BE ALERT & KEEP YOUR LIGHTS FILLED!

An interesting lesson has transpired from Sunday School. We were discussing Matthew 25: 1-13 (well I think we only did a few of those verses) and we were intriqued by the new revelations from Holy Spirit. The parable of the ten virgins has been researched and made into many sermons and messages worldwide. It is used widely regarding the last days, and the return of Christ.


However, as we were studying it, it became more revealed to me that this is basically part of my own testimony in a sense. The foolish virgins vs. the wise virgins... I became a Christian at a young age of 5, after my Mom and Dad had taken me to church, and I learned about Jesus from them, and from the church. However, I did not become a "wise" Christian until late in my teens. I went to church, did most of the things I was supposed to. According to my Mom, I was the 'closest thing to Mary', and only did a few things that weren't good. I was never the alcoholic or the druggie, nor was I the promiscuous teenager sleeping around. Thankfully, I had good parents (as I've said), and a BIG brother (who unfortunately got involved with all the stuff that I didn't) who still protected me. I also had pretty good friends, who understood my beliefs in God, and that I didn't want to be involved with any of that 'garbage'. I had a great extended family as well, who also believed in God (or tried to). We moved a bit when I was younger, so we left the church that I went to as a young girl. We ended up going to a couple of different churches with my Grandpa and extended family, and were involved in the busyness of 'church life'. Somehow I knew that Church and God would be a part of my life forever. I loved children, and being a child, and learning more about Jesus. I knew the Bible stories, and a lot of Scripture verses that I memorized. We were involved with different mid-week groups, and I enjoyed them all. I loved to learn, and still do. Groups like AWANA, and other mid-week groups for children (sorry I can't think of the other names. I do remember the theme song, 'This is my Father's World' though) were an important part in my childhood. Walking to the church for AWANA with my Mom or Dad, especially in the winter when we watched snowflakes behind the telephone poles was a favourite memory of mine. But with all this, I had all the 'tools' and Jesus, and knowledge like the virgins did... but something was missing.

As I said above, I didn't become a "wise" Christian until my teens. (Not wisdom in the sense of knowing it all, but wise as in the sense of the 'wise vs. foolish virgins'.) When my Grandpa had died, we no longer felt we needed to attend the church we were attending. We felt the Spirit leading us elsewhere. We were invited back to the church of my childhood, and it was there I 'experienced' God. In my youth group I was introduced to the God whom I thought I knew. I experienced His Holy Spirit in ways that I obviously only read about in the Bible. There is a great difference as I have said before, between knowing about God, and knowing God. What a revelation it is to truly 'know' God... or at least be in the process of 'knowing Him'. The 5 foolish virgins, and the 5 wise virgins had the tools and the knowledge of a relationship with the Bridegroom. However, the 5 wise virgins went beyond that and had the Spirit (and an excess of it), and also had the intimate relationship with the Bridegroom so that they were allowed in.

With the parable of the virgins, the 5 'foolish' virgins tried to get oil from the 5 'wise' virgins, yet they didn't want to give any of theirs up, or else they would not have enough. They were sent to a store to 'buy' more oil. We as Christians and Spirit-filled believers need to stop doing just that. We cannot give the 'oil' or the Spirit or annointing from ourselves. We cannot just go to conference after conference to get filled by man. We need to stop following men and the annointing, and we need to seek it from the Supplier Himself. We cannot 'buy' salvation, or more of the Spirit. We need to seek it from the source... and we need to seek it for ourselves. I cannot seek God for you, nor can you seek God for your children, etc. God does not have grand-children. Now don't get me wrong in what I just wrote, You can seek God in prayer and ask God to move in your lives, your friends/family's lives, and those unbelievers around you, but you cannot save them yourself. But WE NEED TO TELL OTHERS what they need. We can't just leave them to suffer in their own fate. Most people who read this parable judge or put shame upon the 'foolish' virgins, however, when you look deeper, we can also say 'tsk tsk tsk' and look down upon the 'wise'. We will look deeper at this, and the Scripture itself below...

