Fragrance

By Kim Stanfield

An open, real, and heartfelt reveal of intense personal struggles showing our vulnerability, and if willing enables us to focus on what God's word says, and desires for our future in Him

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kim Stanfield
• Release date: Oct 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9780646849348

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The first edition published in 2021 Copyright © Kim Stanfield 2021

ISBN: 978-0-646-84934-8

Published in Western Australia All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without prior written permission of the author.

All inquiries regarding this publication: [e-mail]

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE (MSG). Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, 1962 edition, published by HarperCollins.NASB.

Scripture taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

Poetry by permission of Family

Ebook Layout: Kellie Book Design www.kelliebookdesign.com

Hyper-Links to:

www.lanavawser.com

Rev Nicky Gumbel – @ HTB Church, London

www.youtube.com

https://bibleinoneyear.org

www.prayerist.com

www.alpha.org.au

www.prayercourse.org

https://www.unitingchurchperth.com/

personal video – google link

www.kimcreations.com.au

https://kingdomcity.com/

In honour of my

DAD

For the ‘Fragrance’ he carried

of Jesus Christ in his life

14.5.1934 – 4.2.2021

2 Corinthians 2:14 TPT

God always makes his grace visible in Christ

who includes us as partners of his endless triumph.

Through our yielded lives he spreads the fragrance

of the knowledge of God everywhere we go.

Introduction

Once strapped in and comfortable, my three-year-old granddaughter voiced up from the back seat, ‘what are we doing Gran?’ I proceed to say we are going shopping and then ask, ‘what do you want to buy?’. In her sweetest reply ‘Perfume’!

In every season there is always something lovely to enjoy …. And this year is no different. My youngest daughter who is mum to three gorgeous kids, is doing an online training course so on that day each week I get to spend quality time with my granddaughter while her brothers are at school.

The perfume was subsequently for my granddaughter because when I questioned if she wanted to buy it for her mum – her reply was adamant, ‘No, because she has lots already’!

I took that comment to then indicate she has been watching her mum wear her own perfume, she notices that mum smells lovely, so she was now wanting to do the same – copy her Mum!

Do we desire to replicate our Heavenly Father and carry the ‘fragrance’ of God on us, everywhere we go and in all we do?

*****

For the last few years, amazingly the same time period I have been supporting my parents with their ongoing physical needs, I have been journaling in an ‘elegant’ bound book.

The first of these blank ‘elegant’ journals was given to me by my husband for Christmas 2017 and because of its iridescent cover design, it inspired me to start the writing journey I am now really into. I would like to think it was a prompting from the Lord to him … ‘Kim is really going to need this now so wrap it up and give to her’.

At the start of each month, I decorate a title page & ponder on words and scriptures that I believe the Lord wishes to use through me for the coming month. So, my ‘word’ for February 2021 was ‘FRAGRANCE’ and one of the scriptures was 2 Corinthians 2:14 TPT – ‘..through our yielded lives he spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere we go.’

In a bible commentary on 2 Corinthians 2:14 from Enduring Word on the internet it says…

i. No sense remains in the memory like scent. There is nothing we remember more strongly than pleasant smells, except perhaps unpleasant smells. Thus the apostle wished that his life might be a sweet perfume, floating on the air, reminding me, and above all reminding God, of Christ. (Meyer)

ii. A sweet savour of Christ! It does not consist so much in what we do, but in our manner of doing it; not so much in our words or deeds, as in an indefinable sweetness, tenderness, courtesy, unselfishness, and desire to please others to their edification. It is the breath and fragrance of a life hidden with Christ in God, and deriving its aroma from fellowship with Him. Wrap the habits of your soul in the sweet lavender of your Lord’s character. (Meyer)

I love where it says above, ‘no sense remains in the memory like scent’!

Back in 2012 when my husband and I were going through some difficult circumstances, we had a visiting prophet and his wife attend our church, who shared with us - part of that word to me was…

"Sister … God is saying Joy – that this is joy, the Kingdom of God is not meat or drink but its righteousness, peace and Joy – when the enemy comes to steal the first thing he goes after is our Joy – the joy of the