New Wine Into New Wineskins...

Months ago I asked myself...

"God I'm waiting on promises that you have spoken, but how come I haven't seen the manifestation?"

Then I realized, it wasn't my time.

I had to be made. I still had dangling flaws that needed to be chisled away.

I had to go through a process of pruning before I stepped into the promise.

No one pours new wine into old wineskins.

Have you ever nailed a sin to the cross, or broke a generational curse, and wonder why that spirit still lurks about you? Why that bad habit still roars within? Why your flesh won't remain subject to that which you know is right in the eyes of God? I've come out of a long and tremendous season of pruning, and during that season brought rapid growth. I grew so quickly until I wasn't able to completely process that which God wanted me to learn. I grew so rapidly until I became super sensitive to a lot of my surroundings; I felt nude, vulnerable, and everything that would happen around me I became susceptible.
Just like a new born's fresh skin is sensitive to the new environment, I became transparent, where I couldn't hide anything. I felt as if God persistently stripped layers of old wineskins that were holding me back from worshiping Him like I should have worshiped Him, obeying Him like I should have obeyed Him, and hearing Him like I should have heard Him. I became so sensitive until I crashed. And when I crashed, I reached a plateau of rest.

And within this season of rest, things are becoming more clear to me. The wounds that came during that process are being healed, the sensitive spirit that developed throughout the process is being thickened and made stronger, and revelations from God of my sinful nature are being revealed. I realized I had fear of falling back into a sin that I wanted nothing to do with, and I would battle within so hard, til I would slide right back. And now that I've crashed and reached a place of rest, I feel it no longer lurking. My weak areas of resistance are becoming hard, not because I'm scared of falling back, but because I know I won't go back. God has me, and He loves me. Because He knows what I'm running from, and sees my heart persevering towards righteousness. By faith I know that He won't let me slide back because He's my daddy, and I love Him.

I've realized that God will grow me rapidly during a massive season of pruning, then I would reach plateau of restoration, then another massive pruning season, and then give me another quick season of rest. And during those seasons, the tribulation would be so immense until I would try to cover wounds, and hold myself together, and think that I learned a lesson. Thinking the tribulation had ended, God allowed it to overtake me until I got tired of doing and fixing things on my own. I'm officially broken, there's nothing I can hide. And now that I've been completely stripped and made new, doors of opportunities for singing, dancing, and marketing that God has promised are now flooding my way. He's now pouring in the new wine.

"And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins." {Mark 2:22}

God help us to remember that sometimes your promises do not manifest right away simply because we are not prepared; we are an unfinished product. And it doesn't mean that it won't come to pass, it means that it's not our time. But before the time comes, help us to appreciate the season of pruning. Because after pruning we are able to handle the promise when it manifests.

May God Bless you according to your faithfulness and obedience to Him.

In Him,
Ashley
Philippians 3:7
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