Hope of Glory Ministries

Overcoming Rejection

Eleven "R's" On The Road To Recovery

We need only look to the cross to see that Jesus is well acquainted with rejection. He was rejected by the very people he gave his life to save.

In looking at Jesus we see a King who humbled himself and laid down his life for those who mocked and scourged him. He was beaten almost beyond recognition. The hairs of his beard were pulled from his face and he was mocked and spat upon by the very people he came to save. He should have been bowed before, worshipped and revered, yet he endured this agony and humility for our sakes. Isaiah 53:3 - 9 speaks of this rejection.

Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

1) Receive God's Love

Christ's passion foretold

Isaiah 53:4-9 (KJV)

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

In the passage above we see that Jesus bore the penalties for us .The chastisement of our peace was upon him. For everything that we should have suffered was placed upon him to undo what Satan had caused and what had come upon mankind as a result of our sin.

On the cross as he died he cried out " Eli Eli lama sabacthani " Which means My God My God why hast thou forsaken me. For a short while there on the cross Jesus was forsaken, so that we would not be forsaken. He bore that burden for us, so we could be accepted of God. Jesus also asked that those who had done these things be forgiven for they knew not what they did.

After all of the rejection in my life, I looked to the cross and finally saw the love he had for me. It made all the difference in my life, to know that God loved me.

For many years as a child I was abused and suffered much rejection. Through out my youth and the early parts of my adult life I searched endlessly for Love and acceptance. I searched in all the wrong places and my hungry heart left me grasping at anybody who might love me or want me. Relationship after relationship ended in failure and I was convinced that surely I must be some kind of freak of nature that nobody would ever love. I spent years in an abusive relationship trying to be something my husband would love even to the point of not knowing who I really was. After being abused as a child and then as a young woman I became even more convinced that I was worthless. I was sure that nobody would ever love me, so sure in fact that before they had a chance to reject me I rejected them. My heart turned bitter and angry at the world which had been so cruel. My heart was so broken and wounded I wouldn't let anybody near me long enough to really be loved.

God has amazing ways of teaching us. There came appoint in my life one day during one of the most difficult struggles I had been in that an incident I had endured came flooding back to my mind. I remembered falling one day on the play ground at the daycare center where I had worked many years earlier . I was walking with a child and the child fell in front of me and tripped me. I had to land with all of my weight on one knee on the ground in the pea gravel to keep from falling on the child and injuring him. When I got up I saw how the fall had injured me and my knee had pea gravel imbedded in it. It was terribly painful, torn and bleeding. It needed cleaning badly lest I leave it to fester with infection. I cleaned it as best as I could but I could not get all of the dirt and gravel out of the wound, so I went to the doctor and had it cleaned. I thought the doctor would do a much better job than me and I wasn't so sure it didn't need stitches. When I got there he scrubbed my knee as though it were a raw potato. It hurt so bad I thought to push his hands away but I knew it needed cleaning, OUCH I was so mad at him, but it was necessary. I didn't realize it then but even at that point God was working on me to bring about my healing.

Then the Lord impressed upon me how my heart was like that knee. The falls and failures and rejection in my life had caused such injury to my heart that my heart was like my knee, full of things that needed to be removed no matter how painful. On the outside to the untrained eye I appeared to be a normal young adult, but on the inside I was a mess, and I knew it. My heart was broken and full of bitterness, rejection, fears, doubts and every negative thing you could imagine. I didn't trust anybody to love me because everybody in the past had failed me, or so I thought. I had come to the point in my life that no matter how hard I tried I could not accept love and was forever love starved. I was so afraid of being hurt again that I always had a "watchful" eye on those who "claimed" to love me. So watchful in fact that I started keeping a list of things that had been done to me by each person who claimed to love me. I was determined I would not be made a fool again. Pride had taken hold of me and I had made a bitter root judgment against people who hurt others. So I watched carefully for "signs" of deception and rejection regarding this ever evasive thing called love. When the list was full to the point I felt justified in claiming this person to be a traitor, I managed a way to push them out of my life. Purposefully destroying the relationship, often times with accusations of their failure to love me. I was totally ignorant of the fact that a lot of the problem was in me, as was a direct result of my insecurity and my fear that caused me to not be able to trust and receive love. Being terrified of being alone, I quickly grabbed on to somebody else in hope of finding the love I felt I so desperately needed and yet each time love had always seemed to evade me no matter how hard I sought after it. Each time I entered into a relationship, it was like putting a bandage over a festering wound that needed to be purged and cleansed. Time after time the wounds in my heart festered up and this ugliness would surface

