Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to the World Changers Church Gold Coast Podcast. Join us as we listen to today's message.
[00:00:05] Praise the Lord.
[00:00:08] Amen.
[00:00:11] Wow. Worship was amazing this morning.
You know, this morning in our series Trapped, there's a lot to talk about when it comes to being trapped spiritually.
And we talked about last week about the armor of God. And we broke down each instrument of the armor of God as a defensive weapon and one offensive weapon that our fight is the fight of faith. And sometimes in life, we get caught up in the fight, and that's the trap.
We get caught up in the obstacles, and that's the trap. We get caught up in the chaos, and that's the trap. And we talked about, you know, last week about how peace is our greatest guide because that's how we spread the gospel.
But in this series, Trap this week, there was something that God laid on my heart during this series months ago about overcoming shame and the reality of guilt.
And most people could say, I don't have that problem. I don't have shame. I don't have guilt.
But even religious people have shame and guilt because they'll sit there and they'll go, oh, I shouldn't have thought that. Oh, just keep making the same mistake. And the negativity that they put on themselves and the negative attitude that comes from them towards others is because of the guiltiness.
Is that a word? And the shame that they carry that they will actually project on others.
Oh, you just need more faith. Oh, you just need to pray more. Oh, you just need to be in church. Oh, you need to read your Bible. Oh, and all those phrases are not actual helpful phrases.
Those phrases are not Christ like. But what they are is identifiers that I'm holding something in me that wants to point out something in you.
[00:02:25] Amen.
[00:02:28] And shame and guilt will talk with shame and guilt. Does that make sense?
But we have to be reminded about the victory that we have in Christ.
[00:02:40] Amen.
[00:02:41] So let's look at Romans 8:37 through 39 before I really dive into shame and guilt today. Yet all these things were more than. Yet all these things. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, this is my greatest verse. These verses, they are my cheerleader verses. These are the ones I get amped up on. But today I want to focus different, something different than the emotion and the energy behind this. But look at this last statement. Shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.
Nothing can separate you from the love of God, but guilt. And the reality of guilt is guilt will say, I've made a mistake. This is a mess.
You understand? Anybody ever felt that way. But shame will say, I am a mistake. I'm a mess.
See, guilt is something that is common that we all face because we are all guilty of something. But because of Christ, who loved us and loves us, we no longer have to walk in guilt because we walk in righteousness and justice.
[00:04:22] Amen.
[00:04:23] But shame is the enemy of freedom.
It will cause you to internalize and say, I am a mess. I'm a mistake.
You know, I just can't do anything good. Now. I don't care if you're a CEO of a company. I don't care if you're a drug addict or homeless. I don't care what stage you are in life. Shame is a sneaky enemy that will come into your mouth. It will come. It will come into your heart. It will come out of your mouth. It will sit in your thinking, and it'll slowly begin to take root in your life to change your perspective, to say, I am a mess. I'm a mistake.
It'll make you look at other people like they're a mess and they're a mistake. It will affect your relationships because, oh, I've made that mistake before with someone like you, and I'm not going to make that mistake again. These are all traps that are unhealthy to our walk in Christ. And Christ said, nothing can remove us from the love of God.
Then nothing should remove our love towards others.
[00:05:34] Amen.
[00:05:36] You know, I've been through some things as a pastor for I think I've been a pastor here in Australia for eight years. I've been through some things as a pastor that'll make you think that you're the wrong person for the job.
There's been multiple Monday mornings. I've woken up with that Monday morning blues as a pastor and said, I just don't think I'm the right person for the job.
That's shame.
That's guilt. No matter how good I preach, no matter what I've done, no matter what I've said, shame is a sneaky person that will come in because there's always that one person that comes up to you. Now if you do this, it's okay. I still love you. But there's always that one person that comes up to you and said, you know, I'd have said it different, I'd have done it different. You know, Pastor, I don't like what you said there. I didn't like your social media posts because my life as a leader is on display and it's real easy for people to pick it apart and make me feel guilty and ashamed of things I say and do.
