Day Three…
Shame is one of Satan’s
weapons to keep you hiding from God.
Make no mistake: Shame is
not the same as guilt. Guilt stems from our own wrong actions. Shame—warranted
or unwarranted—is humiliation we are taught. We perpetuate shame by treating
ourselves as unworthy of forgiveness.
Shame can be the
penetrating tip of a lie shot at us by Satan. The real lie Satan wants us to
believe is that we are too guilty to be forgiven and accepted by God. Jesus
died to tell us the opposite, but Satan will pierce us so deeply with his lie
that we may not be able to comprehend the truth.
Over and over, Satan will
whisper, “You’re no good. Don’t even think about talking to God because He
won’t give someone like you the time of day.”
Beware, friends: Words like
these create an evil trap rigged with chains for your soul. By paralyzing you
with anguish, Satan will deceive you into thinking you are unworthy of God's
love. Satan will trap you in a prison of misery as he devours your soul,
sucking your life dry of all joy in the process.
I really don't want to give
the Evil One much space: yet sometimes, we need to remember he truly does
exist. Scripture reveals his existence as a spirit of evil from Genesis to
Revelation. God threw Satan out of heaven because of his wicked ways. His names
include: serpent, accuser, dragon, enemy, man of sin, power of darkness,
devourer, devil, and tempter. These names clearly describe his dark character.
Jesus called Satan “…the father of lies.”
Like it or not, Satan is
real.
Satan desires to destroy
the lives—yours and mine—by sin. He ambushes us with half-truths, deceit, and
outright lies. He uses past experiences to plant thoughts that make us feel,
hopeless, rejected, and defeated. By these, Satan deceives us into believing we
are not worthy to seek Jesus. He will not rest until he robs us of our worth,
future, and very souls.
So what’s our defense
against him?
When we call out to God in
surrender, He rescues us. Our confidence in Him is based on the rock-solid
promises of God—the truth.
Satan is a liar, but Jesus
is truth. Jesus’ life and death is the greatest demonstration of truth the
world has ever known. That truth is: God loves us— me and you.
God did not leave you alone
and defenseless in your struggle against Satan. He sent you a champion to fight
for you. God’s love defeats the deceit Satan uses to enslave us. We need to
stand at the foot of His cross. And look up.
Through the cross—i.e. the
death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection—God completely expresses that He
loves all of us. At the cross, God offers us unconditional love and acceptance.
And at the cross and the empty tomb, Satan is defeated in your life and
mine—forever!
Crosswalk.com Break Free from Shame's Prison
by Jan Coates
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