Concealed and Nagging Shame Can Point to the Bondage of a Lying Spirit

[Study Aired February 22, 2023]

Shame is frequently a result of one’s moral virtues being broken. Many Christian Babylonians, with much prayer, have degrees of moral integrity and overcome drug, alcohol and other addictions and sins through various programs with acclaimed success. Why do we in the Body of Christ sometimes experience a painful thorn of a particular sin in our side seemingly forever?

This study highlights one possible oversight dedicated to “shame” to inspire any number of Saints battling entrenched sins to overcome spirits in their high places. For the Elect and Babylonians alike, there are enormously powerful emotions intrinsic to sin where the feeling of intense shame frequently supersedes and disguises the underlying forbidden action. Overwhelmingly in scripture, shame is an essential and elementary agent to motivate change, yet, seemingly in our DNA, the first response is to hide to mitigate the mental torment.

Optimistically, the study will stimulate personal breakthroughs, from grinding struggles to freedom from a dogged sin.

Mankind that is sinful flesh is by nature sin, and we thus frequently live a bit too comfortable in sin, especially their perceived lesser sensed sins and, subsequently, the probability of perpetual shame.

1Ti 4:1 But the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons, 
1Ti 4:2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, being seared in their own conscience. (MKJV)

When our consciences are repeatedly seared, it lays down resistance to a soft heart for change, just as a soft blister on one’s hand will lay down a slightly tougher layer of skin. When the same abrasive action is repeated in the same location, the body responds by laying down more tough skin that eventually will entirely resist the harshest assault. Similar action on our minds produces the same psychological layering of a “seared conscience”. We see massive oppression against the Lord’s word on all fronts in this age, where particularly vile actions are now progressively flaunted as dignity and searing consciences.

The feeling of shame has no greater impact than its first experience of the perceived sin. Sins that are transgression evoke shame in the sinner and with the audience, with the latter’s eyes burning the shame deeper into the trespasser’s heart. Shame and guilt go hand-in-hand with breaching a law. We are unlikely to admit guilt since we know the next step is a debilitating shame since speaking about it perpetuates the often crippling emotion of humiliation. The longer the humiliation resides in our hearts, its devouring nature stigmatises recovery. Knock guilt off of its perch, and humiliating shame disappears.

Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Mat 18:2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 
Mat 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
Mat 18:4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Shame and humiliation are almost indistinguishable and are uncomfortable or painful due to recognition or consciousness of impropriety, dishonour or other wrongs in the opinion of the person experiencing the feeling. Both are often felt as a recall of a particularly painful event by oneself or by others reminding us.

A quote from William Shakespeare says, “Have you no modesty, no maiden name?” and is reminiscent of the Great Whore within. Revelation says, (Rev 18:7 As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says,) ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’ ~ and hence her nakedness of not being covered by a husband. Subsequently, through her own works, she has covered her shame with personal orthodoxy reasoning and a seared heart of self-righteousness. 

Isa 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, we will eat our own bread and wear our own clothing; only let us be called by your name, to take away our shame.

Of course, all unmarried women in Christ, the Body of Christ, are covered by him; thus, the shame of their nakedness upon repentance is covered. Unmarried women, the rejected church in Babylon, are unwittingly covered by their father, Satan, and cannot see the shame of their nakedness.

Joh 8:43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message.
Joh 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

Young children almost always burst into tears with sorrow for their guilt. Conversely, adults become more ingenious than children at hiding and covering humiliation rather than calmly and unreservedly identifying the contentious issue by simply learning to acknowledge a sin before God with the authentic joy of a converted spirit.

If the guilt isn’t quickly expressed and forgiveness asked, shame can become a crippling emotion. Shame induces hiding, and when concealment becomes a habit, it consolidates the sin with layers of scarring for a possibly seared conscience. Where particularly offensive acts are evident, keeping the transgression between oneself and the Lord is far more honourable and scripturally sound than blurting the offence to the Body. Plainly, we confess our sins to the only one who can forgive the sin, Christ.

Mat 6:5 And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward. 
Mat 6:6 But you, when you pray, enter into your room. And shutting your door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly.

Jas 5:13 Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. 
Jas 5:14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 
Jas 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
Jas 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.

