Available Vessels: Keep the Oil Flowing

Last week we spoke about the vessel and how important it is to have Jesus in our lives. He is our worth. He is the treasure. Even though we’re fragile vessels, if God lives inside of us, we have this great treasure that makes us special. Our worth comes from what is within. Today I want to tell you that what we do with our lives is important. We live in times where our generation needs people to rise up and live to the fullest, letting God use us for his purpose. Are you living your life to the fullest? Sometimes we say “God I need a greater purpose for my life” but we give him so little of our time. God is looking for a vessel that is available for a miracle.

KEY VERSE:

2 Kings 4:1-7 (NKJV)
A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few.  And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

Are you available?

In order for the oil to keep flowing at this woman’s house, she had to gather as many available jars as possible. Sometimes we ask God to do something great in our lives, but we don’t make ourselves available to gather jars. We don’t give him our all, our energy, our lives. He wants to pour oil, anointing & miracles into our lives, but we have to do our part. If this woman didn’t do what she did, her sons would become slaves. If you don’t do what God is calling you to do, there will be consequences in your life and in your identity.

What is in your house?

Do you have anything in your house that is going to save the next generation? Do you have jars available to be filled with oil? In our houses we should have a good amount of jars for that oil to keep flowing. This woman gathered did her part, she went and did what she was asked to do from the prophet. God is asking for you to make your house available for the oil to keep flowing, make your house available for a miracle. Our houses should be places of unity, love & respect. Our homes should be places of prayer, because that will bring the miracles to your life. Check and examine what is in your house that could hinder the oil from flowing. If you want a miracle, you have to understand that you must fill your house with jars, give God your all and He will give you His oil.

How much are you gathering?

Verse 3 says the prophet told her “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few.” She did what she was told. She went and gathered from everywhere, she found resources. You Determine the magnitude of your miracle. God doesn’t, YOU do. If you give a few, then you will get a small miracle. Sometimes we expect much of God, but we don’t do what He asks. We don’t read His word, we don’t pray, we don’t do what His word says, we keep wasting our time with other things and thus giving him our left overs. If you give God your left overs, don’t expect a big miracle from Him. You need to gather not just a few. Your miracle is there, the oil is there, don’t let it stop flowing, keep gathering!

If you say “God I give you all of me, here’s my empty jar I know you have a plan for my life, fill me with your oil”. Surrender your life, your dreams, your plans, your agenda, give him all of you, He will fill you with his purpose, his dreams, his oil!

Is your oil still flowing?

The oil flows as long as there are vessels. The oil keeps moving, the Spirit of God keeps flowing but the moment you make yourself unavailable, the oil stops. If there is no place for the oil to keep pouring, it’ll stop. If God finds your vessel available to Him, he will never stop pouring His blessing upon your life. It is important for the oil to have a container. Have you ever tried to take your groceries from the store to the car without bags or a cart? What happens? It’s a mess, things keep breaking and falling. The bags are just as important. Our vessels are an essential part of the blessing. God wants to use you for His purpose. You alone can’t serve a purpose but your vessel in the hands of God is useful, your worth comes from what is inside of you. God is looking for a vessel. He has the oil, the Holy Spirit is ready to move, but he is looking for a vessel. You’re the vessel, your an important part of the miracle.

Is your vessel empty & clean?

Sometimes God is looking to fill you with His oil, but you have filled your life with so much stuff that there is no more room for oil. The enemy tries so hard to fill our mind with the things of this world. That’s why we have to be separated from the world. We have to be different. We have to tune out to all the things that this world has to offer. You have to tune out the world and tune in to what God wants to do with you. God could never use a vessel that is already filled with garbage. He wants a vessel that is empty and that is clean. You can’t pretend to keep sinning, keep doing the things that everyone else is doing around you and then come to God and say God here I am. Don’t offer God the left overs. Tell God to purify your heart and make your heart clean so that He can come live inside of you. You don’t have to live in bondage to sin. God desires to free your from the slavery of sin, just come before Him and ask him to cleanse you and to empty you of dirt so that you can be filled with Him. God is looking for hearts that long to have a relationship with Him. He is looking for hearts that want the miracle. We have to be separated from the world. We have to be different. Don’t let the enemy evolve you in his trap, proclaim freedom for your life and empty that vessel!

Are you resisting satan? James 4:7

Satan doesn’t want you to move forward. He doesn’t want you to be filled with oil. He hates oil because he knows that the oil makes the difference. He knows that the oil is what breaks the bondage of slavery. He knows that the oil is what will keep this generation from slavery. He wants to defile your body and destroy you because he knows that you are the vessel and he knows that if he can destroy the vessel, the oil stops flowing. Don’t get trapped into this cycle. Break the cycle of sin in your life and let the oil flow. God can set you free, just make yourself available to Him, LET THE OIL FLOW!

When you resist the enemy, your walk is different. You are separated, you are an available vessel. We have to change the way we live because anything that we do with our lives could hinder what is inside of us. Pregnant women have a different lifestyle than the rest of the women. A pregnant woman will not drink coffee, do drugs or smoke because it will hinder the baby inside of her. The same way, what we do hinders what is inside of us. If Jesus lives inside of you, he can push all that stuff out, but you need to fill yourself with Jesus. Empty your vessel, clean up your vessel.

Guard your heart. Be careful what you let into your mind. Be careful what you hear, what you see and what you say. Your walk has to be different. If you want to be an empty, clean vessel, your life has to be different. You have to guard your steps. We have to watch what we’re doing because the enemy is looking to defile your body with sexual immorality because he knows the oil will stop flowing as soon as the vessel becomes unavailable. It matters what we do with these bodies. It matters if we’re separated. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”) 

We have a great treasure. We have the oil. (2 Corinthians 4:7: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.) Your body is His temple. He is looking to live inside of you, to keep the oil flowing.

So how are you going to live your life? He can raise you up, he can put his dream in you, his purpose in you, his anointing in you. All you have to do is be empty, be clean. He can change you, he can fill you, he can do a miracle in your life. He can set you free.

Are you going to make yourself available to him?