New Wine in Old Skins
How often do we try to do something new in our life with an old mindset and wonder why it's not working? Jesus said in Luke 6:37-39:
And no one pours new wine into old wine-skins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wine-skins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wine-skins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better."
When we try walking out this "Kingdom living" with our old mindset, the way we think hasn't changed. Our old mindset is - if it is to be, it's up to me. We want control. We are so used to creating backup plans and alternative routes in case our new plan starts getting too tough. We have let our experiences shape our mindset, then we try to force a "life of faith" into that mindset.
Scripture calls that double-mindedness, and despite the noble effort we convince ourselves we gave, it leads to failure - it leads us back to our old ways. We taste the new wine that we put in our old wine-skins, and because the old wine-skin couldn't handle the new, we decide the old worked better.
Scripture says so many times we must change our minds! Change the way we think by changing the core structure of our mindset. Let go of everything our experiences in this world has taught us. Let go of this world's logic. Let go of this world's knowledge. Let go of the need and desire to be in control. Let go of the need to understand how. Let go of the need to know when. Let go of every expectation of how God is going to do what we asked. LET GO, and LET GOD change us from the inside out.
Renew you mind by reconstructing a mindset based ONLY on His promises, truths and character - create a whole new wine-skin for the new wine of the Good News, The Way - His Will of living in the Kingdom of Heaven right here on earth. "Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven" Matt 6:10. "... Repent [change your mind], for the kingdom of Heaven is near." Matt 4:17
Ask Him to do this in you, and believe He heard you. "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of Him." 1 John 5:14-15
I am a testimony of His Faithfulness and Goodness. He is who He says He is, and He says you are His beloved!
And no one pours new wine into old wine-skins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wine-skins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wine-skins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better."
When we try walking out this "Kingdom living" with our old mindset, the way we think hasn't changed. Our old mindset is - if it is to be, it's up to me. We want control. We are so used to creating backup plans and alternative routes in case our new plan starts getting too tough. We have let our experiences shape our mindset, then we try to force a "life of faith" into that mindset.
Scripture calls that double-mindedness, and despite the noble effort we convince ourselves we gave, it leads to failure - it leads us back to our old ways. We taste the new wine that we put in our old wine-skins, and because the old wine-skin couldn't handle the new, we decide the old worked better.
Scripture says so many times we must change our minds! Change the way we think by changing the core structure of our mindset. Let go of everything our experiences in this world has taught us. Let go of this world's logic. Let go of this world's knowledge. Let go of the need and desire to be in control. Let go of the need to understand how. Let go of the need to know when. Let go of every expectation of how God is going to do what we asked. LET GO, and LET GOD change us from the inside out.
Renew you mind by reconstructing a mindset based ONLY on His promises, truths and character - create a whole new wine-skin for the new wine of the Good News, The Way - His Will of living in the Kingdom of Heaven right here on earth. "Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven" Matt 6:10. "... Repent [change your mind], for the kingdom of Heaven is near." Matt 4:17
Ask Him to do this in you, and believe He heard you. "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of Him." 1 John 5:14-15
I am a testimony of His Faithfulness and Goodness. He is who He says He is, and He says you are His beloved!
Comments
One of the Scriptures I had written down recently on a flash card was Psalms 51:10-13. "Create in me a clean heart, oh God....cast me not away from your presence." I had been praying that as I had felt cast away...like when David said many times, "where are you God in all these times of hardship?"
So He definitely is doing that but then I came across James 4:7-8 where we are to submit to God and resist the devil. But vs 8 goes on to say, "wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts you double-minded."
This seems like a monumental task to accomplish when I realize now it is easy to have built a whole life of walls and beliefs based on experiences.
You said quit trying to understand everything but....the flesh says I have to in order to purify our hearts....it's like, one brick at a time of life experiences has to be removed and replaced with His truth. I mean, when I read James, if makes the reader think this is something I have to do when I am NOT capable in my own power...at all. A LOT to chew on here.
thanks,
Norm