"Better Promises"

  "If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said:

  "The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, 'You should know the LORD.' For everyone, from the least to the greatest will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins." 

  When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear." (Hebrews 8:7-13 NLT)

  "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2 KJV)

 Now, about that last statement of being ashamed: It is my deep understanding that we have been given the Holy Spirit in order to practice righteousness, know the Scriptures we read, experience the newness we have been given, and have the ability for God to work in and through our lives. Additionally, He takes those things we do that are not right, and He convicts our hearts, in order to make us aware of the wrong things we are doing. 

 In other words, when we think of the Holy Spirit as a Helper, it isn't just to help us practice doing righteous things, knowing the Scriptures, experience our new life, and do the works God has for us; He is also able to correct us when we are wrong, walk in our flesh, or do not love others as we should. In laymen's terms, He is living within us to make us more like Jesus! 

 There is a very good reason for us to feel ashamed when we sin, because it is needed to make us aware of the wrongs we have done, which is actually a much needed and important part of the salvation we have been given. If you feel ashamed, for any reason, it is most likely because the Holy Spirit is showing the darkness within your heart. When we feel that way, we need to know that there needs to be a correction in some part of our lives.

 Through experience, (hopefully not for long,) we can offend the Spirit by not letting Him guide and correct us; because He is a Gentleman, He will not try and force us to do what He wants. However! He is always working on getting you to move in the right direction...

"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:24-25 KJV)