The Shame Game

"You are not worthy."  That is a lie the enemy uses against believers with regularity.  Why does he use it so often?  Because it has worked.  If you have bought the lie that you are unworthy of God's love and His kindness and goodness, you are not alone.

The devil does not want any Christian to understand their position in God, because once a believer grasps who they are in Christ, the enemy knows he's in big trouble.  That's why he constantly bombards us with thoughts of shame.

Romans 8:1 (NIV) says:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Once we are saved, we are in right standing with God because of the cleansing blood of Jesus.  The Bible calls this righteousness.  The Bible even calls us the righteousness of God (II Corinthians 5:21).  We are made right with God because of what Jesus did, not because we ourselves are perfect or have perfect performance.  The devil wants us to think that God couldn't possibly love us because of what we have done or because of who we are, but that is not true.  God's love for us is not based on us or our performance.  He loves us because He IS love.  And he chose to sacrifice Jesus in our place so we could connect with His love.

We do not have to be ashamed or condemned.  Jesus demonstrated this in John 8:3-11 (KJV):

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

In verse 11, Jesus made it clear, "Neither do I condemn thee."  God is not in the condemning business, but in the rescue business instead.  The devil is the one who plays the shame game.  Don't fall for his lies that say you aren't worthy of God's love, because it is the very love of God that has made us worthy of every good thing He has for us.  So, avoid sin, be free in His love and shake off the weight of shame that the devil would try to put on you.

I am going to close this post by going back to Romans 8:1, this time in The Passion Translation (TPT):

So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.

Yes, my friend, the case is closed.  The gavel has come down in the courts of heaven, and the verdict declared over you is "not guilty."