The Men of Iron Minute

by Tony Galati | Iron Rep – Lancaster, PA

The Devil’s Lie vs. God’s Truth: How to Combat Shame

Shame is a great tool of the devil. Man, it can back us into a corner and keep us there. I think of the old Rocky movies where he is stuck in the corner of the ring getting his face beat in, and I’m like, Put your freakin’ hands up already! Rocky not putting his hands up was not only a lack of the most fundamental boxing technique, but it made for great theater. Well, the purpose of your life is not to show how much of a beating you can take before you decide to fight back…or worse, give up. It needs to be about knowing and claiming the truth.

It constantly amazes me how well the devil can use something as simple as a lie to completely paralyze us. The bible puts it bluntly in John 8:44, “he is a murderer and the father of lies.” Here’s the thing though, his only power is us believing the lies.

If we choose to believe the lies he tells us about ourselves, he will succeed in murdering the truth, our true identity in Christ.

So, how do we combat that? We confront the lie and we replace it with the truth. But first, we actually need to know the truth. If we don’t? Well, prepare for a barrage of uppercuts because you’re choosing to be an easy target.

So a quick summary, to combat shame we must know the truth, know our identity in Christ and of course, repent. And regardless of what you feel, God will forgive us when we repent. But repent meaning, we feel remorse for what we have done and ask forgiveness then choose to turn from it. Here are a few verses I put together for you to claim when you are feeling hopeless, worthless, trapped and ashamed…

+ 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

+ Isaiah 41:10 ESV – Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

+ Jeremiah 29:11 ESV – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

+ Ephesians 2:10 ESV – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

+ Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Claim these truths, and better yet, seek more out on your own. Spend time in the bible searching for who God says you are.

This way, when the devil comes to attack you with shame, you can lift up your hands and fight back with the power of God’s truth. In order to have this knowledge of God’s truth, we absolutely must choose to make it a priority, and I will talk about that next time. In the meantime, here is one last verse for you…

I’m always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re my son and you’re my blood. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.”

– Rocky Balboa (and God 😁)

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