Fresh Oil

When I got to my office this morning, I turned on some music then began to worship and pray. In the middle of the second song, I felt like I had silenced all the distractions but I wasn’t being still. I don’t mean I wasn’t being still because I was walking around as I prayed, but my heart wasn’t still and my mind was far from still. My intentions were good but my effectiveness was poor. So, I turned off the music and I sat down. I then began to identify all the things that were racing through my mind and I cast all those cares on God. I could physically feel the weight beginning to lift off of me. I realized I had slowly began to drift back into works – focusing on doing things for the Kingdom without first ensuring I was being who God wanted me to be in the Kingdom. I repented.

A few seconds later, I realized where I was sitting – in a chair right next to one of those plug-in air fresheners. I leaned down to check it and then I caught myself. “Stay focused Keidra,” I had to remind myself. But there was something within me that just felt like I was supposed to check it. I kneeled down to pull it out and immediately had the thought, “Really, Keidra. Is this what it takes to get you on your knees?” (I know I’m not the only one who has thoughts like this!) I shook off the condemning thought, pulled the plug-in out of the socket and checked it. It was completely empty and dry. It was at that point that I realized it had been three months since I put them in. I then went to the front of the building to check the other one. It too was empty and dry. My first thought was, “I wonder how much longer I could go before I absolutely have to change these out.” After thinking about it, it dawned on me that it’s probably at this point that the warmers begin to get discolored, unpresentable and you don’t want them to be seen. Not wanting that to happen, I went to the next room, got some refills and replaced the empty containers. I then went back, sat in my chair, and attempted to once again be still.

It was only about a minute later that I began to smell something very pleasant. I began to smile as I thought of the sweet Holy Spirit infiltrating my office. Then, it dawned on me… It was the plug-in! I’m not even joking. Just that fast I had forgotten all about it and just that fast it began to permeate the room. Now I smiled for a whole different reason. Just like that, the Holy Spirit showed me something in a way that I can never forget. He showed me the effectiveness of fresh oil! It wasn’t like the room smelled bad before, but there was an immediate and noticeable difference once the fresh oil was applied.

We, as believers, have to get to the point where we value and crave fresh oil. We can no longer be satisfied with doing works for the Kingdom when we ourselves are empty and dry. When we allow ourselves to get to this point, others may experience the beauty of our gift but they won’t encounter the benefit of our anointing. It’s the oil that causes the anointing to flow. If we really want to be potent and make an undeniable impact for the Kingdom, we must be committed to ensuring we have a constant infilling of fresh oil. That’s when our lives truly become a sweet aroma before the Lord.

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