Flee youthful lusts (2 Tim 2:22) Pt. 4

The Nose - We are told to flee or run away from youthful lusts. We have seen how we must flee with our eyes and with our ears and with our tongue. Remember, we are dealing with fleeing temptation directed at the five senses. Fleeing or running away from temptation directed toward your smelling may give new meaning to a running nose. How in the world could temptation attack your sense of smell? Well it could be as simple as a child smelling the cookies he was told not to eat or as complicated as adulterer smelling a secret perfume-scented letter. It could be an alcoholic smelling an empty bottle of booze or a glutton smelling a doughnut, or a smoker sneaking a whiff of second-hand smoke or a druggy smelling a friends crack pipe or an old boyfriend smelling an ex-girlfriend's bottle of perfume. Is it wrong to open up the cookie jar and take a big old whiff of the cookies? Only if your parents told you not to eat them. As silly as this sounds, many have followed their nose all the way into temptation and even death. The Adulteress, dressed as a prostitute, in Proverbs 7 uses the sense of smell in her seduction: "I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey" (Prov 7:17-19). Notice that she called it "love." It wasn't love; it was youthful lust from which he should have fled. Don't underestimate the power of smell when it comes to temptation. It is far better to have a runny nose than to not run away from your nose.