GOSPEL CORNER : WHAT’S HOLDING US BACK MANY TIMES IS OUR OWN THINKING. JESUS SAYS THAT NO ONE PUTS NEW WINE INTO OLD WINESKINS.

04/01/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”
Mark 2:22, NIV

CHECK YOUR MIND-SET
It’s easy to get stuck in life and think that we’ve gone as far as we can. We can’t break an addiction, we can’t get well, or we’ll never accomplish a dream. What’s holding us back many times is our own thinking. Jesus says that no one puts new wine into old wineskins. When a wineskin gets old, the leather becomes hard and rigid. If you put new wine in it, the wine expands and bursts the wineskin. Jesus is saying, “You can’t have a new life with old thinking.” If you think you’ve reached your limits, then you have. If you think the problem is too big, then it is. If you think you’ll never meet the right person, you probably won’t. It’s not that God doesn’t have blessings, favor, and increase. It’s that your wineskin is old. You have to get a new mind-set. Start believing bigger, dreaming bigger, expecting bigger. You’re not limited by your circumstances, by the setback, by your boss, by how you were raised. One touch of God’s favor will catapult you ahead.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You created me to live an abundant life, not a life that’s stuck in the old. Thank You that You are a God of increase, and You always have something bigger in my future. Help me to get rid of the old wineskin of a limited mind-set and to believe and expect bigger. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

Do you remember the parable of the lost sheep Jesus told in Luke 15? When the shepherd found the lost sheep, he lifted it up and laid it upon his strong shoulders. What did the sheep do? Nothing. It just consented to be rescued by the shepherd.

Jesus calls this consent on the part of the sheep “repentance”—”there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7, boldface mine).

That is what God invites us to do today—to consent to be protected. He wants us to be on His shoulders, in the safety of Himself as our impenetrable fortress. In this place, no predator can attack His sheep.

On His shoulders, you are highly exalted above all your troubles, above all danger, all attacks, and far above all principalities and powers. Yes, far above Satan, above all the powers of darkness and the snare of the fowler. On His shoulders, you are far above every sickness, disease, and every name that is named. What a great place to be!

And does the Lord do this grudgingly? Absolutely not. The Bible tells us that the shepherd lays the sheep on his shoulders “rejoicing” (Luke 15:5). Our Lord rescues us with great joy in His heart and a big smile on His face.

Beloved, the safest place you can be today is on His shoulders. Jesus is your city of refuge. In your day of trouble, run to Him!

I pray you’ll anchor your heart on the wonderful verse that encapsulates this: “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, who shelters him all the day long; and he shall dwell between His shoulders” (Deut. 33:12).

When you make the Lord your refuge and dwelling place, you shall dwell safely in Him and no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling!