Overwrites Every Label -2

Devotional

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Isaiah 53:1

Yesterday, we see the need to cry out for a new pronouncement. Jabez cried out and God answered. Jacob wrestled and God blessed. Gideon protested and God repeated his word. Nehemiah prayed and God granted favour. So we concluded if you have discovered limiting labelings over you, ask God directly:

“Lord, what do you call me? What is my true identity? What vision do you have for my life that transcends the labels I have carried?”

God’s written word is the primary place where his pronouncements are found. If you carry a label of insignificance, meditate on Isaiah 43:1-7: God’s declaration that you are precious and honored in his sight. If you carry a label of weakness, hold onto 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” If you carry a label of shame or failure, claim Romans 8:1: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” If you carry a tribal or cultural label of limitation, stand on Galatians 3:28: “You are all one in Christ Jesus.” If you carry a label from your past, declare 2 Corinthians 5:17: “The old has gone, the new is here!” Find the promises that directly contradict your labels, write them down, memorize them, and declare them daily.

But God’s pronouncement is not just for you to know: it is for you to live. Jacob did not simply receive a new name; he walked into his future as Israel. Gideon did not merely hear “mighty warrior”; he led an army. Nehemiah did not just receive a vision; he started rebuilding. Step into the identity God has spoken over you. This may mean making decisions that your old labels would have prohibited, pursuing opportunities your tribe said were impossible, and surrounding yourself with people who speak God’s pronouncement over you rather than the world’s labels.

Walking in your new identity is an act of faith. It often feels uncomfortable at first: Jacob limped after his encounter with God, a permanent reminder that he had been changed. Transformation leaves marks. But those marks are reminders that we have met with God and received his word.

One step that is often difficult but crucial is forgiving those who labeled you. Holding onto resentment toward those who gave you your labels gives the label continued power. Forgiveness does not mean what they did was acceptable: it means you release them from the debt of your pain so you can walk freely into your future.

Pray: “Lord, I forgive those who placed labels on me. I release them from the debt of my pain. And I ask you to heal the places where those labels have wounded me.”

Do you know, those who have received God’s overwriting pronouncement are called to speak it over others. Just as the angel spoke “mighty warrior” over a terrified Gideon, you can speak life over someone trapped in a label. Look for the people around you who are carrying heavy verdicts: the “problem child,” the “failure,” the “least likely to succeed.” Tell them: “I see strength in you. God has a purpose for your life. That label from your past does not define you.” Your words can be the beginning of someone else’s freedom.

The prophet Isaiah asked a penetrating question: “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Every day, we receive reports. Our parents gave us reports. Our tribes and cities have given us reports. Our employers and nations have given us reports. Some of these have become labels: definitions of who we are and what we can expect from life. But there is another report. There is a word from the Lord.
Jacob heard it and became Israel: Prince with God. Jabez heard it and became honorable: blessed and expanded. Gideon heard it and became a mighty warrior: victorious over Midian. Nehemiah heard it and became a rebuilder of walls: restorer of his nation. The same God who spoke to them is speaking today. He is calling you by name, overwriting every false label with his true pronouncement, and declaring over you: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

The question is not whether God has a word for you. He does. The question is whose report you will believe. Will you believe the label your parent gave you? Will you believe the narrative of your tribe or city? Will you believe the ceiling placed on you by your employer or nation? Or will you believe the God who created you, formed you, redeemed you, and summoned you by name? Choose his report. Wrestle until you hear his pronouncement. Cry out until he answers. Condemn every contrary ordinance against you; The Bible says every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn (Isaiah 54:17). And then walk in the freedom of the one true name: the name he has spoken over you.

Lord of heaven and earth, I come to you carrying labels I did not ask for. My family gave me some. My tribe and community gave me others. My city, my country, and my workplace have added their own. They have told me who I am, what I can do, and where I belong. But today I recognise that you are my creator. Before I was formed in the womb, You knew me. You knit me together with purpose. You alone have the right to name me. I confess the labels I have carried and release the pain of those words. I forgive those who spoke them. And I ask you, Lord: What do you call me? What is my true identity? What pronouncement do you speak over my life? Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening. I choose to believe your report above every other. In Jesus’ mighty name