God in his infinite wisdom had brought me to a point in my life where I was alone and had only him to look to for help. He had time and time again brought me to be alone, but each time I ran from Him unknowingly and looked to mankind for the solution to my problem. But mankind could not give me what I needed to be healed. Only the perfect Love of God could heal the wounds of my heart. I needed a love that would not fail me and never leave me. I needed a love that was always there even when I failed. I needed a perfect love and there was only one place to find that kind of love.

I remember being in church one day and a word from the Lord came that a woman in the church was being healed in her heart and I said within my self "I will be glad when the Lord heals me I am a mess" I didn't say it out loud but the woman in front of me turned around and she said to me "You are healed" and she told me of some other things God wanted me to know. This came by way of The Holy Ghost using the woman in the gifts of the Spirit. I surely didn’t feel healed never the less those words kept running through my mind. How could I be healed when I'm such a mess? I couldn't understand how the Lord could say such a thing when I was clearly a mess. I couldn't understand it all but the Lord had definitely gotten my attention. In the past I had always run from the Lord.....by looking to mankind and not to God whom I was not able to see. Look at this passage and see how Moses desires to see the glory of God.

Ex 33:11-23 (KJV)

11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. 12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. 15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. 17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. 21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: 23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Ex 33:11-23 (KJV)

Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord and God said stand here and you will see, but what if Moses had said in disbelief "no you will not come" and had left the cleft of the rock which the Lord had provided as a shelter for him. Do you think he would have seen the glory of the Lord if he had turned away and gone about his own way?If Moses had thought in his heart that God was not faithful and his word was not truth then he may have left and never seen the glory of the Lord. But God said STAND HERE and Moses obeyed the Lord and stood and saw the Glory of The Lord.

It is the Love of God,his mercy and his grace we need to see our hearts healed. If we stand where he tells us and look to him we can and will indeed behold the Glory of the Lord and see his love and mercy upon us that will bring healing to our hearts and minds.

As I began to say earlier the Lord in his infinite wisdom had brought me to a point in my life where I was alone and had only him to look to. I had to learn to trust in Him. In order for me to see the Glory of the Lord I had to stand still in the midst of the storm of my life and trust in him and look to him. I really had never looked at the Lord, never had seen his glory or his love. In an act of desperation I cried out to him to help me and to heal me and to change my life. God began to move in my life to show me how the enemy of my soul had sought to destroy me and to teach me how to over come that which had held me bound for so long.

At this point in my life I could not see how the rejections of the past had left such scars upon my heart ,
all I knew was that I was very lonesome and sad and couldn't understand why it seemed every where that I went hearts turned cold. I could not see how hungry my heart was to be loved, but others could see it and it was overwhelming to them. No person on the face of the planet could have loved me enough at this point to take away the pain in my heart. The Love of man will always fail at some point, not because man is not capable of love or because they refuse to love but because mankind is not perfect. As humans we will always make mistakes. It is unrealistic to think that a person could love you without ever letting you down at some point. No human being can love with a perfect love that will never fail.

2) Release Others from the debt that they owe.

Forgiveness is necessary in the healing process in fact it's the first step to recovery.

There was only one who could love me like I needed to be loved and that was Jesus. But as I had done in the past I found my self trying to earn his love. But no mater how hard I tried I knew I wasn't good enough. And Satan used this to the fullest extent to try to steal my joy. Being angry at the world and those who had hurt me, and my sinful behavior as a result of my wrong thinking and bad attitude had opened the door for demons to torment me and harass me. My failure to forgive others had left me wide open for attack.

Look at the parable of the unforgiving servant.

Matt 18:21-35 (KJV) 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Often God uses parables of things in the natural to teach of things in the spiritual. In this parable the Lord says that we too would be turned over to the tormenters, in this he is speaking of spiritual torment.

God has forgiven us who have accepted him as our Lord and have asked him into our hearts. But he says to us if we do not forgive then we won't be forgiven. So when Jesus defeated hell so we could be forgiven, Satan lost his right to accuse and torment. Likewise when we refuse to forgive the enemy gains an advantage to get his foot in and develop a stronghold.

Un-forgiveness is the open door.

