unashamed

For a while now God has been speaking to me about encouraging people through my words. Initially I was excited about the possibilities—maybe starting a blog, maybe video sermonettes. Purpose rushed through my heart with a might that had been dormant in me for a while, but very soon after the spark of enthusiasm was lit, a cold harsh feeling extinguished it—the feeling of shame. And shame brought its ever faithful friend—the feeling of inadequacy. I was rendered immobile in my call by these two vandalizers of God-given vision. Shame is something that so many people live with for years, shame is something that keeps greatness hostage within the hearts of those who have been set apart to change the world. My shame came from years of struggling with fear, I believed the lie that "if I struggled, I couldn't possibly aid another person in their struggles." but the Lord spoke to me through a moment I shared with my son. I was reprimanding Solomon for biting me (the joys of razor sharp baby teeth), and in the midst of my speech he hung his little head down in defeat. Instantly I felt a crushing sense of heaviness in my spirit. The image of my little baby boy dejected, broke my heart, and the Lord spoke to me that the result of shame is a dejected spirit—and a dejected Spirit will never lay hold of the inheritance that Is offered to those in Christ. Shame is not from the Lord. We serve a good Father who desires for us to walk with heads held high. Yes, there is a price for sin, but Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross. We are no longer debtors! And we are no longer obligated to live with a debtor's load. Shame is the enemy's illegitimate means of collecting, but he has no authority—he is seeking to rob you of yours. So let us throw off the shame that seeks to immobilize, that seeks to turn beautiful vision into unreached dreams, that seeks to steal away the believers crown and replace it with a heap of burden. Let us live all the years of our lives free and UNASHAMED! "…Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame."—Romans 10:11