GOD HAS TAKEN AWAY MY SHAME

FAITH IS THE VICTORY

JOSHUA 5:1-9, COLOSIANS 2:9-15

Whatever makes a person feel life is not worth living physically, socially, spiritually, financially, professionally, academically etc. is a reproach or shame. Reproach degrades, shames, blames, embarrasses and disgraces a person. To take away our reproach and shame, God brings us to a place called Gilgal where He rolls away our shame. My prayer for you today is that you and I come to this place and point where our reproach and shame are taken away. It was at Gilgal where God rolled away the prevailing reproach from the children of Israel. God told them “No more reproach.” Gilgal is a place of separation, a place of disconnection, a place of cleansing from the flesh and the past, a place where we are set apart unto God.

Gilgal was a place of significant events in the Bible days. Gilgal was the first place Israel encamped after crossing the Jordan. Gilgal was the place where Saul became King. Gilgal was the place where King Saul got demoted by God. It was at Gilgal where King David crossed the Jordan back to Jerusalem after the death of Absalom.

Gilgal was rebuked by prophet Hosea and Amos for improper worship.

Gilgal was a sacred place that became corrupted.

Gilgal had a school of prophets under Prophet Elisha. Gilgal was a base camp for many battles of the Israelites against their enemies.

Gilgal is where circumcision was renewed as a covenant between God and the children of Israel. Gilgal was the place where the Passover was kept. Gilgal was the place where manna ceased. Gilgal was the place where God removed Israel’s former disgrace before the children of Israel could enter the Promised Land. What was this reproach that was so important that God had to deal with before entrance into the Promised Land? Let us learn:-

1. WHAT IS A REPROACH?

• Reproach is anything that degrades shames, blames, embarrasses, and disgraces a person.
• Sickness is a reproach. Failure is a reproach.
• Lack and poverty is a reproach, poverty is lack of choice.
• Disappointment is a reproach and so is abandonment.
• Rejection and disrespect are reproaches.
• Whatever does not promote, enhance, upgrade life is a reproach.
• Whatever relegates is a reproach.
• Whatever makes a person wish to die is a reproach. Delay in life progress is a reproach.
• God told the children of Israel that their journey of 40 days that became 40 years has finally ended. You are now in Gilgal.

1. HOW DOES REPROACH COME?
2. Israel was in slavery in Egypt for 430 years.
3. Israel was beaten down and degraded physically and emotionally.
4. Israel was constantly told that they were no good.
5. Israel was constantly told that they could not do anything right.
6. They were ever told that they could not measure up, that they were nobodies.
7. Overtime they let those words steal their sense of value and identity.
8. They felt inferior, insecure and their self worth and self image were depleted.
9. Their women had to hide their pregnancies and their births, Moses had to be hidden.
10. Their babies were taken and thrown into the Nile to be eaten by crocodiles.

When a person is mistreated and abused for a long time, the person starts to side with his abusers. It becomes easy for that person to accept the blame and think he/she deserves it. Some women get used to abusive relationships that they start thinking that to be a woman is to be beaten and molested.

Before long, women in abusive relationships not only become ashamed of what is happening, but they become ashamed of who they are.

A captive, a slave, an abused person begins to identify closely with his or her captors, as well as with their agenda and demands.

When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they started thinking of going back to Egypt, because they were thinking that freedom was wrong.

As African former colonies, we sometimes long to be colonized again.

God told the children of Israel that they could not go into the promised land with shame, unworthiness-God had to roll away their reproach.

Today, God will remove your shame and reproach of sickness and misery!!

• EXAMPLES OF REPROACH IN THE BIBLE.

1. The reproach of Jacob: Jacob had a reproach that God had to take away. He was a cheater and deceiver.

• God made Jacob become Israel, the one who prevailed with God and won.
• Do you feel like Jacob? You have made poor choices in life; you live with a sense of shame.
• God is changing your names today from “deceiver” to “prince” or “princes.”
• God tells us that we are now highly favored, forgiven, redeemed and highly lifted.
• Jacob agreed with God that he was blessed “I am not leaving you here until you bless me.”
• I may not deserve it, but since the shame has been rolled away, “I am asking for favor, new level and new destiny.”

2. The reproach of Rachel: – Reproach of barrenness.

• When Rachel could not conceive children, she became a reproach.
• In Jewish culture, to be childless was to be under a curse.
• But God remembered Rachel and God opened her womb, she bore a son and said “God has taken away my reproach.”
• She called him Joseph “May the Lord add to me another son.” Some people think you are barren!!

3. The reproach of Israel and David:-

• The Philistinian Goliath was hurling insults at Israel and against God.
• In 1 Samuel 17:26, David was outraged and asked “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?”

