One of the tricks the enemy uses against us is shame. It can be debilitating or hold us in a cycle of sin. In Genesis 3, we read the story of Adam and Eve. Satan came and tempted Eve to disobey God. She ate of the forbidden fruit and then gave some to Adam. Verse 7 says, “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves” (NLT). Then when God came to meet with them, shame caused them to hide from Him. It does the same thing in our lives. It’s designed to break our relationship with God and others, keeping us from forgiveness and wholeness.
In Joshua 5, the Israelites had crossed over Jordan and were headed to Jericho. Before they went into battle, God wanted to renew their commitment to Him to be set apart, so He had Joshua circumcise all the men. In verse 9, after they were circumcised, God said, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” In the Bible, Egypt has been a reference to sin. Here God has led them out of the wilderness that shame had held them in and rolled it away. His plan for you and for me is to roll away the shame that holds us back from the Promised Land He is calling us to.
Isaiah 54:4 says, “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 and the sorrows of widowhood.” You no longer have to live in shame because God has cast it off you! When your sins have been forgiven, your disgrace is gone. Don’t continue to let shame have power over you once God has rolled it away. There is power in confession to God and healing in confession to people. You don’t have to shout your sin from the rooftops to everyone, but you do need someone to confide in if you’re going to get shame off you. Come out of the wilderness and into the land flowing with milk and honey that shame is keeping from you.
Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 