Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.(Matt 9:17) We have to become transformed by the renewing of our mind. (Rom 12:2) That is more than just believing something new. Changes have to be made, and at the soul level. Good people carry around a lot of bad baggage that needs to be taken care of. The reason you may not expereince God the way you want to is because you want to put new wine into your old wine skin.

When you go after God and ask Him for the fruits of the Spirit, He has to make changes in you so you can carry them. Don’t be surprised if you start to remember bad episodes of your past. That is God nudging you to deal with them. Most of the time it means there is unforgiveness in your heart that you need to repent of. It could be anything. Allow Him to show you what you are carrying that is preventing the full flow of His Spirit in your life. Deal with it, get rid of it, and you’ll start to see your prayers answered.