No Shame On You

One day, my then-thirteen-year-old daughter and I were playing around. She did something, and I jokingly said, “Shame on you!!” But something in my spirit quickened, and I said, “No! No shame on you! No shame in any of us once we have accepted Christ! Our shame is under the blood!”

Many people, even many Christians, deal with guilt and shame. What’s the difference between guilt and shame? I like the way Sheila Walsh explains it in her book 5 Minutes with Jesus: Making Today Matter, “Guilt tells us that we’ve done something wrong; shame tells us that we are something wrong” (p. 32). But she also tells us that the antidote to shame is God’s love.

I love the song by Miranda Lambert (Country artist), “The House that Built Me.” She talks about going back to her childhood home to get some brokenness healed. It’s a gorgeous song. But it doesn’t fully resonate with me. For me, it was the opposite when I visited my hometown. I had bad memories, and condemnation would come in. The enemy would remind me of all the sin I had in my life before I came to Jesus.

One time after getting back from a trip to my hometown, I felt so much condemnation and regret, and I couldn’t shake it. Shortly after arriving home, our pastor at the time preached a message around Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” I needed that message at that exact moment. I’ve never forgotten it.

I needed that reminder. I needed that freedom, that release from the old chains being removed. Once I was reminded, I began to hold those negative thoughts captive and remind the enemy that my past was in the past. I have been redeemed. I don’t let the enemy hold my past over my head anymore.

There is a difference between conviction (correction) and condemnation. God whispers gentle reminders to us. It isn’t harsh. It’s a gentle and loving discipline from a good Father. The enemy, on the other hand, makes us feel awful and worthless when he comes at us with condemnation. He will come to us when we are most vulnerable. He’ll even tell us lies about ourselves that we start to believe.

Revelation 12:10 says Satan accuses the brethren day and night. The Bible also tells us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”

What does he come to steal, kill, and destroy?

Steal: He robs people of their peace, joy, and security. He sows doubt and steals faith.

Kill: To extinguish spiritual life: This refers to a spiritual death, leading individuals away from salvation and an abundant life with God. To destroy self-worth and faith: The devil’s actions can kill one’s self-worth or faith in God.

Destroy: To cause chaos and despair: His goal is to bring about total devastation, division, chaos, corruption, and despair in creation and human relationships. To make people give up: By creating terrible situations, the devil tries to weaken a person’s will and make them feel hopeless that their life is over.

On the other hand, Jesus wants us to have spiritual peace, joy, meaning, and purpose, which are what the devil seeks to destroy.

Years ago, when I watched The Lion King. I felt like it was an allegory of God, Jesus or us and the devil. Scar (Satan) tempts Simba (us) to go somewhere he isn’t supposed to go. Then, once he goes and there are consequences, he holds the blame over Simba’s head. He makes him feel guilty and unworthy. Even blaming him for something he didn’t even do. If you feel that same kind of guilt, that’s not from God.

The Bible says in Isaiah 43:25:

NLT – “I – yes, I alone – will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”

NKJV- “I will not remember your sins!”

If He tells us He won’t remember them, why should we? If we sin and repent, it’s under the blood.

We need to hold negative thoughts captive (as I mentioned before) and remind the devil that Jesus paid it all “…having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14).

The Bible, good devotionals, Christian music, and reminding myself who I am in Christ help me remember not to allow guilt and shame to try to creep in. There are so many good songs that remind us that God doesn’t want us to be stuck in a pit of shame.

One of my favorite songs is “Made for More” by Jenn Johnson, Bethel Music, and Josh Baldwin. These lyrics get me every time:

Cause I wasn’t made to be tending a grave
I was called by name
Born and raised back to life again
I was made for more
So why would I make a bed in my shame
When a fountain of grace is running my way
I know I am Yours
And I was made for more.

(“Made for More,” by Josh Baldwin, featuring Jenn Johnson, on Josh Baldwin, Made for More,  Bethel Music, 2024)

The enemy used to try to help me make “a bed of shame” before I knew better.

There are two Zach Williams songs that also have helped me. On his “Rescue Story” album there is a song called “Slave to Nothing” which says:

You can tell me what I did
You  can show me who I was before
Where I fell short
Hang it over my head
But I’m not the same anymore
One thing’s for sure
The shackles have fallen
So, I’m showing shame to the door
Make no mistake.
I’m a slave to nothing.

(“Slave to Nothing,” by Zach Williams, Track 5 from Rescue Story, Essential, 2019)

I also love this one by Zach Williams: “Under My Feet”

You might not recognize me now
Those chains that once surrounded me are laying on the ground
You can’t keep digging up my past
You may have had a laugh or two, but you don’t get the last
You might not recognize me now
[Chorus]
Maybe I was blind but now I see
Maybe I was bound but now I’m free
Maybe you need reminding
You’re under my feet
Maybe you’re a lie that I don’t need
Maybe you should listen when I speak
Maybe you need reminding
You’re under my feet
If you want scars, I’ll show you scars
All the wounds upon the hands of light that pierced the dark
If I were you, I’d be afraid
Cause everything you meant for guilt the cross has met with grace.

(“Under My Feet,” by Zach Williams, Track 6 from Rescue Story, Essential, 2019)

He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved son. For in the Son all our sins are canceled, and we have the release of redemption through his very blood. – Colossians 1:13-14, TPT

The NLT reads, “who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”

Walsh puts it this way:

Shame tells us we are worthless. Christ says, “I have made you worthy.” 
Shame tells us we don’t belong. Christ says, “You are mine.” 
Shame tells us we are dirty. Chris says, “I will wash you as white as snow.” (p. 33).

If you struggle with guilt and shame, Christian counseling can help you deal with shame by providing a safe, non-judgmental space to get to the root causes from a faith-based perspective.

A counselor will use Bible-based principles, prayer, Scripture, and therapeutic approaches to help you reframe your self-image, find forgiveness, and develop a stronger relationship with God and others. The goal is to move past toxic shame by connecting with God’s grace and remember your identity in Christ.

So, back to “The Lion King.” When Nala finds the now adult Simba, she tells him he needs to come back to help take their home back from Scar. In the animated version, this conversation ensues between Simba and Rafiki:

Simba: “I know what I have to do. But going back means I’ll have to face my past. I’ve been running from it for so long.”
Rafiki: “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.”
Simba: “Yeah, but it still hurts.”
Rafiki: “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or… learn from it.”

In the newer live/CGI action version this was the conversation that got me:

Rafiki: “Who are you?”
Simba: “I’m nobody.”
Rafiki: “Everybody is somebody. So, I ask again, who are you?”
Simba hears Mufasa’s voice: “Simba, you must remember who you are: the one true king.”
Rafiki: “And so, I asked…Who are you?”
Simba: “I am Simba, son of Mufasa.”

We must remember who and Whose we are.

As Rafiki said, “He lives in you.”