Originally published July 2013.
Just in case you wondered, you are not God. If you don’t believe me, ask your spouse. Neither are there little pieces of God scattered throughout the universe.
Splendor. Beauty. Expanse. As amazing as that rock formation is, God created it; He doesn’t reside in it.
Magical. Breathtaking. Spectacular. As rightly awed as you may be by the beauty of the night sky, remember, God spoke the stars and planets into existence; and when He did, He didn’t leave a part of Himself behind. God isn’t there. Though, if you watch carefully, you may find His glory being proclaimed (Psalm 19:1).
Powerful. Amazing. Soothing. Yes. But, the God of the Universe does not mystically linger in your little bottle of essential oil or incense. I don’t care what the name on the label says. If you’ve been freaking out about that, you’re missing the point.
God spoke herbs and essential oils into existence at Creation when He formed the plants, trees, flowers, and shrubs and gave them to man (Genesis 1:29), but they are gifts given for our service (Psalm 104:14; Ezekiel 47:12). Good gifts. Just, don’t look for God there. Instead, open your Bible.
You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all… (Nehemiah 9:6)
Many Christians have inadvertently relinquished their rights to God’s good gift of natural health, a gift that encourages the body to do what He designed it to do. In fact, God gave us our immune system as a gracious tool, and the plants He gave us at Creation are designed to complement and nurture it.
The vitamins and minerals, enzymes, amino acids, proteins, essential oils, and millions of other intricate necessities infused into
the plants and trees are not there by accident! They were weaved into Creation by a loving Father for the purpose of serving His children.
“Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:12
Remember, all of these things work together to provide nourishment to our bodies, which keep all of our body systems, including our immune system, running like well-oiled machines.
Ironically, many false religions embrace the gift, but reject the Gift-Giver. Or, they try to turn the gift into the Gift-Giver. Christians, on the other hand, rightly embrace the Gift-Giver; but they too often, tragically, devalue His gifts by placing them below man’s wisdom in worth and authority. In other words, they pridefully snub the Gift-Giver’s gifts and become wise in their own eyes. Both are wrong.
Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. (Jeremiah 17:5)
Arrogant. Futile. Anemic. The gift of natural foods and remedies was given to us by God for an ultimate purpose, therefore they’re good and useful, and will serve us well when used properly and with thanksgiving. But, if we don’t reclaim this territory for Jesus—if we continue to eat empty, toxic foods and blindly trust in large, powerful medical corporations to be our “miracle makers,” we will become weaker and sicker and find ourselves utterly unable to fulfill our calling.
Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign. (2 Chronicles 16:12–13)
Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.” (Judges 10:14)
When we must seek help from doctors (and there are times when this too is a huge gift of God), we also can’t forget that all healing ultimately comes from the Great Physician, so we should always cry out to Him. When my daughter fell headfirst out of a tree onto a boulder, we rushed her to the emergency room, but we prayed the entire way there! In fact, the first words out of my mouth were cries to my God!
This is one reason that, when we anoint ourselves with essential oils, we pray and ask God to answer our supplications (James 5:14). Faith, obedience, and prayer are crucial.
Whether God wants us to anoint ourselves with oils while we pray or even dip ourselves in the Jordan seven times (2 Kings 5:10; John 9:6,7), why not?
And in this case, anointing the sick and downcast with oil is found throughout Scripture. Unfortunately, I think it’s the tendency of our wandering hearts to put our hope and trust in anything but God.
So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. (Jeremiah 3:9)
We often trust in the Internet, in doctors, in influencers, in pharmaceutical companies, in immunizations, in chemo, and even in created things—gifts intended for our good, but used in a sinful way. Some of us even put an idolatrous trust in essential oils! Any good thing can become an idol if we’re not careful!
James wrote in his epistle that if someone has a need, we should call the elders of the church to anoint them with oil and pray! Scripture is clear that God hears and answers simple prayers of faith!
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up…” James 5:14-15
God is the ultimate Provider. In Genesis 22:14, He is called Jehovah Jireh, which is Hebrew for “the Lord will provide.” He is also called Jehovah Rapha, which means God is our healer. When we sing the doxology, we “praise God from whom all blessings flow.” In James 1:17 we’re reminded that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.”
