GOD HAS POWER OVER SHAME
And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones; I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and fame to my former exiles, wherever they have been mocked and shamed.
Zephaniah 3:19 (NLT)
C.S. Lewis once said, …we must not imagine that it is only our vices which prevent us from doing good. Our shame prevents us just as much. I believe that when people feel immense shame over personal decisions or from their past sins, they often see themselves the way Lazarus would have looked walking out of that grave: dead and wrapped in grave clothes, certainly causing people to talk.
But Jesus not only raises Lazarus from the dead but immediately makes certain that he appears as an alive man and no longer a dead man. Because of Jesus, we have new clothes of righteousness given to us. But often, many of us walk around carrying the shame and guilt of sins that Jesus has already forgiven.
Today, be reminded that Jesus didn’t just forgive your sins, but He also changed your identity.
APPLICATION: What are some things that you would like to be cleansed from today? Ask Jesus to share how He dealt with those things, and then take a minute to respond to His words.
PRAYER: Jesus, it’s so easy to view myself differently than how you identify me. Please help me receive your forgiveness and walk in new clothes, not those my old self wore. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?