No Longer Who I Was

One of the most insidious effects of being a drug addict and criminal over many years is that you think of this as your sole identity. It can be so deeply ingrained into your self-perception that you begin to believe it’s all you are and all you will ever be. You’re convinced that earthly power or influence can alter the course of your life. That was the case for me. But I remember when I resigned myself to admitting that soon I would either be dead or would be spending most of my future in prison.

As we mature by the work of the Spirit, we are to constantly trust what God says about us more than what we think about ourselves. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we have been washed and made clean in God’s sight. We have been set apart for His good pleasure. We’ve been justified. As Paul illustrates, the journey of growing in Christlikeness is marked by growing into who we are and dying to who we once were.

Your sin may seem to chase after you, but the Lord chases after you even harder with His conquering, relentless love.