freedom from my past

Hey friend! Welcome to the blog!

I hope you are having an amazing December so far! I can’t believe that it is almost 2025- where did the time go?!

I am so excited for this week because I was honestly not planning on writing about this topic- but during my Bible time one morning, the Lord really laid this on my heart. I just want to be obedient to what God is telling me to do, and follow His lead. My prayer is that I am just a clean screen for Him to flow through. And that means following His lead and saying YES wherever He takes you- even if it wasn’t apart of your plan. Because His plans are better and His ways are higher! And I think it is more fun and beautiful! It is fun because it is more of an exciting adventure with the Lord, where you have no idea what He’s going to do with your faithfulness. But then it is more beautiful because when you see what He does, it is better than anything you could’ve even tried to do! God can work amazing things out of your obedience! Even if you see the fruit of your yes years later, it is so much better! And what’s EVEN BETTER, is the Lord gets ALL THE GLORY!! He gets all the credit!! So, without further ado, let’s talk about shame.

Friend, maybe you have done some things in your past that you aren’t too proud of. Maybe you wish you could go back and undo all the things you did, all the things you said. Maybe, because of your past, you feel unworthy of having a relationship with Jesus- maybe you feel like you can’t come and sit at His table (Luke 22:28-30). Maybe you think that God cannot use you for His kingdom now, because the shame is blocking you. Maybe you have even been running away from God- friend- if this is you- then please keep reading.

I want to start by telling you the definition of the word shame. It means (according to Britanica):

A feeling of guilt, regret, or sadness that you have because you know that you have done something wrong.

So when we feel shame, we are feeling guilty, and regret what we did. Now, feeling sorry for something you did wrong is not in of itself bad. That is actually one of the things that incline us to apologize, repent, and ask for forgiveness! But there’s a difference between that, and carrying shame. When you carry shame, you are walking in that guilt, that regret, that sadness! You get stuck in the muck, convincing yourself that you can’t move on with life because of your past. Well what a perfect way for the enemy to try and take you out of the game! Satan tries to keep you stuck, by throwing the shame of your past at you! He’s the one that tells you that you are unworthy, you can’t move on, you are too far gone. Now here is what the Lord says:

“Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” Isaiah 1:18

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don’t be afraid; there’s no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood.” Isaiah 54:4

When you repent of your sins, turn to God, and ask for forgiveness, He makes you as white as snow! You are a NEW CREATION in Christ Jesus! Jesus has redeemed you- not because of anything you have done, but because of what JESUS did on the cross! Jesus is so obsessed with you, that He literally came down to earth, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross for our sins so we could live in freedom! He nailed the shame of your past to the cross- He died so you didn’t have to carry the weight of it anymore! It says in Isaiah- that the Lord remembers your sins NO MORE (Isaiah 43:25)! Isn’t that just crazy! I will never be able to fully wrap my head around the fact that Jesus loves us so much ya’ll, that He came, so humbly, lived a perfect life, and died for all of us while we were sinners! He did this so we could live in freedom, and live in a relationship with Him!

So, don’t let the enemy make you believe that you have to walk in shame- that you have to carry that backpack full of your past boulders. NO! Don’t go back to the cross and take down something that the Lord died over. He died over shame- He conquered it, why would you go back and take it down off the cross! When Jesus was up there, He was thinking of you. He was thinking of you and saying- worth it. Worth it. Worth it. For every single one of us! Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love- not even what we did in the past (Romans 8:38-39)!

God has an amazing plan and purpose for you- and you are not too far gone. What you need to do is repent, and turn TO God, and not walk in that shame. Because when you sit in the shame pit, that is giving the enemy a foothold in your life- that is keeping yourself from living in the fullness of life that God has for you! He wants to use you to advance His kingdom! He wants a relationship with you, because you are His child, and He loves you! And repentance is actually a beautiful thing- it is a GIFT! I think that sometimes that work has a bad connotation. But all it is, is turning from the world, turning from our sinful ways, and turning to God! Acknowledging that His ways are best! Asking the Lord for forgiveness and then living a life that is honoring the Lord, that follows His Word, and glorifies Him!

One quote that I love is “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” God qualifies you- even if you feel unworthy. God wants to do an amazing work in and through you, so don’t let any past mistakes get in the way of that. Because the truth is, that we are all human! We all make mistakes! The important thing is that every time, we repent, turn to God, and walk in His freedom! God will never abandon you when you make a mistake, He still loves you! You don’t have to be perfect to earn God’s love- actually it says in Romans 5:8 that-

“But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Think about that. Meditate of that truth today (Psalms 1:1-2). God, sent His Son, His perfect Son, for us, while we were still sinners. We are saved by His grace, and through our faith (Ephesians 2:8-10). So don’t let the enemy keep you in bondage, you are more than a conqueror in Christ, and He has already won the victory (Romans 8:37).

I encourage and challenge you today friend, to 1. Repent, 2. Ask the Lord for forgiveness, and 3. Live this day in freedom, honoring the Lord, following and living out the Word of God, glorify Him in everything you say and do, surrender and trust Him today.

If you start your morning praying like this, praying that the Lord would help you live like the new creation you are, and then taking action- you will be different. And oh just get ready for what the Lord will do!

Thank you so much for reading friend! I hope that this blessed and encouraged you today! Let’s walk and talk a little more like Jesus today! Let’s live out our faith, and walk in His freedom today! I love y’all so much, and Jesus loves you more!