And if I allow that conflict of life to identify itself with me, I will step into a trap that makes me doubt what I'm called to do.
And it can happen on the job, it can happen in your marriage, it can happen in your friendships, relationships. Guilt says I am a mis. Guilt says I made a mistake. Guilt says it's a mess.
But shame says I am the mistake.
And that's what we want to be free from. Because overcoming shame and the reality of guilt is the title of this message. Because shame is something that we need to get past.
If you are truly born again in Christ, you should never feel ashamed.
[00:07:22] Amen.
[00:07:25] Well, you don't know what I did last night, Pastor. I messed up and you know, I slept with that dude or I slept with that girl. Okay, you made a mistake. But if you repent and turn to Christ, you are not that mistake.
[00:07:41] Amen.
[00:07:42] That doesn't mean you keep making that mistake.
What it means is that you get from that mistake instead of identifying with it.
When you begin to identify with shame, you forget the victory that you have in Christ and you begin to speak with defeated words.
You begin to speak with a poverty mouth. You begin to speak with somebody, have sympathy on me. You begin to speak with, if I only had the opportunity. That's because you've let shame dictate your mouth instead of let victory lead your life.
The thing I've heard in business before is quit making excuses to what you can do and just tell me what you are going to do.
[00:08:28] Amen.
[00:08:30] So many of us can remember growing up constantly and you know, we heard you should be ashamed of yourself.
Well, as a leader of a church, in the past eight years, I've been through two splits in Australia and I've had four locations and 300 some odd members. And I've gotten to the point where, Don, I think you can identify with this or anybody that's been with me for a while. I just don't want to meet any new people because they're going to be gone anyway. That's shame talking.
That's guilt talking.
Love says I'm going to Keep going with what God calls me to do, no matter what.
But no matter who leaves you, no matter who talks bad about you, no matter who does what, you got to know that. You know that. You know that God has your back, your front, your left and your right side.
[00:09:20] Amen.
[00:09:22] God's got you.
Shame tells you he doesn't. Shame tells you that God's not going to answer your prayers, that you've made too much of a mistake. Shame tells you that you're not. You just need to come in and just beg God to save your life or beg friends to. You need to beg people for money. Begging is a fruit of shame.
When you go to God in prayer and you're like, God, please, God, please, God, please. Can I tell you something that's a fruit of shame? You don't think you deserve it. Reality is, you don't deserve anything good. But God gave you good anyway, so accept it.
[00:10:02] Amen.
[00:10:04] If I gave you a credit card with a million dollars spend on it, I said, go spend it. We'll pay for it. Some of you be like, okay, praise God. Some of you be like, really?
Well, what's it going to cost me?
Well, what do you want for it? That's the natural human experience of someone that's had something taken from you because of what's been given to you.
Shame is always looking for the strings and the catch line, but that's not the way it is in Christ.
[00:10:37] Amen.
[00:10:38] Okay. Come on.
So for me as a leader in Australia, I've had multiple times that I've just wanted to go back home. Really, Pastor Kyle? Yep.
I've had times I've looked at Tina and I said, maybe I should just disappear. You. The boys would be better off with me or without me. Really, Pastor Kyle? Yep. I've woke up some mornings not really willing to get out of bed because of my past.
Really, Pastor Kyle? Yep. I can remember. Anybody ever watch the Patriot? Mel Gibson? I'm not promoting it. It's a horrible movie. Makes you cry.
But in the opening scene of that, it's a very religious statement that the sins of the father have come back to persecute the sons. And I used to have that belief. I used to think that all my past sins would eventually catch up to me. But God doesn't work that way.
I'm not paying the price of the past because he paid the price of my past, my present and my future.
[00:11:37] Amen.
[00:11:40] But shame will tell you a different story. Shame will lock you up in your mind. I can remember when Me and Tina, before Christ.
I was a little like, into religion here and there. And I could remember when she got pregnant, we wasn't married. Really, Pastor Kyle? Yep. We weren't perfect people. We met in a bar.
Okay. Christ saved us.