We often hear ministers and laymen alike say I bind this devil and I loose this thing or that thing because the bible says that Jesus has given us the keys to the kingdom of heaven to bind and to loose. Look at Matthew again :

Mt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Mt 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.(KJV)

This passage shows us that by our own actions we bind and loose things in the spirit realm. In other words your actions affect how things go in the spirit realm. When there is unforgivenes in your heart toward others it looses torment in the spirit realm to come and bind you.

1Jo 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Along with torment there is fear. When you love and forgive others it binds up torment and looses peace.

Typically when there is un-forgiveness there is also bitterness. Look at what the bible says about bitterness.

Heb 12:14-15 (KJV)
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

James3:14-18(KJV)
14But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.(KJV)

Envy and strife is the result of un-forgiveness, it brings with it every evil thing and opens the door for confusion. But if we walk as the Lord would have us to walk we will be merciful to those around us, even those who have hurt us. When we forgive, we loose mercy upon ourselves. That is why the bible tells us to pray for our enemies.

Matthew5: 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (KJV)

Romans12: 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.(KJV)

Look here in Corinthians what Paul writes to the Church at Corinth

2 Cor 2:10-11 (KJV)

10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

A Warning to you who refuse to forgive.

In my times of ministry to others I often meet people who have been severely abused and rejected by people that were supposed to have loved them. When I tell them they need to forgive often times they will say to me some of the following things.

1) “I cannot forgive them because what they did was wrong.”

2) “If I forgive them that’s like saying that what they did was ok, and it is not ok.

3) They were wrong to do this to me, so why should I forgive them.”,

4) “They were wrong to hurt me like that, I hope they go to hell.”

I would like to take some time now to address those types of comments.

First of all we need to recognize the fact that of course it is wrong to hurt others. If it weren’t wrong they would not need to be forgiven. Forgiving somebody does not negate the fact that what they did was wrong, but it releases them from the debt they owe us. Releasing them from the debt allows us to remove the anger and bitterness from our hearts that we have toward them. Often I hear people say “I hope that person ends up in hell for what they did to me”. Wow what an evil heart full of bitterness to say such a thing. Have you ever really considered just what all that entails. Somebody hurt you, maybe it was a one time occasion maybe it was abuse that lasted many years and now your angry full of bitterness you desire this person to be tormented in a lake of fire forever. Your heart is full of hatred toward that person, and you wish they were dead and burning in hell for what they did. Look at the following scriptures concerning your hatred.

1John 2:9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

1John 2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

Hatred blinds the eyes of mankind so that he cannot see his own evil heart.

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

1John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

The bible says if you hate others, you are a murderer,that makes you like the one who hurt you or worse. After all in your heart you’ve desired them to burn in hell. Is that not far worse than what was done to you?

Matthew 7:1

1 ¶ Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

James 5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

1John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

(KJV)

If we hold hatred in our hearts toward our fellow man the bible says the following about you.

1) You are a murderer

2) You are a liar

3) You are a hypocrite

4) You are in darkness

5) You do not love God

Forgiveness is the solution to the problem.

The bible commands us to love one another,

1John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Could you imagine standing at the foot of the cross and seeing Jesus hanging on the cross as he was dying and tell Jesus that you will not forgive those who hurt you even though he was dying to forgive them, but that he should forgive you because you had not done what they had done? Is desiring a person to die and go to hell less than what has been done to you?

3) Recognize the attacks of the enemy.

Nobody really likes to hear it but there are spirits of bitterness, anger and rejection. I speak of demons. As much as we would like to believe they don't exist the fact of the matter is they do and they are very much active in the world today. Unseen by mankind , Satan and his demons walk about seeking whom they may devour, and the way he does it is by opening up a doorway to enter in and torment us in our minds and to harass us in our lives. And yes contrary to what some may believe a CHRISTIAN can have a demon. Look at what the bible says about the enemy.

4) Resist the devil.

