The good news is, no matter which way shame arrives, there's one solution. One cure, one way to move on and move past the ugliness that's unloaded when shame opens the door. God came looking for us in our shame. Adam! Where are you? He will never leave you or forsake you. Don't think for a minute that He didn't know what happened when He was out of sight.

We want Him to break through the dust of every day life, through the ordinary moments and relentless negativity that seeps through our screens and invades our thoughts. We want Him to show up with power and might, with grace and mercy, to prove His love. We want Him to not be silent.

The problem with this need to be set free, is that it's a lie. It's a tricky one because it feels so true. The truth is Beloved, you don't need any of those things to be free. You were free the moment you accepted the work of Christ on the cross. You were free the moment you said yes to life and no to death.

When President Lincoln sat down at his desk on New Years Day 150 years ago, he dipped his pen in ink and signed the Emancipation Proclamation. In that moment, countless slaves were free. With the stroke of a pen, it was done. The problem was, the slaves didn't know it yet. They got up before dawn, and started another day of gruelling work and punishment.

This might not be your particular struggle in life, but I'd bet that it is for someone close to you, even if they'd never let you see it. It's the most common mental illness in our society with some estimates that 40% of the population experiences it at some point in their life.

Maybe someone has said it to you, or maybe a lot of people have. Maybe it screams at you from the mirror, or maybe you work hard to keep it hidden. It might be something about your personality, your body, or your character. Chances are you've even asked God to change it.

Our society places a high value on trust. We teach it to our kids, we strive to be trustworthy people, and some of the most popular pins on Pinterest are quotes about protecting yourself from people who break your trust. It's a fragile thing, that's why we talk about it as something that is earned and broken so quickly. Trust is easily shattered, sending shards of brokenness in places we won't find for years to come.

The rhythm of life is sometimes too loud, too fast, too harsh. For others it is too sparse, the rhythm has silent rest sections that last too long. I'm going to propose a radical idea here: we're supposed to follow a constant holy rhythm. God established this rhythm from the beginning, and let me throw this out there - I don't think He was actually tired on Sunday after spending a week creating. 

There's an appreciation for this item that is visibly broken and made whole again. It's this liquid gold filling the cracks that speaks to a process of restoration, redemption, and humility. The imperfection testifies to the process of healing. 

If there are areas of your life where you are not seeing victory, it’s time to stand up for your rights as a child of God. Jesus ultimately defeated our enemy on the cross, but we need to do the work of standing up for that victory every day. Here are 3 basic steps to evicting the enemy from your life.

Whatever problem is filling your vision - don't give it any power. Tell it about your faith. Speak out the truth, God's Word, and have complete confidence in it. If you're not sure what the truth is, ask someone you trust who can help you hear God's truth over the noise of your problem. When God reveals the truth to you, put your faith in it, in Him.