In our parable in Matthew 25, Jesus states "1At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 7Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' 10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' 12"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' 13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (I have left the verse numbers in for reference)

In verse 1, the virgins took their lamps and went out to meet the Bridegroom. (No where does it say he is right there.) These virgins according to history customs used to carry 'wedding torches' (you can Google for yourself) not 'lamps' as is translated in some versions of the Bible. They would lead the way or prepare the way of the Bridegroom's arrival. They would spend a lot of time together preparing, and waiting for the Bridegroom.  Verse 2 says right away that 5 of them were foolish and 5 of them were wise. Right away we know there is a problem, the art of foreshadowing is telling you there will be a problem upcoming. Verse 3 explains the beginning of the problem, the foolish virgins took their lamps, but did not take any oil with them. Verse 4 says that the wise took along oil in jars as well as their lamps. Up to this point the lamps were just being held with remnants of past lightings, they had not needed to be lit yet for their intended purpose of greeting the Bridegroom.

Verse 5 states "The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep." Now using my imagination, and picturing this event, I am assuming that the girls did not light their torches and fall asleep, or else there would have been a bigger problem. They waited with their unlit torches, and after a long time of waiting, they fell asleep. Verse 6 says that they were woken to the shouts that the Bridegroom was coming. Verse 7 says that they (all 10) awoke and began to prepare their lamps. It says in NIV above, "Then ALL the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps." It doesn't say they lit their lamps, but we assume that they will light them after they trim and prepare them. Then in verse 8, the foolish cry out for help, "Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out." Therefore they are trying to light their lamps or torches with 'old oil remnants', and they burn briefly, but they are going out. (According to history, their 'wedding torches' would be made of rags that would need to be trimmed before being re-lit, and that they need to be re-lit every 15 minutes.) This is reminding us that we need to receive an infilling of the Spirit, and not just once. We need to 'trim off the old' and be refilled and refuelled again and again. We can not be happy with the 'remnants' of the past. We need fresh new oil and new oilskins. "Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." ~Matthew 9:17 NIV Verse 9 continues, "No...there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves." Like I said above, we cannot seek God for others. We cannot hold the Spirit in us for others around us. BUT, we as 'wise' have to stop sending the 'foolish' to seek oil on their own from someone who is none-the-less selling the oil. The oil is the HOLY SPIRIT, and His annointing. We cannot buy, or even sell the Spirit or His annointing. The true Spirit and annointing can only come from one place, the Source of the supply or the Supplier (who is the Bridegroom Himself). Unfortunately we send others to seek elsewhere, and as verse 10 reads, "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Verse 11 continues, "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' Verse 12 continues, "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'" Because the 'wise' sent the 'foolish' away, they missed out on the 'Wedding'! This is what they had waited for, what they had tried to prepare for. But they didn't prepare enough... SHAME on them.... 'tsk tsk' !

However, I said earlier that, "Most people who read this parable judge or put shame upon the 'foolish' virgins, however, when you look deeper, we can also say 'tsk tsk tsk' and look down upon the 'wise'. All ten virgins were sent with a mission, they were to light the way or prepare the way for the Bridegroom to come. Easy enough said than done obviously as we learned when the story continued. I said earlier that "the 5 foolish virgins, and the 5 wise virgins had the tools and the knowledge of a relationship with the Bridegroom." However, the virgins in fact did NOT have the full knowledge of their own lives and their true mission. The 'foolish' didn't bring enough oil, or in our case Spirit or annointing of God. If the torches had to be re-lit every 15 minutes, why didn't all of the virgins bring extra oil? The 'foolish' didn't have the knowledge regarding their torches and the oil. They had the tools, and they knew that they were to prepare the way for the Bridegroom, but they weren't totally prepared to actually complete the mission. They didn't know the TRUTH. The 'wise' however brought extra oil in jars along with their lamps. But, why did the 'wise' not tell the 'foolish' they need more?? These young virgins would have spent a lot of time together before the actual coming of the Bridegroom. Did the 'wise' not see the 'foolish' didn't have any extra oil? Wouldn't the 'wise' have been more wise to share this knowledge with the 'foolish' before it was too late?

So as we see, the 'wise' in the story are actually 'foolish' too... and it reminds us, those who see themselves as 'wise' that we need to share the truth and knowledge of the Bridegroom before He comes, so that it's not too late.

