We’ve all experienced shame at some point. It’s a painful fact of life that when we make a mistake, the devil tries to exploit it and use it against us. How we deal with this emotion determines if we can move forward, or if we get stopped in our tracks. Shame is like a rope tying us to our past or a weight dragging us down; however, we can defeat it through praise.

Jesus despises shame so much that He was scourged and endured the cross to defeat it. He gave His back to the smiters, and didn’t hide His face from shame and spitting. God has promised to help us when we feel an onslaught of negative emotions. Therefore, we know we won’t be ashamed, and we’ll never have to fear being put to shame when we trust Him in this area.

God’s Word gives us a powerful weapon—praise—to use whenever we need it. Praising and thanking Him for what He did to give us peace and joy isn’t the response Satan wants from us. When nothing is going right and we’re tempted to give in to shame, rejoicing in the Lord and taking joy in the God of our salvation allows Him to be our strength and causes us to walk in high places. Praising God out loud, in front of others, enables Him to save us from condemnation. 

Shame is a fiery dart straight from hell. When we have an opportunity to be ashamed, the proper response is to praise God in the midst of our circumstances. It’s a deliberate act of submitting to God and resisting the devil. A thankful, worshipful heart makes Satan flee from us. 

When we miss the mark somewhere and hear the enemy tell us we should be ashamed of ourselves, God’s grace tells us we can forgive ourselves because Christ already forgave us. This frees us from self-condemnation and reconnects us to our joy. There’s no defeating a joyful Christian.

Prayer:

Lord, shame is a demonic emotion that Your Son has already defeated. His finished works freed us from bondage to it. We gratefully praise and thank You for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Hebrews 12:2

Isaiah 50:6, 7

Isaiah 54:4

Romans 10:11

Habakkuk 3:17, 18

Psalm 109:30, 31

James 4:7

Ephesians 4:32 

For more on how God’s grace empowers us to defeat shame and continue moving forward in life, click on the link for the DVD, How to Get Victory over Shame.