Sometimes when shame infiltrates our core at a very young age, it can become a guiding force in our lives. Even though we know we’re saved, cleansed from sin and forgiven, we can still find ourselves operating out of that core of shame. It can lead to perfectionist tendencies, an inability to say no to others, a desire to hide our hearts from others, self-sabotage, and even addictive behaviors. We are either making decisions out of shame, or we are looking for ways to escape and numb the shame. 

We must yield ourselves to God, letting the truth of His word uproot and replace the shame written on our hearts. We must let Him renew our hearts and minds. We must allow Him to uncover the wounds and foundations of shame. We must let His love and His view of us become our new reality and our new identity. Shame will try to disconnect us from His affection. Shame will try to disqualify us from His calling on our lives. Shame will cause us to fixate on our behavior as the only indicator of our worth in God’s eyes. Shame will tell us we’re not enough. Shame will tell us we have no business in God’s kingdom.

We need to stop listening to shame and start listening to God.

You are loved.

You are holy.

You are enough.

When I say that you are loved, it is not just a promise, but an undeniable fact.  I not only love, but I AM LOVE. My love for you is a 24/7 reality that is completely unaffected by your behavior or your perceived proximity to Me. Open your heart to receive My love. It is yours to experience every moment of every day. YOU ARE LOVED.

When I say that you are holy, that you are set apart and sanctified for My purposes, I do not say it as though it were merely an observation. If you belong to Me, then your righteousness is an absolute reality. You are cleansed by the blood of the cross. You are set apart for My use. This is a finished work completed by My son, never by you. When I say that you are holy, it is not a command to perform, but a command for shame and condemnation to leave. I am not waiting for you to act holy; I am waiting for you to realize that YOU ARE HOLY.

When I say that you are enough, it is because you are made in My image, because you are filled with My Spirit, because I will supply all of your needs, both spiritual and material, from the riches of My glory. You will will lack no good thing. YOU ARE ENOUGH.

Consider this:  When you embrace a toddler, perhaps your own, or one in your extended or church family, do you evaluate her during your embrace?  Do you calculate her worth based on her behavior that day? Do you make a mental list of her sins? Of course not. You are lost in the wonder and sweetness of her embrace. She delights you for no other reason than the simple awareness of who she is and the vast possibilities of who she will become. You are delighted by her, though she has achieved nothing, performed nothing, promised nothing. You are just delighted to know her and embrace her.

How much more I delight in you, knowing every facet of your being because I knit you together. I delight in exploring the vast possibilities that My power, together with your trusting faith and surrender, will accomplish in the future. Your presence alone gives Me joy and delight. I delight in you simply for who you are.

As I peel back the layers of hurt and shame, allow My love to overflow into those deep places. Allow the truth that you are holy to override all of the labels that shame has branded on your heart. Let My declaration that you are LOVED, that you are HOLY, that you are ENOUGH become your banner of truth. Your reality. Your identity.