Devotional: spiraling in self blame and trauma
God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 john 4:16
What does God’s love have to do with trauma? What does His love have to do with self blame?
Self blame is a coping mechanism often rooted in trauma. While there are other reasons for self blame, if trauma is your cause, know that there is a strategy to overcome the negative mental habits you’ve built around your pain. Through scripture, we can find both understanding and healing.
What the bible says about condemnation
In biblical terms, self blame aligns with self condemnation—the belief that we deserve the hardships life throws at us, the mistreatment we experience, or even the sense that everything is somehow our fault (karma). How do we handle these moments when self blame feels overwhelming?
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to 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
This scripture plainly states that we are free of condemnation; we are free from blame because of the salvation of Jesus Christ. If God, who knows all, who creates all, who is above all, has freed us of blame, who are we to keep inflicting it on ourselves? To persist in self blame may indicate that we are not fully walking with Christ.
God’s solution to human flaws
For what the law could not do in that it was through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:3-4
The “law” here refers to human laws through government and policies, which is inherently flawed and will not always bring justice because it is man made. We can see where the law has failed us many times in today’s society, particularly with police brutality. God, who knows and sees the flaws, sent His son Jesus Christ, who is the likeness of God but in the form of a human, which is the likeness of sinful flesh.
Christ’s death serves as the ultimate condemnation for our sin, accomplishing what the law—which is supposed to be righteous, bring justice and protection—has failed us in. God redeems the law for those who walk not according to their own understanding, but in what God says is righteous in scripture. Thereby, we walk in the Spirit and not our own flesh.
The difference between walking in the flesh and walking in the Spirit
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:5-8
God’s word plainly gives us a protocol to follow in order to activate His law. His word also states how we can loose His presence and rescind His law from our lives—thereby leaving us vulnerable to the flawed justice system of the world. But we love Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior! The scriptures doesn’t state because we accept Jesus as our Savior that God’s law is active in our laws. No. Here, the scriptures clearly states that IF we WALK according to the SPIRIT, we activate God’s law.
For when we walk in the FLESH, it is ENMITY AGAINST GOD: to do what is right in our own minds, to seek an eye for an eye, to ignore what we know God states is righteous and instead do what we think is right according to our OWN minds. Enmity isn’t just passive resistance; it is active hostility.
Oh, but I love God! Yes, we may love God emotionally or in salvation, but if our thoughts and actions are not aligned with His Spirit, we are actively opposing Him, and therefore nullify His law in our lives.
Walking in the Spirit
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give you life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:9-11
First, we must have the Spirit of Christ within us.
What does this mean and how does this look? To truly walk in the Spirit means more than simply accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior; it’s walking in the same way as Him. His life and lessons in the New Testament are not just historical accounts—they are a blueprint for how we are called to live. Let us read, meditate, and pray for understanding.
For when Christ truly dwells within us—mind, body, and spirit—we reject the ways in which we used to live. Thereby, “the body is dead. But the Spirit is life.” And so, this Spirit within us is none other than the Holy Spirit, which “will also give you life” because it is the same Spirit, which is the “Spirit of Him, who raised Christ from the dead [and now] dwells in you.”
Prayer to overcome self blame
Father God in heaven, give us today our daily bread, which is your daily word for our lives. I pray we come to You humbly in repentance and supplication so that you hear our cries and answer when we seek You, Father God. May we become better students of Your word, through reading and meditation. May You anoint all those who read this post with the knowledge and discernment of Your laws and principles. Give them the blueprint, Father God, on how the teachings of Jesus Christ SPECIFICALLY apply to their own lives and circumstances. Teach us God of Your love, teach us God of your abundant mercies, teach us God how to humble ourselves to be anointed with the Holy Spirit. You are the Alpha and Omega, the Creator of all things plain and mysterious. Your laws are above the ones of the flesh and may Your laws release us from overbearing guilt and pain! May You release us from being hostage to the projection of others trauma, may You release us from the bondage of our own trauma! Let us ALL sacrifice the burdens that have become complacent in our hearts, that we refuse to give up. Let us be free from the fear of letting go our pain! Give us POWER, Father in heaven, to release us from all of fears! That our pain has given us comfort in the false promise of not getting hurt again. But You, God, are so gracious and so merciful and so loving that You protect us, and shield us under Your laws when we finally let go of our own ways. Cover us, from the crowns of our head to the soles of our feet with the blood of the almighty Jesus Christ.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
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About the Author: Coach Dee
Deborah Park, known as Coach Dee, is the owner of Drip Training LLC and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach with a background in architecture and kinesiology from the University of Virginia. With years of experience in physical therapy settings and fitness coaching, Coach Dee pairs her expertise with a steadfast commitment to honoring God in her work. Her faith is the foundation of her approach, helping individuals strengthen their bodies and renew their minds through biblical principles and disciplined action.
Coach Dee’s perspective is shaped by her own testimony of perseverance, including recovery from a life-altering car accident that led to PTSD and chronic pain. She now encourages others to overcome their trials by leaning on God's Word and His unwavering promises. Through her writing and coaching, she seeks to inspire readers to pursue strength, resilience, and a deeper relationship with Christ as they navigate life’s challenges.
