We can all recall times when we felt ashamed, either because of a particular situation or from a mistake we made. Shame is a sense of failure in someone else’s eyes. It can cause us to see ourselves as failures and make us want to run away and hide. It’s excruciating and emotionally painful; however, this isn’t God’s will for us.
Shame ties us to our past and keeps us from receiving God’s favor. Jesus went to the cross to take it away from us by taking it onto His own body. He gave His back to the smiters and His cheeks to those who plucked out the hair; He didn’t hide His face from shame and spitting. God helps us so that we won’t be ashamed.
Shame is tangled up with fear; it can only control us and define who we are if we’re afraid. This evil emotion first surfaced in the garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned and became afraid of God. They heard Him walking in the garden and hid themselves. When God called out to them, Adam admitted he was afraid.
The destructive nature of shame traps us in fear and holds us back from moving on in life. God commands us not to tolerate it; however, this commandment carries a promise with it: “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame…” His grace in this area has real power over shame. We’re set free from it when we trust in how the finished works of Jesus destroyed it.
Shame lies to us by making us feel rejected, unloved, and unworthy. Thankfully, no matter how many mistakes we make, God will always love us and never reject us. He made us accepted in the beloved, redeemed us through His blood, and forgave us our sins, according to the riches of His grace. There’s no undoing what He did.
Prayer:
Lord, Jesus’ death destroyed the power shame had over mankind. Your grace has freed us from its devastating effects, and we’re grateful for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures:
Isaiah 50:6, 7, AMPC
Genesis 3:8, 10
Isaiah 54:4, NKJV
Ephesians 1:6, 7