Sunday Re-Cap (31st Dec 2006)

A New Mindset for the New Year

Mat 9:17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

The LORD wants to give us new wine for the New Year but before He can do that, do we have new wineskins? The new wine speaks of a fresh anointing and enablement of the Holy Spirit to face the challenges of the New Year and to be more than conquerors. A new wineskin speaks about a new kind of mindset, a Kingdom Mindset rather than a carnal or earthly mindset. Is it possible that all this time, we operated out of our carnal sense knowledge i.e. touch, see, feel, taste and hear? However, for the New Year, The LORD wants us to operate out of revelation knowledge.

The natural man operates out of sense knowledge and the spiritual man operates out of revelation knowledge.

What manner of man are we? What kind of wineskin do we have?

We need to have a Kingdom mindset in the following areas to have new wine:
1. Finances
A new mindset is having a breakthrough in our giving and not getting. (Mat 19:21; 2Co 9:8)

2. Health
A new mindset is believing what the word says about our healing and health. (Is 53:5)

3. Influence to reach out.
A new mindset is that we have influence in the market place. (Ps 2:8)

4. Soul care
A new mindset is watching what we say and guarding our hearts (Prov 4:20-27)

How do we get this new mindset?

1. The WORD of God. (Josh 1:8)
2. Praying in the Spirit. (Eph 6:18; Jude 1:20)
3. Guarding our hearts and lips.(Prov 4:23-24; Prov 18:21 Rom 10:17; Matt 12:35-37)
4. Serving-humility, teachability (humility and repentance).(Lk 22:26; Jn 12:26;Heb 12:28)

This is not just a formula and an end in itself. If we only did these four things, then we would soon burn out and find our Christian lives empty and dry. Why do we read, pray in the spirit, etc? We do it because we want to have a fresh encounter daily with God Himself (John 5:39). The shepherds in the fields were changed because of an encounter with God (Lk 2:9). Paul was changed because of an encounter with the LORD (Acts 9:3-4). The disciples were changed because of an encounter with God and the list goes on and on.

Are we ready for an encounter this coming year? Only He can give us the new wineskin but we must be willing and position ourselves for it. Are you willing?

Isa 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land