Alright dudes, lemme have it.
You just heard a big throw down on the subject of Rejection, not to mention being inspired by Gollum's self-deliverance. So, what are your insights and comments? Come and let us reason together, snoop.
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i read your blog yesterday and thought, "i truly feel like i'm God's favorite, really, i do. and i have parents that really built into and loved me and had a pretty overall great life so rejection is not in me at all", but as you talked, this dude is really far reaching, and i realized there was some crapola that i have received, and has modified my behavior to a degree, keeping me from living life to the full and receiving MY appointed Sonship. being wise to the enemy's scheme's, and being in Christ to fight them, is amazingly freeing.
ReplyDeletefor me, rejection has manifested itself in small ways, but mostly, i see it trying to attack my marriage with my taking offense to things that don't amount to a hill of beans or that i just make up. i also see myself picking fights with my wife about stupid stuff -- but i realize that's not me. so, i repented of this stuff to T last night, and just want to stay on guard (be aware of the enemy's schemes) to NOT receive this any more so I can also have the appointed fullness in my marriage!
i'm just kinda spillin to start conversations, but something else i realized is that a lot of times i'm slow to start a project at work if (i) a certain person/team will be "judging" it, or (ii) if i've never done something before. And the only reason for this is i'm scared of rejection. when i do this, it puts stress on my system b/c i'm running behind or nervous, soooo, no longer do i receive this fear of being judged and rejected at work. i'm done with that!
rejection is always going to be all over the place, so, as Stevie was saying, i think the best defense is just basking in the LORD through worship AND by hiding His sweet words ABOUT ME, His son, so that i know that the Word of the Lord that NEVER FAILS AND WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED is written about and for me. that's sweet, Jesus. you are a true Lover, Healer, and Father.
Ding Ding Ding...we have a winner. I'm glad we dug into Rejection last night. I have seen it in my life and have had people around me tell me the same thing. The enemy had made me feel like powerless with his lies and schemes. No more. Let's try that in all caps...NO MORE!!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, thanks to Dave Schuster for his graphic visualization of what I will LOVE to have my Daddy due to Rejection for me. Never has there been such joy in a decapitation.
Just want to hit on one point (at least in this comment)...
I have all the obvious signs - my parents got a divorce when I was 12, 16 year-old brother ran away from home the year before, Mom forced to work more and not be around as much, broken engagement, and many, many more.
One seemingly innocent story about my birth in California came to mind. I was about 10 days late, so my mom's parents headed to the Rose Bowl parade on Jan 1 in Pasadena. Of course, I was born while they were there.
I mean, it's a funny little story, but who knows what my mom was feeling and what she passed to me. Whether there is something to this specific instance or not, I can safely say I reject that.
bc
some GREAT receive stuff: http://www.stevemanuel.net/Steven_Manuel/Extras..html
ReplyDeleteGo to the very bottom left-hand corner of the page and follow the instructions at "Receive"
Adam: I have no doubt you think of yourself as God's favorite! Ha! But yes, it gets on all of us. My biggest, most common sin in this area is giving my wife too much power to hurt me (power she's not built to handle!) and I look to HER for affirmation and "you're doing a good job" and deep emotional nurturing. It's not good. That stuff has to come from the LORD alone. Then we can bring that security and confidence to our wives. If we don't, then we'll always be powerless wieners when it comes to our wives: we won't lead, we won't correct, and we won't do anything she doesn't like, because we're so needy for their approval. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteBrett- I think you're on to something! Keep going, and let God redeem all those negative stories so that they turn into testimonies of God's goodness and rescuing heart toward you!
Steven - I love this reminder, thank you. If I look to my wife for approval, I'm going to be a bad sheppard. As you've said before, Jesus never asks his disciples "how am i doin'?", instead, He asked the Father!
