“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins…And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. BUT THE WISE TOOK OIL IN THEIR VESSELS WITH THEIR LAMPS” (Matthew 25:1-2, 4).

There are principles for carrying extra oil as we saw in our opening text. GOD WILL ALWAYS GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO PREPARE FOR WHAT IS AHEAD. It is what you do with that opportunity that would later define your reality. YOU ARE NOT LIKELY TO FACE A SITUATION THAT GOD WOULD NOT HAVE GIVEN YOU AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO PREPARE FOR. THE PROBLEM IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE PLAY TRUANT IN THE SCHOOL OF PREPARATION.

You need to go beyond just being holy, you need to be wise. PURSUE WISDOM AS MUCH AS YOU PURSUE HOLINESS. HOLINESS IS NOT THE PRINCIPAL THING, WISDOM IS (Proverbs 4:7). The right pursuit of Holiness should incorporate a life of Wisdom. What differentiated the wise virgins from the foolish virgins was not their holiness but their wisdom. ULTIMATELY, WISDOM WILL DISTINGUISH YOU IN LIFE, NOT HOLINESS (Proverbs 4:7, Isaiah 33:6). Wisdom here talks about gathering knowledge and facts, AND MAKING QUALITY DECISIONS BASED ON THEM.

DON’T FEIGN IGNORANCE IF YOU WANT TO SUCCEED IN LIFE. The foolish virgins actually knew where oil was being sold, they only refused to buy. IT’S AMAZING HOW PEOPLE KNOW WHAT TO DO TO SUCCEED BUT DELIBERATELY IGNORE IT. You don’t look for extra oil at the time of emergency, it must have been acquired before emergencies. YOUR REFUSAL TO BUY WISDOM IS AN AUTOMATIC SUBSCRIPTION TO FOOLISH (Proverbs 23:23).

Extra oil is personal. NOBODY CAN DO FOR YOU WHAT YOU SHOULD DO FOR YOURSELF. The wise virgins made a profound statement in Matthew 25:9b; “…but go rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves”. That is it! Everyone has to gather enough for themselves. YOU CANNOT CONTINUE TO LIVE ON ANOTHER PERSON’S PREPARATION AND RESPONSIBILITY. The best anyone can do for you is to help you to prepare, to gather what life and destiny require.

STOP HAVING AN ENTITLEMENT MINDSET. NOBODY IS SUCCEEDING OR HAS SUCCEEDED BECAUSE OF YOU. Stop living a life of irresponsibility because of another person’s sense of responsibility. Be the responsible. Be the successful. Be the saviour. YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR DESTINY IN YOUR OWN HANDS. You need to go to those who sell and buy for yourself (Matthew 25:9b).