“Mom! Hey mom! Wake up. I made something for you. A card, I cut it in the shape of a heart and I want you to get up and read it.”
My early morning riser tugs on my bedcovers as she simultaneously taps on my shoulder. Tired from staying up late the night before working on materials for our {Road to Christmas} study, I rub my eyes and ask, “What is it sweet girl?”
“Mom, I made you this card, read it” as she places it into my lap.
Now sitting up in bed and pulling my covers back around me, I focus in on this card with its accompanying hand drawn hearts, smiley faces and crosses.
“Mom, I made you this card because I want you to know that you are beautiful on the inside and out…and I love it that you’re my mom, mistakes and all. I love you.”
Oh I love how God uses children to speak to us at just the right times…when our hearts need it the most.
Truth spoken from the mouth of babes, I am loved and accepted by this amazing daughter of mine and by the One who created us both… “mistakes and all.”
Like Tamar and Elizabeth, who we will focus on this week, I too have worn the heavy cloak of shame. Partly due to circumstances out of my control (like Elizabeth) and other times because of my actions (like Tamar) as a woman living in a broken world, I can relate to how these women felt…the weight of shame is a burden only the Messiah Child, born in a humble manger over two thousand years ago, can lift.
This week as we take a closer look Tamar and Elizabeth’s lives, may we focus our gaze on our Redeemer and Savior, the one who came to us as a humble child to take the sting of our shame away.
May we be encouraged as we begin our {Road to Christmas} study that God used ordinary men and women to bring His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to be the Savior of us all…despite their mistakes, short comings and sin.
And to this day, He continues to work through the ordinary lives of men and women to change the world.
My challenge for us this week is to place the burden of shame, some of us have been carrying, at the feet of the baby born in that humble manger so many years ago. This Christmas as you look for that perfect gift for your loved ones, maybe, just maybe, you need to include a gift for yourself on that list…to live a life no longer controlled by the shame of the past. This Christmas release yourself from that heavy burden by surrendering your life to Jesus Christ and allow Him to heal you from the hurt you’ve been carrying.
Let’s Talk: What are some ways God has healed you from the shame you once carried? What advice or encouragement can you give to someone today who might be struggling with the weight of shame in her life today?
Love God Greatly!
Week 1: Memory Verse
Week 1: Reading Plan
Week 1: Challenge
This Christmas as you look for that perfect gift for your loved ones, include a gift for yourself on that list: to live a life no longer controlled by the shame of the past. Place your burden of shame at the feet of that baby in the manger. Release yourself by surrendering your life to Jesus Christ, and allow Him to heal you from the hurt you’ve been carrying.
There is an elderly lady in my Sunday School class from Holland. I would like to print the Dutch translation for her as she is missing home so much now. When I try to save so that I can print I get an “you don’t have access message”.
I apologize for adding this to your blog post but didn’t find any contact info otherwise. Thank you and God Bless
That is unusual, Carol. I’m sorry that’s happening! Please send an email to [email protected] and I’ll help you get the files.
Oh Carol, thank you so much for thinking of her and loving her so well!
I still struggle with the sins of my past. I was a “relationship junkie” who needed to find love in guys in high school to feel worth something as the relationship with my earthly father was not great and I didn’t understand who God/Christ was. I am married now and blessed with 4 beautiful babies here on earth (3 in Heaven) but still I find myself at times being drawn back to the past when something reminds me of it. I get almost embarrassed of how I used to be. I know Jesus took my sins to the cross with Him, but I still feel shame for my youthful bad choices.
Your post resonates with me. My father was an alcoholic and I had no relationship with him, or mostly negative memories. I turned to men in sin trying to gain acceptance and love. The more I get to know Jesus by reading the Bible and through prayer, the more my guilt is released! I love the story of the woman at the well. Jesus tells her “Your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more!”
I so know how you feel reading your post was like reading my own ,
I still struggle with the past and I am ashamed to say I sometimes go there to reminisce , I am married to a great man we both were saved around the same time about 16 years ago, and I feel disgusted with myself when I go back there ,some times I think im not really saved , like my past it is all a sinful fraud ,God help me
Nancy, I want to hug you! Sweet friend, when we come to Christ we are forgiven. The devil likes to fool us into thinking we are not sometimes. When you find yourself in these thoughts, remember your Heavenly Father loves you and has forgiven you. You are in Christ and He sees you through Him!