ReplyDeletei was talking to my friend PJ at lunch the other day (who is not part of this group but has been through this stuff and he's down with it), and i was trying to share my life with him as we communed, and it hit me as i was talking to him, that:
ReplyDeleteIt feels like every time the LORD is leading me out of something, into more freedom or closer to Him, the enemy attacks my marriage. It's never anything HUGE, but as I walk out in anything, ALMOST THE FIRST THING that happens is accusation (usually) will come out of my mouth or want to come out of my mouth or i will be offended by something. i hate it and as soon as it happens i'm like "ugh, what is going on, this is so dumb and trivial".
now, i feel like i can see it, so, i can knock it down, refuse to receive it, refuse to act on it, AND instead react in the power of Jesus and the power of love. i just need to be aware of this stuff.
i love my marriage and feel really secure in it, so, i hate when unloving stuff comes out of me. i don't receive and i want no part of it. i want UNITY not division.
no comment necessary, but as mentioned many times before on this blog, i think the devil loves to attack marriage, so a head's up.
Real life lesson in rejection for me last night. Rewind to week 1: bitterness. Hey, I don't have any bitterness, I'm that guy that can't stand to have anyone mad at me. (reject much?) The only guy that came to mind was my stepdad - the only person on God's green earth who can turn my stomach in knots. Aside from never accepting me as a son from the age of 3, watching him verbally and physically abuse my family was enough to harbor up plenty of bitterness for him over the years. I forgave him, repented, and blessed him that he would be a better father that I could ever imagine. Fast forward to last night, my sisters graduation. I hadn't seen the guy in a couple months - not since my mom "thought" about leaving him - to which I offered full support. Needless to say, I was nervous about how it would go. Upon sitting down, I leaned over, hand extended, with a warm hello. He ignored my gesture, and looked away. Looks like rejection to me. The whole ceremony I couldn't think of anything but this. If there's anyone that I can't stand, it's this guy - and yet I can't STAND to not have his acceptance. On the way to the car, the memory verse popped into my head - Though my (step) father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Yes. Repeating this bad boy a few times was like taking pepto after Chipotle. On the way home, I turned the radio down, and prayed with my wife - against a spirit of rejection that would seek acceptance from anyone but my heavenly father, and also for rejecting my wife's unending love that I, until now, never understood how I had a hard time receiving. It's his kindness that leads us to repentance. And man is he kind.
ReplyDeleteSteve, did you record more teaching goodness missed by those who had to duck out at 9? If so, is it available to download? Just wonderin'
ReplyDeleteI did, DVal. It's at http://www.stevemanuel.net/Steven_Manuel/Mens_Strongholds.html
ReplyDeleteYou'll see a "strongholds" button- that MP3 is the whole teaching (cleverly edited so that it's seamless), so you might jump to about 45 minutes in to get the new stuff. There's another button for Dora's story, and a 3rd for the Receiving Sonship worship time.
GREG!!!! I love stories like this one because you're learning how to walk out your repentance. This is what renewing your mind looks like: developing new, Spirit-led ways of dealing with stuff that comes along. I am so pleased for you. Keep blessing your step-father (who has alllll SORTS of rejection of his own, I can assure you), and keep receiving your little wife's sweet love! Love works miracles, as we'll be talking about in the next lecture...
Hey Group,
ReplyDeleteWhere in Scripture does the Lord tell us that in rest and repentence is our salvation?
Also, anyone know some truths to replace the lies that the spirit of poverty spews at us?
Gracias.
I'm checking out (greatbiblestudy.com) right now to get some perspective on the spirit of poverty.
ReplyDeleteMy thought is that the enemy wants to sully God's great name. He is generous and loving beyond imagination.
Matthew 7:9-11 hits on this...
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
This says our Father does not hold back when it comes to blessings. I can only surmise a spirit of poverty says things along the lines of, "Look what God gave you...nothing", and "You have nothing because you are not worthy, or you sinned, or you're guilty, or any number of accusations."
Satan tries to twist our minds to think we have gotten what we deserved, or we have to work harder.
Romans 8:13-21 BABY!!! We're Sons, we're co-heirs with Jesus. I mean, co-heirs. It's who we are by birth. Can't do nothing to change that...so we just have to RECEIVE it.
Satan likely does the, "yeah, but that doesn't include you, because you did (fill in the blank)".
Let's see, the father of lies, the accuser, I'm going to call that bunk, have my heavenly Father take that lie out back and decapitate it.
Ironically, we don't get what we deserve...we get SO MUCH MORE!!!
And another thing...satan (I love using a lower-case "s" for him) had me doubting whether I was capable to post a response. Maybe I don't know enough, don't know the Bible well enough.
