TO THEM WHICH ARE IN CHRIST…’ ROMANS 8:1 KJV Rising above guilt and shame (1)
A well-known author writes: ‘Because my father sexually abused me, I felt shame, which I internalised. At some point I made an unhealthy transition in my thinking. I was no longer ashamed of what he’d done…instead I became ashamed of myself…I felt like there was something wrong with me if my own father wanted to do those things. For years I had a message playing in my mind that said, “What’s wrong with me?” That’s one reason I was excited to learn that salvation clothed me in God’s righteousness. (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). For…years I felt wrong…now I finally feel right.’ Shame and depression go hand-in-hand. And while doctors can prescribe medication for depression, there’s no remedy for shame; except the medicine of God’s Word! But reading it and not applying it to your life is like getting a prescription from a specialist and not taking it. James says, ‘Do not merely listen to the Word…Do what it says’ (James 1:22 NIV). That means standing on the Scriptures regardless of how you feel. Feelings keep changing; you can’t trust them to tell you the truth. That’s why the Bible says: a) ‘ Let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything…good…’ (Romans 12:2 CEV); b) ‘Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect [when…] God…puts us in right relation to Himself?’ (Romans 8:33 AMP). In Jesus’ name arise, shake off your guilt and shame and begin to live!