Be vigilant and resist the devil in faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV)

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

What I want you to see here is that while mankind may have rejected us at one time or another in our lives, we must be willing to forgive them lest we open ourselves up to be harassed by the enemy. Many miserable people are harassed by negative thoughts in their minds that aren't even their own thoughts. One of the ways the enemy attacks us is in our thought life. Holding on to bitterness and unforgiveness and not letting go of the pain in our lives is like sewing up a wound full of puss and infection. It will only grow more ugly and foul as time passes. Sooner or later it becomes like poison to us and we suffer as a result. Satan takes great delight in sending his demons to you to whisper reminders of painful things in our minds and to tell us that nobody wants us or loves us and that it will always be that way. THIS IS TORMENT. Satan is a liar and a thief and a murderer and if allowed he will talk you into such a pit of despair that you may not be able to see that you have the ability to get out. That is what he is hoping for. His sole purpose is to destroy whom he can, to drive people to suicide if he can. Many are driven to early graves and even to the very gates of hell by listening to the enemy in their minds and by agreeing to him and his lies.

You know a demon could sit and whisper in your mind and tell you all manner of ugliness and drive you into an early grave with it all if you allowed him. That's why the verse says he walks about seeking whom he MAY devour. He May devour you if you let him, by agreeing to him, and if you don't recognize the attacks. Agreeing to the negative things the enemy speaks to our minds is the same as giving place to the enemy.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Prov 4:23 (KJV)

1 Peter 1:13-15 (KJV)

13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Ok Now we see the enemy attacks and harasses us in our minds speaking tormenting thoughts into our minds. What Now? You may ask.

5) Rule Over your thought life by bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus.

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Prov 25:28 (KJV)

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

2 Cor 10:4-5 (KJV)

What the enemy would have us to believe is certainly contrary to what God would want us to believe. The lies the enemy speaks are in direct opposition to the Truth that God teaches us through his word. These lies and lying demons exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. Such things must be cast out and cast down. In order for us to put an end to the enemies lies we must know the truth.

For the longest time the enemy harassed me literally sending me in to a spiral of depression with his lies. A spirit of rejection had taken hold of me and harassed me continually with thoughts of how I had been rejected and how I had not been wanted, this demon along with a spirit of self pity( they work in gangs ) literally drove me into the valley of despair. But I had been studying God’s word and reading my bible, learning of who I am in Christ and I came across this scripture.

Eph 1:4-7 (KJV)

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

When I saw this it pleased me to know God had accepted me. Whose opinion could mean more or be more important than his? Of all the levels of acceptance that could be obtained, was there any higher than to be accepted of God. If God had accepted me, why then should it worry me what man had thought of me? God loved me and I knew it. He had accepted me. Some time after that a member of my family told me I was worthless as a bag of rocks. The words burned in my heart but, but I comforted my self with the knowledge of God's love and said within my self , " You may think I am worthless but God does not and his opinion is certainly far better than yours, and his is true. God does not make mistakes! "And with this knowledge of God’s love I was comforted. I had shielded my heart with faith in God's Love. Then again later came another time when this same spirit tried to attack me from within, in my thought life and for a while I had begun to listen to the negative thoughts in my mind, agreeing to them and becoming sad and bitter. But then I realized what was happening. I realized it was actually a spirit speaking thoughts to my mind that sounded like my own thoughts. What a deceptive trick the devil had played on me, but he was no longer hidden.

6) Rebuke the enemy

Once I realized this was the voice of my enemy, I used the word of God to defeat him. I said to that spirit of rejection and self pity. NO, I am not rejected , I am accepted in the beloved. God has chosen me and he is my father, he is my family now. I am adopted, chosen, wanted, loved and accepted. Then I said to it to leave me in the name of Jesus. Those thoughts have not overwhelmed me since. Though at times the spirit did come back and try to regain his foothold I continued to resist him. Look at this verse.

James 4:7 (KJV)

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

When Jesus was taken up in the wilderness to be tempted of the devil , each time, Jesus resisted the devil’s lies and used the word of God to defeat the devil. After a while the devil saw that he could not win or gain a foothold with Jesus so he left for a season. Jesus used the word of God like a sword to cut the devil to pieces. In the face of Gods truth Satan's lies cannot stand, nor can they remain hidden. Once the lies of the enemy are exposed they are useless against us because we know it simply isn't true. We do have a choice in the matter we can choose to believe God's truth or the devils lies. When Satan flings those fiery hurtful arrows of rejection .What we believe affects how we respond and our response determines the effect it will have upon us.

Luke 4:1-13 (KJV)

1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down

from hence:

10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

7) Restructure Our priorities

Too many times we place too much importance on what man thinks of us, rather than on what God thinks of us. Let us become more focused on the ways and will of God setting our eyes upon him always and looking to him as our hope knowing that what God has begun in us he will continue.