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
And I can remember when one night Tina cried out from the bathroom. This gut curdling scream.
She was eight to nine weeks pregnant.
And I went in there, sorry, this is going to be a little graphic. If you can't handle it, you might want to step out now. Three, two, one. Okay, good.
And I went into the bathroom. There was blood everywhere.
And she says there's something wrong with the baby.
And she can tell the story a different way from her perspective. And I didn't have the heart to tell her that I saw the baby and we're going to the hospital. And she's like, check the heartbeat. This is just. It's doing my head in. And shame just started talking to me.
This is your fault.
This is because of who you were.
This is from your past. See, the devil finally caught up to you.
And when I'm watching her cry and I'm watching God move and this great experience in front of me, I started thinking, this is all my fault.
So whether it's money loss or whether it's loss or whatever it is, I don't care who you are or where you're from, Shame will have you start blaming yourself for something that's out of your control.
And I thought, man, I'm in this trap of shame. I'm in this trap of shame. And I thought, man, I need something. And I knew right then I needed God. But I got mad at him in the same instance. Because shame will make you mad at God and mad at yourself.
You understand what I'm saying? So instead of running to what could help me, I was mad at God and I was mad at myself.
And shame kept me from looking to the author of my faith. Shame had me look at the reason he should have done something.
And so when I finally made it to church and I heard this story about the prodigal son, and I heard this story about guilt and inheritance and reaching rock bottom, I said, lord, that's me. I have reached rock bottom.
There's nothing else I can do to change my life. If you're real, come on in, because I am done.
And that's when I realized guilt and shame were no longer as powerful as love.
[00:14:37] Amen.
[00:14:40] Because love didn't sound like my mama in that moment where my mom would say, you should be ashamed of yourself. You know better.
No, love didn't sound like that. Love sounded like. It's okay, son.
We'll get through this.
Just keep looking up.
The reality of guilt is it is a moment that can produce you turning to God and through repentance. Or the reality of guilt is it can be a trap that the enemy uses to put you in shame.
You are not your mistake. You are not your mess. You are not what's happened to you and you're not what's going on right now. You are the righteousness of God. And that means you are in right standing with him.
[00:15:37] Amen.
[00:15:39] So the truth is, the good news is God tells us we don't have to be burdened by guilt and shame any longer. The truth of Jesus is that Jesus Christ died that he can take away all guilt over our sins and the shame resulting from it. Let's look at Hebrews 12:2. Let's look at something that is shouted a lot, but needs to be paused and looked at. Let's go ahead and back up to 1. Can we do that? Can we do that? Hebrews 12:1.
The thing about shame is it is a weight that needs to be cast off. Okay? Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, break that down for a second. In the Bible, you have this history of people that are witness to God bringing them through.
And you're surrounded in heaven and all the host of heaven with that same testimony. You have those people speaking into your lives through the word of God right now.
[00:16:43] Amen.
[00:16:44] So let us. Let me lay aside every weight. Shame is a weight that will lead to sin.
Let's lay aside every weight. And the sin which easily traps us, easily ensnares us, easily delays us, easily hurts us, sin is a trap. It's not just a set of rules of do good and do bad. Not having sex before marriage is. There's a reason. Because you will get attached to that person and a part of your heart will be broken when you're no longer with them. You understand?
Sin is a trap. And it will rob you of the beauty of what God has designed when you do it the right way. So let us run the race with endurance that is set before us. Looking to who? Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God in the garden of Gethsemane in the wilderness, the enemy tried to Convince Jesus, even when he responded, it is written, I'll turn these stones into bread. It is written if you jump off, it is written if you do this. It is written despising the shame on the cross because the cross.
For he that is hung on a tree will bear the shame of sin. You understand? He took our shame, our mistakes, our mess, so that we could no longer have to identify with that and has sat down on the right hand of God, man. Come on somebody.
How hard was it to look at his mother and say, john, this is your mother dying on a cross, about to give up his spirit. Looked down at John, his brother, a disciple of his, and says, john, go take care of my mom because she's now your mom. I gotta go away.
