“Do not fear, for you will not be put to shame, And do not feel humiliated or ashamed, for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth, And you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.” Isaiah 54:4 AMP

I want to continue looking at the powerful verse in the book of Isaiah. There is a promise here that God will not put us to shame because of our past. Shame is a debilitating force in our lives. Satan uses that feeling of shame to keep us trapped in the cycle of sin we created in trying to escape the feelings of shame. Being a survivor of physical and sexual abuse as a child, I carried the feelings of shame for many years. Even after coming to Christ, I felt less than worthy to be standing in front of my Savior! So overwhelming were the feelings that it even kept me from engaging in any relationships. When God told me that I was to get married I didn’t think I could do it. 

In the past the drugs were the place of retreat from the nagging feelings inside my soul. I had always felt that in some ways I was responsible, even enjoying the abusive process. When I look back at that time, I can clearly see the signs in my behaviors that no one else could or would! Everything said “Hey, there is a problem here!” Satan had convinced me that I was worse than a murderer and that I could never have a normal relationship. It wasn’t until I heard the song “The Voice of Truth” by Casting Crowns. The opening verse described the prison I was living in.

“Oh what I would do to have The kind of faith it takes To climb out of this boat I’m in Onto the crashing waves To step out of my comfort zone Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name And they laugh at me Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed The waves they keep on telling me Time and time again. “Boy, you’ll never win!” “You’ll never win!”

That was me to a T! The feelings of shame and powerlessness were keeping me trapped in a place I really didn’t want to be. A person can go through life without ever resolving that tension even though they want out. Feelings of mistrust, fear, embarrassment, failure, and hopelessness over a shameful secret are heavy chains. It wasn’t until I heard the chorus of that song, did I finally realize the God wasn’t holding things against me! 

“But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story The Voice of Truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
And the Voice of Truth says, “This is for My glory” Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.”

For the first time in my life I felt like I could finally break the chain that had wrapped itself around my life! One of the hardest yet most freeing events for me was when I had to tell my future bride about the past situation. I knew that I couldn’t go into that relationship with that secret. But what would she say? Would she reject me, and I suffer another type of rejection, or would the love of God overcome my feelings? I remembered the song and that hopelessness could finally be overcome by the “Voice of Truth” Jesus! To this day I am thankful for the love, acceptance, and patience of my gift from God (my wife). The chain was finally broken! The Word and work of Christ are true and clear.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NLT

Let me encourage you today that God is faithful to His Word! From the beginning He said that He would tell us the truth. There isn’t anything that we could tell Him that will make Him turn His back on us or humiliate us. Jesus is holding out His hand to you today if you are struggling or holding on to shame. His desire is for us to be free and walking in the freedom of the cross. Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken