Low Oil: Ep. 1: When the Lamp Flickers: Avoiding Spiritual Burnout

0:10 Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you on your drive to work, while you're getting ready in the morning, or even in those quiet moments before prayer. Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go. Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer. The prayer of Jabez, oh, that you will bless me indeed and enlarge my territory. Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

0:55 Father God, we come before you this day asking that you will indeed bless us, not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming. Enlarge our territory, Lord. Expand our capacity, our mindset, and our ability to receive what you have for us. Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make. And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, that we may walk in peace and not in pain. And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, Hear us now.

1:35 Your word says that you granted his request. And we believe that you are the same God today. So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people. Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word. In Jesus' name, amen. Hello and welcome back to Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host Connie Morris and we're on day one of our new series, Low Oil Warning.

2:21 And today's title is titled Low Oil Warning, Recognizing the Signs Before the Breakdown. Our anchor scripture is found in Matthew 25. Verse 1 and verse 8. It reads, Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. So each of the ten virgins went forth to meet the bridegroom. Verse 8 tells us, And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps have gone out. Jesus gives this parable to describe the kingdom, and not the world. This means that this is about people who are already connected, already aware, and already in position.

3:06 All ten virgins had lamps, all had oil at some point, and they all were waiting for the bridegroom. There was no visible difference at the beginning. This is important because spiritual decline rarely shows on the outside immediately. At first, everyone looks the same. They speak in the same. Some even dress the same. Same participation, same activity. But time exposes what preparation hides. The distinction came down to one thing, oil supply. The wise brought extra, the fools did not. The fools were not rejected because they had no lamp. They were not excluded because they were unaware.

3:48 They were unprepared because they had not enough oil to sustain them when the delay came. Verse 5 tells us that while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. Even the wise rested. This means that the issue was not about sleep or resting. The issue was not even about the delay. The issue was what they had when the moment came. When the call went out, behold, the bridegroom coming. There was no time to prepare. And that is when the problem surfaced. Our limbs are gone out. Notice, it didn't say that they never had any oil. It says that they ran out.

4:30 God gives us a preparation time to prepare for his coming. He tells us to be filled, keep being filled. You even notice that he tells you to be the wise, always being prepared. Because when there's a delay, you don't want to run out of oil. Psalms 23 tells us, my cup runs over. So that means when your Lord is your shepherd, that he keeps you full. He keeps you full to the brim. I want to, you know, I want to read that because we skim over too many scriptures. And this one's powerful because he's telling us, I got you covered. So Psalms 23, I want to read all of it. It says, the Lord is my shepherd. I should not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures.

5:12 He leadeth me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, but thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff comforts me. Here go the main scripture. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointed my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Six, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. God gives us more than enough.

5:54 We shouldn't have to run out. We shouldn't have the oil light on. I want to go to Proverbs 4, chapter 4, verse 23. It says, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the issue. Of life. Both of these tells us that God designed us as not just for survival, not barely getting by. He gives us an abundance. But when we don't have that abundance, the issue of our life, our responses, our decisions, our emotions flow from an inner condition. When insight runs low, everything connected to it is affected. And our foundational scripture is found in Ephesians 5. So come with me, go with me there. Ephesians 5, verse 18.

6:37 I've been reading a brief, a little synopsis of it, but I want to read it all. Ephesians 5, verse 18. It says, let's go with 17 first. Let's go with 16. It's all good. Redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, where it in excess will be filled with the Spirit. Verse 19, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and make melody in your heart to the Lord. 20, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7:18 21, submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. So being filled with the Spirit, what does that sound like? You're singing hymns and spiritual songs, making melodies in your heart to God. You ever see, I know sometimes you think people are talking to themselves, but you ever get a song on your heart and you keep singing it over and over and over and over again, and you just can't stop singing it. And no matter where you're at in your car, in a grocery store, shopping at the mall. Washing your car, cleaning your house, that song is set in your heart and you sing it over and over and over. And you don't even know why. This song is just set. It wants to play, like put on repeat.

