Shame is a powerful master! It often makes us afraid. Shame makes it difficult to move forward in our lives. When we feel shame, life loses all joy and becomes a hopeless struggle.
Ending Shame
Recently, a politician was named in a corruption scandal. His reputation was ruined and he felt great shame. He took his own life, thinking that his death would free his family from the shame he created.
Suicide is not an answer to shame! Instead, it only creates more hurt. God understands that as people, many of our actions often cause us to feel shame. Shame can be caused by wrong actions that the Bible calls “sin.” Sin destroys everything it touches and leaves us feeling empty and alone.
When we sin, we feel great shame and pain – in ourselves, our families, and God Himself. Sin causes shame and the penalty for sin is death.
God understands the shame problem. He sent His only Son into the world to solve that problem for us. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins and released us from our shame once and for all. When Jesus died on the cross, He canceled our sin debts and made forgiveness for each of us possible.
Then God did an even greater miracle and raised Christ from the dead!
The Shame Solution
Jesus wants to walk life’s journey with us. He will help us out of the problems we create and keep us in good relationship with God our Father. Once you choose to live for Jesus, you can fulfill your family obligations as a son or daughter and serve your new master Jesus.
Jesus will walk with you and guide you through life’s journey so that you can thrive in this life and enjoy the promise of eternal life.
It begins with a prayer:
“Dear Jesus, I admit that I have shamed myself, my family, and You. I need forgiveness from the wrong things I have done. I choose to make You Lord of my life. Please help me discover the joy and the freedom to live without shame as I learn to live for you. Guide me through life’s journey and let me bring honor to Your name. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen!”
If you prayed that prayer, please click the button that says: “Yes, I prayed.” We would love to hear your story.
Failing Forward
During the first week of orientation the outgoing CEO counseled the new CEO, “Sometimes you’ll make wrong choices. You’ll make mistakes. I have prepared three envelopes for you when that happens. You will find them in the top drawer of your desk. The first time it happens, open number one. The second time you mess up, open number two. The third time, open number three.”
For the first few months, everything went well. Then it happened . . . the CEO made his first mistake. He went to the drawer and opened envelope number one. The message read, “Blame me.” So he blamed the old CEO, saying, “This is the old CEO’s fault. He made these mistakes. I inherited these problems.” The company accepted the reasoning and went on.
After making his second mistake, He immediately opened envelope number two. This time the message said, “Blame the board.” And he does: “It’s the board’s fault. The board is a mess. I inherited them. They’re the problem.” The company said, “Okay, that makes sense.”
Then he and the company found success for a season. Upon making his third mistake, he opened envelope number 3 to read, “Prepare three envelopes.”
The difference between successful people and others is not lack of failure. Both fail. Successful people view failing as a normal process of learning. They move through it and get past it.
1. Take ownership of your failure. Don’t deflect or blame others for the failure. If you don’t own it and take responsibility for it, you can’t move past it. When God asked Adam, what have you done, Adam does three things:
Tries to evade the questionShrinks from responsibility by deflecting to EveBlames the one asking the question – God
Only when Adam said “I ate it”, was he able to move forward.
2. Flourish in forgiveness. No one gets past failure by feeling guilt or shame. Healthy steps forward through failure come by finding grace. God extends grace to all who seek it. When we own our failure, God will own our shame.
3. Learn from your responses. What are your responses to setbacks, difficulties and failures? Give up? Medicate yourself in unhealthy ways? Blame someone else? Make excuses? Get angry? Learning from your failures gives you fuel to change these patterns.
4. Reach for a new beginning. Create forward movement with new response patterns. God stepped into the middle of Adam and Eve’s failure and provided a new life with a promise. He designed you for fulfillment, not to stay stuck in failure. God placed inside you the capacity to follow his plan – a plan for a hope and a future… (Jeremiah 29:11)
You may have stopped dreaming about what life could be. You might be discouraged or have resigned yourself to think you just need to settle for less.
My journey has taught me this. When I refuse to skip past my flaws, failures and flops and deal with them honestly, I find myself experiencing God’s love in deeper ways. I discover the power available to me through His promise of new beginnings.
How will you take ownership today?
Defeating Shame and Finding Purpose…
Failing in relationships and in Graduate school. Sheran faced her shame and found new meaning through her relationship with Jesus Christ.
Related Scriptures
Proverbs 3:5-6 .John 14:27 .John 16:33
Anxiety
Isaiah 35:4
“4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”
Psalm 55:22
“22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
“5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 12:25
“25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”
Jeremiah 29:11
“11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Matthew 6:25-33
“25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:25-26
“‘25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?’”
Matthew 6:27
“‘27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?’”
Matthew 6:28-30
“‘28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 29 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?’”
Matthew 6:31-33
“‘31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.’”
Matthew 6:34
“‘34 Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.’”
Mark 13:11
“‘11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.’”
John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 16:33
“‘33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.’”
Philippians 4:6-7
“6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
1 Peter 5:6-7
“6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Shame is a powerful master! It often makes us afraid. Shame makes it difficult to move forward in our lives. When we feel shame, life loses all joy and becomes a hopeless struggle.
Ending Shame
Recently, a politician was named in a corruption scandal. His reputation was ruined and he felt great shame. He took his own life, thinking that his death would free his family from the shame he created.
Suicide is not an answer to shame! Instead, it only creates more hurt. God understands that as people, many of our actions often cause us to feel shame. Shame can be caused by wrong actions that the Bible calls “sin.” Sin destroys everything it touches and leaves us feeling empty and alone.
When we sin, we feel great shame and pain – in ourselves, our families, and God Himself. Sin causes shame and the penalty for sin is death.
God understands the shame problem. He sent His only Son into the world to solve that problem for us. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins and released us from our shame once and for all. When Jesus died on the cross, He canceled our sin debts and made forgiveness for each of us possible.
Then God did an even greater miracle and raised Christ from the dead!
The Shame Solution
Jesus wants to walk life’s journey with us. He will help us out of the problems we create and keep us in good relationship with God our Father. Once you choose to live for Jesus, you can fulfill your family obligations as a son or daughter and serve your new master Jesus.
Jesus will walk with you and guide you through life’s journey so that you can thrive in this life and enjoy the promise of eternal life.
CHUKA KEN MINISTRY 