HEALING FOR SHAME AND CONDEMNATION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2Co 5:21 NIV

Shame and condemnation are two weapons Satan will use to torment you. They will steal your rest and sap the joy out of your life. What’s the answer? Begin to see yourself as God sees you. “God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” When we are aware of our shortcomings, how is it possible to believe that God sees us as “righteous” and wants us to see ourselves that way too? Because when you became a Christian, God placed you “in Christ”; therefore, you are always accepted by Him. “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ro 5:1 NIV). The word justified means: “just-as-if-I’d never sinned.” And that’s how God sees you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year, all the way from the new birth to the New Jerusalem. Plus, Jesus understands your struggles since He dealt with them Himself. He “understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Heb 4:15-16 NLT). Confession: “Jesus took all the shame and condemnation for my sin on the cross, and I am in right standing with God because I’m ‘in Christ’!”