8:02 And that is continually to be filled with the Spirit, right? We don't have to be super spiritual. We always have to stay in a state of worshiping the Lord. But remember this, you don't have to be empty to be in danger. You have to be running low. The foolish version did not fail because they were disconnected. They failed because they were unprepared for the duration. They had enough oil for the moment, but not enough oil for the delay. And this is where many believers struggle. They have enough oil to start, but not enough oil to sustain. Real talk. This is what it looks like when you're running low in real life. You're still functioning, but everything feels heavier.

8:45 Small things irritate you the more than they should. You make decisions, but lack clarity. You're present, but not engaging. You're completely disconnected from God, but you're also not flowing in the ways you used to. So you're not connected, you're not spiritually disconnected, but there is a disconnect. You know what I'm saying? And then you're not the same person. Instead of stopping your refill, you push through. You keep going. You keep producing. You keep showing up. But internally, there's friction. Just like an engine running low on oil, it doesn't stop immediately. It keeps moving while the damage quietly increases.

9:27 Running low is dangerous because it feels manageable. There is still enough function to ignore the warning. But the longer it's ignored, the more costly it will become. I want to show you, I want to tell you, how do you restore the flow? Number one. So you want to acknowledge where you are honestly, honestly. And you're always good to be real with yourself. Where am I? Honestly. Let's go to Psalms 51 verse 6. It tells us, Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou should make me to know wisdom. So God says in the scripture, like this is probably David's prayer. This is David's prayer.

10:10 He desires to know truth in the inward parts. and the hidden parts. Thou shall make known wisdom. God does not respond to performance. He responds to honesty. Restoration begins when you stop pretending you are full. So number one, acknowledge where you are honestly. So if you're empty, then say, Lord, I'm empty. Fill me. If you're halfway full, you got to find a way to keep being filled so you don't get halfway anymore. And if you're on full, stay full. What are you doing to stay full? That's not an opportunity to brag or boast, it's an opportunity to take all that power and help somebody else out. Let's go to Matthew 11, 28.

10:52 Second point is stop functioning without refilling. And that's 11, 28. And it tells us here, it says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Jesus did not say push through. He said, come. Rest is not inactivity, it is connection. God says, come. I love that. He says, come unto me. And then we're going to go to point three, make space for God before responsibility. And this psalm is in Psalms 46, verse 10. It's one of my favorite scriptures. And it reads, Be still and know that I am God.

11:34 I will be exalted among the heathens. I will be exalted on the earth. Understanding that stillness is not a waste of time. It's where your strength is restored and your flow is renewed. Let's decree these things. I will not ignore the warning signs in my life. I recognize when I am running low and I respond with intention. I am not sustained by my effort. I am sustained by the Spirit of God. My life will not function in depletion. I will walk in the fullness and the overflow. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you for revealing what I could not see. I repent for continuing to function while running low, for ignoring the signs, and for relying on my own strength.

12:21 Restore my awareness. Restore my function. Restore my hunger. Restore my discipline to come back to you. Teach me to recognize when I need to be filled again and give me the wisdom to respond immediately. I will not wait until I'm empty. I will stay connected, filled, and sustained by you. In Jesus' name, amen. A heart check. This is something you ask yourself. And it says, am I functioning from overflow or from depletion? What signs in my life indicate that I may be running low? Before starting your day, you should pause. Not to ask for anything, but to reconnect. And I just imagine simply if you unplug before you go to bed, right? Get up in the morning and plug back into Jesus.

13:08 Because the goal is not just to start full, it's to stay full. This is your host, Connie Morris. And this is a Diary of a Black Woman podcast. And our next episode is going to be titled, Where Is It Leaking? Identify what is draining you. I'll see you on our new episode, Low Oil Warning. Until then, goodbye. Goodbye. Family, thank you for spending time with me today.

13:48 To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked, or pushed aside, hear me clearly. God has not forgotten you, and neither have I. Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God. Because someone out there needs this reminder today. Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then when you call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you, you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

14:34 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity. Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us. You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts. When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us. When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden, remind us you are still working. Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen. So we call on you now. Hear us.

15:17 Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart, not halfway, not sometimes, but fully. And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place. Even the hidden one. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken, and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand. Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen. This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris, and I'll see you on the next episode.