We need to stop living like we believe that God’s good gifts to us belong to mystics. Praise God for what He has given us; live like you believe in God’s graciousness; study and learn how to make His gifts useful for yourself and your family (physically and emotionally). And glorify Him by using them with a thankful heart to strengthen and edify His people, and to further the Gospel.
If Christians would do this, the world would stop associating God’s natural gifts with mysticism, and they would begin to see the power, provision, and graciousness of a loving and creative God. Choose to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.
I’m here to help.
This Post Has 15 Comments
This is an excellent post! While we marvel at the good gifts we’ve been given let us not forget The Giver! Thanks for this timely reminder!
Awesome, relevant info. That is Much needed in regards to essential oils!
Beautifully and accurately stated. Thank you for the bold proclamation of truth. May God be glorified in all his children do and all we say.
May you be blessed abundantly ~
A very good article. Thanks for taking the time to write it. Too many times “alternative” or “old age” medicines are attributed to “new age” concepts and beliefs, especially by Christianity. It’s time Christianity begins to believe in the healing power of their Creator instead of trusting in pharmaceuticals and those that pedal them; and it’s time that Christianity returns to its roots, realizing that these healing oils and the healing our Creator delivers through them are not “new age” concepts, but rather “old age” healing that really, truly works. Thanks again.
This is perhaps the best article I’ve ever read on this topic. Thank you! God is the creator: He is God and we are not! He created everything we need for life and godliness…but these awesome things…the plants, trees, flowers…are not Him, but His gift to us – for our healing and enjoyment. I have been dismayed that the “new age” has hijacked the blessings of His creation – just another counterfeit of the evil one. Thank you for making it crystal clear! Praise God for you and your testimony!
Excellent blog post. It’s useful information.
I’m not sure I understand–If Asa was wrong to look to the physicians, but we’d be right to look to essential oils, what was it that his physicians used to try to heal him? Did his physicians not have oils and balms to use on Asa’s feet? And surely Asa, as king, would have the resources to find the very best oils and balms–even therapeutic grade ones.
If they had oils and balms to use in their practice, what is the difference between using essential oils upon your advice, vs. Asa using them on the advice of his physicians? Are you not acting as a physician–giving remedies for physical and mental problems?
Hi Jeff,
I think you’re missing the point. We need to acknowledge that all healing comes from God. If we put our trust in doctors, medicines, essential oils, herbs, chemo, narcotics, whatever, then we are putting man’s wisdom above God’s.
We need to pray and seek God’s wisdom through whatever means of healing He provides. I would submit that pharmaceuticals don’t “heal.” They may slow down certain diseases by killing whatever is attacking the body, but they often cause more harm than good. They may numb the pain, but they seldom get to the root of what’s causing the pain – and again, they often come with deadly side effects. They usually treat the symptom and not the problem. It is our tendency to go for the quick and easy fix.
I believe there is a time to pursue allopathic means – especially in an emergency. However, if I’m going to pursue complete, long-term healing, I’m going to pray and pursue a more natural route – one more in line with what God provided at Creation, and one without horrific side effects.
Thanks for such a quick answer.
I hope I don’t try your patience, but how do we know if we are putting our trust in God’s wisdom instead of man’s? Praying helps, but would God ever point us to pharmaceuticals? your point about pharmaceuticals not healing suggests that you think the essential oils you speak of are more likely to get to the root of the problem than pharmaceuticals. And that they are more natural.
Is God’s wisdom always the most natural solution? In the garden the more “natural” solution was to cover themselves with fig leaves, but God provided skins.
Seems like snake venom, which is used in a variety of pharmaceuticals, is pretty natural–but it could also cause some pretty serious side effects.
Alcohol is pretty natural, but has some rather serious side effects–including death in some cases.
Apparently some essential oils have rather serious side effects, since there are warnings not to ingest some of them. Is it the extraction process that makes them more in keeping with God’s wisdom?
Hi —
I read your article and totally respect your viewpoint, but I have a different perspective. I am also a Christian and believe that maximum healing is possible when we acknowledge God and his ability to transform us, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
That being said, I am also an energy healer and felt led to be in this field by none other than God. When I have prayed for my healing gifts to increase, they have.
