Live Love LeadSample

“Part 2: A Difficult Path - Free From Shame” Shame is the most debilitating burden and obstacle to experiencing the blessing of God in your life. Shame ties you to the past and sabotages your glorious future. We all have things in our life that we want to leave behind, but if you don’t know how to deal with shame it will cripple your spirit, imprison your soul and have a negative effect on you physically. Shame is a merciless tyrant that will extinguish your hope if you don’t deal with it. Sin is an action, emotions are feelings, but shame is a weight and a burden that people carry. Have you ever had shame put on you by someone because of something you had done? You can feel it pressing down on you - it’s the exact opposite to the blessing of God. You are simply not designed to carry shame. If you’re living under the weight of guilt, shame or condemnation, you’re not flourishing and you’re not ruling and reigning. Instead of having dominion, you’re being dominated by things that have no power or value in your life whatsoever. Good news! Through salvation in Christ, there is freedom from shame no matter how recent or long ago the events occurred. There is power over the bondage that sin wraps around you. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) but grace grants us the precious gift of righteousness before God. We don’t have to earn it—we couldn’t if we tried— we only have to ask for it and accept it. “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17). If you don’t understand that God has already given you freedom from shame, it’s like having an inheritance in your name that’s just sitting there; it won’t benefit you until you know about it and access it. God’s grace offers you forgiveness, new life and all debts cancelled once and for all. It costs you nothing because Jesus has already paid for it multiplied times over. You can walk confidently free from your past. Righteousness is your gift. Believe it, take it as yours and watch your life flourish. Prayer: Oh Lord, thank You for removing all my shame and condemnation on the cross. I receive my freedom from guilt and shame, and choose to believe the Truth of Your Word instead of the lies of the enemy.