The Angst of Rejection by Aileen Florez

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” There’s nothing easy about rejection. Rejection feels lousy. It stings, increases anger, anxiety, depression, jealousy, sadness and unhealthy behaviors. It causes sweaty palms, tense voice, labored breathing, increased heart rate, and even panic attacks.

My struggles with rejection began at a young age and lasted into adulthood. I became a people pleaser. I found it impossible to say “no” even when saying yes caused inconvenience or hardships in my own life. I was so passive – oftentimes I went out of my way just to avoid confrontations. I refused to ask or even speak up for what I needed. I simply shutdown and pretended my needs don’t matter. I developed a scripted way of life acting as though everything was perfect, hiding my true self to the world. God used my fears to help me become compassionate and to make a difference in the lives of others. Despite all the ugliness of rejection, my fear turned out to be a blessing. I am so grateful for God’s grace. God used my pain and suffering to help me grow stronger, to rise above, have more faith and trust in Him. I am healed. Rejection can be a tool and a blessing that humbly brings out the best in us. Don’t allow the fear of rejection to hold you back. Instead, let’s focus on God who rescued us and learn how to love ourselves as Jesus loves us. Let us be reminded of the times and ways Jesus was brutally rejected and still loved us. Praise God, for he heals and helps us forgive those who rejected us. With God we are not rejected, we are ACCEPTED!

Our Father by Nancy Soulemana

As a child in Catholic school, I memorized the Our Father. Every day we recited the Our Father for our teachers, just as we would say The Pledge of Allegiance. But the words held no value to me. It was something I memorized, just like my phone number or address.

The Our Father means so much more. According to Matthew 6 Jesus is teaching God’s people how to Pray. Matthew 6:9 says, “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

When we pray, we acknowledge God is Holy. There is none like Him! We ask that His Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. We thank Him for our daily provisions and to forgive our sins and of those who have sinned against us. We ask for protection against sin.

We again acknowledge His greatness again. This reminds me a lot of the sandwich effect. You start with good, serve up not so much in the middle, and end with good.

A lesson I learned in school came straight from Jesus Himself!

Jesus laid out the path for us to go directly to Our Father in prayer. As we pray, let it not be a ritual, let it be relational. Our Father hears us. Jeremiah 29:12 says, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you”.

Our Father wants to hear from you. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Our Father wants to share with you.

Go to Him in prayer and He will reveal things to you. Just as you want to hear from a loved one by phone, text, or email. God wants to hear from you!

Exchanging Ghosts!

Have you ever been haunted by your past? I have. The ghost wasn’t spooky, but it was downright ugly!

The ghost of condemnation is one of the worst companions a human can have. You never leave you, and the trouble is, the accusations are at least in part, true.

I was ashamed of my past. I knew of Jesus from an early age but chose a different path. As an adult, I allowed me and Satan to remind me of a series of bad decisions that left me broken and used.

Finally, I allowed another ghost to come in and clean me up! The issue then was that the ghost was Holy. My belief system battled with The Holy Ghost even more so than with the ghost of condemnation. (Romans 8:1,7)

The Holy Ghost refused to quit and began to demolish every stronghold with holiness, righteousness, humility, truth, and purity. I slowly became a recipient of grace, trading my story for God’s glory! (Romans 8:15 for you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry ABBA father.)

I’m super encouraged by the stories of others who have done the same. Just read Matthew 1. The lineage of Jesus Christ, The Son of David, an adulterer and murderer, Son of Abraham a liar, and includes Tamar who tricked her father-in-law and had twins by him, Rahab, the harlot, and me! The Holy Ghost extends an open invitation to you.

So what about you? Have you submitted to The Holy Ghost and allowed Him to exchange your story for God’s glory? It’s not too late if you have breath. It is as simple as repenting, accepting Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection and allowing The Holy Ghost to overtake the ghost of condemnation. The HOLY Ghost will become your constant companion, renewing your mind, causing you to be free of condemnation and even make you Holy.

No longer will you worry about your past. You’ll war for your future. Allow The Holy Ghost to re-write your story for God’s glory!