96: Pressed but not Destroyed

 My Heart’s Desire

As a new wineskin is carried everywhere its owner travels, it can be shaken, tossed, turned, even dropped on the ground or flung into the air.  Yet, it is not destroyed.  So it with the soul as it patiently waits for its desires to manifest into reality. 

The Living Word tells us that We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

The second stage of producing new wine is called crushing and pressing.  This is the time when the body of the grape fruit is broken open and the juice inside is collected.  The manifestation of your heart’s desires must also be met with the breaking of all fleshly connections.  Your “wine” is not for the cause of promoting worldly ambitions—getting rich to spend wealth on what does not edify the Kingdom of God.  Therefore, your heart’s desires must line up with the desires of God’s heart for its juice to flow out.

 

Why are we not crushed, nor in despair, nor forsaken, and neither destroyed?  Because our wine skin is always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh (2 Corinthians 4:10).  The dying of our Lord Jesus signifies the dying of our flesh which yearns to chase after “making money” and lifts us up into a life that yearns to catch God-inspired desires of the Spirit planted in our heart which build up wealth to sustain godly missions.  The born-again’s soul has crushed all its worldly desires; and is now producing “holy wine” to be poured out onto the world for its salvation—that the life of Jesus may be manifested through us as we reach out to transform the world around us!

Are your heart’s desires in tune with the rhythm of God’s heartbeat?  I pray they are so, because God is going to cause you to do greater works than the Lord.  He is going to lift you to great heights and make you a vessel of honor for use in His Kingdom.  God is going to the stop the devil in his tracks against you; and cause you to stand before kings.  His hand will uphold you so you do not fall; and His eyes will be your guide when you are sent into the valleys to seek and to save the lost.  You are protected and directed by the mighty arm of God; and no weapon aimed at you shall land, but shall surely return to its sender.  You not only mirror Christ, you are the light of Christ, and nothing by any means will harm you.

 

Your past is redeemed, your present is esteemed and your future will be your dream manifested because you are unstoppable in the way of the Lord.   Your mortal flesh is not sinful.  It is the dwelling place of your real-self, your soul-self, so as you keep it holy unto the Lord and fashionably appareled in dress and style, all who watch you shall behold the Christ in you, and declare that, yes, Jesus is alive.  He died to sin, but resurrected to life eternal. 

Your new wine skin may be upset by atmospheric pressures which may cause it to experience pressure (the pressing), perplexities (the problems of everyday living), the persecution (the unpopularity of carnal folks mocking you), the striking down of your goals by those who can see your light (but hate it), only to be lifted up again, as you stay your stride on the way to meeting your heart’s desires.

But, here’s the greatest news of all: YOU WILL NOT BE DESTROYED.  Your heart’s desires, your “wine” can never dry out.  God’s plan and will for your life can never change nor be undone.  He is Lord, He is Lord. He is Lord.  His has risen from the dead and He is Lord.  Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord.

 

© 2021 by Patience Osei-Anyamesem. All rights reserved.  Published by The Light In Me Enterprise.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher.  The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews or other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are from The New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.  Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Reference for the processes of making wine: www.worldsbestwines.eu: A Detailed Guide to Winemaking.

 

Take My Hand Inspirations

95: Pouring New Wine Into New Wine Skin

 My Heart’s Desire

 

 A wineskin is a container made of animal skin (usually a goat), used to hold liquids such as water, olive oil, milk, or wine.  Just as the wineskin is a container used for carrying liquids, so too is your soul for carrying your heart’s desire.

The amount of liquid stored in wineskin was based on its capacity, or size.  In the same way, your soul can only hold a heart’s desire based on the size of your faith.  We described that 1 Corinthians 12:9 faith as a gift of the Holy Spirit which empowers you to move mountains out of your way, to walk on water, and to open doors to living your heart’s desires.

 

Your faith is the wineskin’s capacity.  The size of your faith is what your soul can hold for you.  The desires of your heart is the wine. In most dictionaries, “desire” is defined as a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. In the context of soul-matters, desire is a God-inspired knowing of His assignment given to you to execute here on earth.  Desire can also be called the fuel that’s needed to propel the manifestation of your life-purpose.  Desire helps to drive your soul in the right direction for making your purpose of living come into reality, or simply put, to make your “dreams come true.”

Desire, though, is more than a dream.  The purpose of your life is seen in visions or dreams, but desire is like fire that gives you that special kind of energy called zealousness, the willingness to step out on faith and make it happen—to physically live on earth working out your purpose without fear, hesitation, or excuses to back down or halt in the completion of your God-inspired assignment.

 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine. Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come” (John 2:3-4).

Life is like a wedding when you are living in the desires of your heart.  The wine (your heart’s desire) is flowing and you feel good in sharing it with others while watching them also enjoying the “fruit” of your labour.

Wine is produced in five stages: harvesting, crushing and pressing, fermentation, clarification, and aging.  In other words, it takes time for a desire to manifest with its intended impact.  It takes God’s perfect timing.  As Mary indicated to her son that “now is the time to make manifest your ministry”, Jesus was telling His mother, “It’s not yet time.”  But mothers are given to us as life-coaches; and so we are in awe of the first publicly recorded miracle of Jesus.

The first step in producing wine is harvesting the fruit (grapes) by making sure that the sweetness and acidity of the grapes are in perfect balance while picking them by hand.  Weather—the atmospheric mixture of elements of sunlight, temperature, humidity, and season (timing)—also plays an important role in the harvesting process. Once the grapes are picked, the under-ripe and rotten grapes are removed.

 

What kind of fruit—desire(s)—are you bearing in your life right now?  Are they in line with your God-given assignment?  This series will take us through the steps of producing: “My Heart’s Desire”.

 

Your assignment this week is to identify your heart’s desire (get out your journal and work that pen).  Take time to pray, meditate and listen to the “voice” of God, then record the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart (Read Psalm 37:3-5).

 

© 2021 by Patience Osei-Anyamesem. All rights reserved.  Published by The Light In Me Enterprise.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher.  The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews or other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are from The New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.  Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Reference for the processes of making wine: www.worldsbestwines.eu: A Detailed Guide to Winemaking.

 

Take My Hand Inspirations