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.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.
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:
𝟭. 𝗔𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗲.
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.
𝟮. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲.
(And there’s
no shame in Googling to find a verse if you don’t know where to start looking.)
𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹.
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"