A 45-minute workshop designed for people exploring the potential of essential oils for health + wellness. My goal is to educate and empower you so that you can make an informed decision on whether or not essential oils are a good fit for you and your family!
If you've been wanting to use oils but don't know where to start, then I'd like to invite you to my Essential Oils Made Easy Virtual Workshop. It's totally no pressure - and totally free. You'll know by the end of this 45-minute workshop if essential oils are the right next step for you!
Do you really understand the role essential oils played in the Bible? That they were used for healing and other symbolic ways? Well, they did. Essential oils are not New Age by any means, and the abundant evidence in the bible helps clarify it.
In this episode, Heidi goes deeper into the scriptures and demystifies how essential oils were largely used in both the old and new testaments. Heidi is an essential oil specialist, wellness advocate, holistic life coach, mom of four, and of course, host of this show. She goes into the specific scriptures and explains how words are used to mean essential oils.
Listen in to learn how to pay attention to pure unadulterated essential oils that can be used for medicinal purposes when purchasing.
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Detailed Transcript:
Welcome back Beloved! Today I want to introduce part 1 of 3 in my Oils of the Bible series. Throughout this series, I want to share not only how oils were used in ancient times, but also how we can use them today. In the first chapter of Genesis, it is written that God placed mankind in the Garden of Eden. God knew in the beginning that this perfect environment would be the key source for mankind’s healing and health. How awesome is it that when God created the earth, he didn’t leave us without solutions for our everyday needs! Daily applications of aromatic oils in Biblical times were extensive, indeed. Thirty-six of the 39 books of the Old Testament and TEN of the 27 books of the New Testament mention oils, or the plants that produce them. The early Christians held aromatic oils in high esteem, in fact plants that produced oil became SO valuable that the Pharisees required people to pay a tithe or tax on the oil-producing herbs and spices they grew and harvested. And many references pointing to the characteristics of oils are mentioned as well. For example, Paul chose to compare faithful Christians as “sweet savors,” “fragrances,” or “aromas.” In Ephesians 5:2, he urges his fellow believers to be imitators of Christ “who gave himself up for us, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Oils in scripture were considered a source for healing (Ezekiel 47:12, Mark 6:13) and fortunately, this natural and Biblical solution is still available to us today! Get ready for part one of Oils of the Bible!
As an Essential Oil Specialist, Wellness Advocate, Holistic Life Coach, and mom of 4, I am extremely motivated to make a positive impact in the world by helping moms create freedom in their families. I am a freedom fighter! And by having real-world solutions at your fingertips for 80% of the issues that come up on a daily basis, you can create freedom in your home. No, we can’t get around eating right, exercising, resting and managing our stress, and reducing our toxic load. And anytime I have suffered in my health, it’s because I’ve stopped paying attention and prioritizing those things, but I believe that in the details of life and everyday emergencies, God creates opportunities for connection in those moments like when your child skins a knee, or has a tummy ache, or your toddler is having a tantrum. I like helping moms swoop in, fix the thing with natural healing, get everyone back on track, and walk away the hero of the home. And I love helping them do that in a simple, safe and effective way because at the end of the day, these are the moments that make us better people. These tender moments allow us to be open and vulnerable with our children. They help us expand our capacity to love. And God sees that – He honors that and the time we took to step away from what we were doing and focus so intently on this precious child – to do it with confidence, love and grace and He redeems that time we took too. He strengthens our bond with our child, our trust with them, and our relationship. He uses it as a teaching moment for our kids too because kids love using oils! It helps them feel empowered to care for themselves in a way that brings health and results. So I want to make sure you know that when God created this planet he gave us exactly what we needed – He left us with the perfect plant solutions to help us transform our health in those foundational areas. Alrighty! Beloved, I have a question for you as we get started today.
I kind of just gave you a clue! Nature was man’s first remedy and almost everything we need can be found there! God is very smart! And today we are going to cover what oils are and the Biblical history so you can feel at ease using them if you choose to. I have really researched and studied oils and what they look like prophetically in scripture. Not only have oils been used therapeutically for over 5,000 years, but we see that in total, they are mentioned in scripture over 500 times. We have a long rich history of oils. Yes, they were used therapeutically and we can still use them to our benefit today, so they are not new and they are also not new age. They’re not, there’s no happenstance in the Bible, everything’s for a reason and that’s what I am going to show you Beloved as we get further into our series. I get that you might be nervous and I don’t want you to miss out on these health tools because you are hesitant they might be new age. God uses oil producing plants in the Bible, not only to show us how we can use them, but also to tell the story of Jesus. You will be amazed as you listen to this unfold!
I want to first give credit to my mentor Rachel Lee Carter for putting a lot of this information together. Rachel is a professional international model of more than 20 years as well as a Bible Institute graduate. She is the President of Modeling Christ, a faith-based organization that teaches the importance of modesty in a skin-is-in society and author of the book Fashioned by Faith. She was also featured in the documentary Ancient Secrets of Essential Oils and has been teaching the biblical roots and uses of essential oils since 2014.
One clarification I want to make is that for biblical purposes is, it’s oils, not essential oils. The oils mentioned in the bible would have been a crude solvent like fats and pressed oils, or an olive oil steeped in a certain plant and it’s picked up some of those aromatic compounds from the plant. True steam distillation wouldn’t have come until the 11th century, so Essential oils in Biblical times were the formulation of aromatic oils and a crude solvent.
And so that might make you feel like, “well, they were diluted or they were weaker.” But no. Think about the garden of Eden, again God put everything in there in its purest, most potent form. They didn’t have pesticides, herbicides, or other kinds of junk going or things that could have filtered into that. This was the whole, full component of everything they needed. So even historically plants would have been more potent back then, even if they were diluted. Even if it was an infusion, it still would have had a therapeutic effect.
Next, let’s talk about healing with oils. I’m in James 5:14 and I feel like this is a really strong passage about what we do when we talk about using oils when someone is sick. “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” So there’s the order listed – you pray, and you use oils. If we back up, the question is, ”is any sick among you?” So, Is anybody sick? And then here’s the answer. Let him call for the elders of the church. Let them first, pray over him, and then use oil. So there are two things that are involved here, you’re first to pray, right? And if you see how it’s listed, it’s number one, but then there’s this anointing with oil too. So we’re told first, pray, and then second, to use oil. Back then the priests were actually the ones that were in charge of diagnosing and determining disease, so for prayer and anointing of oils you would go see them. It’s not likely that most people today have the opportunity to be prayed for and anointed by a priest and so we as the body of Christ can do this for each other and for ourselves, and for our families. God has provided powerful healing remedies in the form of essential oils for our use and he first made it possible for our ancestors to discover these natural resources, and is now allowing science to validate the divinely programmed plant power that ancient peoples have known for a few millennia.
And of course, this doesn’t diminish the power of prayer for healing. In fact, it emphasizes it because it is first, but it is clear that plants and the oils from those plants were certainly used therapeutically. So this is how we’re being taught to use it. But here’s the order. You pray, then you use oils. When I am with my kids, this is what I make sure I do. We pray first for healing, and with thanksgiving and praise, we then use the oils. We do both.
Here’s another example in scripture: Ezekiel 47:12 teaches us that that fruit will be used for food and the leaves for medicine. If we look up the word medicine there in the Hebrew text it’s the word teruphah (ter-oo-faw’) which means a healing, or a remedy. So the leaves should be used for medicine and as remedies for healing! That’s pretty plain to see.
In case you didn’t know, essential oils come from all parts of the plant! They can come from the leaves, the seeds, the bark, the stem, the roots, the flowers, and the rind. It really just depends on the species of the plant and health benefit we’re looking for. Peppermint essential oil for example is steam distilled from the leaf of the peppermint plant. If you’ve ever rolled a peppermint or wintergreen leaf in between your fingers and noticed that the smell gets stronger, it’s because you are releasing the essential oils from the leaves when you do that. That’s pure, concentrated plant power right there! And essential oils are very concentrated. They are about 50-70x more potent than their regular herb form so a little goes a long way. Typically, when we use essential oils we are only using a few drops and usually using a carrier oil to reduce any chance of sensitivity and to help carry the essential oils into the cells. Continuing with our peppermint example to illustrate concentration, 1 drop of peppermint essential oil is the equivalent potency to about 28 cups of peppermint tea. So if you have an upset stomach, you can just use one drop of peppermint oil with a carrier and apply it over your abdomen instead of drinking 28 cups of peppermint tea. You really just need a drop or two, that’s it!
