Guarding The Five Gates
(Part 2)
We’ve been chatting about the lessons learned guarding the five gates, your five senses. Some of the most powerful lessons I learned in life came as I turned away from the “pressure-cooker” life filled with looming diseases and turned to a much better way of really living; guarding my senses played a huge role in this transformation!
LIFE starts in your heart and your heart is fed by what comes in through your five senses. Today, we pick up on Part 2 with your sense of…
3) SMELL –
The nerves in the nose, called olfactory nerves, are directly connected to the brain. Stimulation of these nerves by air, odors, and aromas, causes immediate physical and emotional responses in the body.
Input through this “gate” not only controls our drives of hunger, thirst, and sex, but also more subtle responses of emotion, memory, and creativity. Many believe that because these olfactory membranes contain millions of nerve endings, the sense of smell may be the most acute of all senses. There are many Biblical examples of God’s direction for the use of essential oils in worship and other offerings, as well as indicating that our prayers and our lives are “pleasing aromas” to Him!
Caution should be applied however when becoming aware of the use of aromatherapy. Many get just a whiff of knowledge (pun intended) and then indiscriminately use multiple scents non-stop. Every thing about the design of the body is connected with proper rhythm and cycles. The sense of smell triggers a chain of internal reactions, including the release of powerful endorphins – misuse or overuse can boomerang!
For example, don’t be lighting that candle that smells like sugar-cookies when you are fasting! No joke! You’ll be irritable and headed for the carbs without explanation! Lavender is what you need! Feeling down or nauseated? Peppermint will do the job.
But remember – smell is one of the most potent senses… just a drop will do. And keep it off your skin! (Essential oils, with very few exceptions, should always be in a carrier oil when applied to skin.)
4) TASTE –
Did you know that digestion and hormone production actually starts the moment food hits the tongue? That’s right… you really don’t have to eat the pie to gain weight! But, you do have to taste it!
In addition, tastes can be associcated with positive and negative emotional responses. Ever heard the term “comfort food”? This may be hard for some of you to hear, but it will set you free to be healthy:
When taste becomes what triggers your comfort level, when food becomes your comforter, you have replaced the power and love of God, The Comforter, with the love for self and for pleasure.
Guard the five gates. The Bible tells us that food is for our fuel and for our pleasure, but it should not ever become a replacement for the love and power of God to comfort and bring us through!
5) TOUCH –
Similar to smell, touch plays a pivotal role in the release of chemicals called endorphins – your “feel good hormones”. It triggers memory. It alerts the body’s sensory system to injury. But it also is a means of deep emotional expression between married couples and between parent and child.
We have long since known that babies for instance, will suffer “failure to thrive” syndrome without loving touch. The Bible confirms that there is healing power in certain touch, as in the laying on of hands to heal. But it is also clear that there is negative or destructive touch, as in intent to harm or misuse, evidenced by the many Biblical warnings “not to touch” certain persons or things.
The body’s skin, our largest organ, is the covering for the very pulse of life within us. This pulse of LIFE, which is emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and physical, is ignited by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of points under the body’s outer surface of skin that respond to touch. As we are learning to guard the gates to improve our health and promote a happier life, it cannot go without emphasis how important touch is to the human heart, in the physical, the emotional, and the spiritually realms of life.
Purpose and learn to express greater affection to your spouse and/or children through loving touch – even if you never grew up with that – and also to refrain from touch in casual relationships where powerful emotions could be inadvertently or surprisingly triggered.
That’s our Top Five! Every day you will have presented before you choices of LIFE or death… choose LIFE by guarding well the five gates, our gates of LIFE!
Keep vigilant watch over your heart;
that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust.
Proverbs 4:23 (MSG)
As always, our mission is to serve you and help you live fully.
Believe. Choose. ACTIVATE. Achieve. (Repeat.)
Learn Anything? Please leave a comment BELOW!
Dr. Michelle's mission is to educate, activate, challenge and equip others to live a full, satisfying life, ever-growing in the Kingdom of God.
Michelle is a mountain-taker in all expressions of her calling. Sometimes it is on literal mountains leading ladies on spiritual adventures in faith. Other days, it is consulting with Kingdom-minded businesses and ministries to develop professional website platforms and social media strategies. Still other times, you will find her training mountain-takers to possess their physical land - their health, spirit, soul, and body - teaching classes and doing wellness evaluations for churches and corporations large and small, as well as providing "secret service" concierge wellness services for other speakers and ministers.
