The Other Six Podcast Episode 154: When Shame Speaks, and Jesus Answers

``I think one of the things shame does is that it it makes us see God as a threat rather than a refuge. Yes. You know, you talk about Adam and Eve there. You know, God's walking through the garden looking for them. They're they're hiding. Mhmm. You know, they're running from them. They don't wanna they don't wanna see him because they're worried that God is a threat. I heard someone say one time, like, I wanna be the kind of dad that when my kids mess up, they go, I need to find my dad, not my dad's gonna kill me. Right. You know, like that that kind of thing. And so I think I think shame, you left unchecked, it it turns God into the like a threat to us, you know, rather than someone that we should run to. [00:25:26] (34 seconds)  #GodIsRefugeNotThreat

perfection ties our worth to our performance. We we think that, hey. We're only as good as what we can produce. We're only as good as what we bring home. Yeah. We're only as good as how our kids look, you know, in family photos. We're only as good as, you know, whatever. Fill in the blank, you know, for whatever whatever it is that that you do or what you value. And and perfection ties our worth to that. And the accuser says, if you fail, you're the failure. Right. Well, we're gonna fail. Yeah. We know that we're gonna fail, and and, you know, because of that, we need Jesus. Right. So perfectionist says try harder so you won't fail. Jesus, our advocate, says when you fail, I'm not gonna leave you. Right. Yes. I'm gonna be here for you. And so I think that's why it's important for us to have Yeah. This understanding of Jesus as our advocate, someone who is fighting for us. You know? Yeah. [01:03:08] (47 seconds)  #WorthBeyondPerformance

So Jesus came not just to erase that sin debt, but to restore what was broken. Mhmm. It's not just about going, hey. I'm I'm gonna deal with sin and and make it so that we can be in right relationship. He has restored our lives, restored what was broken by sin. We we talked about that word reconciliation, how that's a healing word. It's literally this idea of, like, restoring a a broken bone, and this is the entire story of the Bible. You know, God God makes us we're to be his imagers, and then boom, we break it. And God like, the entire story from now until Revelation Yeah. You know, twenty one and twenty two is God is restoring, reconciling, redeeming what was broken. [00:31:46] (40 seconds)  #RestoredNotErased

I I think that it happens very slowly Yeah. For most of us. Subtly. Yeah. Very very slowly. You know, we we start with small compromises. Right? That that don't you know, they seem kinda harmless at first. It's no big deal. But, you know, we compromise on something, and over time, what ends up happening is those small compromises start to reshape what feels normal. Yep. So, you know, I don't know about you guys, but over time, I can really develop a strong resistance to conviction in my life. You know, like, just because I'm like, it's fine. It's it's not a big deal. And then I start tolerating these things in my life that I would never defend publicly. Mhmm. I would never get up in front of a group of people and be like, oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. These things are okay. But instead, I I've just started, you know, doing that. [00:37:37] (48 seconds)  #SmallCompromisesReshapeUs

All we have to do is go to God and we can get unstuck. Romans three twenty says, therefore, no one will be declared righteousness excuse me, righteous in God's sight by the works of the law, rather through the law we become conscious of our sin. So it's not about what we do. It's about who God is. And, yes, we see clearly like, hey. We've messed up and that brings shame to us. But that hey. Like, god picks us up, and he goes, no. No. No. You don't have to be you don't have to be ashamed anymore. Like, I've got you. I'm here for you, and I love you. And, you know, if we if we will just trust in that and run to the lord, we're good. Right? Yeah. [00:27:43] (33 seconds)  #RunToGodGetUnstuck

you know, in scripture, Egypt is always like sin. Right. Like, anytime it talks about, you know, Egypt, it's it represents sin. It represents the depths. It represents Sheol Mhmm. You know, which would be like the idea of the underworld Mhmm. In the Old Testament. And it always talks about anytime people are going to Egypt, they go down to Egypt. They descend to Egypt. Mhmm. Think about Jonah's language. You know? He, you know, he says Yeah. I descended down, you know, to the depths of Sheol and there and God heard, you know, there. Anytime people are leaving Egypt, they are coming out of Egypt. Right? Mhmm. And so we see this with with Israelites as they're leaving. You know, they pass through the waters. Right. Right. You know, and they and they go to the promised land. Mhmm. [00:10:43] (41 seconds)  #FromEgyptToPromise

I think knowing that Jesus is our advocate changes how we approach failure because failure no longer drives us away from God. It sends us to him. Yeah. You know? So, like, again, it goes back to the whole, like, you know, when when a child looks at their parent and they go or they mess up and they go, oh, my dad's gonna or my mom's gonna kill me versus, no. I need my my mom or dad. That's that's what we want. [00:59:14] (20 seconds)  #FailureSendsUsToJesus

like, we're not just saved for the hereafter. We're safer here as well. Right. Jesus says, I've come that may have life and have it to the fullest abundant life. Like, it's not just that, oh, we get to to miss hell and make heaven. Mhmm. Yeah. It it's like, no. This is what we are designed to live. This is abundant life here while we are here as well. Right. Yeah. [00:51:29] (48 seconds)  #AbundantLifeHere