4. The reproach of Job:-

• Job’s friends turned on him after first coming to console him in his afflictions.
• His friends were unfriendly friends.
• In Job 19:3 “These ten times you have cast reproach upon me, are you not ashamed to wrong me?”
• In Job 17:6 “I hold fast my righteousness and will not let go: my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.”

5. The reproach of Reuben: – Reuben was cursed by his father Jacob-Genesis 49:3-4. But Moses would remove the curse in Deut. 33:6 “Let Reuben live and not die and let not his men be few.”
6. The reproach of Jabez:– Deliverance from parental reproach.

• His name was Jabez-which means “pain” or one who caused pain.
• Were you given demeaning and demoting name at birth? May God deliver you.

7. The reproach of Hannah.

• God delivered Hanah from mockery and laughter by Penina.
• May God deliver you from those who think you are barren, which it is God who has closed your womb.

8. The reproach of Elizabeth: Luke 1:24-25

• Elizabeth became pregnant and for 5 months remained in seclusion.
• “The Lord has done this for me” she said, “In these days He has shown me His favor and taken away my disgrace among people”

1. DIFFERENT KINDS OF REPROACH AND THEIR ORIGIN
2. The reproach of barrenness: says “You will never be fruitful or significant”

• Have you been told “you are useless no good for anything, you will never amount to anything in life”
• God has plans and purpose for you.

2. The reproach of loneliness:

• Seeks to suffocate those who find themselves lonely in life.
• This lie of Satan says “You will always be alone.”
• This lie brings hopelessness that goes beyond the normal feelings.

3. Reproach of failure: it says “You are a looser in life.”

• You are a looser in business, a failed marriage, failed parenthood, and failed ministry.

4. The reproach of financial difficulties and poverty.

• This reproach says “If you don’t have much, you are not worth much.”
• Luck and poverty is like a disease that brings its own emotional and spiritual poison that can infect families, nations, cultures and regions.
• The Lord promises to take this reproach away.

5. The reproach of moral failure:

• This reproach is merciless tormentor, especially in the case of fallen leaders.
• This reproach says “There is no hope for those who fail.”
• Once you have fallen in sexual immorality, there is no way back-no redemption for this failure.
• As painful as it is, God forgave King David and God did not take David’s anointing. He restored his soul fully but the results were terrible!!

6. The reproach of the sins of the fathers:

• This lie says “You are just like your father and mother.”

“Like father like son, like mother like daughter.”

• But the Bible says “You are unique, you have choices to make and you have character that is different from either of your parents.”

7. The reproach of church experience:

• There are those who have been hurt in church experience.
• You have been hurt in “your father’s house” by controlling and manipulative leaders.
• May be you have been used and abused, rather than encouraged and honored.
• God is removing that reproach and shame from you now.

8. The reproach of rejection-Ruth 2:15.

• Rejection is a terrible reproach, but the Lord receives and accepts you.

9. The reproach of sickness and disease-Luke 8:43-44

• Physical reproach, emotional, career, matrimonial, financial, spiritual, academic or mental reproach the Lord rolls your reproach away today.

1. HOW DO SOME REPROACHES COME?

• Inherited/family reproach-You can’t choose family.
• National/geographical reproach-You don’t choose the country to be born. Your country of birth may be corrupt.
• Circumstantial reproach-Naomi suffered tragedies.
• Self-inflicted reproach-Life styles such as idolatry, corruption, fraud, party spirits, drunkenness, fornication, and adultery-Noah, Lot, Samson and David.
• People can bring reproach to you because of hate.
• You may also bear the reproach of Jesus Christ-Jeremiah 20:2-8
• You may be reproached because you serve the Lord-1 Peter 4:14-16.

1. WHY YOU SHOULD GET RID OF YOUR REPEOACH TODAY

• Reproach limits and stagnates your potential.
• Reproach is an embarrassment to your destiny.
• Reproach is a life terminator and is a killer of future.
• Reproach leads to suicide.
• Reproach leads a person into a laughing stock for his enemies –Psalms 44:13-14.
• Reproach will make people to ask, “Where is your God?”-Psalms 42:10.
• Reproach will make helpers and comforters go far from you-Psalms 69:20

CONCLUSION

• God removes reproaches, through divine visitation.
• You can remove your reproach by crying to God, they cried to God-Exodus 2:23. Jabez cried to the God of Israel-1 Chronicles 4:9-10.
• You can be prayed for, Moses prayed for Reuben’s generation to remove generational reproach-Deut. 33:6.
• Renounce your reproach of failure, stagnation, joblessness, barrenness, homelessness, relationship struggles, academic struggles, business failure, loneliness, sickness, disease, poverty, generational curses, premature death and old age poverty.
• Let us pray.

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Rev, DR. Willy Mutiso

Rev, Dr. Willy Mutiso is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Athiriver. He is widely known for his practical and dynamic teaching style which helps people apply the timeless truths of Scripture to their everyday lives.

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