I see auras (as do many other people), sense chakras, and work with a variety of energy modalities. I don’t in any way see a conflict between this and my Christian beliefs.
I also believe that the light of Christ is in all of Creation, and therefore in each of us, in plants, and in natural medicines. This doesn’t mean I worship nature.
Anyways, my 2 cents …
=)
Julie, I am sorry. But that is not Christianity. If you’d like to discuss it further, please feel free to write me privately.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6
Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” Ephesians 5:14
Hi Stacy!
Well said, and also your answers to questions and other ways of thinking.
Mary
I’ve been using oils for a short time now, and I do believe they have physically helped our family. However I’ve recently read YL founder Gary Young’s blog about using oils for forgiveness, enhancing spirituality, finding your inner child and more. Specifically *** a YL corporate post set off huge warning bells when it comes to placing your faith in anything but the power of Christ. How does one reconcile the company’s promotion and sale of these oils with personally selling these things as a believer, knowing that the profits continue to fund a company that promotes new age and eastern mysticism. I am struggling with this because I enjoy the oils but feel like I’m funding anti-Biblical purposes.
Here is our official response to your question:
A Christian Perspective on Essential Oils
Some of you may be familiar with or wondered about the varying opinions out there on how we as Christians should or shouldn’t interact with secular companies, either as employees, as customers, or, in our case, as independent distributors.
I’ve often wondered about the moral dilemma a Christian might face who works in a grocery or drugstore and may be required to ring someone up at the register with a porn magazine, or worse, with a prescription for an abortion pill. To me, that would be a far bigger deal. Thankfully, I’m not in that position.
However, we do distribute essential oils for a secular company – a company with the best essential oils on the planet, but also a company who sometimes words things in ways with which we, as Christians, can’t agree.
Young Living is not a “Christian” company, but they do allow for “companies within companies;” which means they give us, as independent distributors, the freedom to run our businesses in whatever way we choose. So, The Common Scents Mom can be distinctly Christian and supply our customers with our own literature, videos, Facebook discussion groups, seminars, or whatever else we choose to do – allowing YL to supply the products and resources we need.
An MLM (multi-level marketing company) is simply a company who, instead of paying high priced marketing executives to get the product into the hands of customers, considers their customers their best marketing resource, and pays them instead. It’s all based on word of mouth and referrals. And, once a customer is on our team, they look to us for support, not to Young Living directly.
As a busy homeschool mom, it’s the only way I would have the time run a home business, and it has been a HUGE blessing to our family and many others. I don’t have to make anything, purchase products for others, ship anything, do any book keeping, or sell anything. I get to do the fun part: use the oils and tell people about them.
At this time, Young Living supplies the purest and most therapeutically effective essential oils on the planet. There are other essential oil companies out there, and some are even run by Christians, but most of them are just brokers – they don’t grow and distill all their own oils (and even if they were to do so, there is a lot of expertise that goes into it – expertise that only a hand full of people have). They’re purchasing their oils from outside sources and bottling and labeling them to sell. And, sadly, many are cut with synthetic chemicals and extenders. They are not the same. Before using an essential oil on my children, I need a company whose product I totally trust.
And yes, I have researched this in depth. I’ve been to YL’s farms, I’ve watched the distillation process in person, I’ve seen Gary’s obsession with purity and efficacy. It’s real.
Yes, I wish their literature was all distinctly Christian and that they didn’t get caught up in the popular verbiage of mainstream natural health (which is highly influenced by the New Age). But personally, I believe it is our call to take dominion in this area. And I believe that we can and should do it through Young Living. Why shouldn’t God’s people have access to the best? And, yes, they truly ARE the very best.
It is also my prayer that our Common Scents team will be an effective tool that God uses to convert many precious lives into God’s Kingdom through our witness within Young Living and without. I think THIS is a lot more powerful than a few paragraphs of silly verbiage in a catalog. We are already seeing so many opportunities for this.
Our team is at the Silver Retreat in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho as we speak. They are there right now with Mary and Gary Young and other YL distributors, visiting the farm, enjoying the resort, fellowshipping, and making a mark there with their godly testimonies. We are praying they will have many opportunities while there to influence those in their midst for God’s glory
Amen! That was very well said! Thank you! ?
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