Shame and Grace

Shame and Grace

Many new believers, and not so new believers, struggle with guilt and shame.  They do something sinful and it eats them up inside.  You need to know that this is not now, nor has it ever been, God's desire.  This is honestly one of the strategies of the enemy to derail your progress, get you distracted, and keep you from being used effectively by God.

Think about it - can you change one thing you've done?  Can you go back and undo anything?  Take back words you've said?  Nope.  You can make amends with people you've wronged, but you can't undo anything.

Satan is always focused on the past.  He's focused on his own past, furious for being ejected from Heaven for his wrong, and wanting to take down as many of God's children as he can.  He also will do everything he can to keep you focused on your own past.  He wants you focused on your past sins, mistakes & regrets, and he wants you focused on wrongs that have been done to you.  None of this you can change - all the guilt in the world won't change one thing about any of it.  The enemy's voice in these situations is condemnation.

Does God want us to feel guilty?  No, and here are some reasons why I say this.  Jesus told a number of parables that relate to people losing their way or getting off track.  The parable of the Lost Sheep is in Matthew 18:12-14 and the parable of the Prodigal Son is in Luke 15:11-32.  If guilt and shame are things you struggle with, I encourage you to pray through these.

When the sheep wandered off willingly, the Good Shepherd left the 99 sheep that didn't wander to find the one that did.  When he found the lost sheep he rejoiced and brought it back.  Notice what Jesus didn't say the Shepherd did - he didn't mention anything about the Shepherd being angry or punishing the sheep.  The Good Shepherd was only joyful to get the sheep back.

The parable of the Prodigal Son is even more instructive.  This Father had two sons.  The youngest asked for his share of the inheritance so he could go and find his way.  There are two reasons why this request was truly scandalous.  First, by asking for his share of the inheritance he was essentially telling the Father that he couldn't wait for him to die.  A pastor once asked people living in and around Israel what they thought of the sons request, and the unanimous response was that the son deserved death for disrespecting his father that way.  The other problem with the request is that in Jewish culture the inheritance passes to the eldest son who chooses how it will be distributed.

The son leaves after disrespecting his Father and brother, wastes the money doing wrong, and then slinks back to the Father's house.  What does the Father do when he sees his son?  He throws off all dignity and runs down the path to embrace the son.  He then orders that there be a feast thrown to celebrate that the lost son has returned.  Notice that there's no indication that the Father yelled at or criticized the son for what he did - there was only joy.

Our God is focused on the future.  He's not concerned about the past, I believe, because He knows we can't do anything about it.  He's only wanting us to move forward and do right.  God's voice in these situations is conviction.  It's a call to do right from now on, to rise up and be our best self.

Paul says that he doesn't look back but runs the race forward.  Jesus consistently told people to go and sin no more.  When Jesus spoke wit the woman who'd been caught in adultery (and she was caught in bed in the act) he didn't berate her for her actions, but said she should go and sin no more.

If you're caught up in guilt, shame, and condemnation please be free.  Embrace the grace of God and set yourself to do right from now on.  Know that you will sin again, and you just need to ask forgiveness and move on.

God bless you.