That would have been painful human wise. But he had, despising the shame, knew his purpose was to die on that cross for us so that we would no longer feel guilt and shame, to sit down on the right hand of the Father. Come on somebody.
Jesus knows how painful these emotions are and how they can paralyze us from moving forward with our lives. Well how does he know? The Bible says he was tempted with all sin and overcame it for us. I'm paraphrasing.
[00:19:43] Amen.
[00:19:45] He knows temptation, he knows lust, he knows guilt, he knows shame, he knows loneliness, he knows financial poverty, he knows greed, he knows wanting to feel like the big dog. He knows all the. He knows every up and down and ebb and flow of sin and he overcame them all so that we could be the best version of ourselves in him.
Amen.
Come on somebody.
And I said it before, but I want to say it again because somebody needs to hear it. Guilt is the awareness of something we've done wrong and it says I've made a mistake.
Shame is guilt turned inward and it says I am the mistake.
Jesus was sinless and perfect in every way, but he chose to become sin so that we wouldn't have to suffer self condemnation from our past mistakes.
Let's look at 2 Corinthians 5:21 and I want to tell you another story.
For he.
For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
You know, I've got three twenty dollar American bills next to my bedside right now because I think sometimes people think it funny to give an American pastor American money. And like you don't understand, I can't just take that to the bank, I gotta go get it exchanged.
But at the same time I appreciate it cause it's worth more than Australian dollars.
But anyway, not funny. Not funny. Not funny.
Sorry for all those listening. That was not a stab at Australia.
But I have those $60 notes, and I can't just go exchange them anywhere. I gotta go to a specific place to exchange them. And the value has to be determined by the exchange officer.
Hmm.
I came to him, my exchange officer. Dirty, broken, full of sin, worthless, less value.
And the exchange officer, Jesus put on me righteousness.
The exchange officer, Jesus gave me the Holy Spirit.
He gave me authority when I didn't deserve anything but prison. He gave me freedom when I was trapped in my own mind. He gave me love when I didn't know how to be loved.
My exchange officer gave me exactly what I didn't deserve because he determined my value.
Shame will cause you to lessen your value and take what is less, less value than you are. You'll take on the boy that will maybe change. You'll take on the girl that likes to club on the weekends. You'll take the. You'll take things that don't have the value that God intended for your life. You are a precious jewel. You are valuable. You are the beloved of God. You are a joint heir with Jesus. Don't let shame take down your value.
Come on, somebody.
I've met million dollar men that ain't happy until they found Jesus.
Oh, this is for people that need.
These are people without.
This ain't for me. I don't care if you driving a Maserati or a Mazda.
Jesus is for you because he will take your inner value and make it heavenly.
[00:23:34] Amen.
[00:23:35] Come on, somebody.
Even though we don't feel righteous when we make mistakes, what Christ did for us can't be changed.
Ever. Not feel like a good person?
You ever feel that? Oh, you know, if people found out. Listen, Saul was worried about what people would find out in the Bible. King Saul. You understand what I'm saying?
And he fell because of his pride about worrying what other people would think about him.
David was a man that committed more sins than Saul. But if was confronted, he would make the change in God because he was after God's own heart. He was a friend to God. It's not the amount of mistakes you make. It's who you run to when you make your mistake.
Shame will look for somebody to feel sorry for you and justify it.
But love will love you so much you want to change.
[00:24:45] Amen.
[00:24:46] Come on, somebody.
Come on, somebody.
Because we have an enemy that's like a roaring lion seeking out who he may devour shame is permission given. Well, I believe the guilt and the shame more than I believe the forgiveness, salvation, and righteousness.
What do you believe?
Well, I'll never be like PK no, you won't be like me because you don't know me. You see my highlight reels. You don't see me in pain. You don't see me sick. You don't see me behind closed doors. You don't see me on the job site. Man. Some days I'm not good as a human being, but my righteousness can't be changed. And even when I have a bad day, I know who is good in me, and it is Christ. And that causes me to improve and change myself instead of be trapped in the bad day that I had.
[00:25:48] Amen.
