The power of choice is one of the greatest gifts God has given us as His image-bearers. People controlled by shame often feel that they don’t have that power—that their lives are limited by the circumstances of their past, or the control or scrutiny of others. Therefore, they often feel that their future is completely out of their hands.
I felt this way that my history would define my destiny. It was as if a lightbulb turned on! I saw that I did not need to remain a victim. No, I could not change the past—neither what happened to me nor what I had done—but I could make decisions now that would change the future. Not just for me, but for the generations who would come after me. I had allowed the enemy to convince me that I was powerless, voiceless, helpless, useless, meaningless, a victim of all that had happened to me, but now I saw that I had the power to choose freedom.
A key to becoming shame-free is choosing to change your perspective, because when you do, you can begin to change your posture. When you choose to focus more on what Jesus has done for you than on what others have done or said to you, you will have the faith to stand up and start moving forward.
The way to make the most of the rest of our life is to listen to and obey God wholeheartedly. Obey him with our whole heart and soul ... He’ll have compassion on us; he’ll come back and pick up the pieces ... And we will make a new start, listening obediently to God ... Nothing halfhearted here; we must return to our God, totally, heart and soul, holding nothing back’
“If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."”
Deuteronomy 30:16, 19-20 ESV
“But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” Deuteronomy 30:14 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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”
Jeremiah 29:11-14 ESV