Blessings, Marlene {LGG Encourager}
Bethany, thank you for bearing your heart with us! We are praying for you as you work through this still. Remember 1 John 1:9 ~
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” .
Blessings, Marlene {LGG Encourager}
Bethany,
When I left for college, I had been a Christian since I was 12. I thought I was grounded in Christ and prepared to face the challenges of all that college life was to bring. During my first year at school, my boy friend broke up with me. I was sure that he was the man that God had selected to be my husband, and I went into a total tail-spin. The shame of what happened over the next couple of years followed me into my marriage. When I was just two months from giving birth to my first child, I was in a church service when God used the music and one of the musicians to help me to begin to step out of my shame.
Here is the thing you must remember, leaving the guilt and shame of any sin is an active process. Satan and our self-centered nature wants us to focus and remember the past because that keeps our mind away from focusing on Christ. Once I understood that, I actively started replacing the negative thoughts from my past and replaced them with very simple but powerful phrases from scripture, hymns, or something gleaned from my prayer time such as, “I am a daughter of the King.” I cannot tell you that I never get pulled back to my ugly past, but I can assure you that I no longer stay there! Putting on the mind of Christ takes time, effort, and sometimes really hard work, to break the negative stronghold of our past sin and thought life, and I believe that is why so many people struggle to make real change and progress in their relationship with Christ. There is no way that I think that I have this whole “mind of Christ” perfectly mastered, but I know longer live in the shadow of shame. I am very thankful for that.
Hi Lindsy,
I am starting this a bit late. I just read your reply. I can relate and I like that idea of remembering that our thoughts of the past take our focus off Jesus. That will help me. Blessings Sherry
Still dealing with the shame of God not allowing me to get pregnant yet… He has blessed me with children to raise but none biologically. He is healing me slowly but surely! He is good ALL the time!
My Dear Sister In Christ,
Don’t be ashamed of not being able to have a child biologically. For whatever reason you haven’t gotten pregnant, God knows. He sees and hears your heart’s cry. While you wait on Him, love on all the children around you. Be a spiritual Mom that so many children don’t have but need. In the meantime, I pray that God will grant you the desires of your heart. I pray that your joy will be to an overflowing and the desire to be a Mom will be fulfilled physically and/or spiritually…whatever the will God has for you. Praying for you.
Jacqulyn, praying for you sweet friend as you work though this. Remember the Lord has a plan for you and your are living that out now. Loving those children (although not biologically yours) is what He needs you to do right now.
Blessings, Marlene {Lgg Encourager}
JaQulyn, I and my 2 sister are adopted. And my adopted parents also took other kids under their wing to love and guide. Many people shamed them because of the issue . But a minister explained to them that most people do not have the love to parent children who are hot their own. God blesses some with that gift for those little ones who are abandoned and alone. What a precious gift. Sounds just like you! Make good use of and be thankful for Gods love and faith in you. Praying for you.
i have dealt with a lot of circumstances in my life which has caused shame for me, some I created and some which was created for me. I have been at the end of my “dealing with it” many times and seriously contemplated suicide. One particular night I had my death planned and my Bible which was packed away, fell to the floor. I threw it to the foot of my bed and it fell again, so I picked it up and started reading. I have since released myself from guilt and shame, because I know God released me 🙂 I still carry some things such as, real forgiveness for close people who have hurt me (physically, sexually, emotionally), but I believe the Lord will give me the strength to let it go someday. I lay my burdens in prayer and search the word of the Lord for guidandance. I pray together we all can get through our troubles and find restful ness in this study with our Lord and Savior. Have a blessed day
Melody, I’m so thankful the Lord has drawn you in to Him. Thank you for sharing your words with us.
Blessings, Marlene {Lgg Encourager}
I have been meditating on Romans 8 this week. I would encourage a woman that there is no condemnation for her. Her sins are forgiven past, present and future. Nothing can separate US from the love of Christ.
Amen Debbie! Thank you for this reminder.
Blessings, Marlene {LGG Encourager}
Debbie!!! Thank you so much for this reminder! I really needed this encouragement and reminder!
