Have you ever heard of Iraan Texas? If not let me tell you about it. The town of Iraan was named after Ira and Ann Yates. They were poor herders who lived outside of Pecos, Texas. The land they lived on was not fertile enough to grow crops, so they herded sheep and other livestock.

 

 

They struggled year after year to keep their small parcel of land from going into foreclosure. Their land was barren and unprofitable, as so it seemed. But, one day an oil driller stopped by and asked them if he could drill for oil on their land. Of course, they both laughed at him and told him, “Sir, there’s no oil on this side of the Pecos River.” But the persistent oil driller kept insisting to let him try. Ira and Ann had nothing to lose, so they finally agreed. They watched the next day as the oil drillers brought their giant drills and rigs to their property. A few weeks later after drilling on their land, you guessed it, oil… barrels and barrels of oil gushed from the ground.

 

 

Overnight Ira and Ann became the richest-poor people in Pecos County. Since 1926, when the oil drillers discovered oil on the Yates land, the land has produced BILLIONS of barrels of oil, as noted in research data. The Yates were millionaires, and their descendants became billionaires…how about that. As you reflect on this story, answer these two questions for me.

 

1. What hindered Ira and Ann from accepting assistance from the oil driller?
2. When did Ira and Ann become millionaires before the oil driller came or afterward?

 

The truth is Ira and Ann Yates were already millionaires, they just didn’t know it. They had to be willing to let go of the lies they believed about the land they possessed. Second, they had to be willing to trust the oil driller to do what he knew best, and that is, drill for oil. Our Father and Lord can tell us the truth day in and day out, but it is always up to us whether we believe them and trust them to do whatever they promise.

 

Now, let us look at this story as it relates to our relationship with the God of the Universe who lives within us. (Scriptures from the Amplified Bible)

 

Ephesians 1:3 – Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.

 

Colossians 2:9 – For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form [completely expressing the divine essence of God].

 

Philippians 4:19 – And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

---

 

When our brother, the Apostle Paul wrote to our brothers and sisters in Ephesus, Chapter 1, verses 15 through 19, he said,

 

^“15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

 

 ¹⁷ [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son].

 

 ¹⁸ And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people). 

 

¹⁹   And [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe.”

 

---

 

We have the “Abundant Life of Christ” living within us! Our Father has provided us with a land flowing with the riches of Christ within us! We are rich beyond measure! There are no limits to His wisdom, love, life, and gifts of grace in our lives. All we can do is say, “Thank You, Lord for being my…. (Whatever our need is) and draw from His Life within us!

 

 

---

 

Enjoy Christ, Enjoy His Life!