If shame says, “I don’t believe God,” then we really need to replace that thought!

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ESV)

Nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. (‭II Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ NKJV)

It is time to believe what God says about us and to walk in His freedom! We can trust that what He says is true. If we confess our sins, we don’t have to carry the shame anymore. When Jesus died on the cross, it was once for all and it is finished!

Imagine that you washed your whites and hung them out to dry. Once they were clean and then completely dry, the next step would be to fold them and put them away. Or, you might even put them on and wear them.

Well, in the case of shame…we have a tendency to then take those clean clothes and put them back into the washer. Instead of folding them and putting them away, or openly wearing them, we ask for forgiveness again, and again, and again. But God says, “I have already forgiven you. I can’t wash what is already clean.”

Moms, you understand this more than anyone. My wife continually scolds our kids for throwing clean clothes back into the laundry hamper. I can almost hear it now, “You only wore that for 15 minutes. Those shorts are clean! Go get them and put them in your drawer. I am tired of washing your clean clothes.”

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (‭Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭24-25‬ NKJV)

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1-2‬ NKJV)

Our minds shouldn’t be focused on the shame and condemnation of our past sins; rather, we should be focused on thanking God for forgiving us and granting us grace and mercy in our time of need. He loved us enough to send His very best!

We should not be downcast. No, we should be grateful! Our hearts should explode with joy from the truth about our freedom in Christ Jesus.

It is time to align our minds! And, the best way to do that is to speak His truth over us with thanksgiving. The enemy cannot push back our praise!  Our praise and thanksgiving should be so much louder than the condemning lies of the enemy…

Challenge: Read these verses out loud as an offering of thanks, and allow them to change your mind for the better:

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13-16‬ ESV)

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ NKJV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ESV)