Not Guilty: Love Paid the Price – Part 2
- Zaressa Richardson
- 1 day ago
- 11 min read
No appeal needed. Do not reopen a closed case.
Foundational Verse:"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies..." Romans 8:33–34
Week Two:
Charged with Shame→ Covered by Grace
Welcome Back to the Courtroom!
Hey friend, welcome to week two! How did last week go for you? Did you leave the courtroom knowing deep in your heart that your Redeemer already paid the full price? I did too. There’s something so refreshing about that sweet reminder. The reminder that Jesus has paid it all. Glory!
Today, we’re back in the courtroom again, and the charge on the docket is shame.
As you read through this lesson, I pray your faith is strengthened and your discernment sharpened. I pray you hear what the Lord wants to reveal to us with fresh ears and an open heart. And even if you think this one isn’t for you, maybe there’s something you can carry forward to someone in your sphere of influence. A coworker. A friend. A family member.
Because here’s the thing: shame doesn’t always walk in looking like shame. The enemy is subtle. He doesn’t always shout through the front door. Sometimes he slides in through familiarity. He hides in plain sight, and he loves to camouflage shame in things that look noble, responsible, or even spiritual.
You might see it show up as:
Perfectionism that says, “If I mess up, I lose value.”
Withdrawal from community masked as “I just need space,” when really it’s “I’m too embarrassed to be seen.”
Overworking to prove something no one’s asking you to prove.
Replaying conversations in your head with the voice of condemnation.
Avoiding prayer because you feel unworthy to come close.
Aye, I’m guilty of listening to some of the lies listed. But no longer will I allow these lies to linger without being exposed.
None of those things look like shame on the surface but they might be rooted in it.
We’ve got to be vigilant. We’ve got to be discerning. And we’ve got to be willing to search out the truth in the fine print.
So before we dive in, let’s use our authority right now. Let’s shut the door on anything that would try to distract, distort, or discourage.
Father, in the name of Jesus, we bind and rebuke every spirit of guilt, shame, and condemnation. We cancel every lie of the enemy and declare that Your blood speaks a better word. Amen.
Alright, let’s get to work.
Prefer to listen instead?
🎧 You can catch this week’s message on the podcast.
Two Words on Trial Today: Shame and Grace
Before we go any further, we need to define the terms on the docket.
Shame is that inner weight that whispers, “I am what I did.” It’s more than guilt it’s identity confusion. Shame tries to attach your worst moments to your name and convince you that’s who you are.
But then comes Grace. Thank you Jesus!
Grace is the unearned, undeserved favor of God. It’s not just a pardon it’s restoration. It doesn’t just say, “You’re forgiven,” it says, “You’re still valuable.” Grace doesn’t ignore what happened it just refuses to hold it against you. It lifts the weight and replaces it with worth.
Now let’s open up the Word and look at the fine print and say what God has already said in the courtroom of heaven. Scripture reveals the truth.
Let’s expose this lie.
The Docket Is Open
Court is now in session.
Case Title: The Accuser of the Brethren vs. You
Charge: Shame
Filed by: Satan, the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10)
Location: The spiritual realm
Let’s examine the evidence.
Today, we’re walking through some biblical examples straight from the Word. These aren’t just stories these are real moments where shame tried to speak, but God’s truth spoke louder.
And here’s how we’re breaking it down for each one:
What the enemy said – the lie, the accusation, the weight of shame
How the person responded – their reaction, emotion, or decision
What God said – the truth, the grace, the redemption
When we see it laid out like that, it becomes clearer just how sneaky shame can be and just how powerful God’s grace always is.
Case Study #1:
Mary Magdalene – The Shame of a Dark Past
Luke 8:1–2
Let’s turn to the story of Mary Magdalene. In 2026 terms, let’s just say she would’ve been borderline in the psych ward. You do know demons torment people, right? And if I were to make an educated guess, a lot of people in today’s psych wards are battling spirits just like the ones Mary was delivered from.
To help you picture this, imagine someone close to you someone who walks the street and the world has labeled as "crazy." But what if, behind the scenes, they’re actually dealing with some big boy demons?
Mary Magdalene’s story doesn’t start with healing. It starts with bondage. She had been tormented by seven demons. That means her body, mind, and spirit were once ruled by darkness. We don’t know all the details of what that looked like, but we can imagine the fear. The isolation. The humiliation.
The shame.
People probably crossed the street to avoid her.She likely heard the whispers when she walked by.To the world, she was too far gone too messed up to be useful, too broken to be whole again.
But then she met Jesus.