[00:25:49] Come on, somebody. Well, I know. I think I heard you cuss one time. No, you didn't.
I think I heard you say that. I think I heard you do that. I think I saw you. Well, it don't matter what you think you saw, what you think you heard. Because even if I have done those things Jesus said, I've been throwing that as far as from the east as the west, because that boy wants change in his life.
That doesn't mean I go about keep doing those things. I just don't get caught up in sin consciousness. I get caught up in righteousness.
I'm not my mistakes, and I refuse to be caught in shame.
[00:26:30] Amen.
[00:26:34] Love me enough to change me. Don't shame me enough to trap me.
You want me to say it again?
Love me enough to see change in my life. Don't shame me so much, you trap me in it.
I got an enemy already. I don't need more.
[00:26:55] Amen.
[00:26:56] The devil is loose in this world, and he doesn't want you or us to benefit from all that God has to offer. Do you know that the enemy is in your bank line of heaven saying, you don't deserve that? While you cashing out the promises of God, He. He's sitting there in your ear telling you you don't deserve that. Every time you pray, he's sitting there talking to you about your relationships. Every time you enter into one, he's sitting there talking to you about your job. He's in there talking to you. And the enemy is you.
Because your false beliefs and your broken beliefs about the promises of God, your greatest enemy is in your own head.
Change what you think, change how you live.
[00:27:37] Amen.
[00:27:38] Change what you think, change how you live what you think will control your life. If you think everybody's against you. You will treat everybody like everybody's against you.
Listen, be against me. You won't fail.
Not because I'm good at mind games. It's because I'm not going to get trapped in your mind games.
[00:27:58] Amen.
[00:27:59] Try and hinder my life. You ain't going to win. Not because I'm better at life and not because I'm better. Because I know my purpose. I know who I am. You ain't going to get me to stay. Step down from that. No, no, no, no, no.
[00:28:11] Amen.
[00:28:13] I know the promises I have over my life. I know the good that God has intended for me. Try and disrupt my life, try and kill me. You know what? You kill me, I'm going to be put in the ground. I'm going to rise again and be in Jesus. Hallelujah.
Do me a favor. Praise God.
Jesus, people that want to live a long time. No, I just want to finish my purpose, go meet Jesus. Now. My wife will argue that. Amen.
But I made her promise that after ministry, I believe God's going to keep me here just for some beautiful glory days with her.
[00:28:45] Amen.
[00:28:48] Second, let's go to Colossians 2:14.
The enemy uses past sins and weapons against us to make us feel guilty. We defeat the enemy when we believe the power of Jesus and the blood has been shed on us. Look at this. Look at what God said about your past.
Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and he has taken it out of the way. Having nailed it to the cross, my Jesus.
Having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphant over them in it. Hmm.
My Jesus.
Let's go back one verse. I think they need to. Jesus took everything written about you and written against you, both in the law and in this world, and wiped it clean with his blood and nailed it to the cross.
[00:29:50] Amen.
[00:29:52] Then in the next verse, having disarmed. Ha ha.
No weapon formed against you shall prosper.
Having disarmed principalities and powers. The enemy's got false teeth. Like I said last week, they gonna come out if he tries to bite you. Amen. He has. Christ has disarmed your enemy. What if somebody comes against me? Man? God has given you wisdom to overcome every attack in this world and not of this world. God has empowered you with the Holy Spirit. This is not just some mystic thing. No. You can use God in your court cases, in your lawsuits, in your relationships, because God has given you wisdom for everything and he has disarmed the enemy and made a public display of them, giving you a triumph outcome.
Come on, somebody. But I know when we make a mistake and when we don't do good.
Sin consciousness, it hurts when you focus on sin. It hurts.
But God doesn't want us to suffer.
Sin has. Sin has been dealt with permanently, in case you didn't know.
It's. When we truly accept forgiveness, then we know how to progress in repentance. Did you hear what I just said? When we truly accept forgiveness from Christ, we truly know how to progress in repentance. Now, repentance is change of heart and mind. If you still think you're a sinner, if you still think you're an alcoholic, if you still think you're an addict, a womanizer or whatever, or just a bad person with finances, as long as you think that you will direct your life in that manner.