I have recently been feeling the pressure of past guilt and shame. I have been raised in a Christian family and accepted Christ at a young age. I am a young women who is in love with God, but who is also made up of some messy things. I am currently a Freshman in college and I recently joined this amazing online small group!! It is so encouraging to read everyone’s prayer requests, praises, and just encouragement! In high school, I struggled with masturbation and pornography. I have since then been clean for over a year and received help from my small group leader, small group galls, family, and pastor. I love God and know He loves me and has forgiven me, but I am still in that in between where I don’t fully forgive myself. I feel the shame and want to be free. Lord wash me clean!! That was one of my goals: to feel God’s love and draw close to him once again. I have never dated, or even kissed a guy. I wear a purity ring and stand firm in my promise to wait for marriage. I thank God for making me pure and for lavishing His love on me. I need to learn how to depend on God’s love alone and not feel…well…different, or like weird because I don’t have a boyfriend…trust me I am praying for a man who LOVES God and I won’t settle, but it is hard! I am excited to see how God moves throughout this study!! Love you all and thanks for reading! God Bless!
Carly
Dear Carly,
Thank you sweetheart for your transparency! Thank the Lord that you have the desire to be drawn close to Him! He is the Great Promise Keeper. He will hear you and be with you.
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22
Debbie,
Seriously this made me tear up! I really needed that and I am going to put that verse up everywhere!! Love you sister!
Glenda I love your response. My own birth mother failed me by abandoning me when I was young. I totally appreciate the women who have crossed my path and been a mother to me. Blessings Sherry
For approximately 40 years, before I knew my Saviour, I buried my shame and tried to heal myself by watching talk-shows, reading books, and watching movies re: incest. I suffered from PTSD and the flashbacks were debilitating…I found that through all those years the Lord was beckoning me to come to Him…I finally found Him and have forgiven the perpetrator and have released Him to the Lord. I recently gave my testimony and the joy and peace that now fill my heart is incomparable to anything I have ever known on this earth. I can see now how my Lord carried me, protected me and loved me through all the trials I have faced. He strengthened me and continues to strengthen me as He patiently and faithfully helps to grow me.
My advice is to never stop trusting the Lord – keep placing it all at the feet of our Saviour until you leave it there permanently. His grace and mercy are an ocean without boundaries and they will refresh you daily.
Great advice Cheryl, Thankful for His grace in your life. Thank you for sharing with us today!
Blessings, Marlene {LGG Encourager}
Oh Amen, Cheryl! Thank you for your advice. It’s so important to remember we are called to live by faith, not by sight….trusting Him is key, even when we don’t understand the “Why”.
The sins of my past is so heavy that I cannot bear it. God has taken it from me and now, when asked for my testimony, I have a difficult time deciding on what to address. More than being molested, more than being raped, more than being rebellious, more than sleeping with married men, more than the bar scenes … NOW, I want people to know the goodness of God and how I have seen His hand in my life since the old has passed away and He has created a new heart in me. God has done so much in my life that I am thankful for. He has healed me of a brain tumor, kept my marriage together, restored my joy, provided when there was no money, put things in my life that lifted my sadness. Today, I am waiting on what God is doing in a situation where I will have a total knee replacement within a week. I prayed for healing and as of yet, it hasn’t happened the way I would like. The new saying in my life is: “More than anything, I want to be holy!” Today, that is my hearts cry. I look forward to seeing God’s hand in my current situation … I know He will be there, He already is! Romans 8 and Psalm 139 has kept me
focused on God while He continues a good work in me. He’s not finished but I’m not what I used to be … PTL!
Glenda,
I love a good redemption story! Thanks for sharing about how God has brought you through and helped plant your feet on solid ground. Romans 8 is one of my favorite chapters — especially vs 1 where it says that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” Yay! Praying for your knee replacement surgery this morning — may all the details fall in place and the recovery go well.
Blessings,
Lyli
LGG Encourager
Oh Glenda! Thank you for sharing who God has worked in your life, healed you, restored you and given you back your joy! Praising Him with you tonight….God is indeed good and I love hearing testimonies of the change He can make when we turn to Him and surrender the hurt, pain and shame. Thank you, sweet friend for your encouraging words!
