer movement.
Jennifer formerly served as
the first-ever female editor of Charisma magazine. Her work also
appeared in a Charisma House book entitled Understanding the
Five-Fold Ministry which offers a biblical study to uncover the true
purpose for the fivefold ministry and The Spiritual Warfare Bible,
which is designed to help you use the Bible to access the power of the Holy
Spirit against demonic strongholds and activity. Some of Jennifer’s work is
also archived in the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Museum.
Jennifer is a prolific author
who has written over 25 books, including The Heart of the Prophetic, A Prophet’s Heart, Fervent Faith, Did the
Spirit of God Say That? 27 Keys to Judging Prophecy, Breakthrough!, and Doubtless: Faith that
Overcomes the World. Some of her materials have been translated into
Spanish and Korean.
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