THE DEVIL KNOWS YOUR NAME, BUT YOUR PAST DOES NOT DEFINE YOU.
Your past may explain where you've been, but it doesn't have to determine where you're going.
I know what it's like to carry a past you're not proud of.
I've made decisions that hurt people. I've sinned against God. I've walked roads that eventually led me behind prison walls.
But here's something I've learned: You don't have to be sitting in a prison cell to be a prisoner.
Some people are locked up in addiction. Others in pornography, adultery, anger, shame, or unforgiveness.
And some are simply trapped by the belief that they've gone too far for God to ever want them.
I know that lie because I've lived with it.
THE ENEMY LOVES REMINDING YOU WHO YOU USED TO BE.
He'll remind you of every mistake, every failure, every person you've hurt, and every promise you've broken.
He wants you convinced that your sin is your identity.
But that's not what Scripture teaches.
Romans 8:1 (CJB) reminds us that there is no condemnation for those who are united with Messiah Yeshua.
Read that again.
NO CONDEMNATION.
Not because we were innocent.
Not because our sins didn't matter.
But because Yeshua paid a price we could never pay ourselves.
GRACE IS NOT PERMISSION TO KEEP SINNING.
Here's where some people get uncomfortable.
Jesus didn't die so we could continue living however we please and slap the word forgiven over our rebellion.
He calls us to repentance.
Real repentance isn't simply being sorry you got caught. It's recognizing your sin, turning away from it, surrendering your life to Christ, and allowing Him to change you.
I've had to face that truth myself.
And I still need His grace every single day.
We're not talking about becoming perfect overnight. We're talking about no longer making peace with the very things Christ came to free us from.
YOUR RECORD IS NOT YOUR IDENTITY.
The world may remember your mugshot.
People may remember your addiction, your divorce, your failures, or the worst decision you ever made.
Some may never forgive you.
But God can redeem a surrendered life.
"Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation — the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new!"
— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (CJB)
That doesn't mean yesterday never happened.
It means yesterday doesn't have to own tomorrow.
God didn't erase my history. He's teaching me how to use it to reach people who believe their own story is already over.
That's what Prison to Purpose is about.
Not celebrating the man I used to be, but pointing people toward the Savior who refused to leave me there.
MAYBE THIS MESSAGE IS FOR YOU.
Maybe you're reading this from a prison cell.
Maybe you're hiding an addiction.
Maybe your marriage is falling apart because of choices you've made.
Or maybe you've spent years pretending everything is fine while quietly drowning in guilt.
Whatever your situation, hear me:
You cannot change your past, but you can surrender your future.
Stop running from the One who already knows everything you've done and still calls you to repentance.
Get on your knees. Confess your sins. Turn away from them. Put your trust in Yeshua, Jesus Christ.
Not tomorrow.
Today.
Your past is part of your testimony. It doesn't have to be your destination.
And if God can take a man from prison to purpose, imagine what He can do with a life fully surrendered to Him.
Prison to Purpose | From Chains to Christ
Restoration begins with surrender. Freedom begins with Yeshua.
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