Devotionals

Day 1: The Wine Is Not the Problem

Mark 2:18-22

Jesus didn't come to patch up our old religious systems—He came to transform them entirely. When the Pharisees questioned why His disciples didn't fast like others, Jesus wasn't dismissing spiritual disciplines. He was revealing that God's new work requires new capacity. The wine represents what God is pouring out: His Spirit, His presence, His purposes. The issue is never whether God is moving; it's whether we're prepared to receive what He's offering. Today, ask yourself: Am I resisting God's new work because I'm comfortable with the old? God isn't asking you to abandon faithfulness—He's inviting you to expand your capacity for what He's about to do.

Day 2: The Spirit Cannot Be Contained

Acts 2:1-21

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit arrived like new wine—unpredictable, powerful, and alive. The disciples couldn't choreograph this moment or control its expression. New wine is still fermenting, still expanding, still working. This is the nature of the Spirit's activity in our lives. He doesn't fit into our strategic plans or comfortable routines. He moves where He wills, often in ways that surprise and stretch us. The question isn't whether the Spirit is moving—it's whether we're flexible enough to move with Him. Are you trying to manage God's Spirit, or are you yielding to His leadership? Surrender control today. Let Him fill you with His joy, power, and purpose beyond your ability to contain.

Day 3: Flexibility Through Humility

James 4:6-10

Old wineskins become rigid because they've already been stretched and have hardened in their shape. There's nothing sinful about age or experience, but pride makes us inflexible. God gives grace to the humble—those willing to be reshaped, softened, and stretched again. Humility isn't self-deprecation; it's the posture that says, "God, I don't have this figured out. Reshape me for what You're doing now." The preparation process isn't glamorous: soaking in God's Word, stretching through obedience, softening through repentance. But this is how God prepares us to carry His new wine. Where has pride made you rigid? What old mindset needs to be surrendered so God can stretch you into new capacity?

Day 4: God Prepares Before He Pours

Isaiah 43:16-21

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" God never pours out His Spirit without first preparing His people. Before the new wine comes the preparation of the wineskin. This season of stretching, waiting, and reshaping isn't punishment—it's preparation. God is making you ready for something you couldn't currently contain. Every prayer that feels unanswered, every discipline that feels difficult, every moment of surrender—these are softening you, expanding your capacity. Don't despise the preparation process. The winemaker knows exactly how much soaking and stretching is needed before the wine can be safely poured. Trust that God is preparing you for the fullness He intends to release.

Day 5: Built for What's Coming

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." This isn't about discarding your history—it's about being reshaped for your destiny. God doesn't reject old wineskins; He makes them new. The same is true for you and for the church. God is reshaping us not because we've failed, but because He's about to pour out more than we've previously known. This requires less control and more trust, less nostalgia and more obedience, less comfort and more capacity. You are being prepared to carry the new wine of God's Spirit—His joy, His power, His purposes. The question isn't whether God is moving. The question is: are you ready? Surrender today to His reshaping work.