You know, when when we deny sin, we don't become safer. We become unreachable. Like, we go, this isn't a problem. This isn't actually happening. It's just denial. And it's Yeah. It's it's the equivalent of of the kid who wants to hide from their parents so they go and just close their eyes. Mhmm. Like, I can see It's you in the bush. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Right. Exactly. You know, if if if you guys are you know, Lindsay, if you're walking on a train track and there's a train coming, I go, Lindsay, get off the train track. And you go, no. There's no train coming. Mhmm. That doesn't change the reality of the situation. There is a train coming. Right. And so we're you know, like John writes, we're we're we're deceiving ourselves. [00:52:52] (35 seconds)  #DenialMakesUsUnreachable

you know, spiritually, we adjust when we stop bringing things into the light. Mhmm. So when we start hiding things, we start putting them in the dark. You know, think about those things in your life that you're like, oh, I really don't want anybody else to to find out about this. Probably the first thing you need to bring into the light. Right. Uh-huh. Probably the first thing that you need to bring into the light because that's what perfect love does. It shines a light on all of that. First John four eighteen, we're not there yet, but it talks about, like, perfect love casting out fear. Mhmm. Perfect love also shines a light on what, you know, what is what is hidden. [00:39:39] (28 seconds)  #BringItIntoTheLight

You know, James says in James one twenty two, he says, do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Yeah. Do what it says. Yeah. Like, it's not just about knowing what God's word says. It's about doing it. Again, we're not talking salvation. Mhmm. We're talking about what God has called us to do. I think for us, it's really easy sometimes to avoid vulnerability and accountability by calling it boundaries. [00:45:35] (24 seconds)  #DoersNotJustHearers

Well, yeah. I mean, denying our sin contradicts what God says about the human condition. You know what mean? Like Mhmm. Nope. We're not sinful. Yes. We are. And everybody knows that. Right? You know, god says we all need grace. And and if we say that we don't, then we're rejecting his truth. You know, Romans three three twenty three says, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of god. It's in the bible. It's in his word. It's as plain as day. [00:56:49] (24 seconds)  #DenialRejectsGodsTruth

Well, if perfection were attainable, an advocate wouldn't be necessary. Yeah. Like, if we could do this on our own, we wouldn't need an advocate. But I've read the book. Adam failed. Noah failed. Yes. Even Abraham failed. Yes. Moses failed. Israel failed. All David failed. All these folks failed. But then you have Jesus who is the true and perfect representation of all that Mhmm. Who did not fail. So if we can attain perfection on our own, no need for Jesus, no need for an advocate, no need for a mediator between us and God. Mhmm. But we know that we that we do need that. [01:00:23] (32 seconds)  #WeNeedAnAdvocate

If you are in Christ, I got great news for you. You're not guilty anymore. Yeah. That's a song. It is a song, and you you don't have to experience that. And and, like, because Jesus died for that. So if you are in Christ, you are not guilty anymore. Our job is just to confess it and bring it into the light. That's what we do. Yep. [00:55:41] (58 seconds)  #NotGuiltyInChrist

Because our advocate is Jesus Mhmm. You know, so in the courtroom of God, God is the you know, the father is the judge, the son is our advocate. We've been adopted into the judge's family. Right. We are no long it's not just like, my daddy's the judge. Like, that's that's that's a pretty good deal. You know what I'm saying? So it's it's a Yeah. It's a great reminder of how much God loves us that we we have been adopted into that family. Yeah. So yeah. Very, good. A great great reminder. [01:05:32] (26 seconds)  #AdoptedIntoGodsFamily

I think a little bit of shame can can go a long way and and maybe isn't the worst thing in the world. You know, like, there there are times and and and really, we're speaking more of, like, conviction. But, you know, you know, there there's times as a social construct, shame can be can be kinda helpful. Right. The problem is is when we let that become, you know, the primary thing that we feel when we've already been, you know, forgiven by by g you know, through the work of Jesus. [00:25:01] (24 seconds)  #ShameCanConvictNotDefine

You know, I do think there are times in our lives where because sin has consequences. Right? Like, sin always has a consequence whether we see it or not. Mhmm. You know, certain sins have different consequences. I do think there are times that the enemy withholds consequences from us to drag us deeper into sin. Oh, for sure. You know what I'm saying? Which is not to say that, like, we don't immediately have the consequence of, like, you know, that Jesus had to pay for. Like, obviously, that that's the truth. But I think there's times where, you know, the enemy will go, I'm gonna hold off on on letting them feel this because we start to go, oh, it's okay. I got away with it. Yeah. Got away with it. I I bet I can get away with it again. Oh, yeah. Yeah. You start to go down that slippery slope Mhmm. And quicker and quicker and quicker. [00:38:24] (40 seconds)  #BewareDelayedConsequences