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Your New Name: Saying Goodbye to the Labels That Limit
Life is full of labels that limit, but God has a new name He longs for you to hear - a name that boldly declares freedom from your past and hope for your future. Join Esther Fleece Allen, bestselling author of No More Faking Fine, in this profound exploration of your God-given identity that no label can limit and no circumstance can shake.
Too often, our identity gets tangled up with our circumstances, and suddenly, the truth of who we are is colored by our relationship status, our job title, the shame of our past, or what others say about us.
People might pin toxic, untrue labels on your back. Life might knock you down. And you might even wrongly label yourself. But God never does. Our God-given identity is the truest thing about us, and God spends a lot of time in the Bible telling us who we are. It's time to take Him at His word.
God's names for you are not post-it-note provisions; they are names to be studied, taken to heart, and believed, all in the journey of becoming your truest self just as He created you to be. Let Your New Name be your first step in this journey of a lifetime.
Too often, our identity gets tangled up with our circumstances, and suddenly, the truth of who we are is colored by our relationship status, our job title, the shame of our past, or what others say about us.
People might pin toxic, untrue labels on your back. Life might knock you down. And you might even wrongly label yourself. But God never does. Our God-given identity is the truest thing about us, and God spends a lot of time in the Bible telling us who we are. It's time to take Him at His word.
God's names for you are not post-it-note provisions; they are names to be studied, taken to heart, and believed, all in the journey of becoming your truest self just as He created you to be. Let Your New Name be your first step in this journey of a lifetime.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 14, 2020
38 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 30, 2021
Esther Fleece Allen uses her own life as a template to illustrate the ways that God brings us out of the mirey pit, and instead places us in a seat of honor. When we trust in Him and believe His promises, we see the beauty of the names we're given as we're adopted into His family. We are Redeemed, Child of God, and More than Conquerors in Him who loved us. While the chapters did feel a tad repetitive, Allen does a good job of explaining how our new names are both given to us instantaneously, and also are labels we must grow into. Perhaps if I read this in a different season it would have had a larger impact on me, but I read it now, and found it to be fine. No major complaints, no earth shattering discoveries, just good reminders.
February 4, 2021
What’s in a name? Esther Fleece Allen tackles this question head-on in her latest book Your New Name. Going beyond self-help sayings and feel-good platitudes, Allen goes back to Scripture to explain why names are so important, why we should not live out of our old “names” (labels and identities that hinder us) and how we can persevere in the new names that God has for us.
What I enjoyed most about this book is the real-life examples Allen used. Throughout the book, she tells the story of her relationships with her biological parents, how she was abused and neglected during her teenage years, and how God ultimately redeemed her identity and helped her forgive her parents. Allen also uses powerful stories from people she has met and befriended over the years, showing how God has transformed their lives as well.
Your New Name is packed with Scripture references and also includes a “For Further Reflection” guide after each chapter, making it perfect for small groups to read and discuss together. The writing is conversational and easy to understand. Occasionally it feels a little repetitive, but understanding how we are as human beings, this message does need to be reinforced!
One small note—in the final chapter, Allen wrote “Moses was orphaned, yet he led God’s children out of bondage into freedom.” I was not sure if Allen meant this literally, since Scripture does not indicate that Moses’ parents died. I reached out to Allen and she confirmed that this was meant in a metaphorical sense as he was separated from his biological parents (and from his people) for his safety. I just wanted to include this here in case any other readers were confused. :)
Bottom line: Your New Name is a great book for people of all ages, but especially for new believers and young believers who are grappling with their identity as a child of God. There is a sound advice throughout the book, and the Scripture references will encourage readers to open their Bibles and dig deeper into the message.
Rating: 4.5 stars
What I enjoyed most about this book is the real-life examples Allen used. Throughout the book, she tells the story of her relationships with her biological parents, how she was abused and neglected during her teenage years, and how God ultimately redeemed her identity and helped her forgive her parents. Allen also uses powerful stories from people she has met and befriended over the years, showing how God has transformed their lives as well.
Your New Name is packed with Scripture references and also includes a “For Further Reflection” guide after each chapter, making it perfect for small groups to read and discuss together. The writing is conversational and easy to understand. Occasionally it feels a little repetitive, but understanding how we are as human beings, this message does need to be reinforced!
One small note—in the final chapter, Allen wrote “Moses was orphaned, yet he led God’s children out of bondage into freedom.” I was not sure if Allen meant this literally, since Scripture does not indicate that Moses’ parents died. I reached out to Allen and she confirmed that this was meant in a metaphorical sense as he was separated from his biological parents (and from his people) for his safety. I just wanted to include this here in case any other readers were confused. :)
Bottom line: Your New Name is a great book for people of all ages, but especially for new believers and young believers who are grappling with their identity as a child of God. There is a sound advice throughout the book, and the Scripture references will encourage readers to open their Bibles and dig deeper into the message.
