Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. Romans 4:7-8

I have fought my own internal battle with shame over the years. I have asked myself repeatedly, “How can I get over what I’ve done? Has Jesus totally forgiven me?” This yoke had me by the throat.  I didn’t understand until my mid-forties that a forgiving God wants to deliver me from every trace of shame.

Worshipers in the ancient world knew shame well. They would bring their sacrifices; animals, even newborn babies, to kill at the altar; all because they had a sense that they needed to calm angry gods. Their faith was in the wrong god but their conscience was keen in sensing that there was One higher than them who was just and holy.

Are you living out a life sentence of depression as you rehearse your failures? Does your track record haunt you like a ghost? If you have confessed your sin but still feel guilty, realize that when God forgives, he separates your sin from you. One of the words for ‘forgive’ is to ‘send away’. God took that ‘thing’ for which you repented, took it off of you and put it on Jesus. When you can’t hold your head up, you must remember that you are not your sin.

Satan accuses. People name call. But Jesus calls His forgiven children ‘righteous’. The beautiful names He confers on us form an umbrella under which we live and enjoy peace with God. Whether people-inflicted or Satan-inflicted, shame need not be my yoke.   How do I take it off?  Believe God. Satan is the perpetual accuser of the brethren. He will come at you repeatedly with old tapes. Be ready with scripture. You will have to quote it out loud. Remember, you are forgiven whether you feel like you are or not. Feelings are unreliable but the Word of God is true and abides forever.

For every one who is deciding to walk in forgiveness, by faith, remove the yoke of shame from their shoulders, Jesus. Amen