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A few weeks ago I was cleaning my home office when I came across a shoe box that I had tucked away behind some books on a bookshelf. The box was unmarked. I opened it so that I could determine if I needed to throw out the box, return the box to its present location, or relocate the box to another shelf in my office. To my surprise and shame, the box contained several bottles of anointing oil that I had not used for years. One of the bottles was large and half-full, the others were smaller. But the oil was over two-years old. The once sweet smelling oil, was now stale and stunk. I had no choice but to throw the oil out.

As I was pouring out the oil, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me. "Michelle, your oil has gotten old. Time for some new oil." New oil? me? ...but, I do so much at church and I do so much with Preach Sista! I know my purpose and I am pretty sure of God's plan for my life. Why do "I" need new oil? How can my oil be old. As I listened for more of what the Holy Spirit was trying to tell me, I began to more closely examine my life. Yes, I was busy doing .... doing this, doing that, and planning for doing more. BUT ...
most of my doing was based on an old anointing. Just like the oil in the shoe box was only good for a season, the anointing on my life for various activities was only for a season. Just like a car can run on old oil ... it runs better if the oil is changed every 5,000 miles. I put so many miles on my car (30,000 in a year), that I end up having my oil changed every other month --- my husband only has to change his care oil three time a year.

Since that day in my basement I have come to realize that the more I do - and plan to do - I need to be sure that my oil (the anointing on my life) is fresh. Keeping it fresh means subjecting everything to God.