HEALING FROM YOUR SHAME

Shame is an unworthy feeling on the inside of a man, which produces for that man the inability for him to stand before a person or a people, because of a ignoble act done.

Shame has kept many persons from living to their full potentials; by reason of an ignoble act they did, they lack the boldness to stand in certain places, or to speak in certain places, because of that unworthy feeling working in their inside, causing them to be kept inside the shell of unnotice, where they hide and are unknown, instead of them to be seen and active fostering their course. - Selah

Shame has affected my Believers is such immense measure, whereby they are sapped of all boldness and courage to stand before God, neither can they engage in the activities of the Kingdom - not willingly, but by reason of that unworthiness working inside of them, they are just unable to get close to God and His house (the Church assembly). Shame is an issue that needs to be dealt with in Christians, to free them from the yoke and bondage of passivity and inactivity.

So let's look into the word of God's grace; I encourage you to be patient as you read. Okay let's go.

THE SOURCE OF SHAME

Shame comes as a result of an ignoble/dishonourable act done:

'And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: [10] Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. [11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. [12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. [13] And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.' - Luke 18 vs 9 - 14 {KING JAMES VERSION}

The publican (tax collector) in this story would not lift up his eyes to heaven: that is a work of shame! a feeling of unworthiness! And the man's words tells us where that shame came from, he said "God be merciful to me a sinner". He said of himself that he was a sinner. Sin! - the source of his shame.

'And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
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And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
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And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
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Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.' - Luke 7 vs 36 - 39 {KING JAMES VERSION}

If you carefully read these Bible verses, you noticed what Simon said in his heart:

"If he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner."

From that statement, you can understand that that woman had suffered from stigmatization in the sight of the people, the shame was so intense that when she heard that Jesus was in that house, she decided to run to Him and camp around him just to cry before Him, to pour out her unworthiness before Him, because Jesus is so comforting to be around, He was the only one whose presence didn't remind her of her sins, neither was there any feeling of unworthiness in her when in His presence. Oooo precious Saviour! So by careful analysis of this story, we see that shame was the source of this woman's tears which she poured out on Jesus' feet. - Selah

HOW TO POSITION YOURSELF FOR INNER HEALING

'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.' - Isaiah 26 vs 3

How do you stay your mind on Christ? By staying your mind on the revelation of the Gospel.

'Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.' - Romans 8 vs 33 {KJV}

'And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.' - Acts 13 vs 39 {KJV}

• God has justified us from all sin

To justify means to declare someone not guilty of an offence. For us in Christ, God holds no wrong against us. That means that we have an eternal forgiveness from the Father:

'In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace...' - Ephesians 1 vs 7 {KJV}

• In Christ we have the forgiveness of sins

So you see beloved, if you fail along the way in your Christian journey, if you sin; as the pressures and burden of that sin hits your heart, keep your mind steady on the Truth of the Gospel - you have received justification from all sins. Let this Truth saturate your heart, don't consider the burden your sin hits your heart with; but rather, consider the Truth, consider the Gospel: God has justified you in Christ! You have the forgiveness of sins in Christ. He didn't say God will forgive you in Christ, but rather you have! Meaning for us in Christ, forgiveness of sins is an inheritance we came into. Hallelujah! Justification is a gift we received from God. Your heart tells you you have sinned, the Gospel says you are not guilty! Keep your mind stayed on the truth of the Gospel till the reality of the Gospel becomes the reality of your heart. Peace will come! The burden will be destroyed! And that's because you trusted the Truth not regarding the voice of your sin in your heart. - Selah

Let's see our opening Bible verse again:

'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.' - Isaiah 26 vs 3 {KJV}

• Thou will keep him in perfect peace

He went ahead and gave the condition for this to be, He says:

• Whose mind is stayed on thee (God)

The usage of the word "stayed" connotes, to place something in a particular place, spot, or location without an intention to take it away from there.

That means, we are to make the Word of God the permanent residence of our mind. That means, irrespective of the pain, irrespective of the accusations, irrespective of the condemnation or burden we feel in our hearts, our minds should not be found in another location other than the Word of God. You see... How do you stay your mind on God? by staying your mind on what God said (the word of God, the Gospel of Christ). So we are admonished that, as we stay our mind on the revelation of the Gospel, the reality of the Gospel which is Peace will take effect in our lives. Our hearts will be free from burdens and our minds will be set at rest. Glory to God forever. Amen.

Be encouraged beloved. God is with you.

As you hold on to your identity in Christ, not considering the identity your sin has given to you before men, but you hold on to the Word of life, believing, trusting and acknowledging as truth all that the Gospel has said you are, in the process of time as you're holding on, that reality of the Gospel which you trust permeates your conscience, enters your mentality, and it begins to become to you a physical reality. Soon enough, you will have boldness to stand before God and before the men who knew of your atrocities without any feeling of shame. Hallelujah!

'And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
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Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
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And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.' - 1 Timothy 1 vs 12 - 14 {KING JAMES VERSION}

Apostle Paul had obtained Grace, though he acknowledged the havoc that he did, nevertheless that acknowledgment wasn't coming from a place of shame, but from a place of testimony of God's power to save and transform a man. He testified of God's grace and kindness towards him! When a man is healed of his shame, the memories of his shameful acts don't come from a place of unworthiness, but from a place of thanksgiving to God. Hallelujah!

Dearly beloved, this is the effect of trusting the Gospel, it will bring about transformation in your mind. The truths of the Gospel when believed and held on to, influences our mentality, therefore reediting our conscience, adjusting our consciences to conform to the details of the Gospel, removing the former details which were after the acknowledgements of the senses based on the shameful things we actually did. - Think slowly on these words. So that Believer that was feeling guilty in his conscience now feels righteous! Waow! What's that? That's the working of Grace in a man when the truths of the Gospel are believed and held on to and acknowledged, rather than seeing yourself through the identity that your wrong action has giving to you. - Selah

Remember, we walk by faith and not by sight:

'For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.' - {AMP}

• We regulate our lives by our conviction

• We conduct ourselves by our belief

• By trust we walk, not by sight or appearance

By trust (in the realities of the Gospel) we walk, not by sight or appearance. We don't call ourselves what our sins has called us, no! We call ourselves what the Gospel has called us, and we hold on continually to the description of the Gospel of us, as it literally gives to us a conscience that is based on truth (the Gospel) and not physical facts, void of guilt and shame and all such things. - Selah. Hallelujah!

God has blessed you with His word, and you are lifted. Amen.

- Jenning U. Angel