Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

“Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked.

Genesis 3:9-11

Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves get in the way of the truth. We mentally repeat the enemy’s lies that we are not good enough, that we are unworthy, unattractive, unlovable, and maybe even un-savable. We allow the enemy to steer our perception of ourselves, and we let his voice drown out the voice of truth, the voice of God. All it takes is something as harmless as a sideways glance from someone for the enemy to plant a lie in our minds. And when we repeat that lie in our thoughts, it soon takes root in our hearts. Once it takes root in our hearts, we claim it as part of our identity. And like Adam, when shame and fear become the lens through which we view God, we want to hide, too.

The true story is that we are saved by grace, loved by our Creator, and chosen as His very own. When we know who we are, whose we are, and what God has already done, we can let go of all those lies. Shame is a powerful thing, but it has no power on its own. It can’t grow roots and become part of our identity unless we feed it. And we feed it every time we wallow in it, every time we repeat it in our thoughts, and every time we choose to hide from God, rather than running to Him. 

Sin and shame will always give you a distorted view of God and make you want to hide. But God wants fellowship with you and wants to remove that distortion and kill the enemy’s lies. Confession is the key to removing that distorted lens. When you confess any sin and hand your shame right over to Jesus, they lose their power over you. They lose their grip on your heart and open your eyes to the truth. Only when you know absolute truth can you identify lies. Instead of feeding your shame and hiding from God, fill your mind with God’s Word. Soon it will take root in your heart, and once it takes root in your heart, you will fully understand and claim your true identity. Then you can come out of hiding and walk freely in God’s glorious light. It’s breathtaking! You are loved!