Let’s break this case down:
What the enemy said:
“You’re too messed up to follow Jesus.”
“People know your past you’ll never be clean in their eyes.”
“You’ve been through too much to be trusted.” “You’re disqualified.”
Shame tried to stamp her with a permanent label unclean, unsafe, unworthy. It tried to convince her that her history had disqualified her from hope.
How Mary responded:
When Jesus set her free, she didn’t go into hiding, she followed Him.
She became one of the few women who walked closely with Jesus throughout His ministry. She helped support His work.
She stayed at the cross when the disciples scattered.
She came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. And she was the first to see the risen Savior.
Mary didn’t run from her past, she ran with her testimony.
What God said:
God didn’t just heal her, He honored her.
He didn’t define her by the demons that once tormented her.
He defined her by her faith, her loyalty, and her love.
She was the first messenger of the resurrection.
Key Verse: “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had come out…” – Luke 8:2
Yes, that’s where her story started. But it’s not where it ended.
Reflection:
Are you still letting your past speak louder than your deliverance?
Spot the lie:
Shame says: “You’ll always be who you were.”
But the truth is: Jesus says, “You are who I’ve made you to be.”
You are not the sum of your history! Period.
You are a testimony of His power.
Case Study #2:
The Prodigal Son – The Shame of Failure
Luke 15:11–32
Okay friend, help me out on this one. You remember the prodigal son, right?
Let’s bring it into 2026 terms.
He was that kid.
The one from the two-parent household.
The one who lived in the house with the pool where everyone hung out during the summer.
The one who could ask his dad for anything and his dad would make it happen.
Yeah, that was the prodigal son.
He had everything.
This lesson challenged me to take a step back and really look at the word prodigal not just how we use it today, but what it meant when this story was written.
Prodigal means spending money or resources freely and recklessly wastefully extravagant.
So this story is not just about someone who left home.
It’s about someone who wasted what they were given.
He had access to love, provision, protection, and legacy. But one day, he asked for his share of the inheritance early. Scripture shows us a pattern here: whatever you do with a little, you will do with a lot.
What he was really saying was, “I want the benefits, but not the relationship.”
And the father gave him what he asked for.
He spent it all fast. Wild living. Reckless choices.
He likely gathered a new circle around him, because Scripture tells us, “The rich have many friends” (Proverbs 14:20). But just as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared when the money ran out.
Eventually, he found himself at the lowest of lows.Starving.Broke.Feeding pigs.Craving the same food they were eating.
And that is where shame met him.
He didn’t just feel broke. He felt like a failure.
He knew better. He was raised better. And he still walked away.
That’s the weight of shame. It doesn’t just remind you of what you lost it convinces you that you are the loss.
Let’s break this case down:
What the enemy said:
“You blew it.”
“You’re a disgrace to your family.”
“You knew better and still walked away, God’s done with you.”
“You don’t deserve to come back, and even if you do, they’ll never see you the same.”
Shame wrapped itself around his identity. It told him he was no longer worthy of being a son maybe a servant at best. It whispered that failure had the final word. It made him believe he forfeited his place at the table forever.
How the son responded:
He rehearsed his apology.
He lowered his expectations.
He came up with a survival plan not a restoration plan:
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” – Luke 15:21
He returned home carrying shame but still holding on to a thread of hope.
What the Father said:
The father saw him while he was still a long way off and he ran.
He didn’t stand on the porch waiting.
He didn’t cross his arms and tap his foot.
He didn’t even let the son finish his shame-filled speech.
He ran, embraced him, and called for a celebration.
He gave him a robe to cover his shame.
He gave him a ring to restore his authority.
He gave him shoes to remind him he was still a son.
And then he killed the fatted calf because sons don’t come home to silence.
They come home to music.
The father didn’t just let him back in he restored him completely.
Key Verse:“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” – Luke 15:21
But the Father cut shame off mid-sentence.
Reflection:
Have you allowed shame to convince you that coming back to God means punishment instead of restoration?
Spot the lie:
Shame says:
“You’re too far gone. If you come back, you’ll never be the same.”
“You can return, but you’ll always carry the stain.”
But the truth is:
The Father has been watching the road.
He’s not waiting to scold you, He’s ready to run toward you.
He doesn’t restore you reluctantly, He restores you fully.
Modern Case Study: My Personal Story
I want to fast forward to my adulthood for a moment.
I’ve always loved Jesus. I’ve shared parts of my testimony before, especially in a previous post from The Missing Piece series, where I talked about how I loved Jesus but didn’t fear God. There is a difference.
But alongside my love for Jesus, I carried a quiet belief about myself.