I share parts of my story in the book, Your Life Still Counts by Tracie Miles. You see….as a teen, I was very rebellious and very wild. I partied a lot. I found myself pregnant…then in an abortion clinic a friend took me to. I carried guilt, shame, and fear of God for 17 years. I was severely depressed during those years and suffered both mentally and physically for those choices. He released me from that through a Bible study a lady I went to church with lead called “Surrendering the Secret.” Although I don’t always forgive myself, I am so blessed to have come to know the love and forgiveness of Christ. For a bit I volunteered in a Crisis Pregnancy Clinic. I am now praying about, and would love to foster pregnant teens and help them avoid the mistakes I made while pointing them to the love and forgiveness of Christ. No sin is too big, no scar is too deep and regardless of how much time has passed, He is faithful.
Thanks for sharing Jennifer. I will be praying for you and your mission with pregnant teenagers.
Jessica
LGG Prayer Team Member.
So true: “no sin is too big, no scar is too deep”. Thank you for sharing your words with us today Jennifer!
Blessings, Marlene {LGG Encourager}
God brings beauty from ashes. He has placed you to see the beautiful lives you are saving out of the sins of so long ago. God bless you.
I have struggled with guilt and shame for a long time. Guilt that I wasted so many precious years doing things my way and on my own, instead of living for Christ, oh how I wish I could take back those years, as I was healthy physically, but not spiritually. Fast forward, in my 40’s I became chronically ill and my relationship with Christ has grown so much, but now I have guilt and shame over years lost and the fact that my illness hinders my ability to serve Him in May capacities. I am learning, slowly but surely that God does indeed meet us where we are. I am looking for ways to reach out to others and share His good news, it may not look the way I want it to, but God has me here in this place for a reason and I will serve Him in the way that he leads me to, but yes it remains a constant struggle.
Kim,
Thanks for sharing your story with us. It’s amazing how our trials help us to “wake up” and see things more clearly. Praying for you this morning, sweet sister. May God give you strength and courage.
Blessings,
Lyli
LGG Encourager
Kim, as a kid I remember going to visit the “shut in” . Now I am one of those who cannot get out to services in over 4 years. I too am ssd thst I am unused in his service.. I try to encourage those online but feel I have God given talents that go unused. It is tough. I will be praying that we each find our niche of service. And receive miracles in our health. God bless ya.
As I read all of your stories, I am reminded again of the “Living Free” course I took 4 years ago. This course allowed me and my husband to truly be free, free of shame, guilt, anger and everything else holding us back from truly being free. Still four years later, we are still free. This course allowed us to dig deep and find the real reasons why we were drinking, smoking, and doing drugs. It was unforgiveness we were holding onto. We weren’t aware that we needed to do the Four R’s to truly forgive which are repent, rebuke, receive and replace. So after we granted forgiveness to the people who hurt us, we were free. It was like a huge weight was lifted off of our shoulders and we were finally able to live the life God intended us to live with confidence and courage. Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost which was humanity to sin. Therefore if the son sets you free, you are free indeed. God bless you all and know there is hope and freedom in Jesus!
Jamie – thank you for sharing with us today! So thankful to have you here!
Blessings, {LGG Encourager}
I love the line in the song “Overwhelmed” that days “I run into Your arms, unashamed because of mercy. I’m overwhelmed…by You.”
Thank You Lord for Your overwhelming mercy!
Amen, Terri!
Blessings, {LGG Encourager}
Yes, we must learn to forgive oursevles. If you look through out the Bible, it’s made up of people who had short comings. Jesus can still use all of us; even us with a not so clean past.
Absolutely, Alena! I love that God uses people just like us as part of His story.
Thank you for sharing,
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
The past seems to get to the best of us… Serving God is a journey of personal growth inward and outward. Most are harder on themselves for mistakes then the outside world could ever be. We must not forget our past but remember and take comfort in knowing with confidence that God saved “me” . Through every mistake, “He saved me!!!”
Katrina, I love that! Thank you for the reminder,
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Amen! And I LOVE how God takes our mistakes and uses them for His greater good!
