Naked and Not Ashamed

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

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

I would like to continue focusing on our determination. I pray that each of these writings uplift your spirit. Last time we talked, we focused on being in dependence versus our independence. In this writing we will focus in on being naked and not ashamed.

Let’s start off by defining the term naked & not ashamed.” My definition is life before we knew any wrong. The word naked meaning without addition, exaggeration, or excuses; not concealed or disguised; open to view; manifest, pure and/or plain. The word ashamed meaning feeling shame; distressed or embarrassed by feelings of guilt, foolishness, or disgrace.

There once was a time in all our lives were we did not know any wrong. We operated off our spirits, not yet knowing life’s situations would allow our flesh to dominate our decisions. It was a time when we had no worries, no struggles and/or stress did not live within. It was in our beginning, when we were first created. We were born into this Earth naked & not ashamed.

In the beginning of creation with Adam & Eve, they didn’t know of any wrong. They both were born into this world naked and not ashamed. It was not until they went against God’s commands that they both became clothed (unwanted layers) and ashamed. Although as a result of their disobedience, we all were born into sin, but that still does not determine our destiny. In this writing when you think of being clothed (unwanted layers) I want you to think of each layer of the clothing as our life’s experience.

When we were born, we knew no wrong. Everything we grew up to know, we were taught. We didn’t know right from wrong, until we were given rules or corrected. As we grew older we tend to face some challenges that added unwanted weight to our lives. With every bad decision, every bad moment, situation or challenge we grew weaker and became ashamed, no longer was our spirit naked. We allowed our life experiences to build up our flesh and block our spirit from growth.

Each experience began to control our spirit and we began to change our outward appearance. At this very moment, picture yourself with a shirt and pants on, which will be the visual of our first bad experience. Then picture yourself with 2 shirts and 2 pair of pants on, that’s the visual of 2 bad experiences. Now picture yourself with 3 shirts on and 3 pair of pants, that’s the next bad experience and so on and so forth. As you visualize, you see that each time we go through negative experiences; we add more layers on our lives. If we were to actually walk around with all those clothes on we would look foolish. So imagine how our spirits look as they are covered with so much weight of our flesh.

In actuality what happens in our lives is that our flesh becomes dominant over our spirits. We tend to allow our inner pain to be displayed on the outside. Whether we believe it or not we all have been ashamed at one point in our lives of something. No matter how painful that experience may have been and no matter how much we forgave someone or thought we forgot about it, some of us are still living it.

I want us to go back to our first day of creation and I want us to strive to remove those unwanted layers to present, out of our lives. So for my sisters and brothers walking around with all those layers of clothing smothering their spirit, it’s time to take them off!

It’s time to let go of those past experiences that are holding us back and be able to walk forward in the promises that God has for us all. Let’s let go of the past negative

• Unhealthy relationships
• Financial issues
• Sickness
• Addiction
• Broken marriages
• Sexual abuse
• Physical abuse
• Verbal abuse
• Being a victim
• Bad Parenting
• etc (the list goes on and on to what it is we know is holding us back)

Despite whatever you may be going through today, or have been through we will pray for a release. Now is our time to walk back into our path of destiny according to God’s will for our lives naked and not ashamed. No longer will the past have a hold over our lives. No longer will guilt lead us into stress. No longer will our wrongs, have us down and out. No longer will we not faced our problems, situations and circumstance head on! No longer will we allow ourselves to be deceived.

In the beginning God created man in his image and likeness and so on and so forth. So when it became our time, we were created the same way. We hold in our possession the same promises that were giving throughout his Word. We will walk this Earth today naked and not ashamed. We will look everything in the face with courage. We will not be discouraged.

Today I challenge each one of you to take off all those layers of clothing off your flesh and allow your mind, body and soul a chance to breathe in order to let your spirit shine.

What is behind us we can not change, but what is before us we control. Paul writes to us in Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Prayer for Today

As it is written in Matthew 18:19 …I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Father we come to you today and we stand in agreement in prayer. Father we ask that you put else back to our first day of creation, when we were “Naked & Not Ashamed”. Father we ask that you teach us to strive hard and reach high for all things for our lives according to your will for our lives. Father we ask for discernment of all things in our lives. We ask that you teach us how to use our lives in other to bless others. Father we ask you to show us our way. Father we pray for strength, guidance and motivation. Father we ask that we walk in the promises that you have given us all. Father were we are weak, please make us strong. Where we are in denial, Father please teach us how to apply your word. Father you know what we need to pray for our lives, please show us so we can each day. Father build our spirits and tame our flesh. We thank you for your love and mercy.

In Jesus name, Amen

Be Encouraged,
Tennille L. Whittington