Text: Luke 5:37–38
Memory text:
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.” Luke 5:37 NKJV

A quiet and struggling young man suddenly began to exhibit unimaginable pride, after his company won a contract worth millions of dollars. The question is, “Was the financial boom the problem?” No, it wasn’t. It was his unpreparedness for such huge breakthrough; the capacity was small. Blessings don’t break people but it just exposes the condition of the vessel. Unprepared people are not destroyed by blessings, but by lack of capacity. A major promotion without maturity destroys.
Let’s study the meaning of the three key words used in our memory text – new wine, old wineskins and the ‘burst’ of the wineskins.
The new wine means the new move of God, new blessings, new responsibilities or new glory. The old wineskin speaks of the old mindset, rigid heart, unrenewed character or limited capacity. And the burst of the wineskins describes the collapse, loss or misuse of blessing.
Old wineskins were made of animal skin. Over time they became dry, stiff and brittle and they lose elasticity.
New wine fermenting led to the production of alcohol, release of gases and the buildup of pressure inside the container. That pressure caused expansion and since the old wineskin could not stretch, it cracked and both the wine and the skin were lost.
New wineskins were made from fresh, flexible skins that could stretch. They expanded with the pressure, not against it. “New wine must be put into new wineskins.” (Luke 5:38).
God does not withhold new wine, instead, He waits for new wineskins. New land requires a new heart. New seasons demand new structures.
Israel left Egypt, but Egypt did not leave them. They were in a new season with an old mindset, that is, an old wineskin and this caused their ruin. New wine was never the problem but old capacity was. Without renewal of the mind, even divine blessings can be lost. God will not pour tomorrow into yesterday’s container (Isa 43:18; Rom 12:2; Eph 4:23).
Friends, God’s blessing grows and expands, not static but you must grow with it. Thus, when He wants to bless you, He first stretches you. Flexibility is the proof of your readiness. A heart that won’t bend will eventually break. So, it’s better to be stretched than to be shattered.

Prayer points
1. Father, please, stretch me, lest I spill what You pour; make me a new wineskin—soft, flexible, and ready for what You are pouring, in Jesus’ name.
2. My Father, remove every rigidity, pride, fear, and old mindset that limits my capacity, in Jesus’ name.

Today’s declarations
1. I am a new wineskin for new wine; my capacity is stretching without breaking.
2. Pressure will produce expansion, not explosion; my heart remains flexible and responsive to God.