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6:17 AM (1 hour ago)
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Guilt = I did something wrong
Shame = I am something wrong
Guilt brings conviction. God can use guilt to bring us to our knees in confession - and confession is the key that unlocks our prison cell. It brings freedom.
Shame, on the other hand, brings condemnation. Satan uses shame to imprison us, to condemn us to death. Shame hits at your core identity and leaves you with constant feelings of inadequacy. The devil wants you to carry that shame with you wherever you go.
1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
There is another option. You can bring your sorrow, your guilt, and whatever level of shame you are experiencing to Jesus. In Jesus you will experience His total forgiveness. Instead of elevating your guilt into shame, Jesus will remove your guilt by His grace. And it all starts with a wonderful practice called confession.
Repentance is the process of changing, or turning, from a particular sin. Until we truly turn from our sin, we will not experience the full freedom that God wants for us. But remember, it is not our power, grit, hard work, and perfection, but rather, it is through God's kindness that we will ultimately experience His freedom.
What truly changes us from the inside out is that God has been kind toward us, in spite of our sin. Through His forgiveness, He offers a free gift that you absolutely do not deserve - grace!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,