Walking into something new requires a fresh perspective. It requires a new way of thinking…a new outlook on life. We must go through a pruning process. We must give God access to our lives. We must allow Him to remove the things that are keeping us from seeing what He wants us to see…we must allow Him to remove the things that are keep us from becoming who He has called us to be. We can not move into this new season without letting go of the past, without being free to truly accept and live in this new place that He has for us.
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17 NLT)
Many of us are eager to move into something new, but have we stopped and allowed God to bring us to the place where we can handle the newness that He has for us? In the above scripture, Jesus said that new wine is stored in new wineskins. He said that if new wine is put into old wineskins, the old wineskins would burst from the pressure. It is the same when it comes to something new that God wants to do in our lives. If we tried to put the newness the God has for us into our old way of thinking, we would burst under the pressure. Our old way of thinking can not handle the weight of what He wants to do in our lives. This is why God blesses us with seasons of waiting. It is in these seasons that God transforms the way that we think. It is in these seasons that God equips us to walk in the purpose that He has for us.
The wait is a blessing.
I know we don’t usually think of waiting on God as a blessing, but, for a moment, I want you to think about the promises that God has spoken over your life. Has He spoken healing over your body? If so, have you allowed Him to change your perspective of your health…of your body? Have you allowed Him to change your habits; have you given Him access to that area of your life? There have been times that I’ve needed healing, and God spoke His promise of healing over me, but He also held me accountable in that area. He also showed me that my health is very much attached to my habits…not that I have control over every sickness or disease, but was I doing my part? Was I taking care of the body that He blessed me with? Was I seeking to live healthier? We have to understand that God doesn’t just want to do a miracle for us…He wants to do a miracle through us.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)
God is able to do whatever we need Him to do in our lives, but His power must work within us. This means that there might be some steps that we need to take to participate in our miracle.
The miracles of God are always attached to our obedience.
The same is true for our minds. As I’ve shared before, I have struggled with anxiety and depression. And in that season, when I was seeking God’s healing, He showed me that there were things that I was doing that either opened the door for those spirits to work in my life, or they contributed to my condition.
“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! (Matthew 6:22-23 NLT)
God showed me that If I wanted my life to be filled with light, I had to feed myself light. But doing that alone wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to add in light. If I wanted a life of light, I also had to take steps to remove darkness. This meant that I had to reassess what I was watching and listening to. This meant that I had to pay attention to who I was around.
Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT)
Our relationships play a major role in how we think. This is basically the essence of the above scripture. We become who we are around. If we want to be filled with light, we must surround ourselves with people that are also filled with light. And also, we must make sure that we aren’t surrounded by those that love darkness.
My decision to reassess what I was allowing into my mind, changed my thoughts dramatically. I was no longer giving negativity access into my life, and at the same time, I fed myself the word of God. I allowed God to transform my way of thinking. My miracle…God healing my mind, was attached to my obedience.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 NLT)
If we want to know God’s will for our lives, and if we want to be able to walk in that will…we first have to allow Him to transform our minds. This goes for our health, but is also applies to our relationships, finances, and every other area of our lives. It doesn’t matter what we are believing God for…He always wants to do a work inside of us, before doing a work in our circumstances. Let’s look at an example in scripture….
Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 5:18-20 NLT)
…Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” (Luke 5:24 NLT)
We must take a second and think about the character of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He wanted to see us healed so much that He took a beating, died on the cross, and rose from the grave. But, He didn’t do all of that just so that we can look whole from the outside. Jesus laid down His life so that we could be made whole…from the inside out. This explains why He did what He did in the story above. Yes, He wanted to see the paralyzed man healed, but His priority was to address the man’s spiritual needs first.
God wants to heal us from the inside out.
So, we can see how important it is for us to allow God to address what is inside of us, before we receive something new. But, I want to take this discussion a step further. Let’s take one more look at our scripture from Matthew 9.
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17 NLT)
What if God gave us everything that we asked for now, without first requiring transformation? What if God had healed my body and mind without showing me where I needed to change? Yes, I would have been healed, but would I have been able to sustain that healing? Would I have been able to remain free of anxiety and depression if I continued to feed my mind the same things? The problem is that sometimes our actions work against the miracles that God wants to do in our lives. We can’t expect to live free if we insist on doing things that contribute to our bondage. God doesn’t just want to heal us…He wants to make sure that we stay healed. And this means that we have to work with Him, not against Him. We have to be willing to do our part, so that we can sustain the life that He has for us.
Each new season requires a new perspective.
God has something new for your life. He has healing, wholeness, and freedom in store for you. But I want you to think about where you are right now. Are you open to a fresh perspective? Are you allowing God to renew your mind, so that you can walking into this new season that He has for you? If not, I want to encourage you to allow Him to begin this work in you now. Allow Him to speak to you. Allow Him to show you how to do your part, so that He can do His part. Many times, when we are waiting on God, He is actually waiting on us. He is waiting for us to trust Him. He is waiting for us to trust Him enough to obey His instructions…even when they don’t make sense. This means that we might have to dig deep, and do things that we’d rather not do. This means that we’ll have to cultivate the ground of where we are now, so that He can produce the fruit that He wants to produce in our lives. When we do what we can do, God does what only He can do.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me enough to sacrifice you Son on the cross. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to have new life, through Him. I know that you have an amazing plan for my life, and I know that you are always working on something new. But I also know that I have a part to play. So Father, I pray that you would should me the areas that I need to make available to you. Show me where I need a fresh perspective, so that I can see what you want me to see. Transform me Father, mold me into who you called me to be. I trust that as I seek your face, and obey your instructions, that you will guide me along the path that you have for me. Give me the strength to wait patiently, and expectedly for you. I love you, Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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