Hi friend!

We are so delighted to share with you about oils and other stellar Young Living products. And we do so fully aware that many people, Christians included, use, sell, and market oils in ways that are, sadly, completely unbiblical. If you are curious about our take on them, you are welcome to read the tenets of our understanding below.

First, let me say that Joe and I are Bible-believing Christians, dependent on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ alone and the work of His Holy Spirit for our salvation and sanctification. Founded on this reality, these are our convictions regarding oils, as well as any other created tool He has given us for our health and well-being.

1. Oils are not our saviors. Nor are they to be used as spiritual crutches. They do not save us from sinful habits of thought, word, or deed. We do not need them for worship. We do not need them for sanctification. We do not need them for salvation. They are not a substitute for honest confession of sin and repentance. Our sweet Savior has given us His Spirit to enable us to run to Him at any time in prayer to receive the grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16), including grace for poor attitudes, sinful habits, sick bodies, and weak willpower. His Person and His Word are completely sufficient. He is a kind and good Savior and in Him we truly have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). We need no other. And amen, hallelujah!

2. Oils are tools which God has made for us. There is good science that shows how oils (which are the foundation of many medicines) support the chemistry of our bodies – our brain chemistry and our blood chemistry. They help to encourage our cells to do their job well. Like vitamins, they can help to nourish the physical/chemical/electrical aspects of our bodies, supporting functions and processes such as digestion, sleep, reproduction, neurotransmission, cardiovascular and vascular, hormone production, immunity, and more. They can be used for this kind of purpose with confidence and with great thanksgiving to our Creator for making them for us with incredible skill and love. Like the good Father that He is, He has kindly provided for us an array of tools at our disposal – supplements, foods, oils, doctors, exercise, counseling, friendships, laughter, coffee, etc – to enable our fallen bodies to heal and to function as best they can this side of glory. Oils are simply one of these tools.

3. It is not what enters a man’s mouth (or applied to his temples or chest or feet) that defiles him, but rather what comes out of the heart (Matthew 15:11). As with anything created, oils can be misused. We believe that, as Christians, we can freely use oils with grateful hearts, but we need not worship them. We do not, we must not, trust them to accomplish (or even support) our obedience, our faith, or our love for God and one another. We do not believe, for example, that a bottle of Young Living’s Joy essential oil is literally a bottle of joy and that by using it we are receiving true joy and no longer need to obey the Lord when He tells us to take joy. True joy (as well as love, peace, patience, and faith) is a supernatural fruit of the Holy Spirit, and ours only in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, when we struggle with things like fear, anxiety, and depression, our first go-to must be the Word of God, in which we find a fully sufficient balm for our souls. Only in  coming to Jesus can we find and receive true rest, true joy, and true peace in this life.

That said, our bodies are fallen and weak, and sometimes need help. And so we do believe, for example, that the chemical constituencies in the Joy blend can help our brain chemistry when it gets out of whack (just as a cup of coffee can help with low energy). Sometimes the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Just as things like sunshine and orange zest and a fragrant garden and mom’s lasagna and cheerful music and a walk on the beach work on our physical and emotional processes to raise our spirits, so also can oils. This is not relying on oils in any way greater than you would “rely” on the things just listed for health and cheerfulness. They are simply a kindness from God.

“Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4).

4. Regarding emotions specifically, the process for us is simple. Run to Christ, spend time in prayer, seek His face in His Word, ask for His Holy Spirit to empower you to be victoriously obedient, repent and ask forgiveness if called for. After this is done, if further physical support is needed, an oil or a supplement or a meal or a change of scene or the like can be used to help the body keep in step with the heart.