The Oil of Intimacy: Abiding, Obedience, and Preparedness

 "Everything hinges on our ability to love—first Him, and then others." 

We begin by exploring the scriptural mandate to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and strength—and why Jesus places this as the foundation for everything else. In a world of religious checklists, are we missing the one thing that sustains us? In this episode, we move past legalism—striving to obey from a distance—to the ultimate goal: obedience rooted in an authentic, intimate relationship with the Father. We dive into the symbolism of the "Oil," the anointing that keeps our fire burning and empowers us to stand prepared, just like the wise virgins. 

Be sure to stick around until the end for a powerful prayer.

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Transcript

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Jesus told the disciples the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. And in order to love others, you must first love him. Many people will say that you can't love others until you love yourself, but the truth is you can't love others until you love him, and loving him is loving yourself. You see, truly loving him means a healthier love for yourself, and that's when you can walk in your true identity in Christ. And that's the kind of love that you also want to bring into your relationships. Welcome to My Father's Business Podcast, where we explore our divine purpose and identity in Christ. I'm your host, Lindsay Cope, and I'm about my father's business, seeking to live a purpose-driven life. In each episode, we'll discuss various topics that connect to God's will. Just as Jesus devoted himself to his father's business, we'll see how understanding our identity in him helps us navigate life. So join me on this journey of discovering how to align our lives with God's plan and fulfill our unique God-given destinies. And then the Lord showed me in verse 40 where it says on these commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Did you catch that? So everything hinges on our ability to first love him and then love others. He says it right there. I mean, Jesus meant that the entirety of biblical scripture and God's expectations are summarized by the two principles, our wholehearted love for God and selfless love for others. And we know without love we are nothing. The word says we are like a resounding gong or clinging symbols without love. And God is love. He is the wellspring of love from which we have to drink in order to be filled up with love. And then in Mark chapter twelve, you see the same thing happen, but actually here it's recorded that one of the disciples responded, and you have so the scribe said to him, Well said, teacher, you have spoken the truth, for there is one God and there is no other but he, and to love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Now when Jesus saw that he answered him wisely, he said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. So right here we see that obedience is better than sacrifice. Jesus invites us into wholehearted obedience through a love relationship with the Father. When we attempt to obey God without that real, honest, authentic relationship with Him, we are modeling ourselves after the Pharisee. And the Pharisees, you see, their obedience was motivated by legalism and by religiosity and a set of rules rather than a relationship with the Father. The ultimate goal of the believer should be obedience with intimacy. We have got to get back to a place where we seek his face before we seek his hand. The deeper the intimacy with the Lord, the higher fulfillment and contentment we will have. Jesus said, I have come to give you life and life more abundantly. The key to an abundant life is an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ. So back to Mark chapter twelve, where Jesus was basically telling the disciples, like, hey, you get it, you get it, you're on point. And he answered, You're not far from the kingdom of heaven. You see, when we come to an understanding of what it truly looks like to love him with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our strength, Jesus says we are not far from the kingdom of God. So now I want to talk about the oil that comes through intimacy. What is it with the oil? What does it mean? Throughout the Bible, you see oil referenced a number of times, and it signifies anointing which comes from intimacy with the Father. There are several other meanings tied to the oil where there's an anointing when the oil is poured out upon a person. It also represents consecration, healing, joy, and blessings. But right now I want to focus on the oil that comes from intimacy and what it means to steward your oil. And let me ask you this: what happens when you are covered in oil? Things roll right off, like water off a duck's back. Whenever I hear that, I think of the oil that is actually in their glands. They have the preen gland, which is just above their rump, and they rub their beaks when you see birds rubbing their beaks on their back end. They are actually getting the oil from that preen gland and they are rubbing it through their feathers. They're combing that oil through their feathers so that it can condition their feathers. So just like the oil conditions the feathers for a duck to get in the water, he's being prepared to immerse himself in the water. We are conditioned by the oil that comes from intimacy to face the world. The oil prepares and preserves so that we can face this dying and broken world with Christ living through us. Another thing I think of when I'm covered in the oil is that stickers don't stick. Labels that people try to put on you or marks that people try and put on you with their words or their thoughts or their insults, they have no power when you're covered in the