This week has been very interesting. I realized last Sunday that the date was 10-10-10. 10 is the number for government, and all week at prayer people have been talking about "the new administration." From what I'm seeing, "the new administration" means that the Holy Spirit is doing things differently than before. I had a conversation today with a lady on staff, and she was talking about how the counseling/inner healing/deliverance ministry was starting to look different. The old ways of doing things just didn't work the same, and the change was in a new reliance on the Holy Spirit to tell them what to minister about, rather than following a formula, or questionaaire.
This week I have had a number of powerful counseling type conversations with people that the Lord has brought to me. I never seek these things out, so sometimes I don't "minister" in that way for a long streach. But this week I had 4 significant conversations in one day. And then some others on the other days. The difference is noticeable. I can sense a change in my own life.
So, to the story of the Oil Spill. I came home from work today with my mind full of the interesting conversations I've been having. I had a crock pot of beans and sausage that had been cooking all day, and the plan was to make cornbread to go with it. I went into the pantry to get the flour and cornmeal, and as I lifted them down, I knocked a bottle of olive oil off the shelf. It fell and shattered on the tile floor right at my feet. Olive oil and glass shot like a cascade across the kitchen floor, with glass shards as far away as 15 feet. I had oil on my foot and shoe; it was everywhere. I stood there paralyzed saying "Oh no, oh no!" because the mess was so huge. I took a step and almost slipped. I didn't know where to begin.
William came to my rescue with his Beylik Oil experience, and began unrolling TP onto the biggest puddle of oil. I began sweeping up glass. But this required moving the table and chairs into the livingroom. Madeline vacuumed the carpet on both sides of the kitchen. There was oil all over the floor, and even after Will got it sopped up and swept, I still had to mop everything. And while I did that for 20 minutes with really hot water and soap, I had plenty of time to reflect.
Oil is prophetic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I was experiencing a sudden outpouring of the Spirit, and it was a mess. It ruined my timeframe for dinner. I had to do a major clean up that I wasn't planning to do. And it happened when the glass bottle broke. Throughout my growth process over the last 8 years, the Lord gave me a picture of myself as a bird in a glass bottle. The bottle was something that I had constructed to protect myself from pain. I could see out, but I couldn't hear or feel. I have done the work of breaking that glass bottle and coming out. But today a glass bottle broke in my kitchen, and oil poured out. It got on my feet, and messed up my plans. I was really mad to be doing that project right then.
I think that the Lord is speaking to me about His plans for my future. I've entered the "new administration." I'm going to see the Holy Spirit poured out in unexpected ways, and its going to be inconvenient and mess up my schedule. I think this is also a picture for the church in general at this time. God wants to do something new. The Holy Spirit is messy. He doesn't stay convenient for us. He challenges our basic beliefs about how things should be. But what else matters? After fighting through the cleanup, I had a cleaner kitchen. That's exactly how the Holy Spirit works. His ministry messes things up, and then rebuilds them without the false stuff there. So, its worth it! I say, Holy Spirit, do what you want!
