INTRODUCTION
There's a story in 2 Kings chapter 4 that will change the way you think about what God can do in your life. A widow comes to the prophet Elisha in desperate circumstances. Her husband has died. The creditors are coming. They're about to take her two sons as slaves to pay off the debt. She has nothing left. No money. No options. No way out.
And Elisha asks her a simple question: "What do you have in your house?"
She says, "Your servant has nothing there at all, except a small jar of olive oil."
Nothing at all. Except for a little oil.
And what happens next is one of the most powerful miracles in all of Scripture. Elisha tells her, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. Then go inside, shut the door behind you, and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side."
So she does it. She gathers the jars. She shuts the door. And she starts pouring. And the oil keeps flowing. One jar. Two jars. Three jars. Ten jars. Twenty jars. The oil doesn't stop. It keeps flowing and flowing and flowing until every jar in that house is full. And only then, only when there are no more jars left to fill, does the oil stop.
Church, I want you to hear me this morning: You can't stop the oil of God from flowing. When God decides to pour out His anointing, His blessing, His provision, His power on your life, nothing can stop it. Not your circumstances. Not your past. Not your failures. Not your limitations. Not even your enemies.
The only thing that limits God's oil in your life is the number of vessels you have ready to receive it.
Let's pray, and then I want to show you what happens when you position yourself for God's supernatural flow.
I. THE OIL FLOWS IN DESPERATE PLACES
Let's be honest about where this woman was. She wasn't in a good place. She wasn't on the mountaintop having a spiritual experience. She was in crisis. She was desperate. She was at the end of herself. Her husband was dead. Her sons were about to be taken as slaves. She had exhausted every option. She had nothing left.
Nothing at all. Except a little oil.
And here's what I need you to understand: God specializes in desperate places. The oil of God flows strongest when you've come to the end of yourself. When you've tried everything and nothing has worked. When you've exhausted your own resources and realized you have nothing left to give.
That's not the place where God gives up on you. That's the place where God shows up for you.
See, when you think you have it all figured out, when you think you can handle it on your own, when you're leaning on your own strength and your own wisdom and your own resources, you don't need God's oil. You're trying to do it yourself. But when you come to that desperate place, when you hit rock bottom, when you realize that without God you have nothing, that's when you're finally positioned to receive what God wants to pour into your life.
The widow came to Elisha with nothing. But she came. She didn't stay home and feel sorry for herself. She didn't give up. She didn't just accept her circumstances as final. She went to the man of God and said, "Help me. I have nothing left."
And Elisha didn't say, "Sorry, you should've planned better." He didn't say, "You should've saved more money." He didn't condemn her. He asked her a question that would change everything: "What do you have in your house?"
What do you have? Not what do you wish you had? Not what you used to have. Not what you think you should have. What do you have right now?
A little jar of oil. That's all. But it was enough. Because when you bring what you have to God, no matter how small it seems, no matter how insignificant it looks, God can multiply it. God can use it. God can make it more than enough.
Some of you are in a desperate place right now. The bills are piling up. The diagnosis came back, and it's not good. The relationship is falling apart. The future looks uncertain. You feel like you have nothing left. But I want to tell you what God told that widow through Elisha: What do you have?
You have a little faith. Bring it to God. You have a little hope. Bring it to God. You have a little strength left. Bring it to God. Because when you bring what you have to God in your desperate place, you're positioning yourself for the oil to flow. And once God's oil starts flowing, you can't stop it.
II. THE OIL FLOWS WHEN YOU PREPARE TO RECEIVE
Now watch what Elisha tells her to do next. "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few."
Don't ask for just a few. I love that. Elisha is telling her, "Don't limit what God wants to do. Don't play it safe. Don't ask for two or three jars just in case this doesn't work. Go get as many jars as you can find. Borrow from everyone you know. Gather every empty vessel you can get your hands on. Because the oil is going to flow, and the only limit on God's provision is going to be your capacity to receive it."
