Stop Making Excuses - Go and Borrow

Yes! I said so. Before you have my head, please read, you will be helped.

Historically, wine was stored in wineskins, these were made from animal skin and had the ability to stretch to accommodate the fermentation process of new wine. Jesus while teaching John’s disciples (Matt. 9:17) uses wine and wineskins to illustrate his teachings. He teaches that it was unwise to store fresh wine in old wineskins because the subsequent fermentation process would break the skin and the wine would be spilled. In other words, old wineskins had reached their elastic limit. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Let us take a few steps down memory lane, in 2 Kings 4, a widow cried out to one of my favourite old testament prophets - Elisha seeking help. All hell had been let loose, her husband was dead, and her sons were about to be sold into slavery to pay her debt (double wahala!). Elisha asked a pertinent question: what hast thou in the house? Wise woman mentioned that she had a small jar of oil (never say you have nothing oh!) and Elisha instructed her to go on a borrowing spree.

Let’s draw parallels from these two stories: a widow’s borrowing spree and Jesus’ timeless wisdom. The old wineskins and this widow lacked capacity to take in more in their current state. Have you ever felt like you have reached your ‘elastic limit’ concerning a certain phase in your life? You can sense it, you can feel it, you just know it. You know you have plateaued, like you have outgrown a certain space and you desire more. If this is you, you will need to do two things:

1.Borrow vessels from your ‘neighbours’ and/or purchase a new ‘wineskin’

 

We have established that if you are at the phase where your vessel (mind, heart, spirit) in its current state (mindset) cannot take in more, then you must go-a-borrowing. Simply put, you must ‘stretch’. How do you do this? Pray (you could fast also) specifically asking God to enlarge your capacity, as you do so, you create ‘space’ within your spirit for more. Also, prayer directs you to which ‘neighbour’ you need to borrow from and what kind of ‘vessels’ you require. Remember a bottle cork is as much a vessel as a titanic-sized ship.  The term ‘neighbour’ represents something within your reach. You need not look too far. By God’s help, identify that bible chapter, that book, subscribe to that podcast, listen to that message, reach out to that ‘neighbour’ to be mentored.

 

2.   Commence pouring the oil and/or the new wine

 

What directions did you get on your knees? Start doing. Start reading that bible chapter, that book, those articles, request to be mentored, start and do it afraid.

Listen up, there is a call to the deep where people walk through the corridors of deep waters as they ‘flee’ Pharaoh; some defy surface tension and fear and walk on water showing us we can defy the same laws that hold back some; others damned the consequences and took a stand between life and death to negotiate the saving of an entire city, One defied the law of sin and death, time and gravity paying an ultimate price like has never been paid and He calls us to greater works than this.

Are we ready? On your marks, get set, ……  …..