FRESH WINE

Text: “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

This scripture explains that you can't let in fresh wine (new things) into an old wine skin. Meaning you've got to let go of certain old to receive new things.

There are different things people hold on to that blocks their access to more; beliefs,  ideas, hurts, pain, unforgiveness,  bitterness etc. Holding onto these things restricts access to get certain new things in their life.

For example, someone that has gone through abuse finds it difficult to trust and let people in their space and this breeds bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, in their heart and it causes so much clutter in their head.

Our major focus today is UNFORGIVENESS. You might want to ask what is unforgiveness, but before that let's talk about what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is letting go of the anger you feel towards someone or something. Forgiveness involves intentionally letting go of anger, hurt, bitterness towards someone or something.

Forgiveness is in three ways; God forgiving you, you forgiving others and you forgiving yourself.
In God forgiving you, you're to first acknowledge that you've wronged Him, then intentionally ask Him for mercy.

One thing you've to understand is that nothing you did made God love you first, He chose to love you. So when you wrong Him, don't think He'll hate you and He'll never accept you, not at all. He's always waiting for you to come to him.

Another part of Forgiveness is you forgiving others. In this aspect of Forgiveness, you need the help of the Holyspirit and you're to note that God expects us to forgive. It's stated in His word in Matthew 6:14-15;
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins"

Forgiving others isn't easy, especially when they didn't acknowledge they were wrong, that's why you need the help of the Holyspirit to forgive. In forgiveness, you've got to choose to let go, you've got to choose to receive God's peace and let go of the unnecessary burdens.

The final aspect of Forgiveness is you forgiving yourself. You've to accept that you're as human as the people you forgive. Understand that you'll always make bad decisions. When you realize that let go and work on yourself. At times some of the things you blame yourself for isn't your fault. You don't have control over some certain things that would happen in your life.

Then what's unforgiveness. Unforgiveness is holding onto to past hurts, pain,and anger, bitterness.
I heard an illustration; unforgiveness towards someone, is you thinking you're creating a prison for that person, unknowing to you that you're the one in the prison.

Unforgiveness restricts your access to a lot of good things, unforgiveness makes you think you're hurting someone else not knowing you're hurting yourself.

Unforgiveness makes you carry burdens that should be dropped, it takes away your peace and it restricts God from working in your life. Unforgiveness makes you hold on to things you should let go and it deprives you of new and better ones.

You've got to let go of unforgiveness, the anger, the bitterness you feel towards someone else, to be able to feel peace, to be able to make progress.

HOW TO LET GO OF UNFORGIVENESS;

📌 Ask God to help you 

📌 Be accountable, talk to someone about it.

📌 You're to understand that God expects us to forgive because he does forgive us. 1 John 1:9

Forgiveness makes you feel light experience peace, you being at peace with God, with others and with yourself. It's you obeying God

Today remember that you need the help of the Holyspirit to forgive. And also you need to let go the hurts, pain, bitterness you're holding onto, so you can create space for fresh things, for the fresh wine.