I want to share two more examples from scripture to illustrate the protective and healing support God has put into oils for us. One is the good samaritan from Luke 10:30-34. “In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.”
Jesus tells the story to remind us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to help one another in times of need. But in true Jesus fashion, he doesn’t tell the story with empty words. The word oil there in greek is actually olive oil and as I shared it was common for olive oil to be used as the crude base when mixing aromatic and healing oils for remedies. The same with the word wine. Why would he pour wine on his wounds? Well, it could have been to sanitize but wine could have also been used as a carrier as we can see in the example in Mark 15:23 when Jesus is being led away to be crucified and just before placing him on the cross the soldiers offered Jesus wine mixed with Myrrh to help anesthetize the pain. This mixture was commonly offered to dying criminals as a pain-deadener and routinely given to people condemned to brutal execution.
So when we look at the good samaritan pouring these remedies on the man’s wounds it was likely important for the immediate care and survival of the man, to prevent infection and to start the healing process. We can combine essential oils and our compassion for one another as a way to care for our neighbors.
Ok, the final place I want to bring you to scripture to show you how God shows us we can use oils for protection and healing remedies is in Psalm 23. This is a common scripture, many of you probably know it by heart, Psalm of David. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
This was written by David. David was a shepherd boy so he knew what he was talking about when he said, you anoint my head with oil and he’s talking to God. So why would he say that? This is why…
And it’s easier to understand in this passage if we understand why and how oils were used with sheep. And right here, in this example, we can already say that oils were used in veterinary practices. Think about that! We use them that way now. Yeah. It is just phenomenal! So sheep are especially troubled by these little flies buzzing around the sheep that attempt to deposit their eggs on a damp mucous membrane. They land on their nose and if they are successful in getting inside their nose, then they will lay eggs and the eggs will hatch. In a few days they form small worm-like larva that will then burrow and work their way up the nasal passages into the sheep’s head and brain, which as you can imagine will create intense irritation, accompanied by severe inflammation. For relief from these agonizing experiences, sheep will deliberately beat their heads against the trees, rocks, posts, and in extreme cases of intense infestation, a sheep may even kill itself because death is better than this agony. To prevent this from even happening in the first place, the good shepherd would apply oil antidote or ointment to the sheep’s head. The oil was a soothing, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic. Because of this practice, anointing became symbolic of blessing, protection, and empowerment.
Now you can see why David, a shepherd boy, says to God, his father, you anoint my head with oil the same way I anointed the head of my sheep. It’s powerful how oil is considered a covering and a protection in this way.
Here’s one more bonus scripture for you from the new testament Mark 6:13 in the ministry of the 12 disciples, “So they set out and preached that the people should repent. They also drove out many demons and healed many of the sick, anointing them with oil.”
When we go to Bible Hub and put in this verse and look in the Greek translation, you notice the words are out of order and they don’t necessarily follow the English rules. So I wanted to know more about the words anointing, sick, and healed. Anointing here is the Greek word aleipho (al-i’-fo). It’s a verb, an action word meaning to rub or smear olive oil on the body, medicinally Anointing, bringing healing and relief. Sick persisting illness, infirmity – literally, one “that will not leave”; chronic ill-health. Healed is the greek word therapeuó which means to serve, cure, heal, reversing a physical condition to restore a person having an illness (disease, infirmity). Therapeúō is the root of “therapy” and “therapeutic,” which usually involves natural elements in the process of healing. So this is healing in the natural.
Yes, and I believe in this scripture we are seeing again that it is both – we pray and we use oils. But did you also know that olive oil in Bible also represents the Holy Spirit? Figuratively, it’s the indwelling or empowering of the Holy Spirit. Here in Mark 6:13 where Jesus gives the 12 disciples authority to cast out evil spirits and heal people, this was before they had the holy spirit so this is a prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus’ story as well.