This widow had to make a decision. She could've said, "This is crazy. I'm desperate, and you want me to go around the neighborhood asking for empty jars? People are going to think I've lost my mind." But she didn't. She went. She asked. She gathered. She prepared to receive what God was about to do.
And here's the principle: You can't stop the oil of God from flowing, but you can limit how much you receive by the number of vessels you prepare.
If she had only gathered three jars, the oil would've filled three jars and stopped. If she had gathered ten jars, the oil would've filled ten jars and stopped. If she had gathered a hundred jars, the oil would've filled them all. The oil didn't stop because God ran out. The oil stopped because she ran out of jars.
Church, how many of us are limiting what God wants to do in our lives because we're not preparing to receive? How many of us are praying for a breakthrough but aren't getting ready for it? How many of us are asking God for more, but we're not making room for it?
You want God to bless your finances? Start managing what you have with integrity. Start tithing. Start being generous. Start preparing your life to handle an increase.
You want God to use you in ministry? Start serving where you are. Start being faithful in the small things. Start preparing yourself through prayer and the Word. Start getting the jars ready.
You want God to heal your relationships? Start forgiving. Start loving. Start doing your part. Start preparing your heart to receive what God wants to restore.
The widow had to go gather jars before the oil could flow. She had to prepare. She had to act in faith before she saw the miracle. And once she did, once those jars were in place, the oil started flowing, and it didn't stop.
Don't ask for just a few. Don't limit God. Don't play it safe. Get ready for God to do more than you can imagine. Prepare your life to receive. Make room for the blessing. Get the jars ready. Because when God's oil starts flowing, you can't stop it. The only question is: how much are you prepared to receive?
III. THE OIL FLOWS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Now notice what Elisha tells her next. "Go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons."
Shut the door. Why? Because some miracles happen in private. Some breakthroughs happen behind closed doors. Some anointing flows when it's just you and God, and nobody else is watching.
This wasn't a public miracle. This wasn't a show. This wasn't for the neighbors to see and applaud. This was intimate. This was personal. This was between the widow and God. She had to shut out the noise, the opinions, the doubters, and position herself to receive from God alone.
And here's what I've learned: the oil of God flows strongest in your secret place. When you shut the door, and it's just you and God. When you're not trying to impress anyone. When you're not performing for an audience. When it's just you pouring out your heart to Him and Him pouring out His anointing on you.
The world wants everything public. Social media has trained us to broadcast, share, and post everything. But some of what God is doing in your life doesn't need to be posted. Some of what God is speaking to you doesn't need to be shared. Some of the oil He's pouring into you needs to happen behind closed doors.
The widow shut the door. And then she started pouring. And the oil kept flowing. One jar. Two jars. Five jars. Ten jars. More and more and more. And her sons kept bringing her jars, and she kept pouring, and the oil kept flowing.
Can you imagine what that moment was like? The shock. The wonder. The supernatural provision of God manifests right there in that little room. This wasn't a natural process. This was God. This was the oil of His anointing, His blessing, His provision multiplying beyond all human explanation.
And it happened behind closed doors.
Some of you need to shut the door. You need to get along with God. You need to stop broadcasting your process and start focusing on your progress. You need to stop worrying about what everyone thinks and start positioning yourself to receive what God wants to give you.
Because the oil flows in the secret place. The oil flows when you shut out the distractions and focus on Him. The oil flows when you stop performing for people and start pouring out for God.
And here's what the widow discovered: when you position yourself in the secret place, when you shut the door and get alone with God, the oil doesn't just trickle. It flows. It multiplies. It exceeds your expectations. It goes beyond your limitations. It fills every vessel you've prepared.
IV. THE OIL STOPS ONLY WHEN YOU RUN OUT OF VESSELS
Now watch how the miracle ends. The Bible says in verse 6: "When all the jars were full, she said to her son, 'Bring me another one.' But he replied, 'There is not a jar left.' Then the oil stopped flowing."
The oil stopped flowing. Not because God ran out. Not because the miracle was over. Not because she had received enough. The oil stopped flowing because there were no more jars. She had filled every vessel she had prepared, and when there were no more empty jars to fill, the oil stopped.
