Today's Word With Joel & Victoria

Shame Off You

Post by Joel Osteen on November 6, 2015

 

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We've all heard the phrase "shame on you," and most have heard it from early childhood. Maybe you didn't clean your room and you were told, "Shame on you!" You were mean to your little sister, "Shame on you!" Even as adults, we may not hear it out loud, but it plays in our thoughts. You fell back into that bad habit and you think, "Shame on you." You went through a divorce, "shame on you." We don't realize how destructive shame is. It's used to try to convince people to do better, but really, shame does just the opposite. It causes us to feel guilty and unworthy, like we don't deserve to be blessed.
A young lady told me how she had a baby when she was a teenager. She wasn't able to keep it so she put it up for adoption. Now 10 years later, she said, "I feel so ashamed. I abandoned my baby. I can't sleep at night thinking about what a terrible mother I am." That voice in her head is constantly whispering, "Shame on you." Shame is one of the enemy's favorite tools. He's called 'the accuser.' He'll remind you of every mistake, every failure, even things that weren't your fault. He'll try to deceive you into thinking that you were to blame. People who were abused as a child and had no choice in it, he'll whisper, "You're not good enough. You deserved it; that's why they mistreated you." He'll try to convince you to carry heaviness. But the Scripture talks about how God has removed our shame. Whether it was your fault or somebody else's, you don't have to carry the heavy load of guilt, beating yourself up, feeling wrong on the inside. When the enemy says, "Shame on you," God says, "Shame off you. I've forgiven you. I've redeemed you. I've made you valuable!"
Remember, what people did or didn't do to you doesn't determine your worth. What you did or didn't do yourself doesn't determine your worth either. Your worth comes from your Creator, the Most High God who breathed His life into you. He crowned you with His favor. He calls you a masterpiece. Don't go around ashamed, guilty or condemned; shake that off! If you've made a mistake, repent and do better. The next time you think, "Shame on you," remember that Jesus paid a great price to take shame off you!
"Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame." (Romans 10:11, NIV)