Who Am I Now? What the Bible Says About Identity After Addiction

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

2 Corinthians 5:17

DEVO

💡 FROM SHAME TO SONSHIP

Addiction doesn’t just damage the body—it distorts identity. After years of darkness, lies, and failures, it’s easy to believe that you are your past: a junkie, a drunk, a screw-up, a disappointment. Even after giving your life to Christ, the echo of who you used to be can follow you like a shadow.

But God doesn’t call you by your sin—He calls you by your name, your purpose, and your identity in Christ.

The enemy wants to remind you of who you were. But the Holy Spirit reminds you of who you are now: forgiven, chosen, adopted, and deeply loved. You’re not in recovery just to be sober—you’re being restored to your true self, the one God had in mind before addiction ever entered the picture.

Identity is key to victory. If you still believe you’re “just an addict,” you’ll stay stuck. But if you begin to embrace who God says you are, your behavior will begin to match your new identity, not your old one.

You are not your addiction. You are not your mistakes. You are a child of God—and He is making all things new.

📖 FINDING YOUR NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST

1. YOU ARE A NEW CREATION

2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Romans 8:1

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

🖊 REFLECT

☀ Do you still define yourself by who you were, or by who God says you are now?

☀ What “old things” do you need to let go of mentally and spiritually?

2. YOU ARE ADOPTED, NOT ABANDONED

Romans 8:15

"For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’"

Ephesians 1:5

"Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."

🖊 REFLECT

☀ How does it change your view of yourself to know you’re adopted by God?

☀ What lies about rejection or abandonment are still lingering from your past?

3. YOU ARE REDEEMED AND SET APART

1 Peter 2:9

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

Colossians 1:13–14

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

🖊 REFLECT

☀ What new identity words stand out to you in these verses? (Chosen, royal, forgiven…)

☀ How can you live as someone who has been set apart?

4. YOUR ARE EMPOWERED TO WALK DIFFERENTLY

Ephesians 4:22–24

"That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

Galatians 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

🖊 REFLECT

☀ What does it mean for you to “put off the old man” in your daily walk?

☀ How can you start dressing in your new identity, spiritually speaking?

✍️ JOURNAL PROMPTS

☀ Who did I believe I was during my addiction?

☀ What does God’s Word say about who I am now?

☀ What identities or labels do I need to throw out?

☀ How can I begin to walk in alignment with my new identity?

☀ Write out a declaration of who you are in Christ today.

🙏 PRAYER

Abba Father,

Thank You for not defining me by my past, but by Your promises. I confess I’ve held on to shame, guilt, and old labels. But today I receive the truth: I am a new creation in Christ. I am chosen, forgiven, adopted, and deeply loved. Help me renew my mind, walk in the Spirit, and live out the identity You’ve given me. Let me never again wear the name “addict,” but proudly bear the name “child of God.”

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

✅ NEXT STEPS: LIVING OUT YOUR NEW IDENTITY

☀ Write down five Scriptures about who you are in Christ and read them daily.

☀ Speak life over yourself out loud every morning—especially when you’re tempted.

☀ Replace negative self-talk with God’s truth (e.g., “I’m a failure” → “I am more than a conqueror”).

☀ Share your testimony to help others see that identity in Christ is possible after addiction.