November 15, 2007

• Rejection and Betrayal by Ellen Raimondo

  I went to a woman’s luncheon at Glory Oasis Fellowship, 1903 Route 44, Pleasant Valley, New York. The speaker was Ellen Raimondo. She told us that, besides the Bible, she used two source books Dealing with Rejection and the Praise of Man by Bob Sorge, and God’s Remedy for Rejection by Derek Prince.

  We have all faced rejection, whether it is hurtful words, negative attention, malicious assault, being ignored or any other form of rejection. The pain is real and rejection is at the root of many problems like substance abuse, rebellion, depression, divorce, poverty, child abuse, abnormal behavior, unwanted pregnancy, etc.

  God created us to feel accepted and we fight to maintain emotional closeness. Rejection wounds our minds, and often we refuse to focus on the rejection we are feeling, but we know it is there.

  Proverbs 15:13 A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken

  Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?

  Pain is compounded with broken trust, and it becomes betrayal. People then say that that is the last time that they will let another person hurt them. They build protective walls that trap them into a pattern of behavior that turns into a vicious circle. For they protect their outward self, and from that position they react to people in ways that end up making other people reject them again, which causes them to build up the protective wall. And the vicious cycle is formed.

  When you think about the negative it only aggravates the situation even more. Anger can be used to protect the heart. What is really needed is the Lord’s protection. There is no defense against love. Nothing else but love will work. Ask God to help you forgive and replace your walls with the Lord’s walls to protect you. Learning to respond well to rejection is a process.

  We read Psalm 51:6 in two translations, NKJV Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. and in the Amplified Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart.

  When you confess to God your anger and disappointment, and ask Him to forgive your ungodly anger, His grace will cleanse you. Knowing the truth about a relationship frees you from bondage to it. The Lord knows your inner pain because Jesus also experienced pain and rejection.

  Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

  John 1:11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

  John 15:18 If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

  Even if you are perfect (and only Jesus was perfect), you still can experience rejection. The more you become like Jesus, the more the world will reject you.

  Philippians 3:7-11 NKJV But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. We also read this passage in the Amplified But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [one combined] loss for Christ’s sake. Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One), And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith. [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

  Paul wanted to share in Jesus’ sufferings. King David was rejected – after he was anointed to be king, Saul rejected him, chasing him around the country trying to kill him – his own family never bothered to call David in from the field when Samuel came looking for a kingly person to anoint. His brothers mocked David when he came to bring food to them, saying that he was abandoning his duties as shepherd to have a glimpse at the battle. 1 Samuel 17:28  Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” David’s wife mocked David when he danced unashamedly before the Lord, and even his children plotted against Him. How did he process this? David would go to his secret place and worship and praise God.
  

  Bob Sorge says that Jesus is like Jeremiah. Jeremiah 15:10 AMP Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me to be a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither loaned, nor have men loaned to me, yet everyone curses me.

  Jeremiah 15:19 AMP Therefore thus says the Lord [to Jeremiah]: If you return [and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair], then I will give you again a settled place of quiet and safety, and you will be My minister; and if you separate the precious from the vile [cleansing your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God's faithfulness], you shall be My mouthpiece. [But do not yield to them.] Let them return to you–not you to [the people].

  Jeremiah had an awesome calling, but the price tag was rejection. The full impact of his rejection did not happen all at once. Even Jesus felt rejection that increased, and He asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?”  Jeremiah has earned a crown for His obedience, so has Jesus.

  We may not see the results of our obedience in our lifetime – but our children’s children’s children will. And in eternity we will celebrate our faith.

  God will permit rejection in our lives to train us up to be leaders. We need to maintain our hearts in humility and keep humble. Rejection is good for doing that.

  Instead of struggling, give thanks to God. and pray that He lets us understand the reason for what is going on in our lives.

  Luke 22:28 But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.

  When Jesus was rejected by all – by Judas, by the people that He came to, and even by the disciples during his trial, he never took offense or protected himself, and He was never ruined in his soul by the rejection. He would pray to God and get renewed.

  The acceptance of the Father can help bring contentment in the face of trials. We are fueled on the inside with His love. Then we can give His love to others regardless of what they are doing to us. He will raise us up as we give His love and obey His word.

  This teaching came as a word in season for me. I love it when God is working, but I have to be honest and tell you that pruning hurts.

  Have a blessed day,

  Heather

  • 6:07 pm
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