What would have happened in our parable, IF the 'wise' had actually been 'wise'? If in verse 8 when "The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' then in verse 9 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. What if they went on to say, "You have to make your lamps right, repent & seek oil for yourselves from the Bridegroom"? Verse 10, may have then stated, "While they were making their lamps right, and waiting, the 5 'foolish' virgins repented and sought after the Bridegroom's heart, and the bridegroom arrived. The 10 virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut." Then Verse 11 may have continued, "You need to be ready for the return of the Bridegroom, so as verse 13 actually states, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." If this actually transpired, then ALL 10 of the virgins would have went in and feasted with the Bridegroom at the Wedding banquet. This last paragraph is obviously only a 'what if' scenario, but as verse 13 firmly states, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour" should be a motivator to help us get out there and tell others they need to have 'their lamps prepared and have extra oil'. YOU need to have made your life right with Jesus, and have the annointing of the Spirit so that you can have that intimate relationship with Him now, and when He returns for His bride.

In this passage, we are like the 'virgins', but we ourselves are not 'virgins'. We have given ourselves over to fleshly desires, and are no longer pure and innocent as a virgin. We need to stop allowing our flesh take over. We need to use more of our 'spirit-man' and change our mindset and allow God to move once again. We need to daily repent to him, and ask Him to once again re-light our fire. He can make us pure once again. BUT, we cannot buy the 'fire of the Lord' elsewhere. That's why it's the 'OF THE LORD' not the 'of men'. Too long we have sought after the 'fire of men'. However, when we seek the fire, we forget what a fire does. We need to stop putting limits on God and His works. If we call down for God to have His manifest presence fall in our midst, we cannot expect God to work on our terms. Too many times in church (or even in our home worship), we cry out to God and then when He wants to fully come to those who are hungry and thirsty, we stop seeking, and we quench the Holy Spirit from moving fully, by moving on to another "tradition" in our order of service.

God is not a God of conferences and guest speakers alone. He wants to move in every church, and every heart of every believer YOUNG and OLD. My spirit-man is grieving now, because I know that I myself am in this category too. I am not where I should be either, so don't think I am just speaking to you. I know that the Spirit reveals things to me to share, but to also live out in my own life. I cannot write these Scriptures and revelations down, and not use them in my own life. I would be a hypocrite, and that is not the example I want to leave those who are watching me.

Too many times you and I settle for the 'ordinary' when God wants to let out the 'extraordinary'. We get jealous, or seek after the "Azuza Street Revival" or the "Brownsville Revival", but don't want to fully commit to His Will and desires. We spend time seeking the annointing only, and not the glory of His manifest presence. As I said, "Too long we have sought after the 'fire of men'. However, when we seek the fire, we forget what a fire does." A fire is designed to burn. The 'fire of the Lord' is designed to burn and consume, and also to refine & purify us into what He has designed us to be. That causes our 'flesh-man' some pain, so we don't allow Him to fully 'burn' us. We cannot truly sing songs like "Fire Fall Down" or "Consuming Fire" if we don't mean what we sing. Our bodies, souls AND spirits were made to worship God. Because of sin, our bodies and souls have other desires. Our lives are broken without Him, and we need Him to fix that which is broken. But we need to do exactly that, come to him 'broken'.

"Cause I know that You're alive. You came to fix my broken life,

and I sing to glorify Your Holy Name, Jesus Christ!"

I pray that all we do from this moment on will be done to glorify the Holy Name of Jesus Christ!

Prayer: Pray to God in YOUR OWN WORDS regarding your lamps [your heart & spirit], the need of His Holy Oil [His Holy Spirit & annointing], and repent of the things in your life that you have done in thought, word and deed, intentionally and unintentionally. Repent also of the things you have done that have quenched His Spirit. You (like me) may not have done too many 'bad' things like alcohol, sex, drugs etc... but you would have most likely done something to quench the Spirit, intentionally or unintentionally, consciously or subconsciously. I am praying these prayers along with you, and know that any words I can write here in a prayer for you to read and pray are less powerful than the ones you can pray from your own heart! If you desire help in your prayer life, check out your local SPIRIT-FILLED church, and get into the Scriptures and SEEK the SOURCE for yourself! He will give you immeasurably more than you ask or imagine. I pray as Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:14-21, "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Be blessed and BE ALERT & KEEP YOUR LIGHTS FILLED!