New Wine Requires New Wineskins

Tuesday, March 3

Luke 5:36–38 (NIV)

“He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.”

Devotion

In Luke 5, Jesus gives us this statement: new wine cannot be contained in old wineskins. In biblical times, wineskins had to remain flexible to handle the fermentation process of new wine. If the skin had grown old and brittle, it would burst under pressure.

The message is simple, but it comes with a challenge, when God pours out something new, we must be willing to become new.

We are often quick to pray for increase:

“God, give me more.”“Lord, expand my territory.”“Bring new opportunities.”“Do something new in my life.”

Yet rarely do we pause to ask:

“Am I prepared to carry what I’m asking for?”

As Charlotte Gambill shared in her message, God is always doing something new, and He desires that we grow to accommodate it. The issue is not whether God wants to move; the question is whether our capacity matches His outpouring.

New wine represents fresh vision, greater responsibility, deeper influence, increased blessing, and new assignments. But new wine expands. It stretches. It creates pressure.

If our mindset, habits, character, or spiritual maturity remain unchanged, we risk “bursting” under the very blessing we prayed for.

We pray for promotion but resist discipline.We ask for influence but avoid growth.We desire impact but neglect intimacy with God.

God isn’t withholding; He’s preparing.

The stretching season isn’t punishment; it’s preparation.

New wineskins had to be supple, flexible, and strengthened.

Sometimes the “delay” we feel isn’t denial; it’s development.

God is more concerned with who we are becoming than what we are receiving.

Today's Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank You that You are sovereign and You are in control. Forgive me for the times I have been impatient and dismissed the preparation You so carefully constructed so that I would be able to carry what You have planned for me. I humble myself before You now and pray for discernment. I ask for sight to see Your ways and the lessons You have set before me. And in obedience, I will follow where You lead. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Apply It Today

Pay close attention to the things God has divinely placed in your heart. Journal them. Dedicate prayer and study in His Word concerning them. As you seek His face, be obedient to what He lays on your heart. Let His peace lead you in His way everlasting.

Resources

• The new thing God is bringing requires new growth. He’s shaping you for it right now. Watch this short clip “God Will Lead You Into Your New Season” and step in with faith.

• Don’t let 2026 be just another year, make it a year of growth. Find your people. Join a Connect Group.