Borrow Many Empty Vessels

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

She was instructed to borrow vessels, specifically empty vessels. Why was she instructed to borrow empty vessels and many empty vessels? The empty vessels were the instruments for packaging the oil which she did not even own then. She could not have owned them because all she had was a jar of oil so she did not even need the vessels then. She had little oil but that same little oil was about to multiply and compound into an oil factory that would produce and package oil for sales, money making, freedom from debt and financial freedom.

Borrow empty vessels. She was asked to borrow the empty vessels because she could not afford them and they were a much needed requirement that would help propel her and her two sons into financial freedom. The empty vessels were required to package the oil and significantly the presence, absence as well as the quantity of empty vessels determined the scope of multiplication and compounding – no empty vessels, no overflow for multiplication and compounding. Remember that the oil stopped flowing when the borrowed empty vessels were filled up (verses 3 to 6).

So she went around her neighbours and everywhere and borrowed many empty vessels – wherever you can get the required platforms to create, to produce what you need to produce at no cost to you. The divine deposits of God in you will multiply and compound beyond your wildest imagination if you have many empty vessels. 

Engage in Wealth Creating Activities

 Written by Uyoyou Charles-Iyoha

To make money and create wealth, you have to engage in an income generating activity.  Lydia was a business woman who sold purple – Acts Chapter 16 verse 14. The virtuous woman of Proverbs Chapter 31 verses 10 to 31 was a business woman – knitting and sewing, designing gowns and sweaters for sale. She also invested in agriculture. The widow of the indebted prophet was a business woman – she sold oil and became debt free, 2^nd Kings Chapter 4 verses 1 to 7. Aquila was a tentmaker and worked with her husband. At some point, the Apostle Paul joined them – Acts Chapter 18 verses 1 to 3.

Preachers and teachers are also engaged in the tasks of money making through the knowledge they share. That is why the Bible says that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. Acts Chapter 9 verses 1 to 14.

In every instance of financial lack, insufficiency, and indebtedness in the Bible, the recourse was always on how to access financial resources either through paid employment (hiring your time, skills and expertise out for money as in the case of the prodigal son (Luke Chapter 15 verses 11 to 19); production and sales of products as in the case of the indebted prophet’s widow (2^nd Kings Chapter 4 verses 1 to 7); and engagement in  a trade as in the case of Peter who went fishing to get the required tax money.

In all of these instances, we find people engaging in income generating activities to raise the required financial resources. None went begging or borrowing or stealing. They engaged in economic activities. They also were not instructed to give away their financial lack, insufficiency or indebtedness by either begging or borrowing to give in order to receive a hundred fold return. They also did not mope around to say they were trusting God, pray against the enemies of their financial resources, divine as to who or what was responsible for their financial lack, insufficiency and indebtedness. They simply went in search of the money by engaging in income generating activities.

Decisions Decide Wealth 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Borrowing is often a symptom of impatience and impatience usually births hasty actions such as borrowing at high interest rates. As much as possible, always seek the face of God before borrowing money. When the indebted prophet’s widow cried to Elisha, Elisha did not instruct her to borrow money to repay the loan that had culminated in debt bondage for her two sons. Instead, he asked her what she had at home. She replied that she had a jar of oil. That was all Elisha required - something the woman could hold on to and trade in for the very urgently required financial resources to offset her late husband’s debt so that her two sons would not go into debt bondage.

You may argue that Elisha asked her to borrow vessels. Beloved, those were resources she would need to house the multiplying oil to the capacity that would fetch the money to pay off the debt as well as generate sufficient money for her and her sons to live on. These vessels would also serve to package the oil for sale to her neighbours and as the oil was sold for money, the vessels would be returned to the owners. This way, she would access vessels at no extra cost and earn money from what she had.

Borrowing should always be at the clear leading of God and not necessarily the circumstances that appear insurmountable.