8) Renew your view

It is necessary for us to have a proper perspective of what is happening in our lives. The effects of abuse and rejection in a person’s life can have a devastating effect and typically tend to recur over and over again in a person’s life adding injury upon injury. This cycle must be stopped. To stop this cycle we must first be able to recognize it and understand what is happening.

Just as a physical wound leaves the flesh in a hypersensitive state so also do emotional wounds of abuse and rejection. To touch a person in an area where they have been wounded physically often brings about great pain to an already wounded part. This can be true in the emotions as well, if healing has not occurred. Once that area is healed the normal touch would not bring pain. To a person who suffers from rejection any further rejection only serves to compound the injury, if that person has not learned to deal with rejection and received healing in this area of their lives. We will all face rejection at some point in our lives, but it does not have to be a devastating thing.

I say all this to bring out this point. One of the biggest difficulties in over coming rejection is not allowing that hypersensitive state to take over and cause us to have wrong perceptions when it comes to interpreting and understanding the actions of other people. This heightened stated of sensitivity or awareness is a defensive attitude toward others that often cause us to misunderstand and misinterpret the actions of other people.

Have you ever seen a dog that has been beaten with the hand? If you raise your hand to such a dog or move too quickly it will expect to be hit and will cower or flinch or react as though you were the villain, even though you had no intentions of bringing harm to the dog. The dog is simply relying on his past experience to protect him, yet because of it he is now in a hypersensitive state that causes him to be easily frightened and offended. His fear causes him to often misinterpret or misjudge the intentions of others. People are much the same.

I had a room mate for a time who had suffered a lot of rejection in her life. She and I both had computers and enjoyed fellowship with others online. For a time my office was located in the room adjacent to the living room. At one point we took in a friend who had become homeless. Our friend slept in the room next to the computer. The sleep schedules of our friend conflicted with mine and the location of the computer had become a problem. I chose to relocate the computer into another room that was somewhat secluded away from everybody else. My room mate who had been rejected so many times became convinced that my actions were aimed at her and that I had rejected her as my friend. For several days she was very ugly to me and the tension in the house was so thick you could cut it with a knife. It finally erupted in an outburst of emotion.

Time and time again this scenario was repeated due to improper perceptions on her part. My innocent actions were perceived improperly and I was looked at as being the villain in her life.

It is necessary to understand that this state of hypersensitivity can cause one to improperly judge the actions of others. Many of the wounds of rejection we receive are the direct result of our own actions, based on wrong perceptions of the actions, and motives of others. My friend had become convinced that I had wrong motives for moving my desk and computer. She was sure that I was rejecting her and as a result she accused me of attitudes and motives I did not have. She attacked my integrity as a friend and looked at me as though I was the villain in her life. In other words, she had rejected me.

REJECTION BEGETS REJECTION

Such misunderstandings can really place a strain and even destroy friendships and relationships of other kinds. In fact the effects of rejection just like this have a tendency to spill over into all of our relationships. This very kind of situation occurring in our relationships has the effect of driving people away from us and literally causes us to be rejected. When we have an improper perspective of the actions of others, our demand for constant reassurance becomes like a ball and chain around those we love and desire to have in our lives. For example a wife or husband who has unresolved issues of rejection will often have difficulty when they are not included in everything the other spouse does. The other spouse becomes possessive and jealous and misinterprets the actions of the other, and refuses to allow any freedom. Any attempt to have time alone or time away with other friends is usually wrongfully perceived as rejection. This wrong perception causes one to need constant reassurance of ones love and acceptance, which makes the natural affection usually given to another into an arduous task that has no end. It drains the other person and causes horrible frustration in the one wrongfully accused. The rejected becomes the rejecter. Jealousy always inflicts and tries to destroy the object of its own desire.

To stop this cycle we must endeavor to renew our view of others and of ourselves and rightly interpret the actions and motives of others.

9) Regain your security

It is imperative that you understand who you are in Christ. One of the most dangerous things people do is rely on the opinions of others to determine their self worth. We ride the emotionally roller coaster of low self esteem. If people are nice to us and speak well of us were happy, but if they speak ill of us were likely to hate ourselves be depressed and sad and want to throw in the towel because of their opinions of who we are. Sadly enough many do throw in the towel for this very reason. Suicide is a selfish last ditch effort to show the world how angry we are because of the problems we face in life and is often done out of spite toward somebody who has rejected us.