But when you accept forgiveness from those things and have a change of heart and mind about those things, your identity begins to take control.
[00:31:51] Amen.
[00:31:52] Who you are is directing your life. Am I making sense here?
Oh, come on, somebody.
So sin has been dealt with and it loses its ability to trap us in guilt and condemnation when we trust what Jesus has done to defeat it. Let's look at Isaiah 26:3. Focusing on sin causes mental distress, but focusing on Jesus calms our minds. Isaiah 26:3. You will keep him in perfect peace whose minds are stayed on you because he trusts in you.
If you're thinking about who's plotting against you, you're thinking in the wrong direction.
If you're thinking, listen, I said something to somebody the other day. I said, if you're. They said, I'm just trying to make money. I said, that's your problem. You just because you're trying to make money as you're failing now, some of you won't get that, but we'll have a financial course somewhere next year.
When you are trying to make something happen is when you get defeated.
When you know something's going to happen. Because the strategies and the planning and the thought and focus that you have, you're not worried about what is and isn't happening. You know it's coming.
Does that make sense?
So I will be at perfect peace when I trust that the Lord is directing my path and God has good for me. Your life may not be perfect right now. It may not look like it is right now. And you can actually get mad because you're trying to make your life better. Listen, stop focusing on what you have to do to make your life better and start focusing on your attitude and things might change. Focus on your character and things might change. And the only way to do that is to start looking in the mirror of the word and making adjustments where you need to. Come on, somebody.
[00:33:43] Amen.
[00:33:45] Come on, somebody. So if I don't want to get trapped with sin, shame and guilt, I need to stay focused on Jesus and what he's done for me.
My mom focused on what my father did for so long. She made me hate my father. She transferred her hate to me, and I struggled to love my real dad even after I found out that everything she told me was a lie. And then when he would make a mistake and he would mess up, I would go back to everything my mama said because the seeds planted.
Her hate, her shame, her guilt spoken into my life changed the perception of my father. And it wasn't until he died that I realized I had missed the opportunity to know who this man really was. Because I was so focused on what my mama said about him.
And so many times in religion, people will tell you who God is and what God's saying. They say, well, if you don't do this, God's going to bring wrath on your life. Well, if you don't, you know, I'm just worried you're going to miss the plans of God in your life and you ain't going to get all the good that God has intended for you. Let me tell you something. They're speaking out of their own fear, out of their own shame, out of their own failures. And they're trying to dictate a vicarious living through you from the mistakes and opportunities they missed in God. Let me tell you something. God doesn't speak what ifs. He speaks. Let it be so.
Does that make sense?
Shame tries to barter with God. Shame tries to negotiate with God. Shame tries to earn its position.
Come on, somebody is this good.
[00:35:29] Amen.
[00:35:32] We are human beings who make mistakes. That's why God had to send Jesus.
Oh, surprise, surprise.
Well, you gotta be perfect, man. There's some things we gonna talk about next year, about salvation. They're gonna rock the boat.
[00:35:48] Amen.
[00:35:49] It's gonna rock the boat. You're gonna find freedom from sin, but you're gonna realize how redeemed you are.
[00:35:56] Amen.
[00:35:58] The thing that I wanna look at right here is that we are human beings that needed a savior. We need Jesus, and we have to focus on him to stay at peace.
Matthew 26:28 promises us through the words of Jesus, for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Though faith in him, self condemnation can be, it can be gone. If we truly believe this condemnation can be gone from our lives forever.
Well, Pastor Kyle, I wasn't a virgin when I stepped into this relationship. That was your mistake. That's not who you are.
Well, Pastor Kyle, you know, I started a business. It went bankrupt. I'm really afraid about starting another one. That was your mistake. That's not who you are.
Your past mistakes won't repeat themselves until you focus on them. Can I say that again?
Your past mistakes will not repeat themselves until you focus on them.
So if you've made a mistake in business, learn from it.
