To overcome shame, we have to go the one place shame doesn't want us to go: a place of vulnerability. In today's message, we talk about how the true superhero we need is not superman, but Vulnerable man embodied in Christ, and how His life modeled a life of intimacy, connection, and vulnerability that gave us a blueprint out of shame and into freedom!
In the temptation of Jesus, the devil used shame to attack Jesus's identity. The devil used schemes that are familiar to all of us: the performance trap, the popularity trap and the possession trap. Jesus, like us, faced the onslaught of shame, but overcame the temptation and in the process gave all of us a template on how to have victory like Him!
This week, we'll dive deeper into the power of story telling, and how shame twists our perspective to turn us against God and others. We'll also talk about how shame's power lies in its subtle suggestion that we are not enough and that we are not valuable. We ask you to carefully consider the question: who is writing your story; God or Shame?
There is a story that God is always trying to tell us, but Satan also has his story. In week 1 of our series, we focus on the story that Satan tries to tell us. Satan's story always follows the same plot; It starts with sin (yours or someone else's), which leads to guilt (feeling bad for what you DID), and unless there is intervention - it inevitably leads to shame (feeling bad for who you are). But God also has a story, and His story is told through Jesus, our redeemer!
In week 4 of our series, we will focus on the final R that Jesus gifted His disciples in order to grow them - Responsibility! How does responsibility, when given the right way, at the right time, catalyze our growth? Find out in today's message.
In week 3 of our series, we focus on the power of relationships to grow our hearts, our emotions, our habits, and our gifts. What are the 3 relationships you must have to grow, and how do they actually make you grow? Is using people to grow us God's plan B? Or has it always been God's plan to use people to cause us to grow?
In week 2 of our series, we will focus on the 1st "R" that Jesus gave His disciples to help them grow - Revelations!