Bye, Bye Shame: Embracing our Freedom in Christ
For a long time, it was hard for me to stay joyful. My past constantly harassed me with negative thoughts replaying in my head—thinking about where I should’ve been by now, what I could’ve done differently, and all the ways I thought I had messed up.
Do you find yourself regretting your past?
If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone. Like so many of us, you may be dealing with a spirit of grief and sorrow. One of the enemy’s most effective tactics is to keep believers trapped in their past. His plan is to keep you in a cycle of regret and irritation. While he whispers lies to keep us focused on what we did wrong, how we missed it, or what we lost—in hopes of paralyzing our efforts to move forward in freedom.
The enemy knows that, as believers, we’ve already overcome through the blood of Jesus and the only tool he has left is our past. That is why we must let go of grief and sorrow. That spirit does not belong to you. It has no place in your life. Jesus paid too high a price for us to keep carrying burdens He already bore.
If you’re hearing that old voice again—the one that reminds you of what you’ve lost or what you did wrong—that’s not God talking to you. That’s grief and sorrow trying to talk you out of the abundant life Jesus came to give.
Why It’s So Hard to Forget Our Past Mistakes
One reason it’s so hard to forget past mistakes is that, unfortunately, we live every day with the consequences of the choices we’ve made.
We say things like, “If only I had managed my money better, I’d be out of debt,” or “If I had raised my kids differently, they would have turned out better,” or “If I had stayed in school, I’d have a better job,” and so on. Talking this way makes it easy to feel regret, become discouraged, and stay stagnant in life.
I know this struggle firsthand. There was a season in my life when I felt tormented by my past. My life was a constant reminder of the mistakes I’d made. My health was declining because of wrong choices, my finances were out of control, I was stuck in a job I didn’t want; I even felt like I was falling behind in my purpose - every day, I was reminded of what I had done wrong.
The more I focused on my circumstances, the harder it was to see any way out. But here’s the truth: Jesus didn’t die so His children could remain in darkness. He died to give us abundant life—full of peace and joy.
Moving from Darkness to Light
In John 12:46, Jesus says, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.”
In darkness, there’s shame, fear, condemnation, and sin. But in the light of Christ, there’s forgiveness, freedom, hope, peace, and joy.
So, fear and shame no longer belong to you. The enemy wants you to carry what actually belongs to him. When Adam and Eve fell into sin, the first two emotions they felt were fear and shame. But as believers, when we were translated out of darkness into light, God took away our shame.
Jesus didn’t just bear our sins—"He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4).
Forgive Yourself
One of the most important decisions I had to make in order to truly experience the abundance of joy and peace was to forgive myself. Once I did, I became ready to receive God's forgiveness
1 John 1:9 reminds us that, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Not only did God forgive us—the Scriptures say, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
These are powerful truths. God Almighty has forgiven us, removed our transgressions, and the Word even goes on to say, “He remembers them no more” (Hebrews 8:12). Our past sins are not even on God’s radar anymore or held against us – they’re covered by the blood of Jesus.
Embracing Your Identity in Christ
As Kingdom citizens, receive what rightfully belongs to you. We have a new identity in Christ. The Kingdom of God is not about what we eat or drink, but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
You may not know exactly how or when things will turn around in your life, but you can stand firm in the truth that
“in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
I once heard a minister say something that really stuck with me: “Your past being brought up to you is nothing but a temptation to make you come out of who you are in Christ. The devil will try to convince you that because of wrong decisions or steps you’ve taken, something of God’s plan for you has been lost. But let me remind you—nothing is lost. The enemy may try to convince you otherwise, but God knows how to lose nothing. Christ in you is far greater than anything you’ve ever messed up.”
Everyday Choose JOY
Every single day, you need to choose JOY. You have permission to never feel grief over your past again.
The next time sadness or fear tries to creep in, you have permission to reject it. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. That’s what’s available to you—not regret. Not sadness. Not shame.
You may be wondering, “If joy is mine, why don’t I feel it?” Know this: we have to be intentional about receiving joy.
Practice it. Declare it. Say out loud: “I do not accept grief and sorrow today.” Just like David did in the Psalms, you’ve got to open your mouth and say, “Soul, no sorrow today. We will rejoice in the Lord!”
In Psalm 103, David didn’t wait to feel joy—he commanded his soul three times to REJOICE:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul… all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”
Let go of what belongs to those in darkness. Fear and shame no longer have a place in your life. The next time the devil tries to put shame on you, just say, “Nope—I’m not receiving it. That doesn’t belong to me anymore.”
Encourage your soul every day. Your soul needs to hear truth. It needs hope. And it needs to be reminded: we are not staying in grief—we’re stepping into joy.
