STEVE'S POWER WORD

FRESH OIL

“But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.” (Psalm 92:10 ESV)

“But my horn [my emblem of strength and power] You have exalted like that of a wild ox; I am anointed with fresh oil [for Your service].” (Psalm 92:10 AMP)

If there is one thing that I have learned throughout all my years of walking with God, and being filled with His Spirit, it is that we should continually have fresh oil from heaven in our lives. Sadly, though, I have noticed a trend within our churches – and that is many are living on stale, stagnant oil that stinks.

Leviticus 24:2 says, “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly.”

Although olive oil is not the only type of oil mentioned in the Bible, it is the one we most associate with the oil of the Holy Spirit, so I will use it as an example here. Did you know that olive oil can actually go bad? It's true! Extra virgin olive oil in particular is actually a fresh ingredient, and it begins to degrade as soon as it's made. Once the bottle you buy is opened, it starts going bad even faster, and without even realizing it, you may have been using rancid or spoiled olive oil.

With that in mind, how exactly does one know if their bottle of olive oil has gone bad? Smell and taste, as olive oil won't visibly change much as it goes bad.

First, smell – Olive oil that is still good should smell fresh and fragrant. Olive oil that has gone bad will have a distinctly waxy smell, which may remind you of crayons. Worse yet, it may even smell similar to meat that has gone bad.

Second, if the smell test doesn't do it, you can test your olive oil by tasting it. Like the smell, spoiled olive oil may taste waxy or of plastic. The most obvious sign will be a pronounced bitterness or sourness.

And here is the kicker – once you open your olive oil, you've only got three or four months to use it all. Ideally, to use olive oil at its best, it should be consumed within one month to six weeks.

What is the point with all this olive oil information? To show you a perfect parallel to the oil of the Holy Spirit within us. We, as Christians filled with the Spirit of God, must seek fresh oil on a daily basis. We cannot live on the same oil we used years ago. Many Christians become like extra virgin olive oil, meaning, they have tried to live on the same oil that received years ago without going back to God for fresh anointings of His Spirit. And, due to this, they have become bitter and sour in their walk with God. They may look alright (on the outside), but on the inside, they have soured.

My friends, we need fresh oil today in our lives so that the fire of God never goes out! We must not let the fire go out within us. May our prayer, this day and every day forward, be that of, “Oh God, fill me with FRESH oil and forgive me for trying to live on yesterday's oil of anointing.”