Needeth Not Be Ashamed

In the Pastor's bible, during our Sunday School class for April 28, 2024, in 2 Timothy 2:15 it says "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Those words "needeth not be ashamed"... Part of your redemption is to take your past and use it to make yourself a better person.

Let's say our sins are laid out on the ground, covering a vast territory, East to West, North to South... Sins all over the place... And the blood of Jesus covers our sins. It doesn't matter how much space our sins take up, his blood covers it all. Our sins can't just hide under a rock. No stone is left unturned that his blood can't cover.

But our shame? Satan encourages us to let our shame stand up out of that pool of blood like spires. But you know what? Jesus's blood ALSO covers our shame. No matter how far those spires of shame try to reach, his blood covers it ALL.

Is the blood of Jesus strong enough to cover the strength of our sins and keep them from rearing up? That's where our faith comes in. That's why they say to just put it in Jesus's hands. No matter how worried you are, how shameful you feel... just put your faith in God and know that Jesus has got you covered.

1 John 1:8-10 states "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts."

If we confess our sins, we will be cleansed. The devil tries to keep bringing up those sins so that you will feel shame, and therefore you will be discouraged. But you can't just say what you did wrong and expect to be forgiven. God knows what's in your heart. If you say you're sorry for cheating, but don't do what you can to make amends, and you don't truly feel remorse in your heart? You're not really repenting for your sin. Ask for forgiveness and MEAN it.

Like I said, there's no person too far out, too far down, or too far above that God can't reach. And what do you do about things you can't fix? Give it to God. Trust him. REST and WAIT. Have patience. Turn it over to God and let go of it. Your mind will tell you – if you just let it go, you must not care, but that's just Satan trying to discourage you again.

God knows what's in your heart. He knows if you mean it or not when you ask for forgiveness. He knows if you mean it or not when you say you put your faith in him. He knows if you mean it or not when you pray, or if you're just going through the motions. And this is why you can't judge someone based on how they look. Just because someone looks like a good church person on the outside, it doesn't mean they're that way on the inside. And just because someone looks like a shady person on the outside, that doesn't mean they're a bad person or unworthy of God on the inside.

1 Samuel 16:7 says "But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

That's why Jesus was so adamant about judging people, because you don't know what's going on in the inside. Just know that God knows. He knows what's really going on in your heart and your mind. But also know that he is forgiving, if you truly want to be forgiven. He is merciful and good, and he loves you.