April 18

Shame, the Enemy

And now, dear children, abide in him, so that when he appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.  ––1 John 2:28 nkjv

Over the years I’ve met scores of talented and successful men. Guys who have built their own businesses, acquired considerable financial assets, and excelled in their trade or field. I’ve also met a lot of men who once had all those things and then lost them. And then there are the majority of men who sit somewhere in the middle—they’ve excelled in some pursuits and failed in others.

But of all those men over all those years, there is one single factor that separates the ones who have found spiritual contentment from the ones who have not:

Those who understand that their level of spiritual freedom directly correlates with their ability to replace the shame of their mistakes with the grace of the Cross.

Is that the only element that leads to a life well lived? No, not by a long stretch. But show me a man who is caught in a decades-long sin cycle (e.g., alcohol, sex, porn, greed, gluttony) and I will show you a man who has not fully appropriated the power of His identity in Christ. And shame is the number one tool the devil uses to keep us stuck there—standing on the dim outskirts of a brighter life where we realize that Jesus once and for all defeated sin, and in so doing, defeated it’s devious twin, shame.

When we fully grasp the enormity of what Jesus did on the cross when he “scorned shame” (Hebrews 12:2) and defeated death through His resurrection, we finally grasp the fact that shame is not of Him. Sin is inevitable: we will commit more. But shame does not have to be an inevitability.

Man of God, just as your imperfections do not disqualify you from grace, nor do your sins qualify you for shame. Paul captures it in today’s opening verse: there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Once we allow the fullness of Christ to conquer our shame, a new level of contentment awaits. And it’s not tethered to our income or lack thereof.

The first step is to accept the fact that we are worthy of His love. It’s a big first step, but one well worth taking.

Father, I ask Your Holy Spirit to rewire my heart and brain to fully accept Your grace and reject the shame that the enemy wants to throw at me. I am so grateful that I don’t have to remain locked in the cycle of sin and shame.