Don't just go, I'm never making that mistake again. Because you didn't learn anything. You just got afraid.
If you're in relationships and you're saying, oh, yeah, no, I'm not going to make that mistake again. You just got afraid. You didn't learn anything. And you're going to delete a lot of people that have the opportunity to make you happy because they look like, smell like your past mistake and your wrong choice.
You understand what I'm saying, bruh?
Some of you are like, oh, yeah. Others are like, I don't know.
Life can be so much better than the way you're thinking right now, than the way you're living right now.
All it takes is one. You're one positive thought away from what you're trapped in the people you're mad at. You're so caught up in what people have done to you that you can't move forward and be happy.
And that's your pride. How dare they do that to me? How dare he did that to me. I don't know why went an octave up. But how dare?
Don't they know who I am in Christ? Yes, they do. But do you know who you are in Christ?
Come on, somebody. Am I hitting home today?
I gotta free you from these snares, man. I gotta get you out of this trap. Romans 8:1 says something.
There is therefore, now, no. Somebody say, no. Somebody say it like you say it. No. Come on, say it like you say it. No. All right, there you go. No condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit condition. But here's the reality. How many times have people made you feel bad about your decisions and they started making you feel condemned that there's going to be a judgment or an outcome over your life? Because you didn't do it right or you didn't listen to God.
How many times have people done that to you?
A lot.
Right there says they were out of the word of God.
Right there. Right there says they were not listening to the spirit of God. They were talking from their own religious fear.
Do not listen to people that lay conditions about direction. God leads with love.
[00:39:40] Amen.
[00:39:44] Oh, the so that. Oh, how much time I got. Oh, Alex, where you at? The knowledge of these forgiveness free us from focusing on sorrow and regrets so we can focus on God's mercy and love for us.
I want to tell you where shame first appeared and I'm going to wrap this up in Isaiah.
Shame first appeared in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned and has been hounding mankind ever since.
This feeling is a sense of failure in others eyes and it makes us feel inferior, unlovable and disconnected.
However, Jesus has made shame hates shame so much that he went to the cross and became shame for us so that we would never have to carry this painful, heavy burden.
Isaiah 56:7. Read it 1 more time.
I gave my back to those who struck me, and I gave my cheeks to those who plucked out my beard. I did not hide my face from shame and spitting.
For the Lord God will help me. Therefore I will not be disgraced. Therefore I've set my face like a flint and I know that I will not be ashamed.
Strike me, talk bad about me, leave me, hate me. I've had it all happen. It won't be nothing new for my life.
Try and make me sick, take my money, get me deported. I've had it all happen.
Try and put a legal accusation against me. Had it all happen.
Talk bad about me, dislike my leadership, he is too bold, he's too brash. Tear my character apart, accuse me of being an angel of light. I've had it all happen.
But I kept my mouth shut.
And those that were spitting and shaming against me, I leaned in harder with love. You're not pushing me away like a flint. I said let fire be shut up in my bones. God, let them see that I'm not backing up. Let them see that I will continue to do good.
Now I'm not Jesus, but I learned something from my Lord that when hell comes against you, you don't retreat, you lean in with love.
When all hell comes against you and everything looks like it's falling apart and nobody's there to help you, you lean in with love, you gotta know that you know that you know that you Know I will not be ashamed. I will not fail. This is not the end of my story. This God didn't bring me this far to quit. No, no, no. I lean in and I set my face like a flint and say, God, harden my flesh, but don't harden my heart.
Let me always be soft in hard and be led by love.
Shame will make you live a life of offense and it'll cause you to harden your heart. Free yourself from the inward war of shame.
Find freedom today that you are enough.
Find freedom today that what you're doing is exactly what God has told you to do. And if you got an ounce of doubt, go to him. And if he tells you to change direction, only by his spirit do you change direction.
Because when we suffer from shame, we make bad choices in our friendships. We make bad choices in our relationships. And it's all because of unhealthy self image. I'm 46. I should know better by now. I'm 46. Why am I still working this hard? I'm 46. Why do people still think they can treat me this way? Unhealthy image.
