It Starts Small

Shame.

Shame is that ruthless voice in our minds. It is our inner critic that reminds us of all the detrimental and damaging things we have done, said or thought. Shame’s foundational dialect is crippling condemnation. Shame is a lying and deceitful voice. It is the inner critic that shouts, “I am not enough.”

I am not good enough.

I am not smart enough.

I am not beautiful enough.

I am not tall enough.

I am not thin enough.

I am not strong enough.

I am not healthy enough.

I am not talented enough.

I am not spiritual enough.

I am not _________ enough.

Ask yourself:

Which of these stand out about me?
What would you add to this list?
How has this false belief about you impacted your life?
Where does this false belief come from?

These are direct lies spoken into you by evil. They come as a result from your past. Did you know you can be redeemed but still feel shame? You can know and believe you have been forgiven for all your sins, but still be shackled with shame.

Guilt is knowing you lied.

Shame says you are a liar.

I believe there are two things that stand in the way of complete redemption: unforgiveness and shame. We can come before our Savior and Heavenly Father and make a decision that we are no longer going to cling to the old nature. We can throw the death clothes off, receive new garments and just as soon as we start to walk with Christ we get stuck. We do not take on the full identity of who Christ says we are.

Instead, we have the voice of shame, the voice of evil, telling us that our past is who we are. You are a liar. You are an adulterer. You are a thief. You are selfish. You are an addict. You are an abuser. You are a victim. You are _______.

This is not who our Loving Heavenly Father says we are and Christ does not address us through the Holy Spirit as a liar or whatever your sin in the past was. NO, He knows our name and speaks our name and when He does, we know His voice. Evil, addresses us through shame. We have to decide, are we going to hold onto the labels of our past or allow Christ to give us a new identity?

¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children,
Romans 8:16

We are a child of God!

⁷ A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good:
1 Corinthians 12:7

We are exceptionally talented!

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

We are a NEW creation!

³ Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

We are blessed with every spiritual blessing!

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us,
Ephesians 2:4

We are loved affectionately by God!

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

WE are forgiven!

This is just a small handful of verses to ponder over in who God and Christ says we are. No where in any of them are we identified by our past. When we get to eternity with our Heavenly Father, He is not going to identify us a Jane the adultress or John the thief. NO, we are going to welcomed home as son and daughter to the one true God who adopted us!

I encourage you today, to look over these scriptures and to pray for God’s leading through the Spirit to search His Word and discover who you are through Christ. You are enough!

Shame Part 1: Where are you?
Shame Part 2: The Naked Truth
SHame Part 3: Enough Already
Shame Part 4: Jars of Clay
Shame Part 5: Weight Watches
Shame Part 6: Death to Selfie
Shame Part 7: Empowered by Empathy
Shame Part 8: Scorning Shame