ReplyDeleteAgain, all I have to say is Romans 8:13-21 BABY!!! Yes, I soaked it in, marinated in it's deliciousness today.
So anyone else who feels prompted to post something, then feels like they have no business doing so, I say "Poppycock". Yes, I say "Poppycock" to that.
Bring the good word brothers.
Shoe: that passage is Isaiah 30:15-18.
ReplyDeleteBrett: great stuff! Your input and observations about the Bible are as valid as anyone's. We need your perspective!
OOOOOOOOUUUUUU!!!!
ReplyDeleteI just got back from our small group, and MAN, does it feel grrrrreaaaat to be prayed over by believers. whoooooooooo!!!!
also, it occurred to me that personally, i'm feeling more and more confident going in to these meetings that we are going to kick the tail out of the devil (lowercase, yes, Brett!). i mean, really, if i'm honest, it was kinda scarry in the first week, but now i feel like a giant taking on an ant. BAM!!! done. moving on, and walking full of the LORD!!!
Our small group was great. Random stuff had been brought to our attention during the past few days, so we repented and prayed about it, using our authority as Sons of God....
ReplyDeleteand that one little dirty secret of mine, the one I had told no one. The one the enemy said was the one that was just too much, that I should be ashamed of, the one that God kept encouraging me to bring to light...well, I got it out there.
And we prayed about it...
and then someone else had something related to it, and he felt prompted/encouraged to share, so we prayed about that...
and then someone else had something related come to mind, so we prayed about it.
All of these things happened when we were 7 to 9 years old. All stuff from over 20 years ago, but we're praying and ordering out spirits of rejection, and we're trying to do some thorough cleaning, so this stuff we had obviously packed away was there to be dealt with, and we dealt with it.
I agree Adam...I'm feeling like some combination of David and Goliath...wise and able to use my weapon, as well as a muscle-bound titan.
Apparently you feel more like Emeril...BAM!!
Couldn't resist.
bc
Honestly, I was a bit skeptical when you and Dora spoke on how rejection can start in the womb. But, it came to life for me big time at a birthday party on Friday night…big time. I was talking to the mother of the bday boy, small talk and she brought up how she really wanted a girl instead of the boy. She said she prayed and said day and night how she wanted a girl. Even when her son was born and they put the baby in her arms, she asked why couldn’t it be a girl. Previously, I would have laughed it off. But your words from a couple nights earlier came to mind and I could see how rejection started for my friend and planted roots even before he was born. It was very clear to me how this rejection has been and still is a major stronghold in his life 40 years later. It has given me a new perspective on how to be in fellowship with him, I am still praying for the best approach of how to help him be free. More to come. But it has also caused me to be more intentional about the words to our children and the baby Crissy is carrying. Thanks.
ReplyDelete-from Chris Heiert
This is awesome, Brett. Sam Hills just told me yesterday how he was talking to an old friend (actually, a missionary who's just come back from being overseas) and, well I'll just quote Sam:
ReplyDelete"It was clear from talking to my friend that what he was dealing with was major bitterness. I told him that forgiving was a choice he could make and we sat down for about an hour and just went through a forgiveness list for him. He'd never forgiven himself, his family, or God... When we went to pray, after his first word ("God...") he just started SOBBING. This bitterness stuff was obviously the key to unlocking his imprisoned heart.
It was great to be able to walk someone I love through that. A couple of months ago, I would've been able to know that something was wrong, but now I feel like I really had the tools to understand how the enemy had been hoodwinking this guy and how to get him out of that mess. Totally empowering experience for me; I know that I'm called to minister to people who come into my life, but now I have better tools in my belt so that I can diagnose what's happening and specifically help them through it. God is so good!"
I receive encouragement from reading these posts, so thanks to all for posting.
ReplyDeleteAfter each small group, I have left exhausted, worn out, etc. I wondered why? The answer is obvious, but it wasn't initally to me. We are engaged in a spirtual battle - all in for 4 quarters and then some. There has been some major crap that we've uncovered and it has been great. Has anyone else felt the same way?
I want to encourage you that feeling worn out is good and keep up the great work. God likes it when we're all in, 24-7.