Another word for anoint is chosen one and God himself anointed Jesus. He didn’t anoint him with oil though, He anointed him with the Holy Spirit. We find that in Acts 10:38 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. God anoints us the same way as salvation. And this is interesting in that 2nd part of Acts 10: verse 38 it says, Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. That word healing in Greek is iaomai (ee-ah’-om-ahee) which means healing, particularly as supernatural and bringing attention to the Lord, the supernatural Healer, which is beyond the physical healing itself and its benefits. So not just in the natural, but also in the supernatural. God made us body, spirit and soul so we are talking healing on a spirit/soul level, not just in our bodies.
It’s all in the Bible y’all! It blows my mind! The more I’ve learned about this, it just shows how awesome God is. And all his creation was made for his glory.
And keep in mind not all essential oils can be considered biblical or medicinal grade, i.e. pure, unadulterated, properly cultivated and distilled, laboratory tested, accurately labeled, and properly packaged. Over 90% of essential oils available on the market are for fragrance or food applications only. The company that I’ve come to know and trust over the last decade has invested millions to pursue the purest essential oils on the planet, partner with small co-ops around the globe that have worked with these plants for generations and know the art of essential oil distillation, and test above and beyond anything I’ve ever seen for essential oils. It’s the only brand I will use on my babies. So that being said, if you are ready to start exploring the potential of essential oils for health + wellness solutions and don’t know where to start, I want to make sure you know about my Essential Oils Made Easy Virtual Workshop. This 45-minute online workshop was designed for people just like you who are new to essential oils. It’s a free workshop and totally no pressure!
My goal is simply to educate and empower you with the basics to help you understand the power of essential oils (because it just looks like water in those little bottles, right?!). In this wellness workshop, we cover what essential oils are and how to use them, what to look for in a quality essential oil and why it matters, and then we cover a few of the most popular and versatile oils every home should have, along with testimonials so that you can make an informed decision on whether or not essential oils are a good fit for you and your family.
One of my VIP community members shares this “I have a compromised immune system because of having to take immunosuppressants, but I’ve stayed 100% healthy so far this winter season thanks to the immune and cellular oil blends, the oil supplements and the probiotics!”
That was from Mary – and she is a single mama with two active teens so yay to Mary for being able to stay on top of her mom-game!
Another member shares, “My son is getting over a bad cold and cough. He woke me up at 3am coughing. I put the respiratory blend on his feet and chest then set up his diffuser with oils. Coughing calmed immediately!”
You go mama!!!
Just like you make sure your kids are fed nutritious foods and 3 meals and 2 snacks every day, that they brush their teeth twice a day, and are in bed at a decent time so they wake well-rested and ready to start their day as the best version of themselves, you can also make sure they have natural solutions, pure and uncontaminated just the way God created them, so they can support their immune and respiratory systems, help them focus during and after school, wash away the stress of the day so they can be emotionally resilient and feeling strong, and so much more.
Check out the link in the show notes to take the first steps towards getting access. This just helps me learn a little bit more about you and your needs, and you can opt to receive a free sample to go along with the workshop to make it more of an interactive experience which is always fun. Essential oils are not scary, you just need someone to help you create a specific plan of oils with how they would be helpful for you and how you would use them. They have become our go-to for almost the last decade as a first-line of defense in our home and I want to make sure that everyone knows they exist as a safer, cheaper, and more effective option!
Be sure to join me in the next episode of Oils of the Bible Series where I show you that it was God’s idea to create oil blends, and dive deeper into the prophetic telling of Jesus through the oil producing plants in the Bible, as well as historical and modern uses of oil producing plants.
“Heidi has such a gift for inspiring and encouraging! I love her fierce love for her family and wanting to meet mamas where they are, infusing them with faith to see they can find empowerment from God to take control of their life and health.”
- Robyn Wright, Faithfully Living Fit
“I love how Heidi not only cares deeply about health and wellness but inspires us all that part of living holistically involves our spiritual lives! I can always count on Heidi to deliver material that is astutely informative and faithfully inspired helping me live my best life!”
- Wendy Henley, Author and Mindset Coach
“I came across Heidi while looking into personal healing. Heidi offers so much value and helpful information to a new or seasoned Christian. I am really enjoying learning new biblical ways. Can’t wait to hear and learn more! Thank you!”
- 'Country Girl'
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