Although I prayed to be saved back in 2001, 2009 was the turning year for me: Jan-Aug, I had called off my wedding, totaled my car, became unemployed, and found out my Dad had Prostate Cancer. Aug-Sept were the months that made me realize God had not abandoned me: I was offered a new job, my parents helped pay for a new car, my Dad’s treatment was working, and I met my now-husband. Yup, I’ve been feeling “ugly” about a few past details, especially things I did the beginning of 2009. I finally told my husband last week. A bit nervous because he is not a believer but he looked at me then hugged me and said, “that’s not so bad. you’re human. everyone makes mistakes. forgive yourself.” **jaw-drop/scream giggle** God is wonderful for continuing to love and encourage me! Even working through a non-believer, like my husband, to get His message across to me! 🙂
Jessica, What a wonderful story of grace even though Hubby is an unbeliever. God is so very good! Thank you for sharing,
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Jessica, thank you so much for sharing your story with us today! Thanking God for how He has worked in your life, sweet friend!
Knowing that the shame/guilt that I still feel sometimes from running out on my family and husband and having an affair…..that shame/guilt is not needed. I confessed and repented and I know that my Father forgives me and has cast that sin as far as the east is to the west. I learned what “unconditional love” really is from my husband taking me back and we now have the greatest marriage that is built on a tier of 3 with God first, the way it is supposed to be. I was that “lost sheep” that God went out and found again and loved anyway. There is hope because of our glorious Father and because of His son that He sent to die on Calvary for our sins. Forever grateful. And I know I don’t want to offend him by picking up that “burden of shame/guilt” over and over again……Trust and Obey and have Victory in Jesus 🙂
Well said, Virginia. Our human minds have trouble understanding that unconditional love and so we think we have to “pay” for our sins. Praise God for redemption through Jesus. Thank you for sharing your testimony,
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Oh Virginia,
I know your testimony today has encouraged many women. Praising God for how He has worked in your life, in your family and for HIS GLORY!
I know how shame and guilt can and has fed off me for years and as Virginia I have also ran out on my family and sent my 2 boys to live with my ex husband and left my daughter with her dad. Being separated for 2 yrs and havin relations with another man as well. After a yr of doing drugs heavily God has redirected my path and through the prayers of my 2 boys whom I’m proud to say are God lovin God fearing Christians who attend church every Sunday and Wednesday 🙂 have prayed for their mom. I have repented and rededicated my life to serving The Lord, I have also forgiven myself for the sinful life I lived and for those that I’ve hurt along the way. I thank The Lord for my Salvation.
Josie – what a wonderful story of return and forgiveness. Thank you for being open and willing to share your testimony. I pray that God blesses you as you rebuild your life and continue to shine as a light for Him!
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Ooh Josie,
Beautiful story of forgiveness! Thank you for being bold and sharing. Lifting you up in prayer as you rebuild your life with family, friend and with God.
Martha
Oh Josie!
You brought me to tears, girl! I love how God used the prayers of your sons to bring you to Him. What a powerful testimony you have! Thank you so much for being so brave and sharing it with us! What an amazing encouragement you are to all of us who have loved ones we are also praying for! Thank you!
Hi! I may have missed it while scrolling through so I apologize if I did, but could you tell me if this particular study is on youversion? I saw the Advent one over there but not the road to Christmas.
Thanks! God Bless
No problem. This study is not on YouVersion.
Blessings,
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
I have so much to feel shame for/about. I have not had the greatest life nor the easiest. I thought I was what my mother said and I began to seek out relationships. I wasn’t necessarily destructive but looking back now it has been damaging not only to my image but my emotional self has taken the largest hit of all. Not just with relationships and the past but I have lied, been manipulative, and just not a great person. While I have struggled with my fathers murder, total silence from all of my family, terrible relationships, and the emotional toll of it all I have tried to turn my eyes to God. I have not been a good servant and I struggle everyday. I have so much to be shameful for that I think “why in the world would God even take a look at me when all I do is mess up.” So I am openly admitting my shame!
Oh Rose! My heart breaks for you as I read your comment. Please know that you have been prayed for you tonight. Remember that God’s grace for you is more than ANY and ALL of your mistakes from your past, present and future! Take heart my sweet sister, YOU are exactly the type of woman God can use mightily for His kingdom. I’ve observed in life that those who have been forgiven much are many times the ones who help others see Jesus the most through the way they live their lives.
Remember, God’s mercies are new EVERY morning….take heart, God loves you….release the shame you’ve been feeling into His hands. You Are LOVED!
