Shadows/darkness dissipates when light is present.  I had a dream last week. I saw my self walking into different rooms and the darkness was being dissipated as I walked around it would light up different areas of the room, there were still shadows within the room. 

I believe that each room represented various spheres, I have the right and privilege to access, areas where I have influence. Two things come to mind, no matter where I walked there were still some dark areas because there was only one light.  Second, there is a light we carry with us everywhere we go.  

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John‬ ‭8:12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jesus tells us that we could have the light of life if we fallow Him. we need to emulate His actions, examples, and commandments. In Matthew five He calls us light. 

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭5:14-16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The only sources of light at this time was the sun and fire. The light from the fire was only produced by the consumption of another resource like wood, wax, or oil.  Each of these resources costs a person time and/or effort to prepare them for consumption. To have the light Jesus talks about will cost you something.  

Light, from olive oil, is a byproduct of the consumption of the oil. To obtain olive oil, you would have to gather over 5000 to 8000 olives. You would need to cut and pit each olive. Then take all the olive to a stone mill and grind them, making sure to gather any oil that comes from the mill. Next, you would take the olive paster from the mill and take it to a press, this press will extract more oil. This whole process will produce about 33.8 oz of oil. Two ounces of olive oil will burn for five hours. What you just took you one to two days to produce will supply only one lamp up to three and a half days of light, if burnt continuously. Olive oil burns odorless and unlike other lamp oils. Most lamp oil burns the vapors of the oil, but olive oil does not have a vapor it actually burns the oil. If an olive oil lamp tips over it will actually put itself out.

We must prepare our oil of His presence in our life that our lamps can be lit. This is done by being in His presence daily thought the word, prayer, and worship. This will produce oil for your lamp. When we following Jesus, He takes his light and lights our lamps it is our duty to keep the lamp filled with oil. Getting into God’s presence once a week will not give you enough oil for the entire week.  We must come into His presence daily to keep our lamps full. 

In Matthew 25 it talks about the foolish and wise virgins and they went out at night to wait for the bridegroom, the five foolish did not have enough oil. While they were gone trying to finding more oil the bridegroom came. When the five foolish came back and the bridegroom (Jesus) said “I do not know you”. 

And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’

Matthew‬ ‭25:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

You can not use another person’s oil (time spent in His presence) in your lamp. This time spent is how you get to know Him and He to know you.  

When lighting an oil lamp the flame starts very small but as it draws more oil it burns brighter and brighter. Don’t despise small beginnings. Leaders in the church have a tendency, with good intentions, to try to give a new believer some of their own oil. The leaders do not have access to your personal oil reservoir so we try to pour our oil directly on this small flame, believe it will help the flame to grow brighter. The could and have most of the time extinguished many small flames.

As a leader in the greater church, I have had to repent for doing the same things to some of the people in my life and ministry. When God shared this with me I began to weap for all the youth I have worked with in the past.

New believers have a great desire and zeal to serve God, the have that small flame. Because they have other issues in there lives that the Holy Spirit has not dealt with yet. We begin to tell them everything that is wrong, that they should correct.  We dump our oil on their small flame and smother it. By teaching and helping these new believers to get into His presence, they obtain oil, and their flame will get brighter. The brighter light will illuminate these issues to them then the Holy Spirit will help.  

In Matthew 12:20 Jesus quoted Isaiah 42:30 “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench until he brings justice to victory;” If God is not quenching a smoldering wick why do we.

More light we have in a room the less darkness will prevail. Any sphere you are in if there are other believers shining there light then there will be no areas of darkness. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ~ John 1:5 ESV.

APPLICATION

• Do not rely on the oil you receive on Sunday morning to keep your light shining throughout the week.
• Set a daily time to get into God’s presence, oil of His presence will cost you.
• Ask God if you have quenched another person’s flame, take time to repent.