Joel 1:10
“The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.”
The verse above shows us the sad condition that Joel finds Israel to be in. The field was wasted and grown over. Weeds controlled the fields where crops once grew. Only thorns infested the fields where sweet grapes used to grow. Weeping and mourning filled the land where once the land was filled with joy. Vacancy replaced the homes where children used to play. What a sad condition of a land that once was the epitome of God’s blessings.
What is the reason for this land being desolate and filled with mourning and waste? It says that the “new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.” The reason is that God’s presence was gone. Sin had taken the place of God, and God’s Holy Spirit quietly moved on. It is sad that a place that could have been filled with the power of God and His blessings was replaced with vacancy, waste and mourning.
Sadly, this commentary can be said about many churches today. Churches where the power of God once used to be evident are now dead, empty and powerless. Churches where souls used to be saved and baptized on a weekly basis have now become places where the baptistries are empty and the lost soul never darkens the door. Churches where the mourners bench was commonplace is now a place where altars are never used. What a sad commentary of many churches today!
Moreover, many preachers who once used to enjoy the power of God have now substituted that same power with charisma and swelling words. Preachers whose preaching once used to bring conviction now lulls the hearer to sleep. Preachers who once used to be the John the Baptist of their day have now become preachers who tickle the ears of their hearers and don’t see the changed lives they once used to enjoy.
Furthermore, many Christians who once were used mightily of God have become bench warmers in church. There are Christians who once used to be the ones responsible for filling a bus every week have become a Christian who is the first to fill the doorway of the church at the benediction. Christians who once used to teach behind podiums in Sunday school classes are now filling the back row of the church and soon to be the Christian filling the couch on Sundays.
What is the reason for the decline in the churches, preachers and lives of Christians? It can be plainly placed on the fact that these have lost the power of God. Where the oil of the Holy Spirit once used to be fresh on a daily basis has become oil that languishes and lost its power. The oil of God’s Holy Spirit that use to produce the sweet fragrance of His power in the life of many Christians and preachers has now become an oil that has no fragrance. The oil of the Holy Spirit’s power that once use to be the balm of Gilead to heal the hurt caused by sin is now become an oil that has no potency to stop the itch from a mosquito bite.
Christian, the problem is not that the Holy Spirit has lost His power, the problem is that Christians are not begging for His power anymore. When is the last time you begged the Holy Spirit to give you a fresh anointing in your life? When is the last time you begged for fresh oil? Don’t let the oil languish in your life. What once used to be can still be if you will spend the time getting the fresh oil of God’s Holy Spirit upon your life. Whatever you do, don’t let the oil languish in your life.