I had the privilege to receive a pre-released copy of Christine Caine's new book Unashamed. It was fabulous! It really is a must read for every woman.
I didn't know what to expect when I started the book. I can thankfully say that I don't have a dark past looming over me. I was never physically or sexually abused. I have always made wise, thought out decisions. Of course I have had moments where I felt guilt about something I did or said, but they were nothing more than moments, which I know were covered by the blood of Christ and really never cross my mind. Until now, I had never thought much about shame. So when I started reading this book I knew it would go one of two ways. Either I would say this is a good read and have good advice for people going through difficult circumstances or find issues in myself of which I was unaware. Both happened.
Christine defines shame as "the fear of being unworthy, and it adversely affects our relationship with God, ourselves, and others."
She gives a complete picture of the power of shame and how it takes us captive and squashes out as much of our hope and potential as it possibly can. "Shame lies" and then we believe those lies. "Shame can give our lives a shape that is nothing like the shape of the life God desires for us." She shares her story and those of a few others to tell us about overcoming the depths of different types of shame. She goes through all of the steps she has taken over and over again to have Jesus heal all of her shame. She reveals truths that we need to know. She shows us how to both get to freedom and stay in freedom.
Shame might lie, but here is a truth for you: "Jesus shamed shame".
We don't need to live under the power of shame. "Jesus paid for your guilt and bore your shame. He carried it to the cross. But there he left it!" We are "redeemed by his blood sacrifice. It is finished. The blood of Jesus has healed you. The blood of Jesus has set you free."
Is the enemy going to fight to get us back in the shadow of shame? Most definitely. There are always going to be deserts we have to cross, walls to knock down, and giants to slay. It isn't going to be easy, but we have the truth of God to combat anything he throws at us. "We never stop fighting the good fight of faith; we simply become better equipped for victory."
Christine says, "I want all women to dare to believe that God made them on purpose for a purpose. That he has filled them with gifts, talents, and abilities to be used to their full measure for his glory. I want women to stop comparing and competing with each other and instead love, support, and esteem each other as a sister in Christ. I want women to know God can use everything the enemy meant for evil in their lives for good. He can take their stories of shame and redeem them--first for their own freedom and then to help others."
Personal application:
I deal with a lot of fear. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of what other people are thinking. And then there is the worry. Fear of the unknown and the what ifs. All of which I have no control. Then I feel guilty about that fear. Fear and Shame go hand in hand. Christine says "Shame and fear. Always together. Always the enemy's weapon of choice." Those fears are what the enemy uses to hold me down. What is going to happen to me if I step out into what I know God wants for me? What will people say or think?
Is the enemy powerful? Yes, but that doesn't mean that I have to let him have control over me. My Jesus has already defeated him. 1 John 4:4 tells us "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."
Paul asks in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who is against us?" I have nothing to fear. I have no need for shame. It's time to drop the fear/shame and fulfill my destiny.
If you are someone who has gone through what should be unimaginable, read this book. You don't have to hold on to the shame of what was not your fault. That is not how God created you. Shame is not His purpose for you.
If you are someone who has a closet full of baggage you carry with you, read this book. You can drop that weight and pick up freedom. Shame is not his purpose for you.
If you are someone who seems to have it all together but experience turmoil inside, read this book. You don't have to hold on to whatever shame is choking you. Shame is not His purpose for you.
If you are someone who has never really thought about shame, read this book. Ask God to reveal to you any hindrances you might not be aware of. Chances are there is something you are dealing with that you would never have associated with shame. And remember the enemy is crafty and looking for some way to knock you down. This book helps you to prepare and remind you that you don't have to ever let shame win again.
"We are meant to live--truly live--unashamed of who God made us to be--today."
"Shame off you!"
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