Rating: 4.5 stars
December 30, 2020
This book is For anyone who struggles to believe the names God gives us when all the labels we have put on ourselves or others have put in us feel so real. I always knew the names in the Bible that God says if us, but I never considered God has a specific name for me. Not only does the author help us believe the names God has for us all as Is children but she also helps us walk through the process of uncovering His specific name for us personally. If you find yourself struggling with false labels, please read this book.
March 18, 2021
Esther Fleece Allen has written a powerful book that shows us how to throw off the labels that limit, the names of our past: broken, unlovable, rejected. She tells us that in Christ, we have powerful new names: whole, loved, accepted. The new names God has provided us can give us power and strength to both recover and thrive, as well as a calling and purpose to use our new names to help others.
January 8, 2021
I really enjoy Esther’s growth and transformation in the story and how not letting a generational curse or our preconceived notions from our past dictate our future.
This book helped me in a dark time in 2020, and helped me to heal and remember God makes all things new. I recommend to everyone!
This book helped me in a dark time in 2020, and helped me to heal and remember God makes all things new. I recommend to everyone!
February 28, 2022
I really like this author. She’s authentic and real. This book seems basic but I found some good nuggets and reminders for my life.
Read
January 16, 2023Such good tangible Christian advice.
September 5, 2023
Great, faith based personal development book. Labels people place on us affect us but are not how the Lord sees us.
March 6, 2020
Esther writes from a place of courageous vulnerable as she opens up to the labels that she has realized she has placed on herself and encourages us (as readers and Christ followers) to take a second look at the labels we place on ourselves. Through a Biblical lens, she identifies places where Christ has called us up out of our old identities and to step forward in our new names. This book really inspired me to take a look at the labels I had currently identified on myself and explore what new name God has given me and other names he may choose to give me as well. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and feel it’s is a challenge and an encouragement wrapped in one.
February 20, 2020
Allen’s new book, Your New Name, focuses on the labels we give ourselves. She focuses on the idea that labels limit our God-given potential and that we must learn to let go of them. Rather than picking up worldly labels, Allen encourages the reader to embrace the name that God has given them.
Your New Name is broken into three parts. (1) The importance of a name, (2) allowing God to rename you, and (3) why new names are so important. Allen begins by breaking down how significant names are to the way we live our lives.
Throughout the book, Allen shares her struggles with living out the names she’s been given. As she learned to set aside the brokenness of the family name she was born into, she discovered the true things God says about her.
The end of each chapter gives the reader the opportunity to reflect on ideas presented in each chapter. This reflection also provides an opportunity to identify labels the reader has lived by, and words the reader can choose to embrace and live out instead.
I wanted to LOVE this book. I truly did. But for me, it fell flat.
I think this is perhaps I’ve always struggled with the idea that God desires to give us new names. The search for a new name often feels like I am attempting to rename myself. It feels awkward and clunky, even with the reflection sections at the end of each chapter.
I appreciated the idea that our new names speak to the transformation that happens on the inside as we learn to live more like Christ. However, for me, because of the focus on determining new names, I think this idea of transformation was lost.
As I was reading, I wondered if the focus on learning names could have been phrased differently so that the reader could better relate to the ideas presented. If the focus had been on seeing these names as characteristics of God that one could study and learn to live out, I think the idea would have come across more clearly.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This review is my own, honest opinion.
Your New Name is broken into three parts. (1) The importance of a name, (2) allowing God to rename you, and (3) why new names are so important. Allen begins by breaking down how significant names are to the way we live our lives.
Throughout the book, Allen shares her struggles with living out the names she’s been given. As she learned to set aside the brokenness of the family name she was born into, she discovered the true things God says about her.
The end of each chapter gives the reader the opportunity to reflect on ideas presented in each chapter. This reflection also provides an opportunity to identify labels the reader has lived by, and words the reader can choose to embrace and live out instead.
I wanted to LOVE this book. I truly did. But for me, it fell flat.
I think this is perhaps I’ve always struggled with the idea that God desires to give us new names. The search for a new name often feels like I am attempting to rename myself. It feels awkward and clunky, even with the reflection sections at the end of each chapter.
I appreciated the idea that our new names speak to the transformation that happens on the inside as we learn to live more like Christ. However, for me, because of the focus on determining new names, I think this idea of transformation was lost.
