Overcoming the Past - Releasing Guilt and Shame (Daily Devotional)

Shalom, it is so wonderful to have you join us here for another time of devotional, where we look into God’s word and delve into the topic of overcoming the past. Through the last two episodes, we have looked at what it means to overcome the past. Today, we are looking at how do we release guilt and shame. When we go through things in the past, we carry moments we all wish we could undo, the words that we have spoken in anger, the choices we have made, the sin committed, or even regrets that keep the guilt and the shame coming back to us. We know that if guilt and shame is unchecked, it can become like heavy burdens or chains that keep us down and it keeps us tied to the past. But the cross of Christ is a representation of all of our sins, shame and guilt being nailed to the cross. Psalm chapter 34, verse 5 says, ‘They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.’ This verse reminds us that all who look to Him will have radiant faces, not weighed down, not cowering in shame, not hiding in guilt but glowing with the light of His grace, being radiant with His grace. Why is that? Because when we look to Jesus, we do not see condemnation, we see forgiveness, we do not see judgment but we see mercy. We see love that covers all our sin and invites us close to Him. So, Jesus didn’t come to shame us but save us. He took our guilt and shame of all that we have done in the past on Himself so that we do not have to carry it anymore. So, we must let go of our guilt and shame and when we look to God, know that we are not defined by our failures or by our shortcomings but we can face the future with hope and face it without the burden of shame. It is the radiance of God that reflects on our faces and lives. The more that we take our brokenness to Him, we have a divine exchange of radiance that shames dissipates and there is radiance, gladness and joy. The shame and guilt make us hide from God’s presence but it is His radiance that makes us truly shine even in the midst of that pain. So, whatever weighs you down, maybe it is someone’s sin against you or your own sin of the past, release your guilt and shame and look to Him and experience the radiance only that He can give. Let’s pray together, Heavenly Father, we lay down our shame and our guilt at the foot of the cross. As we look to you, may we truly experience the radiance, not just on our countenance but in our inner lives. May it speak of your glory and may it speak of your grace. Thank you, Father, for the fact that we can go with our heads held high with radiant faces, thank you for doing this for us, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

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