Shame UP!

(Photo Via Canva.)

I started seminary this week, and we are reading through a book called “Misreading Scripture Through Individualist Eyes” by Randolph Richards and Richard James.

One of the topics this book covers is the Eastern versus Western view of “shame.” In the West we put all shame in a negative box. But let me pose a question. If someone murdered a neighbor and wasn’t ashamed of themselves, wouldn’t that be a bad thing?

There is a positive version of shame, and Eastern cultures are very aware of it. In fact, they have 18 different words and nuances to describe shame. Wow! In their cultural context, shame can be used positively or negatively. The positive use of shame actually restores and prevents bad behavior. A person does not do something they know is bad because it will reflect poorly on their collective group or family. They know it will shame their family, name, and reputation, and so they do not go through with it. That is a good kind of shame!

Interesting.

I’m still learning much about this concept. But I want to challenge you to think about shame in a new way.

• Romans 1:16 NASB 1995 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

• Boldness is associated with not being ashamed for the gospel! The Good News is honorable.

• Ezra 9:6  “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.”

• Shame leads to repentance and humility before God.

• Psalm 35:26 says, “Let those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress; Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me.”

• Shame is actually to be celebrated when it is in the right context! Wow. This take a minute to wrap my head around.

• Hosea 4:7 “The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.”

• God is intentionally shaming here, and it is an honorable action on His part.

• 1 Cor. 1:27 “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,”

Dig into the Word this week and consider the concept of shame. Let’s use this tool for good. We can shame people up, or we can shame them down. Let’s be people who call people higher, toward intimacy with Jesus and a lifestyle of righteousness!

Blessings on your family this week,

Joyfully,
Rachel B.

Are You Praying Up or Down?

(Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash)

I’ve often wondered the point of prayer. If God knows everything, then why do I need to pray?

I’ve been taught that prayer isn't about changing God but about changing me. That's true, but there is so much more. If you don't believe that prayer really changes outcomes, it's hard to pray with any kind of power or real faith.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray He told us to say “Kingdom of God - Come! Will of God - be done!” (Matt. 6) This passage in original Greek is in a command form. Jesus didn’t teach us to say, “Well, if it’s your will God, maybe you could do this or that.” He actually taught His followers to pray with authority and to pull heaven down to earth.

Have you noticed that our world is really crying out? There is much strife, suffering, violence, and injustice going on in our world. Papa God is not sitting back on His laurels not caring about human beings. However, sometimes we pray like He is.

I want to suggest that when we flip the direction of our prayers, everything begins to shift. We can pray up our requests and complaints, or we can pray with the Holy Spirit and call heaven down. (Heb. 7:25, Rom. 8:26-27) Holy Spirit is always making intercession on our behalf. What if our prayers matched His?

Here are some examples of prayers that bring heaven down:

• Papa, You say in Your Word that You were wounded for our sin and crushed for our iniquities. That by Your stripes we are healed. (Is. 53) So Father, I know Your heart for our world is healing, wholeness, and Shalom. You desire for all people to come to know You (2 Peter 3:9). So Lord, release Your healing, wholeness, and Shalom into the earth. Send Your angel armies to fight, defend, and protect human life.

• Break the chains of injustice and the calluses of indifference in our hearts. Open the floodgates of real love, that men and women would find their true identity and worth in Your perfect love. I break off the spirit of confusion around identity, and pray that your sons and daughters would know who they are by how You see them.

• Send Your Spirit of Wisdom and divine strategy over our government, the CDC, and all leaders and organizations working in our world. Surround the decision-makers with divine wisdom and people full of Your heart.

• Father, in the name of Jesus, I bind the enemy and his cohorts - that every lie would be exposed, that every enemy strategy and tactic would be stopped. I declare that for every inch taken by the enemy, a mile would be returned and redeemed back to You.

• Rain down mailbox money for those in financial distress. Pour out new businesses and strategy to earn a living for those without jobs. Ignite the fires of new ideas, innovation, and vision. Give people all over the world an ability to be nimble and shift quickly.

• Show up in dreams, thoughts, and in the midst of obedience. Reveal and release the complete cure for Covid and not just that - but for many viruses. Accelerate the coming of the cure. If it is already here, expose and highlight it. Bring the cure for cancer while we seek out answers for Covid. Surprise us with infinitely more than we could ask or imagine.

• Holy Spirit, comfort the lonely. Remind them of their significance, and shut off the voices of suicide and depression. Don't let the guns go off. Reroute the trains. Thwart every plan of suicide. May it simply not work. And restore purpose, beauty, and peace to every tormented mind and soul.

• Jesus help the kids. Provide new avenues for kids to have interaction, learn, and be loved.

When praying for heaven to come down…some of my favorite words to use are:

•  Release

• Restore

• Revive

• Awaken

• Defeat

• Crush

• Break through

• Send

• Launch

• Open

These are all action words that release faith as you pray. There are a million more, but I wanted to give you some concrete examples.

Prayer is powerful when we get into the Word of God and start using the words of God.

When we get clarity about what God desires, there is no limit to the power of our prayers in Christ. The fire, faith, and fervor of our words skyrocket into the ears of God.

I believe prayer actually changes things. I believe it changes outcomes. It's not that God changes His mind, it's that our prayers pull down what God wants to see happen. Our prayers activate angels and break demonic strongholds.

We are in a spiritual battle, but we are not fighting alone. We are fighting with all of heaven for the hearts and souls of people.

We need all Christ-followers on deck. It's time to understand our authority as children of God. When we pray with God's thoughts and heart, we are echoing the prayers and words of the Holy Spirit. And that kind of prayer is POWERFUL!

Let’s pull down heaven, and may all heaven break loose!

Joyfully,

Rachel B.