Romans 8:1
Not that long ago, my life looked anything but godly. I spent my college years like a walking stereotype: the semi-goody-two-shoes Christian girl who goes to college, joins a sorority, and turns into a party girl.
Then for years after, I lived in shame.
I felt like if anyone knew my mistakes, they would write me off. When I compared my past to others’, I felt like mine was so much worse. And when I slipped back into old habits, I beat myself up for days.
If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone. In all the hiding, and sometimes self-hatred, it’s easy to start believing that God couldn’t redeem any of it. Then it becomes even easier to believe that where you are right now is a direct result of what you’ve done.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐, ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐.
Today’s verse
reminds us what is true:
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
In Christ, you are free from having to hide in shame.
While we can know in our heads that this is what the Bible says, it feels more challenging to believe in our hearts that it’s true. So if we find ourselves stuck in shame or believing we have to earn the blessings we long for, where do we go from here?
We turn to what’s true. We open our Bibles and find out what God says about the lies we believe. I’ve found three simple steps to do this:
๐ญ. ๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ.
If it
contradicts God’s Word, it’s not true. Sometimes we need a friend to remind us
of this, so send the text or make the phone call, and ask someone you trust if
you’re believing a lie.
๐ฎ. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ.
(And there’s
no shame in Googling to find a verse if you don’t know where to start looking.)
๐ฏ. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ต ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐น ๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น.
Which
sometimes feels crazy, but eventually it sticks. And then the next time the lie
creeps back in, the truth more quickly comes to mind. If you start there, I
think you’ll find when the enemy whispers in your ear that this is all your
fault or you’ve missed it or it’s too late, you can tell him and yourself the
truth:
God’s goodness does not change based on your decisions.
He is sovereign
(Proverbs 16:9; Colossians 1:17).
He loves to redeem His people's pasts and
mistakes (Ephesians 1:7-9).
Regardless of your past, Jesus makes a way for
refuge in Him. There’s no wrong you’ve done that cannot be forgiven. He is
safe. All you have to do is run to Him.
God, thank You for the forgiveness that
comes from faith in Jesus. I praise You that I no longer walk in shame from my
past. Help me identify the lies shame tries to tell me and replace them with
truths from Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
- Meghan Ryan Asbury
Provided by
"Proverbs 31 Ministries"