All Christians are well acquainted with mankind’s first recorded shame response, specifically for their self-consciousness of nakedness. Of course, our minds instantly go to Adam and Eve’s attempt at fig leaf couture (dressmaking) for disobeying the Lord. Incidentally, the Lord’s humour with his covert inspirations for them to choose fig leaves, notably for their shape and for Adam’s more visual pudenda, was considerate.

Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. 

Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Of course, scripture doesn’t immediately say Adam and Eve felt shame upon eating the forbidden fruit; only it is imputed by their hiding. Yet our unclothed bodies ascribe shame everywhere in scripture, most importantly its spiritual shadows. Interestingly, when we read “and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons” we automatically attribute shame to that phrase merely by the action “[they] hid themselves from the presence of the Lord.”

Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Acknowledgement of guilt is good and is a confession of wrongdoing. It’s hopefully a learned lesson not to be repeated. The unacknowledged sin that should evoke guilt perpetuates the sometimes debilitating emotion of humiliation. The longer the humiliation resides in our hearts, its devouring nature hinders recovery.

Humiliation is the emotion one feels when our status is lowered in front of others. Adam and Eve knowing that they were naked was a God-induced response. If God had not created that response from disobedience to His word, they would have been like the other animals in the Garden, oblivious to intellectual reasoning. 

The eyes of the animal beasts in the Garden stare contemplatively without seeing as their kin copulate and do all sorts of antisocial (by our standards) attentiveness to their own and each other’s genitals. The Lord created a huge disparity between them and us for His purposeful lesson. It is through nakedness and the fear of humiliation, largely by seeing the difference between His bodily presentation and ours, by spiritual clothing is the message. (“the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked”).

The Lord’s sheep are schooled by the “good shepherd” to come out of the world’s massive sheep pen for the slaughter and follow Him. With no inherent defence, sheep are created to be protected and farmed. The entire world of sheep will follow different shepherds who offer the seemingly best food and protection. Only the Lord’s personal “little flock” knows His voice and will not comply with the voices of falsehood. It is common knowledge among sheep graziers that to get sheep to go anywhere, especially where they don’t want to go, is to use a goat’s inherent wily intuition. The sheep will always follow him; hence the goat is colloquially called a “Judas goat” ~ leading the sheep up a ramp into a truck for market and unwitting slaughter. Of course, even Babylon knows that the goat represents Satan (but they are blinded to see that the “scapegoat” is Christ in my flesh. Col 1:24 – The Scapegoat).

A highly notable character of the infamous WEF recently used the Lord’s fair jewels of knowledge for his own nefarious purposes when he allegedly said, “people are hackable animals.” He is dead right! The entire world will follow their goatish slave masters in government, particularly the Babylonian Christian church, with eyes that don’t see their collective nakedness.

Upon Jesus feeding the four thousand with seven loaves of bread and some small fishes and sailing to Dalmanutha, he explained His miracle to His disciples. Little by little, their eyes opened through many subsequent miracles. Jesus said,

Mar 8:18 Having eyes, do you not see? and having ears, have you no hearing? and have you no memory?

Christ said, have you no spiritually reflective memory of what you have seen through numerous miracles!? The disciples hadn’t yet been given the more significant measure of their Lord’s spirit, and the uptake of their understanding was naturally slow.

As always, miracles mesmerise people, and the disciples were no different. Our senses are always attuned to the most dynamic occurrence, frequently distracting us from its underlying meaning.

Mat 13:10 Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” 
Mat 13:11 He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 
Mat 13:12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 
Mat 13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ 
Mat 13:14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
Mat 13:15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 
Mat 13:17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (BSB)

The Lord made us His ‘sheep’ with eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear until He opens them in His own good timing.

The first and most powerful emotion to our sins being revealed and the inevitable humiliation is fight or flight, to uphold our integrity or flee (hide) before our personally idealised integrity is shredded. With everyone’s eyes burning upon you, being told or perceiving that you are wrong insults our prideful intelligence. As did Adam and Eve with their new and dreadfully disconcerting new emotion of shame, hiding seems easier since it is not our nature to admit wrongdoing. 

To the ‘natural man’, being found out for our misdeeds doesn’t mitigate the choice of fighting or hiding; our pride causes both actions. Hence, the title, “Concealed and Nagging Shame Can Point to the Bondage of a Lying Spirit.” It does not always, but it can.

