Breaking Free From the Power of ShameSample

DAY 6: His Message: No Condemnation

It’s easier said than done, isn’t it? We love to carry the burden of the things God has released us from. We don’t often know how to live in freedom, and being enslaved to shame sometimes seems easier than walking in forgiveness.

We can see this in the story of the Israelites in Exodus. God performed a series of unbelievable miracles, culminating in the literal parting of a sea, to free his people from slavery and oppression at the hands of the world’s greatest super-power. Until the cross, it was the greatest act of salvation in history. But as soon as they got out of slavery, the people started grumbling. First, they got thirsty, and complained to Moses. Then, they got hungry, and look at what they said:

The Israelites said to (Moses and Aaron), “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger! (Exodus 16:3)

Are you kidding me? God just parted the Red Sea and drowned the strongest army in the world, and they thought he couldn’t give them some lunch? But it proves the point, doesn’t it? Sometimes it feels easier to stay in slavery than to walk in freedom.

This is why believing that God's Word is true is vital to defeating the enemy's allegations.  The only way you can defeat lies is with the truth.  Many Christians know about forgiveness, but have a problem truly accepting it.

Do you believe that He will remember your sins no more as promised in Hebrews? 

Do you believe that as far as the east is to the west that he will remember your sins no more, as stated in Psalm 103? 

Do you believe that while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you, as Paul says in Romans 5?

These are powerful truths that are needed to defeat the lies.  Imagine if you walked in these truths and if you allowed these passages to affect your behavior.  You would live as a victor and not a victim.  But this is a great mystery.  Why do Christians believe the whispers of a lie more than we do the roars of the truth?  We don't accept the forgiveness we have been given.  We would rather wallow in shame and guilt because we think, in the depth of our souls, that's what we deserve. 

Romans 8 is about emancipation. In it, we are told that God frees us to be his sons and daughters. We are no longer condemned by sin but redeemed through Christ. We experience emancipation. We also see the whole creation will be set free, and that this freedom is eternal, and God’s love for us is unshakable. When we are set free by God, we are loved with an unchangeable love that keeps us free no matter what struggle we face. 

But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Despite God’s love, we often feel trapped. We are burdened by worry, the weight of our sins, doubt, our circumstances, and more. When we cling to the burden, we lose sight of the freedom God gives us through Christ. We believe what shame says about us more than what the God has to say about us. It’s a cycle that’s hard to defeat.

The great news is that in our weakness and failure to believe that He has forgiven us and washed us from our shame, the truth still remains. We are washed new because of Christ. Our lack of belief in being forgiven doesn’t make us any less forgiven. It may make us bound to disbelief, but not to unforgiveness. God already took care of that.