WORTHY Bible Studies

Where Scripture, Life, and Marriage Meet

Shame on You?! How to Feel Released from Shame

How to Be Released from Shame - Need to know how to be released from shame? This post shows how! #shame #past #sins #released #Christ

There are many of who feel shameful for sin(s) you’ve committed, perhaps way in your past or even ones you still cling to and commit today. These shameful thoughts not only make your marriage and life “messier” …

But are an insult to God!

Yes, you heard that right! I might be heaping a bit more “shame” on those of you who feel great shame already …

But you don’t have to be offended or worse, more ashamed by that truth!

You can embrace it and recognize that the same merciful and loving Savior who died on the cross for our sins, waits for you to come to Him so He can wash your sins away with His cleansing and redeeming blood.*

Dear shame-filled friend, remember …

He paid the price for your sins—the ones you somehow feel separate you from God and others.

So why do you continue to pay for that debt?

Why do you believe that your sin is stronger than Christ’s grace?

Why do you reject the powerful and life-transforming miracle that God has already done on the cross for you?

Perhaps you think you must “get yourself together” or become more presentable to the Lord before you return to Him or come to Him in the first place. Again, this is an insult to Christ’s cleansing power and grace!

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” –Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

And don’t forget just who Christ came to save …

“ … Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” –Mark 2:17 (NIV)

If you feel that weight of “shame on you”—then lay it down and listen, because …

Christ is calling to you! Not to those who have their acts together!

[Tweet “God took the shame on us and placed the “shame on Christ” as He hung on the cross. 1 Peter 2:24”]

Christ’s death and resurrection cleanses us from our sins and our shame. Don’t choose to remain distant from Christ’s grace and the victorious and assured healing He offers you today!

Why do you think people cannot accept that Christ’s sacrifice covers their biggest regrets and darkest sins?

How can I pray for you, if this is an area where you’ve struggled?

******************

*If you haven’t already received Christ’s forgiveness and made Him your Lord, then you can find out more about this life-transforming decision at this page or email me at messymarriage@gmail.com with your questions or prayer requests.

Linking up with – Marriage Mondays, Making Your Home Sing Monday, Sunday Stillness, Monday’s Musings, Sharing His Beauty and Playdates with God

BethSteffaniak

April 20, 2014

Christ-Centered, Faith in God, False Beliefs, Forgiveness, God’s Redemption, Guilt, Jesus’ Sacrifice, Love of God, Shame

Christ’s Sacrifice, Forgiveness, Shame

9 responses to “Shame on You?! How to Feel Released from Shame”

Linda@Creekside

April 21, 2014 at 1:18 pm

The shame that’s so easy for us to haul around only keeps us from turning to the One who died to take away the shame. To be able to tell the difference between the enemy’s shame and guilt and blame vs. a pure clearcut conviction of the Spirit which is an invitation to let go and move ahead, is something that can be life saving for us.
Thank you for this thoughtful post, my friend. I learn at your feet.

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Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

April 21, 2014 at 2:54 pm

Interesting you should ask. Last night my wife made an offhand remark that moved me almost a quarter-century into the past, to an incident in a war you’ll never read about. Call the incident collateral damage; in any event, it has the power to make me run screaming from the house and shout into the sky – “WHY?”

Why can’t I put it to rest?

I think the answer may be that it marked the assumption of a debt, an obligation to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. It’s an obligation to kindness and compassion, and to never, ever hurt another living thing again, save in defense of the lives of others.

Surely it has changed me, grinding fine over the years, and keeping me focused on the fact that we are all precious to God, and that curt or satiric dismissal is as out-of-line as a knife in the chest.

It would be nice if the lesson came without the remembered pain, but perhaps this is the lesson of the oyster.

Making a pearl, that’s got to hurt.

http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-magic-of-dance.html

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Marie Steinhardt

April 21, 2014 at 4:53 pm

Sometimes I think we forget how BIG God is. I have very “messy” situations from my past that were hard for me to forgive myself, because people were so badly hurt by my actions. I had to come to the realization that If I didn’t forgive myself, pray for God’s forgiveness & BELIEVE that God forgives, then I wasn’t living out my faith. We’re all human & so to a certain degree, we are ALL self-absorbed. We think we don’t deserve forgiveness, so we fight God’s desire and ability to forgive. I’m so grateful to Jesus for his ultimate sacrifice! I believe God wants us to accept forgiveness so we can move past our “messiness” and praise Him! Thank you Beth for your thought-provoking Blog and great insight!

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Colletta

April 21, 2014 at 8:19 pm

All I can say is, “Amen!”

You can read about our Easter Break here:

http://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2014/04/mondays-musings-easter-break-42114.html

Colletta

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Summer Wallaert

April 21, 2014 at 10:57 pm

Thanks for another great post…this one was especially touching to me. You are a gifted writer and truth-teller! 🙂

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Ngina Otiende

April 22, 2014 at 8:36 pm

This is a great reminder for all of us, Beth. It reminds me of some of the thoughts i shared on the blog this week concerning listening to God and tuning out our pain and wounds. we don’t always realize it but when we listen to our failures and wounds pain more than we do God, we are making idols out of those things, inadvertently saying they are bigger than God’s power to deliver. Thanks for this reminder.

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Laura Boggess

April 23, 2014 at 2:07 am

Amen, Beth! A beautiful, bold message. (and…Happy Egg Day? Really?)

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Shame | Luke 7:39

June 10, 2014 at 8:04 am

[…] Steffaniak of Messy Marriage wrote a blog post that moved me a lot, called Shame On You?!. It was a very positive and welcoming post. At the same time it asked direct questions of the […]

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