Wherever the call of God takes her, she firmly believes it is time for Christian businesses, entrepreneurs, and ministry leaders to be diligent to ‘write the vision and post it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may be able to read it easily and quickly as they hasten by.’ And then ACT on the vision.
Read more About and Experience here: http://thepictureofhealth.com/michelle-2
- Great Faith Adventures - August 15, 2020
- Great Faith Adventures – Video Gallery - March 10, 2018
- 2016 Annual Year End Ministry Report - February 4, 2017
This dovetails in with the story of the five kings in the book of Joshua. He had his generals put their feet on their necks.
If we do not conquer them in our lives. We….as it says in Ecclesiastes 10:8 will break through the hedge and will…. Be bitten by a serpent. Very important teaching.
I was looking up the gates to present a bible study later to my 3 grandgirls, and google bought me here, simplified instructio , thank you look forward to visiting your site for more..God Bless!
Of all the great blogs i believe this one has stayed with me ….the idea that we have gates that we let things pass in and out of by choice is so wonderful. I am noticing more and more where i have the choice to open or close that gate and it has helped me so much in practical everyday functioning. thank you for these articles.
I often heard about the power of touch (the babies in the orphanage in Romania who didn't receive touch and were near death) and I truely believe that as our society becomes so fast paced many people are missing out on the most precious parts of life. Being loving touched by someone who cares for you or touching those you love is so important. I am realizing this more and more as the days go by… it is worth slowing down and not keeping up with the Joneses.
I think the section on smell brought such a revelation to me. It is probably the least I have heard about and I found it fasinating. It really helps to understand why such smells bring back fond memories of the ones we love. Like the smell of cookies or coffee and Grandma's house.
Thank you Lord for opening my eyes to Your truths!
How interesting that aromas cause immediate physical and emotional responses in the body. Many companies are putting different scents in dish washing detergents, laundry detergents, etc. so I suppose we need to consider all of those when we think about getting over loaded with different smells. I like the idea of using essential oils like lavender and peppermint in a very specific way, and how the previous article stated to even use a drop or peppermint in the toilet bowl water instead of using room sprays.
Talking about smell and taste brings back the memory 😉 of when I was growing up in southern California. Because it was usually beautiful outside and to keep the heat down in the house that wasn't airconditioned, my dad grilled outside most nights of the week. I used to love to keep him company, talking and enjoying the outdoors and the aroma. It was so pleasant and relaxing. To this day, next to reading scripture, perhaps the most stress-relieving thing I do is take time to go outside and grill. Because I live alone, I get to sit with my heavenly Father talking about our day while my senses enjoy the outdoors and the aroma of His provision in the grill! Who'd have thought those childhood eperiences were such a complete picture of Father God's love? I am SO blessed!
Thanks for putting up the second part, this is so good ……I am a real sence person and i need to have these under the direction of the Holy Spirit…..or i go down the tubes fast. I understand more now on how they operate and the effects they have on my body.
I also love the 2 blogs on "Guarding the Five Gates." They were both very informative and helpful. I have heard in the past the importance of touch. I found it very interesting that smell may very well be our strongest sense. I also thought it was interesting about not burning sugar cookie candles while you are fasting. Though I have not been burning them during this 40 days, wouldn't you know that Sugar Cookies is one of my favorite fragrances. Fortunately, Lavendar is one of my favorite too! Guess which one I will be burning from now on!! You got it! Lavendar here I come!
In my opinion, these 2 blogs on "Guarding the Five Gates" may perhaps be the most important you have ever written for, as the NASB puts it: : "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life." (Prov. 4:23)
Whether our "springs of life" are going to be pure or polluted will be determined by how well we "guard the gates".
Also with touch, when you touch something that is not pleasurable to you, you can rub your hand on your clothing or something like that and remove the "memory" of the unpleasant touch. My Mom often thought I was crazy for doing that when I touched a fabric that I didn't like. I have since learned (much later in life than when I was a kid) there is actually a scientific reason for that. Apparently, the brain can only hold one memory of touch at a time! Good article.