A jilted lover, or some other wounded soul, who views the world as cruel and life as hopeless may often resort to such extreme measures to find a “solution” to end their problems. Unfortunately the problems don’t end there. Suicide is a permanent, irreversible, illogical and selfish response to a temporary problem that shatters the lives of friends and family members. Those who fail at the attempt often end up paralyzed, maimed, brain damaged, and scarred for the rest of their lives. Those who succeed in suicide after tragically ending their life here on earth find that life does not end by leaving the body on this earth. We are spiritual beings and our spirits will continue to live after we leave our earthly body. The only destination for those who leave their body by way of death is heaven or hell. Is suicide forgivable? God only knows. I’m reminded of Esau who for a morsel traded his heritage and there was no repentance found for him though he sought it with many tears.

The danger is in allowing others to have such an impact on our opinions of who we are. To allow others to determine our self worth puts us at risk in many ways and keeps us on a constant roller coaster ride of turmoil and allows others to control us with their opinions. Why? The reason is because the world is full of people. People are imperfect and often full of sin and there are many wounded people in the world who sometimes find it necessary to stand on the backs of others to lift themselves up at your expense. Wounded dogs often bite when you try to help them and so do wounded people. And no matter how good a person you are, there will always be somebody that doesn’t like you. Look at Jesus, He is perfect and yet many have rejected and misunderstood his love, his motives and his heart. If they rejected him who is perfect, how can you expect to be accepted by all who meet you when you are imperfect? If mankind cannot always accept that which is perfect then how can we expect mankind to always accept that which is imperfect. Truth is we can’t. It is unrealistic to think that we won’t ever be rejected at some point in our lives.

John 15:18 ¶ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

You must have realistic expectations when it comes to other people and even when it comes to you. The bible tells us we will have tribulations and trials. We must be able to face these things when they come, without relying on the opinions of mankind to get us through.

John 8:31 ¶ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

The word of God tells us in John 8:31-32 that we must continue in God’s word so that we may know the truth. The truth of Gods word, not mans opinion is what is going to set you free.

Your security cannot rest in the hands of man, it must be found in the eyes of God.

We must look to God to determine our self worth. Only God knows us as we truly are. He knows every fault, every failure and every thought we have, yet he still loves us. Apparently Jesus thought we were worth dying for. The bible contains numerous passages and scriptures that speak of who we are in Christ. It is necessary that we build our opinion of our selves based on what God says is true about us. We are all God’s workmanship. Not one of us has created our selves. We are a work in progress. God sees things differently than we do. He sees them from before their beginning all the way to the end. While we cannot see the finished product God can. Let’s face it, there will come a day when each of us will stand before God. On this day the opinions of mankind concerning you won’t matter one bit. On this day the only opinion that will matter is God’s opinion. I use the word opinion here rather loosely because to tell the truth God has no ”opinion” in his mind and heart concerning you, but what he does have in his mind and heart concerning you is absolute truth. There’s no two ways about it. What exists in the mind of God concerning you is truth. God does not lie, is not fooled and is never wrong. He judges with righteous judgment, therefore what he has in his mind concerning you is true and any opinion you or anybody else has that is contrary to or opposite of God’s is untrue and incorrect.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

The word of God has many passages that will give you insight as to who and what you really are.

Look here

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Do you want the Lord to reveal himself to you? He says in John 14 :21 that he will manifest himself to us if we love him and keep his commandments.

John 15:9 ¶ As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

John 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

If you ever doubt God’s love for you just look to the cross. You will find God’s love there on the cross.

) Repeat these steps

Yes I said repeat. Satan is very persistent in his attempts to destroy us, to bring us down to the depths of despair. If he thinks he can he will attempt again to regain his foothold by seeking a way to re enter and take up residence again. He knows your weaknesses and if he knows you are weak in your mind or your heart in an area of your life he will continue to try to get to you this way. When the spirit of rejection is ousted and kicked out he will seek to regain his place. If he cannot do this by attacking from within (by way of other spirits, i.e. self pity etc.) then he will attempt to regain entry by way of an outside source. In other words he will stir up strife or hatred and anger in others around you who are not able to refrain from such things. He will attempt to use others around you to bring hurt or emotional pain and rejection. Then he will wait for you to respond bitterly and accept this rejection and let it get to you then he will have his foothold again. Falling into agreement and responding improperly to the lies and negative thoughts regarding rejection is what opens the door for the spirit to enter.

