Outpour of Oil

There have been a consistent number of times that I have been called a trumpet, or a shofar. I understand these words to describe me as someone whose shout has a sound that signifies something; a wakeup call, a warning or victory. The shofar is found in the Bible in the Old and New Testament. It was utilized in various capacities. Shofars, or trumpets, are musical instruments that were played during High Holy days and feast days of Israel. It was an instrument of war to warn and call to arms the armies of Israel. The shofar was used by prophets to anoint the head of the Kings of Israel. When you read the accounts of King Saul and King David, you will read that the prophet Samuel anointed their heads by pouring a shofar of oil over them. 

As I was praying and asking the Lord what to write about, I saw the image of the oil in the shofar. A shofar is a ram’s horn which may be different lengths, yet a very important thing to remember is that they stink! Yes, it’s true! Many present-day church services have an expression of worship where shofars are blown during service. I have had many friends confirm that the shofars themselves have a smell. Now, add saliva to the mix and it can get pretty intense. This smell made me think of myself and how, if I am a shofar, perhaps I can have a propensity to stink. LOL! I know; follow me here because in my flesh, my deeds, words and thoughts smell like death. The friends who have shofars say that they clean and fragrance the shofar with oil to help with the smell. 

1 Samuel 16:13

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

From the scripture, we see that the anointing of the King carried authority from God. The oil that was poured out on them started the trajectory of their path. I was wondering if it was the ram’s horn or the oil that carried the authority? If you do a word study on oil, many times oil is referring to the Holy Spirit. Prophetically, oil is often referring to the Holy Spirit as well. It is therefore safe to conclude that God’s authority was symbolized in the oil. These anointings were a foreshadowing of the Holy Spirit landing on Jesus. 

Luke 4:17-19

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (the Messiah), because He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy), to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly].” 

As we read in scripture, Jesus walks into the synagogue and opens the scroll, reading from the prophet Isaiah declaring that the prophet’s words had come to pass. Following this pattern of thought, I then considered what authority is inside of me in relation to the words spoken about me being a shofar. Who am I speaking over, letting the oil spill forth from me? Am I raising up kings of the Kingdom? The word says in Revelation that we are a kingdom of kings and priests to our God.

Revelation 1:6 

And formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects], priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

So, then I ask myself; What role do I have in the building up of the kingdom of God? What words, declarations and decrees do I have in my mouth that can affect the change in a person’s life that will radically transform them to walk in their God-given calling and appointment? Oh, let me tell you, my friends, I am stirred as I write this because there is truly the power of life and death in this vessel. I want to blow the trumpet for LIFE! How do I do that? I have to be full of oil to let His word pour forth out of me. I believe just saying the very name of Jesus can have power. I just need to be aware and discerning, so as to call on His name in any situation around me. 

Song of Solomon 1:3 

The aroma of your oils is fragrant and pleasing. Your name is perfume poured out; Therefore the maidens love you.

While I was a student in Trumpets of Tirzah, I had a situation where family members got into an altercation in the parking lot of a restaurant. A boy came running in looking scared, telling me that one of my nieces was in a fight. I didn’t understand it was with an outsider. I thought something had happened within the family. I went out and found my niece yelling in the face of a man that other family members were holding in a headlock. This young girl was fiercely charging at him. I came and stood in front of her and just kept saying, “Jesus, Jesus.” I repeated His name over and over again until I woke up with someone holding my head and telling me I would be okay. Unbeknownst to me, the family members let the man go with the understanding he would get in his car and drive away.  Instead, he decided to take a swing (at my niece, I assume) but whacked me upside the head. My husband said I woke up with oil flowing out of me. The Holy Spirit was praying through me, and the paramedics looked at my husband and asked, “How long has she been talking like that?” to which my husband replied, “She’s praying.” They took me to the hospital, and I went home 2 hours later with nothing missing, nothing broken, though I did have a concussion. 

I went to church that Sunday, shouting and praising God. I was alive. That night, my spirit was trumpeting as the Holy Spirit was praying life over me, and I was able to testify of how He protected me when I called on the name of Jesus. Now, some of you are saying, “But you got hit.” Please understand, these family members were the type to have gone to jail, especially when it came to their baby girl. In retrospect, I may have been sounding an alarm. I’m saved, and if I had died that night, my hope was secure. This is not so with these family members. God knew what He was allowing in my life. I was radically changed after this incident. God broke off the fear of man because I died that night to myself. He raised me up as another woman. He anointed my head with oil so that my cup would run over (Psalm 23). I was promoted in ministry soon after to be the Woman’s Leader at my church. Oil is costly, my friends. I didn’t say having my shofar full of oil was going to be easy. But now I am in the position where I am pouring out this oil and speaking life over the women in my church. I have the opportunity to raise them up as kings and priests in the Kingdom of God. 

John 12:3

Then Mary took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

The examples in the Bible where oil is talked about, like with Mary anointing Jesus or the oil made for temple worship, show how expensive and distinct the oil is. All our lives we are to carry this precious oil, and it is not to run out. It is our responsibility to pursue God and He takes care of filling us up, like the widow and the prophet Elijah. She put God’s kingdom first before even her own needs, and God took care of refilling her oil over and over again, even in the midst of a famine. We need to be on the lookout for these opportunities to pour into those who the Lord is raising up, those who the Lord is anointing with His Oil. We have been given a sphere of influence and we need to step into that authority to propel the Kingdom of God forward by speaking out and speaking into a situation. 

Reflection:

Do you know what your purpose is and what God is asking you to do with the oil that you carry? Did it ever occur to you to pour it out over someone’s head by praying and declaring life and calling over them? What prevents you from exercising your authority in the Kingdom to call forth the people in your life that you know God is marking and raising up for this hour? 

Activation: 

Go on the internet and print out pictures of different shofars. There are many varieties, so print out different ones. Paste them on a piece of paper with someone’s name that the Lord is highlighting to you. Maybe God is equipping them as a teacher or evangelist, or a nurse or bus driver and they need the oil of your life to be poured over them with prayers that will propel them into God’s calling on their life. Maybe it is your son or daughter or your spouse who is needing direction and you want to declare life over them. Have fun with the Holy Spirit as He shows you who to write down and use it as a prayer tool.

Let's Pray:

Jesus, Your name is so fragrant, it is oil poured forth into my life. I have not been the same since you came into my life and filled me with the promised Holy Spirit. The oil of Your presence, Oh God, in my life has made all the difference, and I want to share this with those around me. Use me to build up Your Kingdom and to call forth the kings and priests to worship you. Direct me to whom You want me to speak life to and who I am to pour out Your oil on.

In Your beautiful name, I pray. Amen.