THE SHAME REACTION

Why does humanity
feel the need
to put a label
on every single thing?

Perhaps it’s because
there’s been a blending
of original intent
and original sin?

There is something to be said
about the act of creation
and the naming of it.

It all starts with a thought,
and ends with an emotion;
through the intent of the heart,
and the evaluation of it.

Let me explain.

Humanity was created
with the intent to glorify God.
And in Genesis 2,
and in Genesis 1,
God evaluated us
and said that we were good;
and
Genesis 1:26
describes our image
as the likeness of God.

God said,
“Let us make humans
in our image,
after our likeness” -
This surely implies
that God himself
is made up of more than one.

And by being in His Word,
we actually learn
that God is three persons
in One -
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So it doesn’t surprise me
that the Word says,
we, too, are three in one-
Body, Soul and Spirit.

This can be found in
1 Thessalonians 5:23
when Paul says,
“Now may the God
of peace himself
sanctify you completely,
and may your whole spirit
and soul and body
be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ.”

And let’s not forget Hebrews 4:12,
where the writer declares,
“For the word of God
is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul
and of spirit,
of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts
and intentions of the heart.”

Man,
those words alone
should speak loudly to us,
it is obvious the author
learned them
from God’s Holy Spirit.

Scripture also shows us
that man alone
was not good.
So God created woman,
from Adam’s rib,
to be a helper to Him.

And when Adam woke up
the Lord brought the woman to him,
and this is what he said,

“At last!”
“This one is bone from my bone,
and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called “woman,”
because she was taken from ‘man.’”

This explains why a man
leaves his father and mother
and is joined to his wife,
and the two are united into one.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:22-24‬ ‭

For this reason,
the Lord created two sexes,
“In the image of God,
God created them,
male and female," 
perfectly fit.

But it’s noteworthy to see,
that before God made woman,
He displayed all of the animals
to Adam
to see what He would call them,
and He saw that not one of them
was a good fit for him. 
That is when He caused Adam
to fall into a deep sleep
and took his rib from him.

Can’t you see,
God’s original intent
was to bless us,
and embedded in the blessing
was our purpose.

He said,
“Be fruitful and multiply.
Fill the earth and govern it.
Reign over the fish in the sea,
the birds in the sky,
and all the animals
that scurry along the ground.”

God did all of this!
He created us,
defined us and blessed us!
And when He was done
making all this,
He gave Adam
one piece of advice,
that would save us from death!

"But the Lord God warned him,
You may freely eat the fruit
of every tree in the garden-
except the tree of the knowledge
 of good and evil.
If you eat its fruit,
you are sure to die.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:15-17‬ ‭

God looked over
all he had made,
and He saw
that it was very good!
And evening passed
and morning came,
marking the sixth day.”
And the 7th Day
was dedicated to rest.

God did all of this!
He thought it.
He spoke it.
He named it.
He evaluated it.
He corrected it.
He blessed it.
He warned it.
And He rested in it.

He did all of this,
and still the humans
decided to not trust Him.

After they ate
from the fruit of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil,
then God had no choice
but to remove them
from His presence -
because how can evil
exist inside of pure love?

Humanity had ingested
the fruit of knowledge,
the fruit of good and evil.

And God knew they did this
without Adam and Eve
even speaking a word.

Everything was known
through their actions,
which happened because
of their shame reaction.

Adam and Eve had been naked
the whole time
that they had walked with God.
But when evil
entered their minds
shame became 
the emotion attached
to their physical condition.

It is so important
to pay attention to this,
because humanity puts
a label on everything.
And if we aren’t careful
our knowledge will defy us,
because not everything
we think is true.

In Genesis 3,
we see how humans
took the bait
and fell into the trap
of Satanic deceit.
I encourage you to go
and read this,
if you have not already.

“You won’t die!”
the serpent replied.
“God knows that your eyes
will be opened
as soon as you eat it,
and you will be
like God,
knowing both good and evil.”

"The woman was convinced,
the serpent was telling the truth.
She saw that the tree was beautiful
and its fruit looked delicious,
and she wanted the wisdom
it would give her.
So she took some of the fruit
and ate it.
Then she gave some
to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it, too.
At that moment
their eyes were opened,
and they suddenly felt
shame at their nakedness.”
Genesis 3:4-7

Don't you see,
how Eve fell into deceit?
She exchanged the truth for a lie,
that Satan fed her.

Shame
is not always a bad thing.
Shame
often helps us to see
that we have disobeyed God
by not trusting Him.
And guilt too,
it can also be good,
when it stops you from doing
something you shouldn’t.

These are the emotions
attached to the condition of sin,
but the problem is...
humanity has re-defined them.
It's another twisting
of the truth of God!

We sometimes believe
that people have the ability
to drive us to shame,
but the truth is
God accepts us
ALL of the time,
when we turn to Him.

He sent His Son,
Jesus Christ,
to cover our sin
with His blood.
He is the river
of living water,
that washes away 
all of our sin;
And when we rest in Him,
His Spirit guides us
to draw in closer
to our Father,
and through correction,
He brings our thoughts,
feelings and behaviors
back into alignment with Him.

We need to remember
that labels are our way
of having dominion
and making sense of things.
It’s not the label that is bad,
it’s the intent of the heart behind it.

So I ask you this,
What is the intent of your heart
behind the thought
and feeling that you have?

Is it meant for bad,
from an evil intent;
or is meant for good,
from a heart of love?

Remember,
God is good.
If you feel shame,
then it's time
to expose yourself to Him.
He created you.
He made you.
He died for you.
He knows you are not perfect.
Nobody is.
His sole desire
is for you to abide in Him.
Do not let a shame reaction,
keep you away from Him.
Do not run and hide from Him.
Instead,
draw closer to Him.
He will teach you who you really are,
not according to your flesh,
and not according
to your sin intent.
Listen and believe,
that He loves you
just as you are.
Do not change
from the outside in.
Be transformed
by the renewing of your mind.

Instead of running away from shame,
draw in closer and renew your mind.
Instead of holding onto guilt,
give it to Jesus
and let His blood cover it.

Freedom comes
when you walk away from slavery.
Freedom comes
when you let go of your anxiety.
Freedom comes when you trust God.
Freedom comes
when you believe
who He says you are.