Tag Archive for: 2 Corinthians 5:17

Say Goodbye to Yesterday

, ,

2 Corinthians 5:17 — “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

There was always one.

One student always showed up to youth group and sat in the back. Hoodie up. Eyes down. Never sang. Never responded.

And I could not stop thinking about him.

We did not start Elevation Rhythm for big stages. We started in rooms like that—small, loud, and imperfect— with students like that who were not yet sure what they believed about God but still came.

We began by remixing worship songs, just trying to help them connect. Eventually, we started writing our own. Not to sound cool. Not to go viral. But because we knew not every kid listens to the same thing, and if God speaks every language, then maybe He could speak through every genre, too.

Our hope was that in all the noise of the world, they would hear one song that felt personal like God was saying, “This one is for you.”

During one of those writing days, it was just me, Gracie Binion, and Mitch Wong. We were talking through what God had done in our lives and how hard it can be to stop believing the lies about who we used to be.

Then Gracie said, almost in passing, “I think I finally said goodbye to who I used to be.”

And that was it. We knew our students needed to hear that.

That was the beginning of our song “Goodbye Yesterday.”

We already had the name of the album, Victory Lap, but the meaning sank in deeper that day.

A victory lap is what you take after the race is finished—Not to win but to celebrate what has already been won. That is what life in Jesus is. Freedom. Not striving.

And maybe today, you are the one sitting in the back, not literally but in your heart. You are still unsure if God sees you and still dragging around the shame of a life He already paid for.

If that is you, hear this: you do not have to be weighed down by a version of yourself Jesus already set free.

The cross is before you. The past does not have to define you because He has already won. So, say the words even in a whisper.

“Goodbye, yesterday.”

And the rest of your life? It is your Victory Lap.

— Josh Holiday

 

Lyrics:

Goodbye yesterday
I’m living in the light of a new day
I won’t waste another minute in my old ways
Praise the Lord I’ve been born again

Goodbye yesterday
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
I’ve got resurrection in my veins
Praise the Lord, I’ve been born again

Again and again and again and again
You rescued me out of the mess I was in
Traded my sorrow for something to sing
I’m dancing on the grave that I once lived in

I have decided
To follow Jesus
The world behind
The cross before
I won’t turn back

Written by Joshua Holiday, Gracie Binion, Mitch Wong, Steven Furtick

GOODBYE YESTERDAY – LEARN MORE HERE

/by

Running Into Grace

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Salina never stayed in one place too long—jobs, relationships, even cities. Her calendar was full of concerts, road trips, and late nights that blurred. She liked it that way. No one depended on her, and she depended on no one.

Until one spring afternoon, something felt… off.

She was halfway through a run, earbuds in, thoughts drifting, when a wave of nausea stopped her mid-stride. She doubled over on the side of the trail. Her heart was pounding for a different reason now.

Later that evening, she waited, then took a test.

Two red lines. She was pregnant.

She stared at the ceiling long after midnight, the weight of the future pressing down like never before. What kind of future am I building for this child? Is there more to life than this? What do I really believe?

The questions scared her, but they also stirred something inside that refused to settle.

So, she walked into a church she had passed a hundred times before. She slipped into the back row. The songs were unfamiliar. The people were strangers, but something about it made her stay.

Weeks passed. Then one Sunday, someone shared the story of Jesus with such simple clarity, it disarmed her. She heard about His love that covered everything—regret, restlessness, rebellion.

When the invitation at the end of service came to receive Christ, she said yes. She let Him in.

Now, two years later, her daughter toddles barefoot through her grandmother’s kitchen while Salina laces up her running shoes again.

Midway through the run, she stops. Not because she is sick again—but because it is Mother’s Day. And she remembers.

God had met her on that sidewalk when she least expected it. He saved her not just from her past, but for her future.

Perhaps that is what you need to hear today—that the same God is still present, still near, and still ready to meet you exactly where you are.

All you have to do is stop, ask, and let Him in.

/by