If you don't believe me just try it. Follow the steps above pray and forgive all who have hurt you. Cast out the devil and see if he won’t try to return.

10 Look at this passage.

Eph 6:10-17 (KJV)

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

We wrestle against the enemy. Like it or not we are in a spiritual war with the forces of darkness. We cannot continue to go blindly through our lives being tossed about every time somebody fails to accept us. We must continue to wrestle until finally Satan sees he cannot gain ground in the battle. As you wrestle, if you continue to keep your eyes focused on the Lord and seek after truth, you will be strengthened in each skirmish with the enemy. After a time you will be strong and the enemies attempts to bring injury will simply slide off as they hit your shield of faith and will be of no effect. You will come to a point in your life where you will know that as long as you have the Lord’s Love in your life nothing else matters. When the enemy sees he can no longer produce the desired effect in your life, he will cease striving with you and move on. Satan is a created being and he has a limited number of demons with which to work. He cannot afford to waste his resources on things that gain no ground. This is why if you resist the devil he will flee. Aside from this when you submit your self unto God and walk in obedience to him while resisting the enemy, the devil has no grounds on which he may stay and continue to harass you.

11) REST AND PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD

God’s desire is that we trust in him and that we enter into his rest and have peace and joy in our lives. Look what Jesus said in John 14:27

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

(KJV)

Receive the Love of God

Release others from debts to you (forgive)

Recognize the attacks of the enemy

Resist the devil and he will flee

Rule over your thought life

Rebuke the enemy

Restructure priorities

Renew your view

Regain your security

Repeat

Rest

As I wrote earlier, it is imperative that we know who we are in Christ . For this purpose I have included the following list of scriptures to help you identify who you are in Christ.

Who Am I?

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (NKJ) Who I Am In Christ:

