UnstoppableSample

It’s Time for New Wine!

As we press into God, we will encounter those who believe the old wine — the old way of doing things — is better. But we have to remember this: You and I are the only ones who are responsible for reaching forward for the prize of God’s “new wine” as we run our race.

Sometimes there are those who come alongside to encourage us along the way, but even then, no one is with us 24/7 — and no one is perfect. Many times when we come to the midnight hour, it’s just us and the Holy Spirit.

You see, people who have been in our lives think they know us. They have seen our habits. They have experienced what we think about ourselves. They have seen how we can act at times. And because they have been around us a lot, they have a tendency to form opinions based on their past knowledge of us. They are used to “drinking the old wine” of who we were in the past.

So as you make a decision to press into your future and yield to the work that the Holy Spirit wants to do in you, people close to you may have a difficult time saying, “Go for it! Go for the new wine!” It may be easier for them to keep looking at you from an “old-wine perspective.” And it’s very possible that they may even like the “old you” better. They may not know what to do with who you are becoming as you set your heart on pursuing Jesus’ purpose for your life.

But our part is not to please other people. Our part is to crawl out from under the veil of people’s negative opinions and say, “Yes, Lord. I’m ready for the new wine. I’m ready for some new habits. I’m ready for some new thoughts. I’m ready for Your purpose for me. I’m ready for some confidence and boldness about my supply — no matter what anyone else thinks about it.”

As you determine to obey Him, you are positioning yourself to drink more of what He has for you, to learn how powerful He is in you, and to find out more about the grace of God that is available to you in impossible situations.

Journal Prompt

What is the Lord requiring of you as you step out to release your supply and do your part in the fulfillment of His purposes? If you’re not sure, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you.

Memory Verse

From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. — Ephesians 4:16 (NKJV)