“See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”
Jeremiah 1:10
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How can we overcome shame? Is it possible to live completely free from it? Discover what God says is possible for you when shame is no longer holding you back.
Before you watch this video, please watch Brene Brown’s excellent TED Talk on Vulnerability and Shame here:
https://youtu.be/psN1DORYYV0
I reference her research throughout my message.
Shame stalks us at every turn. It is that inner voice that says, “You’re not good enough,” “There’s something wrong with you,” or “Who do you think you are to attempt that?”
The first step toward freedom from this destiny killer is to do something almost as terrifying as shame itself…
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We all have needs and desires… it’s part of our human condition. And since God created us this way, He obviously knows our weaknesses and the temptations we face.
He’s also a good Father who wants to meet our legitimate needs, and fulfill the desires we have that lead to abundant life and eternal purpose.
The problem we have is this: we want to be the only one who decides what we want, when we want it, and how best to fulfill it.
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Is your heart “unoffendable?” When people treat you badly, how do you respond? Jesus said that a spirit of offense arises when we allow our personal judgments and negative opinions of others control how we behave towards people.
We’re learning how to overcome this mindset, so we can begin to see others the way the Father sees them, and to treat them accordingly.
Fear has been described as False Evidence Appearing Real (F.E.A.R.), and that’s pretty accurate. Our opinion of the future… what we believe might or will happen to us, is rarely in agreement with the heart and promises of our heavenly Father.
What needs to happen to set us free from fear?
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When we have a negative opinion of ourselves that God disagrees with, we are under the influence of a lie that will severely limit how much we will accomplish in life. God’s opinion of you does NOT include saying that you’re a failure…
Everyone has opinions about almost everything, and most of us simply assume that our opinion is right. If you’re a Christian, you should also know that it’s possible for your opinion about something to be wrong, which basically means God might disagree with you!
Unbelief happens when we hold onto an opinion God disagrees with, because we’ve decided it’s true. The problem with this is that if God disagrees with your opinion, then what you’ve chosen to believe is actually a lie. And since we know Jesus said that the truth will make us free, believing a lie can’t lead to a good outcome…
Pride is the “mother of all strongholds,” and it sounds like this:
“I have an inflated opinion of myself and my importance, therefore I (and only I) can decide what is right for me.”
If that’s you, you just might have a problem with pride…
Everyone has beliefs that are not true. These false beliefs combine to create a mindset that affects how we live in this world. Because we believe these lies are true, we defend and protect them when challenged.
This is what the Bible labels a “stronghold,” a place in us where we stand in agreement with the enemy, who is the father of lies.
