We’ve all felt shame at one time or another. Shame hurts and it makes us want to run and hide, but it’s not God’s will for our lives. When we feel it, we can either let it condemn and paralyze us, or fight it using God’s Word. Jesus went to the cross to defeat it, not hiding His face from shame and spitting; there is therefore no reason for us to put up with it.

Sometimes shame results from something we said or did; sometimes it’s from something someone else did. In the Old Testament, Ezra the scribe was ashamed because of the sins that he and the people had committed. He was embarrassed to look up to God and felt unworthy in His sight. However, Jesus came not to condemn the world, but to save it, so that we don’t have to suffer from this evil emotion.

Shame is a tool the devil uses to hold us back in life and prevent us from moving forward into the good things God wants us to experience. The enemy is adept at twisting guilt, which says “I made a mistake,” into shame, which says “I am a mistake.” Shame causes us to focus on our past mistakes so much that we’re ruled by the fear that others will find out about them and reject us. We’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, but Jesus shed His blood so that we can be declared righteous.

When we get born again, we become brand new creations, and the old things pass away. Through God’s grace, we’re no longer sinners, we don’t have to feel ashamed because of our past, and we get a second chance in life. Faith in what Jesus did allows us to claim a powerful victory against shame.   

Prayer:

God, You sent Your Son to spare us from the intense pain of guilt and shame. The enemy wants to constantly remind us of past things that make us ashamed, but we have victory in this area because of Jesus’ finished works. I give thanks and praise for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Isaiah 50:6, 7

Ezra 9:5, 6

John 3:17

Romans 3:23-25

2 Corinthians 5:17

For more on how we triumph over shame through Jesus Christ, click on the link to find the CD, How to get Victory Over Shame, in our eStore.