As I was reading, I wondered if the focus on learning names could have been phrased differently so that the reader could better relate to the ideas presented. If the focus had been on seeing these names as characteristics of God that one could study and learn to live out, I think the idea would have come across more clearly.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This review is my own, honest opinion.
February 6, 2020
Esther Allen has done it again. Your New Name is like a hot drink on a cold day, something to savor and sip and bask in. In a world that is dead set on labels and negativity, this book is a beacon of hope that we are more than what this world says we are and even more than what we say of ourselves. We are shown the great opportunity we have to become all that we were created to be instead of slogging through with the chains of our past. I would highly recommend this book, especially with a highlighter or page flags as you will want to mark the whole book.
September 11, 2020
“𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦.“
I read Esther’s first book, No More Faking Fine, last year and loved it. So when I heard she wrote another I jumped to grab a copy. I love the overall message but it felt repetitive. Perhaps it’s because the word “name” and it’s variations (naming, names, named) appeared so often that I felt I was rereading the same sentences.
However, the message throughout is pretty powerful. She addresses the names and labels that both we and others give ourselves, how those can be bondage, and how to break from them by knowing who God calls us; examples being beloved, free, forgiven, chosen, adopted, etc. She at one moment briefly talks about knowing God and who He is, what His names are, and how that should impact our identity as believers, but unfortunately this only happens in a short chapter near the very end of the book. I wish she had elaborated more on this.
If you’re someone who struggles with your past and/or the words that others place on you, I’d recommend giving this book a chance. It’s hard to know how to rate books like this so I think for now I’m giving it 3.5 out of 5. It’s a good book but with the repetitive nature (to me, at least) it just didn’t speak as loudly to me as it could have.
I read Esther’s first book, No More Faking Fine, last year and loved it. So when I heard she wrote another I jumped to grab a copy. I love the overall message but it felt repetitive. Perhaps it’s because the word “name” and it’s variations (naming, names, named) appeared so often that I felt I was rereading the same sentences.
However, the message throughout is pretty powerful. She addresses the names and labels that both we and others give ourselves, how those can be bondage, and how to break from them by knowing who God calls us; examples being beloved, free, forgiven, chosen, adopted, etc. She at one moment briefly talks about knowing God and who He is, what His names are, and how that should impact our identity as believers, but unfortunately this only happens in a short chapter near the very end of the book. I wish she had elaborated more on this.
If you’re someone who struggles with your past and/or the words that others place on you, I’d recommend giving this book a chance. It’s hard to know how to rate books like this so I think for now I’m giving it 3.5 out of 5. It’s a good book but with the repetitive nature (to me, at least) it just didn’t speak as loudly to me as it could have.
January 23, 2020
Author Allen continues to craft books that are honest, humble and hit home. In her second book, "Your New Name," Allen examines the labels that the world places on us, labels we place on each other, and the labels that we allow hurt to place on us.
She then uses the book, which is separated into three parts, to deconstruct those labels, refocus our perspective to that of Christ's and show us how even the difficulties from labels can be used to creative positive change.
This book would be great for a small group study or Bible study. This would be applicable to both men and women of all ages. There's truly a lot to be gleaned from this book--encouragement, wisdom and empowerment. I was excited to get my hands on it, as the message within is one that we all need. Be prepared--you might need some post it notes to record some favorite quotes--I know I did!
She then uses the book, which is separated into three parts, to deconstruct those labels, refocus our perspective to that of Christ's and show us how even the difficulties from labels can be used to creative positive change.
This book would be great for a small group study or Bible study. This would be applicable to both men and women of all ages. There's truly a lot to be gleaned from this book--encouragement, wisdom and empowerment. I was excited to get my hands on it, as the message within is one that we all need. Be prepared--you might need some post it notes to record some favorite quotes--I know I did!
January 15, 2020
Wow! Could this book have come at a better time??? For me the answer is NO. I have always wonder about the name changes of our well known biblical characters. What would mine be? I always came up with exotic off the wall names. 😂😂 But, Esther Fleece Allen has put it all into perspective for me. It’s not some crazy exotic, off the wall name. It’s a name that has been inscribed in me since my creation. How long have I let the world put names and labels on me??? Well, not any more!!!! I will step into my New Name will bold confidence and loving grace. Thank you Esther Fleece Allen for writing this amazing book.
January 15, 2020
What a great book! I love how Esther is so honest about her story and about the struggles to learn how to walk in the name God has given her. This makes it so relatable for any of us who have had trouble walking in our names. I love what she writes on page 41, "What if we put emphasis on our new names and what God has done instead of highlighting the names of our past?" This will preach to a lot of people. I recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with accepting their true names. It will open your eyes and help you accept your assignment and who God sees when He looks at you.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews