Dude! It stinks in my garage right now! A few days ago I noticed my garage developing
an ominous odor and I overlooked it as a mystery odor that would go away on its
own. Nothing could be farther from the
truth!
I woke up yesterday morning and
walked into my garage and was taken aback by the dense smell in the garage.
It was too much. So I began trying to find the source of the
smell, assuming something had crawled up and died in a corner somewhere. It literally smelled like (and still does)
rotten fish. But I had no fish anywhere,
so it couldn’t have been that (so I thought).
Well, my sniffer led me to the
fridge that sits in my garage. I looked
at my fridge and thought, “What could be in there that is smelling so bad?” I opened the fridge, and nothing, the fridge
was empty. But in the freezer was
death. I have a tough stomach. I have not vomited for years (except the one
time and old lady tricked me into gargling with straight vinegar, I puked 5x’s
then. Ok, she told me to dilute it with
water, but I was too eager to kick the cold I had, so I went all in), but when
this door flung open, I did everything in my power to not add to the smell by
leaving my breakfast behind also.
In my freezer was a bloody fishy
mess. I caught some fish about 8 months
ago that I have never cooked. I forgot
it was in my freezer. I also forgot that
I unplugged my freezer three days ago and forgot to plug it back in. Now my garage smells like rotten fish.
This reminds me of the old adage
that says, “If it smells like fish, it’s probably a fish”.
All too often in life we struggle
with grey area sins. You know, those
sins that, in societie’s eye are permissible, but in God’s eyes are evil. Take for example the sin of lust. What man, outside of Christ, would say it’s
wrong to gaze upon a woman? Or what person,
of the world, is convicted that gossip is wrong, seeing it nothing more than a
casual conversation? What individual,
without the conviction of the Holy Spirit, would be brought to their knees in
confession over a white lie? These sins
may seem less depraved in our eyes, but still produce the smell of death in the
sight of God.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 38:5
that his wounds stink and fester because of his foolishness. The rottenness of
his sins has left a stench that he cannot ignore. Listen to the graphic effect sin has on his
life as he utters his confession to God:
Verse 2 – God’s arrows have sunk
into me, and your hand has come upon me.
Verse 3 – There is no soundness
in my flesh, no health in my bones
Verse 7 – My sides are filled
with burning
Verse 8 – I am feeble and
crushed, I groan because of the tumult of my heart
Verse 10 – My heart throbs, my
strength fails me, the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me
Verse 17 – I am ready to fall, my
pain is ever before
Then, then comes verse 18. A verse I can, and we all can learn from. Instead
of wallowing in the guilt and pain of his foolishness, he turns to God and
says, “I am sorry”.
Verse 18 - I confess my iniquity, I am sorry for my sin.
Only after his confession can he
plead for God’s mercy in verse 21 and 22,
Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to
help me, O Lord, my salvation!
Hey, if it smells like dead fish,
it probably is. If it smells like sin,
it probably is. If there is something
you are dabbling in, in life, that casts doubt, tension, or guilt in you, then
it needs to be addressed. Ask the Lord
to reveal to you if there is any foolishness that you need to seek his
forgiveness from, and then confess your sins to him. The amazing news is, He is faithful and just
to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
For now, the fish smell in my
garage is a grave reminder of the condition of my heart, it has been cleansed
before God the Father by the blood of Jesus Christ, yet there is still the effect
of sin I have to deal with and confess day to day.