Do you see it? The limitation wasn't on God's end. The limitation was on her end. God was ready to keep pouring. God was ready to keep providing. God was ready to keep blessing. But she had run out of capacity to receive.
And here's the word for somebody today: You can't stop the oil of God from flowing, but you can limit what you receive by your capacity to receive it.
If you prepare only one jar, God will fill it. If you prepare ten jars, God will fill ten jars. If you prepare a hundred jars, God will fill them. The oil will flow until you run out of vessels.
So the question isn't, "Is God willing to bless me?" The question is, "How much am I prepared to receive?"
Are you living small when God wants to give you more? Are you playing it safe when God wants you to step out in faith? Are you limiting your expectations when God wants to exceed them? Are you asking for just a few jars when God wants to fill a hundred?
The widow could've stopped after the first few jars. She could've said, "That's enough. That's more than I expected. That's good." But she didn't. She kept bringing jars. She kept pouring. She kept receiving. Until every single vessel was full.
And then she took all that oil and sold it. The Bible says she paid off her debt and had enough left over to live on. God didn't just give her enough to survive. He gave her enough to thrive. He gave her enough to pay what she owed and still have more left over. He gave her abundance.
But it only happened because she prepared to receive it. It only happened because she gathered the jars. It only happened because she positioned herself to be in the flow.
Church, God's oil is still flowing today. His anointing is still available. His provision is still supernatural. His blessing is still abundant. His power is still unlimited. The question is: are you prepared to receive it?
CLOSING: POSITION YOURSELF FOR THE FLOW
Let me bring this home. That widow came to Elisha with nothing. Nothing at all except a little jar of oil. But she brought what she had. She acted in faith. She prepared to receive. She shut the door and positioned herself for God's supernatural flow. And the oil kept flowing until every vessel was full.
You can't stop the oil of God from flowing. When God decides to pour out on your life, nothing can stop it. Not your circumstances. Not your past. Not your limitations. The only thing that can limit what you receive is your capacity to receive it.
So I'm asking you today: What vessels are you preparing? How are you positioning yourself for God's flow? Are you limiting God by asking for just a few, or are you getting ready for Him to do more than you can imagine?
Maybe you're in a desperate place like that widow was. You feel like you have nothing left. But I want you to ask yourself: What do I have? You have a little faith. You have a little hope. You have a little strength. Bring it to God. That's all He needs. That little jar of oil is enough for Him to start the miracle.
Maybe you've been playing it safe. Asking for just a few. Limiting your expectations. But God is saying, "Don't ask for just a few. Get ready for more. Prepare to receive. Make room for what I want to do."
Maybe you need to shut the door. You need to get along with God. You need to stop worrying about what everyone thinks and start focusing on what God is doing in your secret place. Because that's where the oil flows strongest.
And maybe you need to increase your capacity. Maybe you've been limiting what God wants to do because you haven't prepared to receive it. Get more jars. Expand your faith. Enlarge your vision. Get ready for God to do more.
Because I'm telling you, when God's oil starts flowing in your life, you can't stop it. And the only limit on what you receive is how much you're prepared to receive.
ALTAR CALL
How many of you are ready to position yourself for God's flow? How many of you are ready to stop limiting God and start preparing for more? How many of you are ready to bring your little jar of oil to Him and watch Him multiply it?
If that's you today, I want you to come. Come and say, "God, I'm positioning myself for Your flow. I'm preparing to receive. I'm not asking for just a few. I'm getting ready for you to do more than I can imagine. Pour out Your oil in my life. Let it flow until every vessel is full."
Let's pray.
"Father, thank You for the oil of Your anointing. Thank You that when You pour out, nothing can stop the flow. We position ourselves today to receive. We bring you what we have, even if it's just a little. We prepare our hearts, our minds, our lives to receive more. We shut the door and get along with you. We ask not for just a few, but for all that You want to give. Pour out Your oil on our lives. Fill every vessel we've prepared. Let Your blessing, Your provision, Your power, Your anointing flow until we overflow. In Jesus' name, Amen."
