In our Come Find Your Mercy Sermon Series, Craig Smith explains that shame is one of the greatest enemies of the Good News because it tells us we’re forgiven but still not worthy.

We know that dealing with shame can be difficult. We put together some additional resources to help you step out from under the cloud of shame so that you can enjoy the light of God’s mercy.

1 | The Soul of Shame by Dr. Curt Thompson (book)

We’re all infected with a spiritual disease. Its name is shame. Whether we realize it or not, shame affects every aspect of our personal lives and vocational endeavors. It seeks to destroy our identity in Christ, replacing it with a damaged version of ourselves that results in unhealed pain and brokenness. But God is telling a different story for your life. Psychiatrist Curt Thompson unpacks the soul of shame, revealing its ubiquitous nature and neurobiological roots. He also provides the theological and practical tools necessary to dismantle shame, based on years of researching its damaging effects and counseling people to overcome those wounds. Thompson’s expertise and compassion will help you identify your own pains and struggles and find freedom from the lifelong negative messages that bind you. Rewrite the story of your life and embrace healing and wholeness as you discover and defeat shame’s insidious agenda.

2 | Breaking Shame and Performance featuring Abi Stumvoll (YouTube Video)

“We all have in our mind what a perfect Christian is in our minds, and when we compare ourselves to this made-up person, we destroy ourselves,” says Abi Stumvoll.

Watch this Teaching Moment video from WorshipU by Bethel Music in which Abi Stumvoll confronts the false truths and self-hatred that we believe with the truth that we were born to be loved and to love in return.

3 | Overcoming Shame and Self-Contempt by Andrew Bauman (YouVersion 7-day Devotional Plan)

When we deeply accept our Father’s embrace, we will be neither self-rejecting nor prideful; rather, we will become humble and grateful. When we see ourselves as God sees us, we find true freedom. This YouVersion reading plan uses the parable of the Prodigal Son to reveal how God’s love can change you.

4 | Shame Interrupted by Family Life (3-part podcast)

What is a shame, and what is its purpose? How does shame uniquely play out in the lives of men and women? Best-selling author and Christian counselor Ed Welch explores the topic of shame with FamilyLife Today co-host, Bob Lepine. While all of us have felt shame at one time or another, Ed explains how shame controls and often defines so many Christians’ lives. Ed goes on to show how Jesus invites us all to leave our shame behind by using the story of the woman with the issue of blood and Peter’s reunion with Christ after the resurrection to support his premise. 

5 | Hiding from Love by Dr. John Townsend (Book)

When you experience emotional injury, fear, or shame, your first impulse is to hide the hurting parts of yourself from God, others, and even yourself. Often, you’ve learned these hiding patterns during childhood to protect yourself in a threatening environment. The problem is that when you hide your injuries and frailties, you isolate yourself from the very things you need in order to heal and mature–connection, intimacy, and love. What served as protection for a child becomes a prison to an adult.

In Hiding from Love, Dr. John Townsend helps you explore the hiding patterns you’ve developed and guides you toward the healing grace and truth of safe, connected relationships with God and others.

6 | How the Gospel (Uniquely) Speaks to Shame from the Gospel Coalition (Podcast Episode)

Shame is a biblical issue, a culturally relevant issue, and a universally personal issue. In this talk, Mary Willson argues that in order to appreciate the full benefits of the gospel, we must understand how it addresses shame. No other philosophy or religion provides what the gospel does in a holistic remedy for the pain of shame.

Willson explains, “When we orient ourselves to our Father’s gaze, we are no longer desperate for the approval of others—we don’t look for acceptance from people who are destructive forces in our lives or from relationships that are unhealthy or ungodly.”

7 | Living Free from Guilt and Shamefrom Focus on the Family (2-part Video Series

Jamie Ivey discusses the struggles she once experienced over guilt about her troubled past, and describes how she found freedom from shame in a discussion based on her book, If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free. (Part 1 of 2)