April 29, 2026 Devo

This past Sunday, I preached a message that a lot of people said really hit home for them. It was called “Getting Past Your Past.” The big idea of the message was that we often find ourselves being held hostage by the things that are behind us. Past failures. Past disappointments. Past hurts. These things and more can actually create a prison for us that we can find hard to break out of. They are more than just things that happened to us or things that we’ve done. They’ve become voices that we allow to define us. They’ve become our Identity.
Those of us who grew up in troubled homes often received messages we find hard to shake. We were told we’re a bother. We were told we’re a mistake. We grew up believing that we were the catalyst for all the troubles of our home. But we’re not. We’re just the convenient emotional rug that our parents or others wiped their dysfunction on. Many of us have continued to hold that belief, allowing anyone to treat us that way. We expect it. We feel we deserve it. It’s who we ARE, we think. But we’re wrong.
Our failures don’t define us. Our messed-up families and name-calling classmates don’t get to determine who we are. The Only One who gets to define us is The One who made us. Listen again to the words of the Lord spoken through Isaiah. “But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, ‘Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.’” Sink this theology deep into your heart and soul. Let it be the divine radiation that heals the tumors of your past. Let it be the voice of truth that drowns out all of the lies you were told. Let it be the rewriting of your story and the reclaiming of your true identity. Declare the words of Paul in Romans. “Let God be true, and every human being a liar!”
It is God who made you. It is He who formed you. He is the one who found you valuable enough, beautiful enough, and precious enough to redeem. He bought you with His own blood. His death gives you life. And He loves more than you can possibly imagine. Let His words drown out every other voice you’ve ever heard. Feel His joy for you, His passion for you, and His delight in you as He says, “I have called you by name; you are MINE.” Step out of the prison of your past and into your future, bright with hope and promise. Because THAT’S who you really are. That is your True Identity. That’s God’s Word for you today.