I always felt like I wasn’t very smart.
Now, let me be clear, I knew I was intelligent.
I just didn’t think I was smart like other people.
Especially my brother. He is extremely smart, and I wanted to be smart like him. That comparison planted a seed. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but that seed was shame.
That belief followed me into college, where I was eventually diagnosed with a learning disability.
I didn’t tell anyone. I kept it a secret. People would ask why I got extra time on tests or why someone helped me with notes, and I would brush it off. I wasn’t proud of it.
Deep down, I felt like God had messed up with me. Like I was flawed in a way He didn’t fix. And because I never dealt with that thought, it grew.
I wanted to be a pharmacist.
I worked hard. Studied hard. Took the PCAT twice.
But when I wasn’t accepted into pharmacy school,
shame spoke loud and clear: See? You’re not smart enough.
So I pivoted.
I went back to school and pursued my master’s degree to become a mental health therapist. I was almost finished headed into clinicals when I failed the comprehensive exams.
Three times.
And just like that, I was dismissed from the program.
Another rejection.
Another door closed.
Another layer of shame added to the pile.
At that point, I remember sitting with the Lord and saying, “Okay Jesus… I honestly don’t know what to do with my life.”
I was tired.
Confused.
Ashamed.
And quietly questioning whether I had misunderstood Him the whole time.
But here’s where grace steps in.
After walking through deliverance in my personal life, God told me to launch this blog.
Not another degree.
Not another attempt to prove myself.
A blog.
And this blog, The Fine Print, became a testimony of faith. Not because I suddenly felt confident or qualified, but because I finally stopped trying to measure my worth by what I could accomplish.
God didn’t redeem my story by making me “smart enough” in the world’s eyes. He redeemed it by showing me that shame was never my identity.
What I once thought were failures were actually redirections. What felt like rejection was protection. What I labeled as deficiency, God used to deepen my dependence on Him.
Friend, I now understand what it means that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. I have never depended on God like this before.
Have you ever been in a place where you want to do the will of God more than anything else?
It was in that place that grace rewrote my story.
This blog is proof of what it looks like not to operate in my own strength. I’m living proof that God doesn’t waste anything not even the parts you tried to hide.
Let’s break this case down: My Personal Story
What the enemy said:
“You’re not smart enough.”
“God messed up when He made you.”
“You’ll always be behind.”
“You failed… again.”
“No one talks about this because you’re the only one struggling.”
“This is your fault and proof that you don’t have a real purpose.”
Shame used my silent struggles as evidence. Every rejection, every closed door, every moment I didn’t measure up shame told me it all confirmed the lie.
How I responded:
I hid it.
I kept silent about the diagnosis.
I internalized the failure.
I tried to perform my way into worth.
I pushed harder but always with the fear that I would never be enough. And eventually, I came to the end of myself.
I didn’t stop loving Jesus. I just didn’t know what to do with the parts of my life that didn’t make sense.
What God said:
“You’re not behind, you’re covered.”
“You don’t need to be perfect to be used, you just need to be willing.”
“You’re not less than, you’re Mine.”
“Your voice matters. Your story matters. Write.”
God took the very thing I was ashamed of my struggle to feel ‘smart enough’ and used it to create a space that requires faith, not perfection.
He didn’t ask me to fix myself. He invited me to partner with Him in truth.
Reflection:
Have you ever believed you needed to be “better” before God could use you?
Are there parts of your story you’ve kept hidden out of fear they disqualify you?
Spot the lie:
Shame says: “You’re flawed, and it’s your fault.” But the truth is: God says, “You’re Mine, and I have a plan for you, even in this.”
The Verdict:
The Case Is Closed
The blood has spoken and it speaks a better word.
Every charge shame tried to bring against you has been overruled by the blood of Jesus.
Not smart enough? Overruled.
Too broken? Overruled.
Too late? Overruled.
Too far gone? Overruled.
You are not guilty. You are covered. You are chosen. You are loved.
Shame may have whispered, but the cross declared. And Heaven agrees your case is closed.
Prayer
Oh wonderful Father! Awesome Savior! Abba! Thank You, Lord! Thank You for Your unfailing love. Thank You, Father, thank You for exposing the voice of shame and silencing it with truth. Thank You that Your Word is final and Your grace is more than enough.
Help us to recognize every lie, reject it in the Spirit, and rest in what You’ve already said. May we walk boldly in our calling, not because we’re perfect, but because You have justified us.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Next Week on the Docket
We’ve faced the charge of shame. Next week, we’re uncovering another strategy of the enemy, Rejection.
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