Disciple's Dove Award nominated album Attack, released in 2014, was the result of longtime lead singer and founder Kevin Young surrounding himself with experienced new band members: Josiah Prince (Philmont) and Andrew Stanton (I Am Empire) on guitars and Joey West (After Edmund) on drums. Although many might have considered the album a hard act to follow, Disciple's recently released Long Live the Rebels (produced by Aaron Sprinkle) has already garnered the acclaim to prove that it might be their best album yet.

I've been a fan of Disciple's brand of inspirational Christian rock for more than a decade, having seen the band live several times and having spoken with Kevin previously about "Dear X, You Don't Own Me," "Draw the Line"  and "Bring the Dead to Life" (from last year's Vultures EP, six songs that didn't fit thematically on Attack). I had the chance to speak with Kevin about their new song "Erase."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This was a song that Josiah brought to the band, which has been an awesome thing with the new lineup of Disciple, that the guys who are in the band now are so talented and it's really a team effort. I'm surrounded by guys who are more talented than me. It makes going to work a lot of fun. Josiah had written the chorus and music, and we knew it was going to be a special song. 

God has given us a ministry. Normally you have experience in it, but we have a ministry to a lot of people who experience cutting and having suicidal thoughts, which is not an area any of us have dealt with personally. But when we sit down to write songs, God gives us songs to minister in that area. This is one of those songs. Everybody deals with guilt and shame. I knew it was going to be extra special for people dealing with the struggles of self-harm and suicidal thoughts. I feel like there are so many factors why someone struggles in those areas. 

A lot of times in 2016, we like to go straight to science. They talk about chemical imbalances and prescribe medication. The thing that science doesn't address is that we are spiritual beings. There is always a spiritual component, which is the message of "Erase." The deep thing inside of you that haunts you is addressed by the message of the Gospel of Jesus in a really big way. He will erase your yesterdays. There is promise after promise in the Bible that God will erase our sins as far as the east is from the west, He will remember our sins no more. That's a big promise that we have from God. How it affects us is whether we choose to believe it or not. When we put our faith in the fact that God has done this work for us, it is life-changing. That's the message of the song. 

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Psalm 103:8-12 (NIV): "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

Psalm 103:6-18 (Message): "God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, He's rich in love. He doesn't endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, 
so strong is his love to those who fear Him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, He has separated us from our sins. As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear Him."

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV): "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Zephaniah 3:17 (VOICE): "The Eternal your God is standing right here among you, and He is the champion who will rescue you. He will joyfully celebrate over you; He will rest in His love for you; He will joyfully sing because of you like a new husband."

What is the takeaway message?

The song is being sung from God's perspective. We did that about ten years ago with our song "After the World," and we kept doing that with our song "Invisible." I think it makes a difference to the listener. 

In the way we like to write songs, there are two components. There's the artistic element, and like with any rock song you either like it or you don't, and then there's the emotional element, where if it emotionally connects with you and makes you feel something when you listen to it, you connect with the song on a much deeper level. That's how we want to write songs. No matter what the topic, we want to write songs on an emotional level and connect with people. When you write a song from God's perspective with His Word, then it really connects. We have His Word, the Bible, and when you put His Word to music, it has a good chance of emotionally connecting at that point. 

Shame is not your identity. That's the spiritual element of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your sin is not who you are. You've lied, but you aren't a liar. God has changed the core of who you are. The old has passed away and everything has become new.

Lyrics:
Come lift up your eyes and look into Mine (Isaiah 45:22)
Try to see what I see (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Your mind has not been a friend (Ephesians 4:17-20)
It chokes you within
And makes truth look like a demon (2 Corinthians 11:14-15; 2 Timothy 4:3-4)
Rewinding these memories, suffering every night
But I've been watching you
Hoping you would see the truth
And run to the light (John 8:12)

When you say you're not okay
My heart it breaks to heal your pain (Psalm 147:3)
I will erase your yesterday (Psalm 103:12)
You'll be okay
My love is greater than your mistake (Proverbs 10:12; 1 Peter 4:8)

I can't make you believe
Shame doesn't have to be your true identity (Romans 8:1)
I still will not go away as long as it takes (Deuteronomy 31:8)
I will keep your soul breathing (Jude 1:24)

When you say you're not okay
My heart it breaks to heal your pain
I will erase your yesterday
You'll be okay
My love is greater than this
Forget every regret (Philippians 3:13)
I'll make perfection from this mess (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I will erase your yesterday
You'll be okay
My love is greater than your mistake

You are not alone
You are not alone
You are not alone
You are not alone (Matthew 28:20)

When you say you're not okay
My heart it breaks to heal your pain
I will erase your yesterday
You'll be okay
My love is greater than this
Forget every regret (Philippians 3:13)
I'll make perfection from this mess (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I will erase your yesterday
You'll be okay
My love is greater than your mistake

I love how the translation of Psalm 103 from The Message includes contemporary language about how "God doesn't nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever." My friend and pastor J.R. Briggs wrote a daily devotional based on this passage in the book Solo by Eugene Peterson. On Day 89 of the book, there is a great suggestion based on the concept of "blessing God." The literal meaning of the Hebrew word bless is "to kneel." So when we bless God, our souls kneel to Him in worship or gratitude.

As a father of 3 daughters, I can really relate to how I feel for my daughters when they do wrong. I don't want to condemn them because I love them so much, and my Father in Heaven loves them and me even more than I do. The imagery of "God feels for those who fear Him" is very powerful and a strong reminder that we are called to bless God and kneel before Him to show our fear and adoration. Try meditating on this very powerful song and passage with your heart "kneeling" before God. Personally I can't help but just sing these words at the top of my lungs to Jesus in thankfulness of His grace and mercy. 

This is one of my favorite songs of the year. I can't get enough of the Biblical truth found here, and I love when artists take God's Word from the Bible and turn it into a great and catchy song filled with truth. This song is sung as God singing over us as expressed in Zephaniah 3:17, and I sing it to Him with all of my heart. He is worthy of all of our praise and devotion. We were dead in our sins, and by grace we were saved and made alive in Christ!

This song is a great celebratory anthem about what it means to have hope in Christ. Sometimes it is hard to believe that God loves us so much that He knows us intimately and wants to fill our hearts with love. We don't have to be pretend, hide, strive or stand on our tiptoes to meet some mark. He knows our brokenness inside and out, and because of what Jesus did on the Cross, He sees us as righteous. God sees us as He sees His Son. It's not our righteousness or appearance or talent or gifting, it is just Jesus. That's cause to celebrate and sing out the truth: "I will erase your yesterday, you'll be okay, My love is greater than your mistake." Amen to that!

Watch the lyric video below.