Shame, Shame, Shame (Part 8)

Shame, Shame, Shame (Part 8)

Thirdly, you must address your shame. 

After acknowledging your shame and acting against it, you must address your shame.  David did this.  He spoke positive words to counteract the lingering accusations of shame.  He said:

Psalm 32:5 "I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden.  I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord."  And you forgave the iniquity of my sin."

Jesus bore your shame on the cross so that you do not have to bear it, but even after you repent of shame-producing voice of the accuser will continue to sound off in your soul.   You have reinforced your shame-based thoughts for years and now you must learn how to reprogram that inner voice.  

You may have been caught in the very act of adultery, as the woman in New Testament times, but you must make a decision that you will not listen to the voice of shame once you have repented of your sin.  The accuser says, "She is guilty. Stone her!"  The intercessor says, "Neither do I condemn you.  Go, and sin no more."   Ask yourself, "Is the end result of the voice I am listening to death or life?"  This question will help you distinguish between the voice of shame and that of mercy.

The Bible teaches that confession is instrumental to experiencing salvation. We gain other spiritual victories, as well, by confession:   

-Paul declared regarding his inherited shame, "There is no condemnation."
 

-David confessed his individual shame and declared, "You forgave the iniquity of my sin!"     

-The woman caught in adultery confessed regarding her imposed shame, "No man has accused me."

-Rahab broke the power of institutional shame over her life through her confession of faith symbolized by the scarlet cord in her window.

When you hear the voice of shame speak to you, address it instead of ignoring it. When the accuser says, "Shame on you,"  respond by declaring, "I do not receive that.  Jesus, who knew no sin, bore my sin and shame so that I stand righteous before God through Him."  

When you really grasp the true meaning of God's forgiveness, it will be easy to address shame. This is not self-improvement or building self-esteem to dissipate shameful emotions.  It is a divine act of God's forgiveness that totally obliterates your shame.
 

Even if you are guilty like the woman caught in adultery, don't listen to shame's voice.  Listen instead to your Savior who speaks  conviction,  never condemnation.  The scribes and Pharisees declared of the adulterous woman, "She must die," but  Jesus said in John 8:11, "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more." 

John also declared in 1 John 1:9 and 2:1, 2:

 

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

"If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world..." 

Speak to shame just like you would address a man standing there with stones ready to kill you. Answer the accusations of shame with God’s Word. If you surrender to shame, it will have the same effect on you as it did Judas after he betrayed Christ.  Tormented by his betrayal and alone in the darkness of night, Judas died in his shame.  You do not have to die in your shame because Jesus already died on the cross bearing your shame.