There
is a huge difference between guilt and shame. Guilt convicts us, and there is a
way to heal; shame condemns us, and we feel hopeless. Guilt comes when the Holy
Spirit's convicts us of breaking God's laws; Shame comes from Satan's lies.
Shame
is a powerful tool that Satan uses to perpetuate his lies in order to cripple
our body, soul and spirit. We also inherit shame from Adam and Eve's original
sin in Paradise (Romans 5:14). They felt it the moment they succumbed to
Satan's lie.
However,
Jesus liberates us from the law of generations (Deuteronomy 5:9-10) that
perpetuates our sins, and shows us His love by His crucifixion, death and
resurrection (Hebrews 9:14). God forgave us of the sins that cause our shame,
and His Spirit sanctifies us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
As
we live, move and have our being in Christ (Acts 17:28-34), our intimacy with
God increases and our flesh decreases (John 3:30). We no longer have any
attachment to this disappointing world, and we look forward to the glories of
Heaven (2 Peter 3:13).
God's
grace and mercy are available to us in order to escape any temptation to sin (1
Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 12:9). If we live life through our spirit,
rather than through the human reasoning of our mind, we can more easily resist
sin.
Jesus
set us free, from both the shame of sin, and also from the power of sin over
our life (Galatians 2:20). Separated from Christ by our pride and rebellion, we
are overwhelmed by shame; however, with Christ in us (Colossians 1:27), we walk
freely from this devastating emotion.
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You that when the devil attempts to overwhelm us with his lies, Your
truth and love are there to dispel any web of deceit that he throws over us. We
no longer hide as our first parents did from Your presence, but we enjoy unity
with You both now and for eternity.
All
we need for freedom from shame is the humility to respond to Your conviction
and to confess our sins. Then You will faithfully forgive us and purify us from
the devastation, deprivation and destruction of unrighteousness (1 John 2:9).
Remind us that the proof of our love for You is obedience to Your precepts, as
we walk in Your Spirit so that we do not fulfill the lusts of our flesh
(Galatians 5:15-25; John 14:23).
Thought
for the Day:
God's
grace sets us free from sin and shame, and gives us the righteousness of Christ
in exchange; we are unconditionally loved and included in the family of God and
the Body of Christ, and we are co-heirs with Jesus of all that God gave to Him.
