Who else loves a plan: a to-do list, a routine, a way of working that feels steady and reliable?
I like knowing what I’m moving toward. I like being productive, following through, and doing what I’m good at doing. Over time, those rhythms become more than habits, they become trusted resources. They’ve carried responsibility and produced real fruit.
And then God begins to stir something new.
Not all at once or fully defined, but enough to recognize a different kind of fruit He’s highlighting for what’s ahead. When I held that future fruit next to the way I had always worked, a clear realization surfaced: those familiar patterns were never going to produce this new fruit.
I could still live the old way. I knew how. But I also knew that returning to those patterns—even ones that had worked well—would not lead to what God was beginning to light up inside of me to do.
That kind of realization changes how you move forward. It’s also the moment Jesus names when He talks about new wineskins.
New Wineskins Aren’t a Critique of the Old
In Luke 5, Jesus uses a simple image to describe this kind of moment:
“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.” ~ Luke 5:37–38 (NIV)
This isn’t a rebuke. It’s an observation.
The old wineskins weren’t bad. They were shaped for a specific season. They carried what they were meant to carry and produced the fruit they were designed to produce at that time. But new wine, still fermenting and expanding, requires a different capacity.
Jesus is talking about growth.
What He names here isn’t just a spiritual principle. It’s something many of us begin to recognize in real life.
When God Begins to Stir Something New
Sometimes, God begins to stir new ideas, new direction, or a deeper sense of calling in things that don’t fit inside the way you’ve always lived and worked.
You may not have the full picture or a step-by-step plan, but there is a growing awareness that something different is forming. When you hold that emerging direction alongside the patterns and routines that once worked so well, a clear realization begins to take shape. The old wineskins are not designed to produce what God is now inviting you into, no matter how faithfully you use them.
That doesn’t mean the old way was wrong. It means it was for a time and for a purpose.
As understanding deepens, God often invites us into a way of living that better supports what He is growing within us. The container changes because the calling is expanding.
Why the Old Way Still Feels Tempting
Even when you recognize the need for new wineskins, the old way can still feel appealing.
It’s familiar and efficient. It has a track record.
Productivity can become a reliable resource. Busyness can offer a sense of control. Accomplishment can reassure us that we’re doing something meaningful, especially when new questions or possibilities are beginning to surface.
Those resources work until God reveals something new He’s inviting you toward, and you realize the old way won’t take you there.
That realization often leads to a season of discernment. Not rushing to change everything at once but slowing down to ask different questions: How do I live in a way that aligns with what God is showing me? What needs to shift in my schedule, my pace, or the way I integrate work with the rest of my life?
Living a new way takes intention and practice. And it can feel uncomfortable simply because it’s unfamiliar.
That discomfort doesn’t mean you’re off track. It often means your capacity is being expanded, and you’re learning how to live in alignment with what God is revealing.
New Wineskins Form Internally First
Before anything changes externally—routines, roles, or pace—new wineskins usually form internally.
You notice when pressure is driving your decisions instead of discernment. You recognize when familiarity is shaping your choices more than clarity. And you start asking God how He’s inviting you to respond now, rather than relying on what worked before.
New wineskins take shape as God expands our capacity to carry the fruit He’s growing next.
Instead of asking how to do more, the question becomes whether our internal resources match what God is forming.
When you stop letting old patterns set the pace, it becomes easier to hear God clearly.
Walking Forward Without Rushing
Embracing new wineskins is an intentional response.
It requires pausing long enough to notice what God is revealing, praying through what it might mean, and staying open as He leads you forward. This kind of transition doesn’t happen by accident. It asks for willingness, attentiveness, and trust.
Jesus Himself was never in a hurry. He moved with purpose, but not with pressure. He listened, withdrew to pray, and allowed space for what the Father was doing to unfold in its time. And in following Him, we’re invited into that same posture.
New wineskins don’t discard what’s come before. They grow from it. The seeds planted in earlier seasons still matter. The fruit that bloomed was real. But God often uses what has already grown to support something even fuller, deeper, and more aligned than before.
This season isn’t about doing less or stepping back from what you’ve learned. It’s about allowing God to shape how you carry what’s next. As you pause and walk with Him, He begins to order your pace, your priorities, and your way of living so they match what He’s now bringing to life.
Stepping into new wineskins is an invitation to move forward with God, attentive to how He is shaping your life now.
A Word About Journaling
Journaling can be an insightful companion in seasons like this.
It offers a place to notice what kind of fruit you’re being drawn toward and whether the ways you’ve relied on before are meant to support it now. Writing slows the process enough to notice patterns, name tension, and listen more closely to what God is stirring.
A Closing Prayer
God ~
Help me recognize the fruit You’re growing in this season, and shape within me the capacity to carry it well.
Teach me to trust You as You form new ways of living within me and lead me forward with clarity and peace.
Amen
Want to go deeper?
If you’d like a place to reflect more deeply on this, I’ve created a companion journal to walk with you as you notice what God is revealing and how He may be inviting you to move forward. Get the journal here.
I’d love to hear…
What stood out to you as you read this?
