Out of Oil: Are You Living Like There Is No God?

Meta Description: What does it mean to say "there is no God"? Not with your words—but with your life? A convicting message from Matthew 25 and Psalm 14. URL Slug: out-of-oil-spiritual-lesson-from-a-fool Featured Image: A close-up of an oil lamp with a dimming flame against a dark background, symbolizing readiness and the parable of the ten virgins.

What if the most dangerous thing you could say about God isn't something you say out loud — but something you say with your life every single day?

That question gripped me for ninety days before I ever stood up to preach this message. And I want to share what God taught me, because I believe it's for all of us.

The Fool Who Lives in All of Us

We begin in Psalm 14, and the words are sobering:

"The fool says in his heart, 'God does not exist.' They are corrupt. They do vile deeds. There is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. But all have turned away. All alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one." — Psalm 14:1–3

When I first read that passage in this season, I thought, What does that have to do with me? I believe in God. I serve God. I love God. But ten days later, the Spirit of the Lord began to convict me — every time I gave in to fear, to worry, to doubt, to negative thinking — He would say quietly: You're acting like the fool.

For ninety days, He said it. Sometimes six times in a single day. And I finally understood: you don't have to deny God with your mouth to deny Him with your life.

Five Ways We Say "There Is No God"

Here's what the Spirit showed me. We say, in effect, that there is no God in five very real ways:

1. By what we say and do. When we lose our composure, when we act out of character, when we treat people around us in ways that don't reflect Christ — we are telling everyone watching that God is not omnipresent. We act as though He cannot see us.

2. By where we go and what we participate in. The places we frequent and the things we engage in send a message to our families, our coworkers, and our communities. And here is something the Spirit made plain to me: you cannot get spiritual oil in secular places. Where we go says to the world that God is not omniscient — that He doesn't know, and neither do we.

3. By how we react in a crisis. The Lord told me something I needed to hear: Stop bracing yourself when hard things come. I want you to embrace it. When we panic, when we fall apart, when we have no peace in the storm, we are telling everyone around us that God is not omnipotent — that He doesn't have the power He says He has.

4. By how we respond when God says no. When we grumble and complain about unanswered prayers, we are saying that God is not sovereign — that He has no right to make decisions about our lives. But what we're really saying, underneath all of it, is: there is no God.

5. By how we are living. When our daily lives don't reflect what we say we believe, we are telling our families and neighbors one thing above all else: He is not coming back. And if He's not coming back, then what does it matter how we live?

Out of Oil — and Out of Order

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable that cuts right to the heart of this:

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible. When the foolish took their lamps, they didn't take olive oil with them. But the sensible ones took oil in their flasks with their lamps... When they had gone to buy some, the groom arrived. Then those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet and the door was shut." — Matthew 25:1–3, 10

Notice: the foolish virgins weren't strangers to the wedding. They were invited. They were present. They had lamps. They just had no oil.

And here is what breaks my heart: you cannot borrow salvation. When the foolish ones asked the wise ones to share their oil, the answer was no — not out of selfishness, but out of reality. There are some things that cannot be transferred. A relationship with Jesus Christ is one of them.

The Apostle Paul echoes this in Romans 3:10–12:

"As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become useless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.'"

The question Jesus is asking us — the question He was asking me for ninety days — is simply this: Are you ready?

He Knows Your Name

I want to close with something personal. Years ago, I had the remarkable privilege of sitting at the breakfast table of Dr. Billy Graham. He was in his 90s. There were only a few of us in the room. And when they brought books for him to sign, he said, "Don't bring me two books — bring me three. I want Elizabeth to have her own."

He had known me only a short time. But he knew my name.

The thought that stopped me — the thought that still stops me — is this: Can you imagine doing all of this, and having Jesus say, "I don't know you"?

Fifty years ago, I walked down an aisle and gave my life to the Lord. I walked it three times that year, because I wanted to be certain. And the Lord finally said to me, "Don't come up this aisle one more time. Sit down. Study my word. You will know me — and I will know you."

That is the invitation before all of us today.

Are you living in a way that says there is a God? By what you say. By what you do. By where you go. By how you react. By how you respond. By how you are living.

The doors are still open. And He knows your name.

If this message stirred something in you, I want to encourage you to watch the full sermon and share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you're asking yourself whether God truly knows your name — reach out to us. We would love to talk with you and pray with you.

Social Media Excerpt (Facebook/Instagram): You don't have to deny God with your mouth to deny Him with your life. For 90 days, the Spirit of God kept convicting me — every time I gave in to fear or doubt, He said, "You're acting like the fool." This Women's Day message from Matthew 25 and Psalm 14 is one I believe is for all of us. Read the full post and share it with someone who needs it. 🕯️

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