oil because stickers can't stick to an oily surface. So speaking more into oil in the natural versus oil in the spiritual, other what are some other things that oil does? Well, oil keeps the fire burning. And just think about that. We'll talk about the ten virgins here in a minute, where five of them carried oil in their lamps to keep that fire burning and what that means in the spiritual versus the physical. But another thing that oil does is it separates and it divides. And throughout the Bible, oil is symbolically used for anointing and setting apart, consecrating, being chosen, empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord. Oil also conditions and it has medicinal properties. We just talked about how it conditions the feathers on a duck. There are many other references through the Bible. The healing balm of Gilead was an oil. There's healing properties in many of the anointing oils. The oil brings joy and gladness. You hear about the oil of gladness being poured out upon God's people. It also signifies preparedness. We know that Esther prepared herself with oil before she met the king and then saved God's people through her obedience. So let's talk about the parable of the ten virgins, also known as the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. This parable can be found in Matthew 25. So this is Jesus speaking, and he likens the kingdom of heaven to these ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom who is Jesus. So the bridegroom is delayed, which also we could go on a rabbit trail of all the things the Lord has revealed to me in that delay. But the virgins became drowsy, they fell asleep. At midnight, someone cries out, Here's the bridegroom, come out to meet him. The virgins wake up, they trim their lamps, but the foolish virgins ask the wise virgins for oil because their lamps have gone out. So the wise virgins are rewarded for being prepared, while the foolish virgins miss the bridegroom and then are disowned. Mm, that hurts. And you see in verse 11, these women are saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Assuredly I say to you, I do not know you. Y'all, I don't know about you, but I do not want to miss it. And I don't want y'all to miss this either. I don't want to be on the other side of that door knocking because I did not come prepared. So let's talk about being prepared. Now I was always the kid in class that did not come prepared. I was asking my classmate for pen and paper, asking to see their notes because I wasn't paying attention, and I know some of y'all can relate. Well, I don't want to be that kid anymore. I want my own pen and paper, I want my own oil, I want my own lamp. I want to have my survival pack ready and be prepared to get to heaven and sit with him on his throne. And let me tell you, nothing put the fear of the Lord in me more than when I read in Matthew chapter seven, where Jesus said, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many of you will say to me, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name? And then I will declare them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. He said Depart from me. Talk about fear of the Lord. Nothing made me want to have more reverence for the Lord than knowing that one day he could turn me away if I kept running from him on this side of heaven. Friends, I don't want you to miss the intimacy of knowing Jesus, truly knowing him, and allowing him to know you, getting to know him through his word, knowing his voice. You see, intimacy is abiding in him. Let's talk about what it means to abide in the Father. Jesus said in John 15, 5, I am the vine, you are the branches, whoever abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit. You see, fruit is not produced by effort, but in connection to the vine. The more we stay connected to the vine, we will bear the fruit that Jesus wants us to carry. Notice how he didn't say whoever tries hard, but whoever abides, because fruit is not the result of striving, but it is the result of staying, staying in the presence, staying in the secret place, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty, Psalm 91. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Thank you, Jesus. May we abide in you. And you see, abiding is a continual process, it's a constant thing. It's not just something that we get ready to do when we go to church and we um we're worshiping or reading the word, it's a constant, continual practice, a continual act of obedience to the Lord to abide in the vine and everything we do, emulating him in our character, in our conversations, in our conduct, readying our fruits to be displayed for the glory of the kingdom of heaven. So if you struggle with anxiety, or you struggle with anger and unforgiveness, or maybe you're lacking self-control and lacking that contentment that comes from Christ, you may need to evaluate your connection. It could be a connection issue to the vine. And maybe there's a delay in the spirit because you know we don't fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of this dark world. And so we have to push that back and we have to decree and declare the promises of God over our life. We have to stand firm and knowing our identity in Christ and press in, press in through those times, press through all of the obstacles that the enemy is trying to throw in your way to cause a delay from you getting connected to the vine, because it is that connection that will bring that true peace, that true fulfillment, that love of the Father. In Revelation 3 11, the Word of God says, Behold, I am coming quickly, hold fast to what you have, that no one may take your crown. And he who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Hallelujah. My friends, hold fast to what you have. Hold fast to your oil. You are an overcomer. The word goes on to say, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him. To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne. Praise the Lord. I don't know about you, but I want to be sitting with him on his throne. Jesus is offering you the opportunity to open the door and let him in so that when the time comes, he will grant you to sit with him on his throne. And all he's asking you to do is to fill your lamps with oil so that when you get to the door and you knock, you're the one knocking on the other side of heaven that he will let you in. He's knocking right now, my friends, at the door of your heart. If you've not let him in, I urge you to do so. Or maybe it's time for you to rededicate your life to the Lord. Maybe you have gotten to a place where things seem dry and desolate, and it's time to receive the oil again. It's time for that oil to flow freely in and through your life. Well, I'm going to pray for you all, but first to mention some practical ways to get that oil flowing. Get in your word, meditate upon the psalm, sing praises to the Lord, listen to your favorite worship song, set aside some time every day to just be with the Lord. And I understand sometimes our days get so busy and the hustle and bustle of shuffling kids around, going, you know, whatever we've got going on, we can keep ourselves super busy where we don't have time for the Lord. But it's up to us to be obedient, going back to that obedience and make time for the Lord. And sometimes that might look like in the car ride where you finally drop the kids off at school and you've only got about 10 or 15 minutes before you get to work. Let that be your time with the Lord. I encourage you to set aside more time than that with the Lord, but sometimes that can't happen on a daily basis. And that's understandable because we're busy, but we have to be careful not to get busy in the way of being burdened by Satan's yoke. Be intentional with your time. Be intentional with your relationship with the Father. Be intentional and abiding in the vine and getting in the secret place, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty, so that you can find refuge, so that you can find peace, so that you can restore and refresh your soul. And how do you do that? You get in the word. You allow him to pour his truth over you through the words in the pages that were written by God Himself, inspired by God Himself. Get to know the Lord through his word, meditate upon it, sit with it, soak in his presence. And sometimes that means setting everything else aside, getting into our quiet place, getting into our prayer closet, or whatever that looks like for you. Sometimes it's going to the car just to escape all the kids in the house. Sometimes that's taking a trip to the park and sitting in a quiet place. So I encourage you to sit before him, communicate with him, let him sing over you, let him speak to you, draw near to him, seek his face, and spend time in his presence. He is a good good father, and he gives good gifts to his children. You just have to ask. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened. He is a faithful God. So so faithful. Now I want to go to the Lord in prayer and intercede for you. Heavenly Father, we enter your courts with praise and thanksgiving. You are a good, good Father. And better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. So we want to soak in your presence. We want you to lavish your love upon us, Lord, and we don't want to miss it. We don't want to be those five virgins that were left out of the kingdom of heaven because they didn't have enough oil, Lord. We want to soak in your presence and receive the oil. We want to abide in the shadow of the Almighty, Lord. We want to abide in that vine and bear much fruit. Your word says that you withhold no good thing from those who walk up brightly, Lord, and we seek your righteousness. Your word also says that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled, so we're hungry today, Lord. We come to you ready to be filled. We are chasing after you, loving you with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul, and all of our strength, Father. Lord, apart from you we are nothing. Apart from you, this life is dry and desolate. Forgive us for going our own way, for trying to do things within our own power, Lord, and bring us back to a place of abiding in your presence. Oh Lord, we so desperately need you, and we ask for you to remove the grave clothes. The grave clothes have to come off in Jesus' name because we are clothed in righteousness, in joy, and grace, and peace, and mercy, and love. You give us joy for morning, Lord. May the oil of gladness pour out upon us, Lord, and fill us with a new joy. Lord, give us the discipline and the self-control to set aside that time every day so we can soak in your presence and we can fill our lamps, Father. We thank you that in you we lack nothing. There is nothing missing, nothing broken, because we are made whole and complete in you, Lord. You anoint our head with oil, our cup runs over, and goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our life. And we get to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And for that we praise you. We worship you, Father. You are a good, good Father, and you are true to your promises, which are yes and amen. And we stand on those promises today. We bless your holy name. Amen. Thank you for joining me on this episode of My Father's Business. As we strive to understand our divine purpose and align our lives with God's will, I encourage you to seek His face and His guidance in every step you take. May He bless you with clarity, strength, and a deeper understanding of your identity in Him. Until next time, remember you were created on purpose for a purpose. And it's time to rise up, live intentionally, and embrace the unique plan God has for you. God bless.