761) Being able to manipulate shame is one of Satan’s most powerful weapons. When one feels shame, it’s a self-imposed penance because of bad choices. Shame is like acid. It eats away at whatever it covers and, left unchecked, destroys.

Satan also disguises shame as a form of redemption, convincing us it is a good option when we yearn to show God, or anyone else, how sorry we are for whatever we did. Our actions imply that our way of atonement is superior; it lies within our power. This is in direct contradiction to God’s offer of forgiveness and, ultimately, our salvation because of what He did for us.    

Shame is corrosive, and ultimately deadly. May we not be captured by this powerful false idea of redemption. Psalm 25:1-3, 20.