Reading these posts reminds me of the times He has come back – come back – for me. He does not leave me – even when I walked away. He didn’t have to come for me the first time. I had nothing to offer Him, but it didn’t stop there. He came back for me. You too can rely on Him. There is no better brother, friend, savior to call on.
I struggle with the fact that even though I was saved at age 12 in Bible School, I was a horrible example for my boys. Never showing them the love of Christ, even though I took them to church. I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, and my parents truly didn’t know what to say when I told them I had gotten saved. In their later years they were saved, but never really comprehended anything other than they would go to heaven. My boys are now in their 40’s and not saved. I constantly blame myself, and find myself “giving it to God” only to take it back again.
I also struggled with being lazy and not truly understanding my bible. My parents didn’t teach me or show me how to learn and apply it to my life. I was told just to go to church every Sunday. I even went to a private school. My husband has been helping me understand the bible and verses. I don’t feel so weird or ashamed about learning and growing in the word. Continue to pray for me and my journey
I grew up in a mixed religion household…Catholic and non-denominational. Not a drastic difference but enough to cause conflict here and there. When I finished going through the motions with the Catholic church, I left and continued on at a Calvary church. It felt like home. When I was 20, I was baptized and born again….except I wasn’t really. As a young adult I still didn’t understand the whole “not living in this world” attitude that I was supposed to have. I thought I could be in my relationship with my boyfriend at the time and still put God first. Fast forward 11 years and several disastrous relationships later and I am just now starting to get it, though old habits are hard to break. For the past 2 years, I have been slowly getting back to my Bible. I owe this to a man I dated briefly who is still a good friend. You see, he is Muslim and was trying to convert me. We broke up because I knew that I would never be OK with my kids (hypothetically speaking) growing up Muslim or teaching them about both faiths and then praying for the best. I remembered how hard it was just battling the differences between my own parents and knew that as much as I loved him, it would be a disaster. After we broke up, he made a major downward spiral and stopped following his own faith. A year and a half later, he is still not really following it but he won’t let it go…probably out of pride and fear is my guess. I try to teach him about Christianity as much as I can with what I have learned for myself over the past 2 years because he has a very skewed idea of what it is but it is very hard to talk logic with a Muslim because of the way they are taught not to question the Qur’an or Sunnah from a very young age. There are times where I think I am getting through to him but then the enemy just grabs on more tightly and I lose him. My heart absolutely breaks for him because I just don’t see how he does not get it. I want nothing more than for him to hear me and seek salvation and have peace in his troubled life. And hey, if marriage is on the books for us, then that’s just a bonus. 🙂 It took me really examining my own life to see that maybe part of the reason he is not getting it is because I am not exactly leading by example. I have my own demons that I am dealing with and unfortunately because of our love for each other, we continuously succumb to worldly “norms”. Yesterday, I took the steps and prayed with our pastor’s wife and re-dedicated myself to Christ. I know I am going to still struggle and even more so now I am going to have the enemy nudging me to make bad choices because he knows my feelings for this man, but I also feel a sense of peace now that I didn’t have before. I believe that because I have humbled myself before the Lord as a sinner in dire need of His grace, mercy, and guidance, I have a better grasp on how to react to things that come my way. I am most definitely not giving up on my friend. I don’t know if he will ever come to know Christ, or if we will end up together as husband and wife, but I do know that now, I will be setting a good example for him and as a result, we will both notice changes in me. I pray that these changes to come are the kick in the rear end (so to speak) that helps it all click in his head. My prayer request tonight is that God continue to lead me down the right path to Him, to set my sights on Him, especially when I am struggling, and to find and say the right words to get through to my friend (Ashraf). I ask that we all pray that God breaks through Ashraf’s hardened heart so he can really listen and feel convicted to leave it all behind and come to the Lord. Thank you all!
Really encouraged this morning to read the story of Tamar, God is Sovereign and this helped me to have hope for my relatives who is not yet saved. My prayer is that my life is a good testimony for them. So I am grateful for this month we learn the road to Christmas. Teach my your ways Lord and may you use me and arrange all messy in my life! To God be the glory.
What broke the chains for me was realizing how much I am loved by my heavenly Father and that no earthly relationship could ever satisfy the one meant to be between He and I alone…..when I was at my lowest He reached down and led me to Eph 3:16-19 and I cherish that moment and those verses going back to them over and over again. He loves me like no other, forever, unbroken. I am His beloved and so are you!!!
