Next Level Thinking DevotionalSample

Remove the Shame

How many times have we heard the phrase, “Shame on you!?” 

Many of us heard this throughout our childhood whenever we made mistakes. At an early age, we learned that if we didn’t measure up to expected standards, shame was waiting around the corner. As a result, we still live with a fear of failure, basing our identity on our ability to perform. 

Shame was never a God-intended emotion. In fact, the Bible says that the enemy is the accuser of believers—meaning that the voice that tries to shame us, minimize who we are, and steal our confidence is from the enemy. 

God never shames. He corrects and restores. Hebrews 12:4-5 says not to be discouraged when the Lord disciplines us because it means that He is treating us as His children! Good parents instruct their children for their maturity and safety, and it is the same when the Lord disciplines us. God’s correction is always from a place of love.

There is a healthy emotion when we mess up or sin called conviction. Conviction tells us that our actions were wrong. It alerts us to correct our mistakes and learn from our actions. 

In contrast, shame is an attack on our identity. Shame tells us not that our actions were bad, but that we are bad. The enemy uses shame to keep us in a cycle of condemnation and isolation. It convinces us that God is mad at us and that we have messed up too much to fulfill our potential. 

Jesus came to free us from the burden of shame and give us a new identity!

Romans 8:1 says that everyone who is in Christ is free from condemnation. 

What you do does not change your identity. God is saying today, “Shame off you!” 

One of the most amazing examples in the Bible of God removing shame is the account of Jesus’ interaction with a woman caught in adultery. 

When the religious people were condemning her, ready to stone her for her sin, Jesus showed her mercy. Jesus silenced her accusers and said to the woman, “Daughter, I don’t condemn you. Go and leave your life of sin.”

You are free and fully accepted through Christ!