Of course, Ananias and Sapphira are classic cases of a lying spirit. Scripture doesn’t say if they concealed other occasions of ‘hiding’ from their consciences through the enslavement of other vices. However, judgment for their account of holding back a portion of profits from the pledge to the temple following the sale of land was blindingly swift; they had no time to attempt hiding. Scripture doesn’t say if they felt guilt for withholding a portion of the money from selling their land for themselves.

Act 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
Act 5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Act 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Act 5:4 While it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
Act 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
Act 5:6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
Act 5:7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 
Act 5:8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 
Act 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
Act 5:10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. 
Act 5:11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

Our Lord is just and merciful to His little flock, and judgment isn’t always as swift as it was for Ananias and Sapphira. Righteousness by slowly putting on our Lord’s clothing to hide our nakedness is often a drawn-out and fiery affair. Change comes after much deliberation, dodging and weaving of a lying spirit until we acknowledge our transgressions from the heart.

Isa 26:9 My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
Isa 26:10 Though grace is shown to the wicked man, he does not learn righteousness. In the land of righteousness he acts unjustly and fails to see the majesty of the LORD.
Isa 26:11 O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them! 

Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. 

2Pe 3:15 Consider also that our Lord’s patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him.

The Body of Christ is well-versed in experiencing forgiveness from our exceptionally patient Lord for our most obstinate sins.

Mat 18:21  Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 
Mat 18:22  Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! [Mat 18:21-35]

Following multiple fiery trials, the Body’s individuals become more comfortable in the fire by quickly seeing their nakedness and acknowledging their sins (Jer 3:6-13).

Jer 3:13  Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

Acknowledging sins quashes humiliation; it is a liberating experience.

Cain classically tried to hide from the Lord. Upon killing his brother, Abel, he followed in the footsteps of his father, Adam and humanity’s endemic nature to hide from our sins. 

Gen 4:1 And Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man,” she said.
Gen 4:2 Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil. 
Gen 4:3 So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD, 
Gen 4:4 while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock. And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
Gen 4:5 but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell. 
Gen 4:6 “Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “and why has your countenance fallen? 
Gen 4:7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”
Gen 4:8 Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 
Gen 4:9 And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 
Gen 4:10 “What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 
Gen 4:11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
Gen 4:12 When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
Gen 4:13 But Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 
Gen 4:14 Behold, this day You have driven me from the face of the earth, and from Your face I will be hidden; I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
Gen 4:15 “Not so!” replied the LORD. “If anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” And the LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would kill him.
Gen 4:16 So Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

We all begin life as Cain; only the Lord chooses not to hide His face from a few who are given to see the Lord’s face in His word. The world’s overwhelming multitude of ‘Cains’ sees the Lord’s face with eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear (Mar 8:18).

Everyone in the Lake of Fire, including Cain, will be astonished by the Lord having steered them in this life into horrendously serious sins and evil experiences, mostly in this age for the Elect’s sake. Naturally, for them, as with us, the first emotion is an outrage at the Lord’s manipulation ~ Him, the master potter, having directed Satan’s hand in everyone’s sin and resulting humiliation for a righteous outcome.

Joseph’s brothers were inspired by Satan at the Lord’s hands to sell him into Egypt. Joseph says,

Gen 45:7 God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Gen 45:8 Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh—Lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Likewise, and for our most humiliating sins, it wasn’t us that sent us into our Babylon of disgrace, but God. 

Rom 9:19 You will then say to me, Why does He yet find fault? For who has resisted His will? 
Rom 9:20 Yes, rather, O man, who are you answering against God? Shall the thing formed say to the One forming it, Why did You make me like this? [lITV – Isa 29:16]

Adam, Cain and Joseph’s brothers all hid from their shame. Hiding from wrongdoing leaves a debilitating and nagging legacy of humiliation to being found out. The only remedy to shame and humiliation is to “acknowledge your sins” and, from your heart, seek forgiveness. It really is that simple!

Once a sin is acknowledged from our heart before the Lord, not a soul in the world, including oneself, has a right to recall the sin and thus perpetuate humiliation!

King David was a man after the Lord’s own heart purely for his God-given willingness to acknowledge his sin. Yet, he, too, dragged his feet to come to that acknowledgment, but once his nakedness was revealed, he sought forgiveness, often with tears.

Jer 3:23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. 
Jer 3:24 For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
Jer 3:25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. 

Jer 3:13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

The lying spirit of hiding from the Lord really is easily blown away in the summer breeze by the Lord’s word, “only acknowledge your sins”, and they will be forgiven.