#weread2016: Unashamed Review

Yes, I know that it is the year 2017. However, I read this book in 2016 and am slowly catching up on providing reviews for you, my friends! I first heard Christine Caine speak at the 2012 Passion conference and was immediately moved by her zeal for the Lord. This woman is the real deal, y'all. She knows the Word inside and out, she is real and vulnerable, and she gives you a reason to believe that God has a great plan for you right where you are. Her desire to set others free by working with those who are marginalized, overlooked, and abused is inspiring, and her words are never used without great consideration for how they will affect those upon whom they land.

I read Undaunted over the summer and absolutely loved it, so I knew that Unashamed wouldn't disappoint either. Unashamed: Drop the Baggage, Pick Up Your Freedom, Fulfill Your Destiny is not a book that is easily devoured. It packs a punch and goes straight to your soul. Christine writes about the power of shame- how it creeps in to every corner of our lives, us seemingly unaware yet deeply affected by its prowess. She explains how she lived for so many years telling others about the power of Jesus to set us free but could hardly believe it for herself.

This book is one that I will reference for years to come. Christine challenges the reader to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit within by allowing Him to speak truth into the dark corners that have been consumed by lies. Her honest writing is comforting and helps us to understand that even Christian "celebrities" have struggles, too. And yet within her struggles she exposes the light of hope that exists when we find ourselves at the feet of Jesus.

Fighting for our personal freedom from shame is a choice that we make, and we make it over and over and over again. And that's all right! This is expected from here until heaven, and there is no shame in this process- in this journey!

We all have walls to overcome- those seemingly impenetrable forces standing between us and our freedom from shame. They can be walls of sin, as my unforgiveness was, or a circumstance in our lives we have to emotionally and physically overcome- such as being a single mom, or suffering a great financial loss, or losing a job. Walls are anything that have the power to make us feel trapped in shame. They can be rooted in something we did or in something done to us. Either way, their sheer height and thickness make them ominous to us until that turning-point movement when we trust God like never before in that area-when we believe the power of his Word more than we believe in the power of our circumstances. 

Is shame something you struggle with each day? Do you struggle with not feeling good enough- ever? Do you want to find freedom and experience victory? I know that I can answer in the affirmative to all of those questions. And if you're like me, you will be encouraged by this book that points us to the only One who can bear our shame and give us freedom in all things.