Amen, Shelley
Thank you for sharing Eph 3:16-19. I needed that today. God bless!
The enemy knows that we as women are deeply impacted by shame and guilt. And he tries to use that against us. I have never felt more guilt until I became a mother. I question decisions I have made, and regret the way I have behaved in the past. It is so hard to move past our mistakes. But Freedom is found in Jesus. Sometimes, we have to daily drop the shame chains and give them to Him. He’s already taken them, but for some reason we insist on carrying them. So we drop them one day, one step at a time.
Thank you Sherri! That is just what this momma needed to hear!
My soul has been feeling grimey and raw the past couple of days. I’ve a couple of stressfuld days. Reading Tamar’s story this morning helped me to realize that God can and will use anyone for miraculous means and that we have no idea how our story will end. Tamar and Judah both relied on themselves and not God to solve their problems or for temporary pleasure. They had sin all over them. Yet God put them in the lineage of Christ. I may have be feeling icky and tired now, but who knows where God will place my story?! That is a tremendous reason to hope!
My shame. *sigh*. It comes from my past, yes, but what sometimes wears on me and wants to pull me down is not that I committed adultery before knowing Christ but committing adultery after getting to know Him and getting anointed with His Holy Spirit, and after seeing the many impossible miracles only He can do. Sometimes I see myself striking my Savior with my actions. Yes I get down and pray and ask for forgiveness all over again and I know that He loves me too much and unconditionally. I suppose my struggle comes from forgiving myself. Still working on that. This is why it is sometimes so shameful to talk about it, though me posting this is a real improvement. I Love Jesus with all my being and I am so sorry for doing what I did.
Elizabeth,
You have already put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator (Colossians 3:10). God is freeing you from this shame that you feel! Shame has no hold on you – for our God is the uncreated God of the Universe!
We are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives. – Ephesians 2:10
God bless you!
XXOX
I hear myself speaking through every one of the ‘shares’ above. I did things in my teenage years that make me shudder to remember now. In middle age, I treated one of my brothers horribly when I found out he was milking our parents’ savings dry…I didn’t know until his death at age 52 that he was bipolar and ravaged with multiple health problems because he wouldn’t or couldn’t take care of himself. I didn’t know until just months before my daddy’s death from Alzheimer’s that he had begun slapping, choking and bruising my mama. I feel I should have paid closer attention and noticed so I could have helped her! So MANY things I regret and have asked for forgiveness and am truly thankful my God shows such awesome love and mercy on such a sinner as I!! Struggling daily to turn EVERYTHING over to Him!
I have really identified with Tamar this week. I too have felt let down and hurt by others and I too tried to take matters into my own hands to get the outcome I wanted, using manipulation and deceit. I have carried that shame and disgrace with me all these years, but today God spoke to me:
“Fear not you will no longer live in shame. Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth nor the sorrows of widowhood.
For your creator will be Your husband; the Lord of heavens armies is his name. He is your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.”
Isaiah 54:4,5
I praise God for being such a wonderful Savior and redeemer!
The reading today about Elizabeth being barren and Zacharias hearing from the angel the answer to their prayers that YES, she would bare a son and call him John, who did great things for God. This reminded me of our many prayers for our daughter and her husband to have the gift of a child and after 5 years of marriage God opened her womb and gave them a beautiful baby girl, whom they named, Hannah. And we praise God with them, as in Luke 1:58b “…they rejoiced with her.”
Just like so many others I live with a past regret and though I am forgiven and feel that forgiveness most days, Satan talks me into believing his lies other days. My past will rear it’s ugly head and when I am not ready(spiritually) I can be knocked back in a pit of sorrow and shame. God has been so good to restore me but living in this world, I am sometimes reminded of what the world says when anyone gets a mark of shame. We know God redeems but past mistakes are not quickly put away by others. Shame is a difficult thing to stay on top of. Only through the daily renewing of my faith and His constant love can I feel the worth I truly have in His eyes. Life is definitely a race with many obstacles to be ready for. I know I must be in His presence daily in order to survive it. No one promised it would be easy but it sure can be sweet when we feel His presence and rest in His will. Thank you for your studies I love them so much.