When Shame Speaks, Let Praise Answer

• By candidasullivan
• December 11, 2025
• No Comments

Sometimes it’s so hard to leave the past behind. The enemy loves to uncover and expose every sin and hardship I’ve ever encountered. Each one is like a painful dart directly into my heart. It amazes me how the enemy can make something that happened so many years ago still feel new.

He’s a master at inflicting pain. And he only brings up my past to keep me stuck, ashamed, and silent—because he knows what God could do through me if I walked fully in grace.

Sometimes I wish I could have done better with my life. If only I had recognized the enemy sooner and learned the lessons faster. But I didn’t. And to dwell on things I can’t change is a waste of my time and energy.

Forgiveness reminds me there is a turning point.
A place to let go of it all and let God lead the way.
A place where conviction brings freedom, but shame brings bondage—and I get to choose which voice I listen to.

I can’t move forward as long as I’m clinging to all the baggage and pain from my past. I’m forgiven and redeemed in Jesus’ name. Therefore, I want to live that way—in a beautiful place of redemption and love.

My flesh will never be perfect. It will sin in some way as long as I live. But my soul is safe with God. I am not who I was—I am who grace is shaping me to be.

So today, I want to live from forgiveness and love, not from regret or shame. If God has forgiven me and cast my sins into the depths of the sea, then I should too.

The next time the enemy tries to make us feel shame for sins already forgiven, let’s interrupt the shame spiral with praise.
Let’s praise God for forgiving us, for rearranging our hearts, and for giving us a brand-new identity in Him.

Micah 7:19 (KJV)
19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

It’s harder to hear the voice of the enemy when I’m praising my Lord.
And it’s easier to remember who I am—redeemed, chosen, loved, and set free.