“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”Romans 8:1 (KJV)
Conviction draws you toward God. Shame drives you away from Him. Learning to tell them apart changes everything.
Conviction is specific and it points somewhere: this thing is wrong, turn from it, here is the way back. Shame is vague and it points at you: you are the problem, there is no way back, stay away.
One of those is the work of God and the other is not. God convicts in order to restore. He does not shame His children into hiding.
If shame is the reason you have not prayed for months, notice what it has achieved. It has kept you from the only one who can deal with the thing you are ashamed of. Come anyway.
A prayer to close
Lord Jesus, shame has kept me at a distance and I am tired of hiding. There is no condemnation in You. I come to You now as I am. Amen.