Show them your value.
Sometimes your value says no. Sometimes your value walks away. Sometimes your value loves them from a distance. But your value is never deleted or depleted because of way people treat you. You're training them how to treat you by your own self image.
It's okay to speak up for yourself. It's okay to run your business differently. It's okay to have standards and moral standards for your relationships. It's okay to not look like the world. It's okay to not go clubbing on the weekend. It's okay to not laugh at the joke. It's okay to be different.
Christ gave you the power to be different.
I said Christ gave you the power to be different.
Come on, somebody.
I get to work with this young man every day. I'm more proud of him every day when he shows up and doesn't let everybody, doesn't let anybody determine who he's going to be in that day.
I'm proud of those two boys over there. They know who they are because they show up and they know exactly where they're going. They know exactly what they're doing and they know exactly how they're going to get there because they know their value.
Someone taught them their value.
I want to teach you today that your value is higher than what they say about you. Your value is higher than your job. Your value is higher than your bank account. Don't let shame make you trapped and keeping you from giving others and forgiving yourself.
Father, with every head bowed and every eye closed, I need you to have a change of heart and mind about yourself today.
If you're here today and shame and guilt has changed the value of your life. If you feel trapped, if you've felt trapped by religion, by thinking, I want you to raise your hand right where you are. Anybody? Come on, come on. Thank you, thank you. Thank you.
I'd like everybody to please stand.
We are going to pray for each other.
Because shame also makes you hide.
Shame doesn't ask for help.
Shame looks down.
Everybody keep your head up and your eyes open. Today.
This is a different type of prayer. Lay your hand on your neighbor shoulder. Ask them for permission. If you don't know them, Amen. You better know him by now. And I want you to group up where you are. This group, make a group. That group, make a group. Make a group. Make a group. Circle around and face each other.
I guess me and you are praying for one another.
And I want you to begin praying right now.
Speak freedom over everybody's life. Jeremy, you lead that group and you speak freedom. Roy, you lead that group and you speak freedom. Paddy, Tina.
Oh, I think they. I think you all are starting to pray now. Y'all go. Y'all go. Y'all go. Freedom. We speak freedom over our mindsets, over our job sites, over our finances, over our future in business. We're not going to worry about what's coming and what ain't coming. We have a future planned by God. I'm not going to think I'm a mistake. Naomi. Ain't nobody up there with you, so I'm going to pray for you. May God bless you. May he shine upon you in every endeavor that you're taking right now. I won't speak it out loud, but may it be a blessing. In your job, in your relationships, in your friendships, may you find happiness.
I mean, deep down laughter.
Deep down laughter. May you find it in Jesus name.
[00:48:35] Amen.
[00:48:38] It's in Jesus name.
Oh, this is good.
Oh, this is good. Now begin to speak. Blessings over their lives.
Tell them about the promises that God's given them. Thank you, Jesus. May the spirit move across this place. May it move in every person, in every business, in every home, in every relationship. May the spirit of God give guidance. Lord, help me with my private battles.
Help me with the things that are. I give them to you. Don't help me, God. I give them to you. I give you all my private battles. I give you all my head games and all my wars against myself.
And I know that you are God and you are able to do exceedingly above all that I ask or think.
Thank you, Jesus.
May God bless you.
Go home and pray with your family today.
Pray about the things that are in your home.
Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray. Now, if you're done praying in your group, go join another group. Lay hands on the group. Still praying. We ain't done yet. There's a lot of work happening here today. Y'all move around to another group.
Yeah, right behind you, there's a group. Lay hands there. Lay hands there. Yeah.
Come on, Jesus. Do your work in this place.
God is good.
If you're done praying, make your way back to your seat.
[00:50:21] Amen.
[00:50:21] Come on. Give the Lord a hand clap of praise.
[00:50:32] Thank you for tuning in to today's message. To connect or find out more, you can reach us online at worldchangers.life. Remember to subscribe for more uplifting messages from our pastoral team, and may you continue to walk in faith and transformation until we meet again.