1. I am Redeemed (Rev 5:9)

2. I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:20)

3. I am Blood bought (1 Pet 1:19, Rev 5:9)

4. I am valuable to God (Mt 10:31)

5. I am one in which God has an inheritance (Eph 1:18)

6. I am reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:18)

7. I am made clean (Jn 13:10)

8. I am saved by the Gospel (1 Cor 15:2)

9. I am born again of incorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23)

10. I am a new creation (2 Cor 5:17)

11. I am in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:30)

12. I am complete in Him (Col 2:10)

13. I am free from the control of man (1 Cor 9:19)

14. I am free from sin (Romans 6:18,22)

15. I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2)

16. I am free from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13)

17. I am free indeed (John 8:32-36)

18. I am called according to His purpose (Rom 8:30)

19. I am called into the fellowship of His Son (1 Cor 1:9)

20. I am called to peace (1 Cor 7:15)

21. I am called to liberty (Gal 5:13)

22. I am called to His eternal glory (1 Peter 5:10)

23. I am God's field (1 Cor 3:9)

24. I am God's building (1 Cor 3:9)

25. I am a branch connected into the Vine Jesus Christ and His life flows through me (John 15:5)

26. I am healed from every infirmity (1 Peter 2;24, Isaiah 53:5)

27. I am immune from every sickness and disease (Ex 23:25, Deut 7:15)

28. I am an epistle of Christ, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God (2 Corinthians 3:3)

29. I am Christ's (1 Cor 3:23)

30. I am the Friend of God (Jn 15:15)

31. I am a servant of God (1 Cor 9:19)

32. I am a part of the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)

33. I am one of the saints in Christ Jesus. (Romans 1:6, Galatians 3:28)

34. I am a fellow citizen with all the saints in the Kingdom of God (Eph 2:19)

35. I am the temple of the Lord and the Holy Spirit dwells within me (1 Cor 3:16, 6:19, 2 Cor 6:16, John 14:7)

36. I am Abraham's seed (Galatians 3:29)

37. I am an heir according to the promises made to Abraham. (Galatians 3:29)

38. I am part of a chosen generation (1 Peter 2:9)

39. I am a member of a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)

40. I am a citizen of a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9)

41. I am one of His own special people (1 Peter 2:9)

42. I am an heir of God a joint heir with Jesus Christ (Gal 4:7)

43. I am member of the household of God (Eph 2:19)

44. I am a child of the most high God (Rom 8:16, Gal 3:26, Gal 4:7)

45. I am a child of light (Ephesians 5:8, 1 Thess 5:8)

46. I am a child of the day (1 Thess 5:8)

47. I am a proclaimer of the praises of Him who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)

48. I am light in the Lord. (Eph 5:8)

49. I am the light of the world (Matt 5:14)

50. I am the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13)

51. I am blessed in the city and in the country (Deut 28:3)

52. I am the Father/Mother of blessed children (Deut 28:4)

53. I am blessed in all I lay my hands to (Deut 28:4-5,8)

54. I am blessed when I come in and when I go out (Deut 28:6)

55. I am invincible before my enemies (Deut 28:7)

56. I am the head and not the tail (Deut 28:13)

57. I am above and not beneath (Deut 28:13)

58. I am a lender not a borrower (Deut 15:6, 28:12)

59. I am strong in the Lord (1 John 2:14)

60. I am one in whom the word of God abides (1 John 2:14)

61. I am one who has overcome the wicked one (1 John 2:14)

62. I am rich in Him (Romans 8:32, Rev 2:9)

63. I am gifted with powerful gifts from the Holy Ghost (1 Cor 12:4-11)

64. I am a believer in Jesus Christ therefore I am one who casts out demons in His Name (Mark 16:17)

65. I am one who speaks with new tongues (Mark 16:17)

66. I am one who has power over serpents (Mark 16:18)

67. I am one who cannot be poisoned (Mark 16:18)

68. I am one who lays hands on the sick, so that they will recover (Mark 16:18)

69. I am one who loves (Gal 5:22, 1 John 4:16)

70. I am one who has joy (Gal 5:22, John 15:11)

71. I am one who has peace (Gal 5:22, John 14:27)

72. I am one who has patience (Gal 5:22)

73. I am one who has kindness (Gal 5:22)

74. I am one who has goodness (Gal 5:22)

75. I am one who has faith (Gal 5:22)

76. I am one who has gentleness (Gal 5:23)

77. I am one who has self-control (Gal 5:23)

78. I am one who has all the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22,23)

79. I am one who has the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16)

80. I am led by the Spirit of God (Gal 5:18)

81. I am chosen (1 Cor 1:27,28, James 2:5)

82. I am a disciple (John 8:31)

83. I am a priest (1 Peter 2:9, Rev 1:6)

84. I am a king (Rev 1:6)

85. I am an ambassador for Christ (1 Cor 5:20)

86. I am an intercessor who stands in the gap (Ezek 22:30)

87. I am a watchman on the wall (Ezek 3:17)

88. I am baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4)

89. I am endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49)

92. I am one who has overcome (1 Jn 4:4)

93. I am one who has been freely given all things through Christ (Rom 8:32, 1 Cor 3:21)

94. I am one who can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13)

95. I am one God always leads in triumph in Christ (2 Cor 2:14)

96. I am one God gives the victory to through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:57)

97. I am one who has within him the One who is greater than he that is in the world. (1 Jn 4:4)

98. I am one who treads upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent I trample underfoot (Ps 91:13)

99. I am one who can run through a troop and leap over a wall (Ps 18:29)

100. I am a soldier of Christ (2 Tim 2:3-4)

101. I am a royal horse in the day of battle (Zech 10:3)

102. I am fully armed with weapons that are mighty through God (2 Cor 10:5)

103. I am more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37)

104. I am able to pull down strongholds (2 Cor 10:5)

105. I am able to cast down imaginations and every high lofty thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:5)

106. I am able to bring into captivity every thought (2 Cor 10:5)

107. I am a stranger to this world, a pilgrim just passing through (Heb 11:13)

108. I am a witness (1 Thess 2:10)

109. I am bold (2 Cor 11:21)

110. I am the Bride of Jesus Christ (Rev 21:2-10)

111. I am jealous for the saints with a godly jealousy. (2 Corinthians 11:2)

112. I am a minister of the Gospel of Christ (2 Cor 11:23, Romans 1:16)

113. I am not my own (1 Cor 6:19)

114. I am not of this world (John 15:9)

115. I am not under the law (Gal 5:18)

116. I am not a slave (Gal 4:7)

117. I am not inferior (Job 13:2)

118. I am not alone (John 8:16, 16:32)

119. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ (Rom 1:16)

120. I am not ashamed of who I am (2 Tim 1:12)

The End