Following up her string of recent hit songs "Let Go," "Don't Have Love" and "Through My Father's Eyes" from her album Focus, Holly Starr's fourth album Everything I Need has been preceded by her worshipful and powerful song "God Is," which has resonated with me since I first heard it.  

That song and this very worshipful album picks up with Holly's desire to provide words for the Church to sing about our Lord, to edify and build up believers with her anointed voice and transparent faith. In that way, her song "God Is" reflects her heartbeat to sing about the attributes of God and make an offering of praise to Him, as He is "Everything I Need." That is the thread that runs through every song on this album. I had the chance to speak with Holly about the song "Never Going Back."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This song was written with Scott Cash. We were working on a different song, and God stepped in the room and decided for us that we were going to write a new song instead of the one we were going to record. It was one of those days where we were asking where this song came from. 

As we were writing the song, I was really excited. It is an anthem, not only for me in relation to the things I've gone through, but also for the Church body. It's for anyone who has experienced salvation or healing and anybody walking with Jesus. 

When you walk with Jesus, your life changes. That's the mark of Him in your life. Things change, and things shift. When that happens, we have tendencies to fall back into our past patterns of sin and struggles, but even when we do that we can never go back to the person we were before Jesus met us and changed our lives. 

It's been so cool to sing and share this song. There have been many people who have experienced the healing hand of God in their lives, and there's no way in the world that we can ever go back to who we were. 

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Psalm 57:7-9 (NIV): My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples.

Romans 6:22-23 (NKJV): But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Philippians 4:7 (ESV): And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV): Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

What is the takeaway message of the song and album?

When God steps into our lives, He changes our heart and our mind, and it's a real change and not just a temporary fix. This is a celebration song for all my brothers and sisters in Christ who have experienced the saving power of Jesus. Salvation from sin and the ability to move on from our past comes by the blood and love of Jesus. To be forgiven and given grace like that is something I want to sing about until the day I die. 

As I was writing this song and as I sing it, I feel a connection to my testimony about overcoming my struggles with body image. I see how God's Spirit comes into my life and changes my mind. That's the power of the truth of His Word and His presence in my life. At the same time, I'm experiencing the healing and rejoicing as expressed in "Through My Father's Eyes." By following up with this song, "Never Going Back," if you didn't already hear that God has changed my life... He has changed my life. 

I want you to know that I know that you can know that He's real and He can do that for all of us. It all comes back to knowing that God is greater than our circumstances and our stories and struggles. We need to put our eyes on Him in whatever situation we have. It all comes down to faith. Do you really believe God is who He says He is? If we put our faith in Him, He gives us peace that surpasses understanding.

If there's one lesson I can pick out that God has taught me over the past two years, it's that in our lives, we all have things we feel like we're missing, so we spend a lot of time trying to fulfill those longings and desires. For some of us, it's a relationship; for some of us, it's a job; for some of us, it's a higher position. But in the end, the thing we ultimately desire is God. He is everything we need.

Lyrics:
I was a runaway
Living a masquerade 
But deep down I knew that I was broken 

You found me in the dark
You held me in Your arms
You changed my future in a moment now I'm

Never going back
To the way I was 
Whatever's in the past
Is covered in Love
Is covered in Love

No matter what comes
My mind's made up
Forever I'm Yours 
Because of Your love
Because of Your love

Oh what a victory
My Savior won for me
Now I have peace that won't be shaken

Oh what a miracle
My heart forever full
Oh God Your Spirit has awakened me I'm

My God You are so good to me
You saved my life, You set me free
Hallelujah, I have been redeemed

"Never Going Back" has quickly become one of my personal worship anthems, and I hear in Holly's stellar vocals a sincere yearning for Jesus and thankfulness in her heart for God's mercy and grace. I'm completely convicted by the strong lyrics and find immense comfort in this song filled with biblical truth. I am especially comforted by the truth of the lyrics "I'm never going back to the way I was, whatever's in the past is covered in love." 

This song and album celebrates the freedom we are promised in God's Holy Word (2 Corinthians 5:17): "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Christians are new creations on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives us new life, and we don't have to live anymore with our guilt, fears or worries. We are born again, and we need to live as children of God.

This song has strong theological messages like Holly's song "Through My Father's Eyes," which proclaims "You'll be a slave to nothing" based on Romans 6:22-23. That is something I want my daughters to know, that after we are saved and redeemed we are never going back to being a slave to sin, and instead we are bondservants of God. That's an example of something we are never going back to now that we are children of God. Celebrate the truth that "whatever's in the past is covered in love." The gift of God is eternal life. Once the Holy Spirit has indwelled in you and you've been redeemed, God desires for us to have life abundantly in Him.

This song sings "Oh God, Your Spirit has awakened me." After contemplating the declarations that the song confirms in my own life, I reach the same conclusion and join Holly in singing to God: "No matter what comes, my mind's made up, Forever I'm Yours, because of Your love." The message behind this song is the story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though we were all guilty and deserving of judgment, we need to know this truth: "My God You are so good to me, You saved my life, You set me free, Hallelujah I have been redeemed." Amen to that!

(Watch the lyric video here.)