Direct My Heart into Your Love

One of the many illustrations that Jesus used when answering questions of those who were either troubled with His way of doing things or merely trying to catch Him in a fault was the illustration of the new wine & new wineskins.  Though this illustration came about in regards to “fasting” what has captured my attention is the statement that Jesus made when He said “new wine is ­put in new wineskins.”

Mat 9:17 Nor do men put new wine into old wineskins; else the wineskins burst, and the wine runs out, and the wineskins perish. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved together.

 Although Jesus is using an illustration to explain to John’s disciples why His disciples were not fasting at that time; I am of the impression that He is also speaking of something beyond mere fasting. This something more is the indwelling Holy Spirit (new wine) within the new man-new creation (new wineskin). There is much said and / or written on the subject of the promise of the Father whereby the “Holy Spirit is poured out upon us” - Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17 and though this is good there is more. Understanding the importance of the Spirit of God being upon and within is vitally important to the new man / new creation. God has faithfully kept His word and “poured” out His Spirit not only on the day of Pentecost but many today have experienced this outpouring yet I see why Jesus also made the statement of not putting new wine in old wineskins. When we fail to understand the need for the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence and merely experience the outpouring of the Spirit we can easily end up operating as psychics, palm readers, false prophets, false teachers, and more.  The outpouring of Holy Spirit is an “anointing” with power and the enemy knows this and this is why he would love for us to remain blind to our need for the indwelling work of the Spirit of God within us. The purpose of Holy Spirit being put (new wine) within us is to keep us from perishing and becoming prey for the enemy which is what he desires. We know that God calls those things that be not as though they are –Rom 4:17 and we also know that God says old things have passed away and behold all things have been made new – 2Cor 5:17 but there is still a transformation process needed (Rom 12:1) along with the working out of our salvation until the day we die or Jesus returns. The good news is that God has promised to not only pour out His Spirit but to put His Spirit in us.

 Eze 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will remove the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh,

Eze 36:27  And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments and do them.

 Jas 4:5  Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"?

Holy Spirit has been given to do more than give us experiences of the presence of God coming upon our flesh, He has also been sent to help us.  The Spirit of God within me is my only hope of staying on course, on the path of righteousness. Having the Spirit of God within me convicting me of my sins, giving me understanding, wisdom, counsel, knowledge and revelation of God and His ways keeps me rooted in the love of God. I can settle for fleeting moments of experiencing the anointing upon me or I can live in continuous communion with God through His Spirit resulting in an overflow of the anointing and becoming clothed with His presence (which is what I am pursuing). The Spirit of God dwelling on the inside of me gives me direct access to the mind of God for it is written “  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” – 1 Cor 2:9-12.  God gives us the freedom to choose whether or not we will give Him lordship of our lives and yield to the work of the Spirit within us or we can be lord of our own lives and exploit His anointing for sheer pleasurable experiences. Only by and through the work of the Holy Spirit within me will I be able to do that which the Lord has purposed in His heart for me to do before time began. Only by and through the work of the Holy Spirit within me will I become a whole hearted lover of the Son of God. Oh, that you, Holy Spirit would work the work of the Lord in me and cause my heart to be DIRECTED into the love of God and the patience of Christ.

2Thess 3:5

 I pray Father God that you would consider me new wineskin and put new wine within me...and take me from glory to glory…

Knowing God’s mind is… knowing God’s heart…knowing God’s heart is knowing God’s mind…..

Until He Returns

Timbra