The Smell And Taste Gates

Fingerprints on the Mind

THE SMELL GATE

The smell gate can introduce us to new experiences or stimulate memories of certain times in our lives. All of these things creates an atmosphere. Just as a song can take us back to a particular event or mood in our life, a smell can do the exact same thing. We may think of a specific individual based on a perfume they wore, “His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh” (Song of Solomon 5:13).

We may think of a memorable holiday by the fragrance of a sweet potato pie; or a camping trip by the fragrance of the forest. God meant for us to enjoy this earth and one another by use of the gates to our soul. The sense of smell allows us to experience the beautiful aromas of the planet. The smell of fresh baked coco bread stimulates the taste gate, which in turn, demands a response from the feel gate to acquire the delightfully tantalizing loaf.

A smell can be inviting or repulsive. It does not matter how beautiful a person may look, if he or she has a bad odor it changes your whole perception of the individual. That in itself tells us that smell is connected to our imagination and our sense of reasoning. The bad odor suggests some sort of uncleanness and makes the person totally unappealing.

The enemy, satan, also knows the effect of this gate. Therefore, he is able to use it as a lure to hook us on sin. An example is the way he uses the burning of incense in massage parlors. The world spends thousands upon thousands of dollars inventing extravagant colognes and perfumes. Why? Because smell takes us back or jettisons us into certain experiences; whether good or bad.

It is not normal for us to enjoy the smell of garbage or sewage. Likewise, it is equally unnatural for one to enjoy the scent of human feces during sexual intercourse. This is a perversion of the senses God gave us.

THE TASTE GATE

The taste gate affects our appetite – what we prefer. And the enemy makes sure we have this in excess. Science has made us aware that certain foods, in excess, are not healthy for us. They cause cancer, obesity, high blood pressure, or heart disease; but even with this knowledge, we can’t stop eating them. Why? Because we like the taste of the food. It gives us pleasure to enjoy a good home cooked meal. The same principle applies as to why we choose sin. We know sin is detrimental to our soul, but we like the taste of it.

Some saints are unable to fast or spend time disciplining themselves before the Lord; not because they are necessarily hungry, but again, because they like the taste of the food. However, I learned through study and experience that if the saints of God are not disciplined enough to fast, then they are not disciplined enough to stop sinning.

Don’t allow this to be your testimony. Learn discipline and temperance. Practice fasting. Start with 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. Then move to a 24-hour fast. From there, 2 days, and so on. You must learn to discipline yourself; your body, smell gate, taste gate and imagination. Doing without food and drink is the best place to start.