And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.
Mark 2:22 NKJV
Wineskins were used in Biblical times to store wine and grape juice, and they were made from animal skins. Over time, the wineskins would become brittle and weak as the materials within them broke down. In the same way, a life that is not renewed in Christ can become worn out, unable to hold His life fully.
Our lives in Christ, however, are like new wineskins—fresh and ready to hold His life within us.
Many aspects are at work when we consider what a life in Christ looks like. A few to consider would be our free will to say yes to Jesus, and how our mind responds to the beginning of an inner transformation that eventually will be seen externally.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 NKJV
When we give our lives to Christ, we are choosing a new way. This choice is an act of our free will. Following Jesus requires us to think differently, and that decision shows we are accepting that He is setting us free from past choices, judgments, and more. Through His crucifixion, sin has been removed from us—purifying us and preparing us for new life. This new life cannot be placed into an old wineskin.
Think of a wineskin as old traditions and belief patterns. These patterns stem from the person we once were and the things that no longer serve us. Living from an old wineskin can pull us back into darkness and bondage, never fully feeling at peace and keeping us in a never-ending cycle—essentially never arriving at what God has planned for us on the other side of Jesus’ resurrection.
The old wineskin cannot hold a new way of thinking. When Jesus tells us we are a new creation, we begin developing a new wineskin—a new way of understanding who we are and what is waiting for us from this day into eternity.
The weaver prepares the wineskin before He pours the wine
Transformation begins within and often cannot be seen. We may feel the same on the outside, yet we are anything but the same. Saying yes to Jesus begins a spiritual movement within the heart of the one who believes by faith and steps forward, as well as within the spiritual realm.
As we continue to role model after Jesus, others begin to see an outward change. This is the Romans 12 transformation. Only a new wineskin can hold what God is doing.
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:27 NKJV
God is in every cell of the human body. He is the Weaver, shaping us from the inside out and keeping the wineskin intact. We can be seen as the new wine contained within the wineskin. As we take each step, He continues to provide. The uncertainties we face in life can become opportunities to see how God is reshaping and expanding the new wine within us.
Change creates space for something better. As our wineskins begin to stretch—which can be uncomfortable—we can recognize it as a sign of God’s renewal in us. This transformation leads to a new way of thinking and a deeper understanding.
The Lord gives us work to do as part of co-laboring with Him. We must continually choose, by our free will, to follow God. Jesus was the perfect example of this. He said He only sees what the Father does, and He does it (John 5:19, NKJV).
When we choose, it does not come from the mind but from the heart. It is the heart that opens and yields to the Lord’s call. The mind thinks and continually plans, but following Jesus requires a heart adjustment—an alignment that allows growth and renewal to take place. The Holy Spirit is received through a heart after God.
The mind can analyze but only the heart can receive
Jesus and His disciples were called followers of “The Way.” Today, anyone who chooses to follow Jesus is making that same choice—to walk in His way. This new life is open to guidance. Following The Way means allowing our hearts and minds to be renewed and stretched like new wineskins, so we can receive everything God desires to give us. He wants us to experience the fullness of the riches of His kingdom.
Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV
As 2025 comes to a close and 2026 begins, let the past remain where it belongs—release the old wineskins and make room for the new ones, ready to hold all that God is about to pour out.
May God Bless you
Great thoughts Michelle!